Description
"Heart Disease" What You Need To Know To
Understand And Reduce Your Risk...
Over 20,000 copies in print! #1 International Best Seller!
What Is This Book About?
As a cardiologist, I have not yet met a patient who expected to have a problem; patients do not put into their diaries “possible problem with my heart next week”. Yet, what if we could be forewarned about, or prepared for, a potential problem with our coronary arteries? … What if we could plan NOT to have heart attack?
Have You Planned Your Heart Attack? is the first-of-its-kind, offering a balanced and referenced discussion of coronary risk assessment using modern technology. Taking a picture of the coronary arteries using CT (computed tomography – x-rays are deflected at very high speed using enormous magnets to acquire images that are then reconstructed) to see the health of the arteries, is not new, it just isn't done routinely. Yet, by using these advances specialists, GPs and patients can be ahead of the cardiovascular health game.
Reviews
Dave
Reviewed on 24th Apr 2024
Informative and thought provoking, a conversation in health that must be had.
Having a back ground in health care I found this book to be informative and interesting.
Maintaining the health of people and the provision of health care in order to best achieve this goal is a complex and fascinating subject, one that requires insight, understanding, examination and reflection. In his book Dr Bishop examines his sphere of expertise and poses the question are we doing the best we can to keep people as healthy as we can? Along the way he challenges the status quo and proposes that conversations must be had in order to make sure we are making health care the best it can be. By having common sense discussions and making best health outcomes the a number one priority, Dr Bishop proposes that perhaps we can do better, a message in my books that is always worth consideration. Well done.
Amazon Customer
Reviewed on 24th Apr 2024
Prevention is best
This is an essential and readable book on an important predictor of future heart disease (calcium building up in the coronary arteries). It explains clearly why we need more information than your cholesterol and your lifestyle, and why some 'healthy' people have an early heart attack. A better title might be 'Have you planned how to prevent your heart attack' of course.
I am a U.K. based doctor, and know that an increasing number of units use cardiac CT as part of their work-up of patients who have already shown symptoms. The question is whether the test should be extended to those without symptoms and with lower levels of risk on our standard tests, both as reassurance and as an adjunct to efficient primary prevention.
This book makes the case perfectly.
John T
Reviewed on 24th Apr 2024
Learn why you should use progressive risk based screening BEFORE you have a heart attack
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?
Peter Sayers
Reviewed on 24th Apr 2024
Information is Power This could save your life.
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
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