Morbidity and Mortality haunt us for as long as we live.
There are general societal changes that have improved the human condition clean water, sewerage etc...
The are medical advances vaccination, drugs, surgery....
As a society we have embraced road safety, seat belts, better vehicles and roads.
We also engage in cancer screening programs, breast, colonic, skin.
Due to all of the above we all will live safer, healthier, longer lives if we avail ourselves of the opportunities to influence our health direction.
Dr Bishop's book leads us to that opportunity to recognise a latent condition.
Identification of coronary artery disease gives us a chance to reduce our individual risk. We can be following generic health advice, be a normal weight, maintain a normal blood pressure, check cholesterol and lipids and remain physically active. But unless one looks at those 32 centimetres of coronary arteries in a non invasive fashion, one will never know.
With falling mortality in other medical conditions that are identified early, the mortality of conditions that are not identified early must rise.
Dr Bishop presents his subject well, in an easy to follow style. He makes a very good case for coronary CT scan.
Yes, this is a book for the "worried well". But it also provides a means of dealing with that worry.
Just remember Acute Myocardial Infarction kills more women than breast cancer.
I recommend this book a good informative read.
Peter Sayers

Don't leave it too long to read this book - or it might be too late!

It's too easy to make medical topics too hard but Warwick's great book doesn't do that. It takes the reader on a journey that helps the layman and professional alike put the whole coronary artery story into an understandable context. What results is empowering to the layman and a gentle encouragement to the profession to move on from traditional entrenched practice.

Why is it that the Profession seems so reluctant to shift to sensible selective screening for coronary artery disease? Why is there an insistence on waiting for symptoms to justify a coronary angiogram when an earlier CT calcium score or CT angiogram could elucidate the risks?

Warwick's book uses evidence and anecdotes from his years of experience to shine a light on this area of huge medical interest. Warwick recognises that population-wide statistics have revealed the importance of broad factors across the population. But they don't go far enough to evaluate an individual's risk of a cardiac event. For instance low cholesterol, good diet and regular exercise might mean an individual is at less risk of coronary artery disease than others in the population, but the individual wants more than that. As an individual I want to know the risk that I will have a cardiac event.

Here is a knowledgeable, candid, unbiased plea that advocates an evidence-based progression for investigations. Here is a proactive pathway to follow BEFORE you have a heart attack. Worth a read. Hopefully it will contribute to a change in practice amongst cardiologists. Or do we need to change the incentive scheme first?

Very informative

I'm no medic but this book gave me the information I had been looking for. High cholesterol doesn't automatically mean statins for life - there are alternatives to be explored. Containing enough medical information for those who want that level, the book was easy enough to follow for those of us who aren't so bothered! Dr Warrick Bishop clearly has a passion for getting heart scans accepted into mainstream medicine and reading this book you can see why. As the subtitle of the book says, ' this book may save your life'. Well worth a read before your first heart attack!