Welcome to my podcast. I am Doctor Warrick Bishop, and I want to help you to live as well as possible for as long as possible. I’m a practising cardiologist, best-selling author, keynote speaker, and the creator of The Healthy Heart Network. I have over 20 years as a specialist cardiologist and a private practice of over 10,000 patients.
In this podcast, Dr. Warrick Bishop discusses cardiovascular health, particularly focusing on women's heart health, with guest Dr. Fiona Foo, an interventional cardiologist. They highlight the alarming statistic that coronary heart disease is the second leading cause of death among women in Australia, often underrecognised compared to other health issues like breast cancer. The conversation covers traditional risk factors such as cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, and how some of these pose a greater risk for women. They also delve into sex-specific risk factors, including complications from pregnancy and autoimmune diseases, which can significantly increase cardiovascular risk.
Dr. Foo emphasizes the importance of regular heart health checks and proactive lifestyle choices, such as maintaining a healthy diet and exercise routine. They discuss the implications of breast cancer treatments on heart health and the link between mental health issues like depression and increased cardiovascular risk. The podcast advocates for greater awareness among both patients and healthcare providers regarding women's unique heart health risks. Finally, Dr. Bishop introduces a resource for assessing heart health risk through calcium scoring, aiming to improve accessibility to cardiovascular screening. The episode concludes with a reminder of the importance of prevention and regular check-ups for maintaining heart health.
Takeaways:
- Heart Disease Prevalence: Heart disease is a significant health issue in Australia, being the second leading cause of death in women, surpassing all cancers combined.
- Gender Differences in Risk: There are critical differences in cardiovascular risk factors between men and women, with some traditional risk factors posing greater threats to women.
- Traditional Risk Factors: Common risk factors such as cholesterol levels, blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking affect both genders, but women with diabetes face a higher risk of coronary heart disease than men.
- Sex-Specific Risk Factors: Unique risk factors for women include adverse pregnancy outcomes, early menopause, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and complications from breast cancer treatment.
- Impact of Pregnancy Complications: Conditions like gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders during pregnancy significantly increase future cardiovascular risks for women.
- Autoimmune Diseases: Conditions such as systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis, which affect women more, contribute to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease due to their inflammatory nature.
- Breast Cancer Treatment Implications: Treatments for breast cancer can lead to heart issues, including impaired heart function and increased cardiovascular disease risk, particularly among survivors.
- Mental Health Connection: Depression and anxiety are significant risk factors for cardiovascular disease, especially in middle-aged women, creating a bidirectional relationship between mental and heart health.
- Proactive Health Checks: Women are encouraged to take proactive measures regarding heart health by recognizing risk factors, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and undergoing regular heart health checks.
- Access to Screening: Tools like calcium scoring are highlighted as valuable for assessing cardiovascular risk, with platforms available to facilitate access to such screenings without needing to visit a GP or specialist.
Australia, like the rest of the western world, has a heart problem.
Over 9 million people around the world die from heart disease every year.
Every 10 minutes, someone in Australia suffers a heart attack. And 21 lives are lost daily because of it.
The devastating fact in all of this is…
Almost every one of those cases could have been prevented.
This podcast is for anyone who wants to improve their health literacy and gain information to help them make the best decisions about their risk of heart attack, their cholesterol, blood pressure, risk of diabetes, weight loss and general health. Join me on my personal mission journey to prevent Heart Attack on a global scale. If you like this podcast, I would be honoured by a 5-star review and appreciate if you let your friends and family know about this podcast; you may even save the life of someone you love!
Are You at Risk of a Sudden Heart Attack? How Healthy is Your Heart? Really?
Heart disease is the #1 killer in the Western World. In Australia, someone dies every 28 minutes from heart disease. That’s 51 people a day. In the US, someone has a heart attack every 40 SECONDS! Fortunately, many heart attacks are preventable. However, regular exercise and eating healthy are no guarantee you won’t succumb to this silent killer.
- 94% of Australians have at least One Risk Factor for heart disease.
- 59% of Australians have been Touched by heart disease.
- Yet only 3% of Australians have had a Full Heart-Health Assessment in the past 12 months.
Do the free heart check today at www.virtualheartcheck.com.au
Join the Healthy Heart Network and become part of our growing community!
Do You Want to Improve Your Heart’s Health and Reduce Your Risk of Suffering a Heart Attack? Join The Healthy Heart Network For Only $5 Lifetime Access (Valued at over $55)!
The Healthy Heart Network is designed to help members:
- understand the present state of their heart’s health
- recognise their current level of risk of suffering a heart attack
- Learn the positive steps they can take to improve their situation
Visit https://healthyheartnetwork.com/ and click on the JOIN THE FAMILY BUTTON
