Blood Pressure Challenge Day 13

Search Episodes

Previous Episode

Next Episode

Blood Pressure Challenge Day 13

Host:

Doctor Warrick

May 5, 2025

Played 252 times

0 comments

14-Day Blood Pressure Challenge

Welcome to the Younger Longer 14-Day Blood Pressure Challenge. My name is Dr. Warrick Bishop. I'm a preventative cardiologist and I'm super excited that you're looking to look after your blood pressure. It is one of the most important and really one of the simplest things you can look after to look after your heart for the rest of your life.

During this 14-Day Challenge I'm going to share with you a whole lot of stuff. Every day, a video, some resources, a challenge or a task for you to complete and a fun fact. Stay tuned, your blood pressure is super important. Let me explain to you how, what you're going to do about it and how you're going to look after yourself for the years ahead

Why Listen?

Get practical tips and science-backed advice you can apply immediately.
Learn from real-world examples and medical expertise.
Gain daily challenges to help you stay engaged and track progress.
Take charge of your heart health in a simple, effective, and engaging way.

Transcript

Hi and welcome to Day 13 — and today is a really important one.

We often talk about blood pressure being a silent killer. It can lead to serious conditions like stroke, heart attack, cardiac failure, atrial fibrillation, renal (kidney) failure, and even dementia.

But can we tell if any damage has already been done?

Well, it turns out that we can. One way to assess this is through a test called a Coronary Artery Calcium Score — also known as a CAC.

A CAC scan measures the amount of calcium built up in the heart arteries. It’s a direct marker of atherosclerosis — or, in simpler terms, plaque buildup in the arteries. This scan is one of the most accurate predictors of future heart attacks and, in many cases, it outperforms traditional risk assessments.

So instead of guessing your heart attack risk based on cholesterol or blood pressure alone, a CAC scan gives us a much clearer picture.

If your score is zero, your risk of a heart attack over the next five years is remarkably low. But if the score is elevated, it helps guide our decisions about how aggressive we need to be with treatments — whether it’s managing cholesterol, blood pressure, or other cardiovascular risk factors.

To help make this accessible, I created the Virtual Heart Check platform. You can go online, answer a few questions, and book a Coronary Artery Calcium Score — all without needing to see a GP or specialist. It saves both time and money and works in every major centre across Australia.

I highly recommend getting a CAC scan. It breaks down barriers and makes this important test more readily available.

If you're unsure, have a conversation with your doctor about getting a coronary artery calcium score.

In my opinion, just about every man aged 45 to 50 and above should be getting this scan — and every woman aged 55 to 60 should as well. I see it as a rite of passage in your health journey. If you have family history or other significant risk factors, it’s worth considering getting the scan even earlier.

So, check it out, and take action.

Tomorrow, I’ll be talking about the final wrap-up for this 14-day challenge. Just remember — your heart beats 35 million times a year, so we really do want to look after it.

I look forward to speaking with you again tomorrow.

Until then, I hope you live as well as possible, for as long as possible.

Take care and bye for now.

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

Transcript English

**Episode Title: Blood Pressure Challenge Day 13** **Speaker:** Hi and welcome to day 13. Today is really important. We talk about blood pressure being a silent killer, and we discuss how it can lead to stroke, heart attack, cardiac failure, atrial fibrillation, renal failure, and dementia. But can we tell if any damage has been done? Well, it turns out that we can, and one way we can do that is by considering a test called a coronary artery calcium score, or a CAC, C-A-C. A CAC scan measures the amount of calcium built up in the heart arteries, and it is a direct marker of atherosclerosis—or, in simpler terms, the plaque that's building up in the arteries. It is one of the most accurate predictors of future heart attack and often outperforms traditional risk factors. So, trying to guess your risk of heart attack off cholesterol alone or even blood pressure alone, coronary artery calcium scores give us better insight. If your score is zero, your risk over the next five years is really very, very low. But if it's elevated, it can give us real insight into what might be going on and to what degree. The higher your CAC score could guide how high our intensity of therapy might be for cholesterol, for blood pressure, and for all your cardiovascular risks. I actually created the virtual HeartCheck platform where you can jump online, answer some questions, and book yourself a coronary artery calcium score without the need to see a GP or even a specialist, saving you time and money. I highly recommend getting a CAC scan. That virtual HeartCheck works in every major center in Australia, and it really breaks down some of the barriers to people getting a scan. So you might want to try it yourself. If you're unsure, please speak with your doctor about getting a coronary artery calcium score. My belief is that just about every man aged 45 to 50 and above should be having a scan, and every woman aged 55 to 60 should be having a scan as a rite of passage as part of their best health journey. If there are significant family risk factors or other risk factors, you might even consider doing that scan earlier. So check it out! Tomorrow, I'll be talking about the wrap-up for this 14-day challenge. Remember that heart of yours beats 35 million times a year, so we do want to look after it. I look forward to speaking with you tomorrow. Until then, I hope you live as well as possible for as long as possible. Take care, and bye for now.

Please Note: Before embarking on the Younger Longer 14-Day Blood Pressure Challenge, it's essential to consult with your General Practitioner (GP) to ensure it's safe for you to participate, especially if you have existing health conditions or risk factors. Pre-exercise screening is recommended to identify any medical conditions that may increase the risk of adverse events during physical activity.