This book is a must for anyone who has a history of cardio problems in their family or are experiencing problems of their own. In fact, if you aren't sure, you need to read this book anyway. I learned more about my heart, various tests and results than I would ever have imagined in this short and concise book. I am not a doctor and all the details and test results seem to blur for me. In this book Dr. Warrick provides cases and outlines test results compared to what would be ideal. I can now use this book as a guide when I review my results. More importantly though is that Dr. Warrick lays out a path to using CT scans to proactively prevent heart attacks rather than just treating the disease after you have one. Ironically, after I started reading this book, I developed a (non-heart) medical issue based on traditional medical test results in which a CT scan was used to further determine whether there was an actual issue. If works for one part of the body, why not for cardio as well? This is a great read presented in a very easy to understand format. I am grateful for having had the opportunity to read this book. It is a great reference book to have on hand.

I think this book is good for anyone with a question about whether they have a true risk of heart attack or to understand the functionality of the heart and arteries. However, to be clear, it doesn't actually teach you what your real risk is. It tells you how you can find out your real risk. It explains what the heart does, explains that risk factors such as cholesterol, blood pressure, weight/BMI, etc are not always indicative of the real risk, etc. It's a good book to learn about the true risk, and how each person is an individual. According to the book, the only way to know the true risk is to have the CT scan to evaluate the arteries. That's how you know your real risk. It makes sense.

Most doctors base risk on family history, lifestyles, and "numbers" (such as blood pressure, cholesterol, weight/BMI, etc). I have a strong family history. I have good "numbers" and a good lifestyle...so according to the doctors, I'm okay. My risk should be low. But, to assess my true risk, according to this book, I would have a CT scan to evaluate what's really going on in my arteries. I believe that would be a true indicator and could give me reassurance, or it could cause me to take steps to prevent the heart attack. Unfortunately, that CT is not covered and it's expensive here in the US---and you need a doctor who will agree to order the test and then you need to be able to pay out of pocket for it.

Overall, good information, and this could potentially have the ability to save someone from a heart attack.
Unfortunately, it's not a viable option for everyone to have that test to know their true risk.

Although a lot of this book is hard to comprehend i believe that i did benefit from reading this book. Thank you for the oportunity.

The author of this book, Dr. Warrick Bishop, is an Australian practicing cardiologist who has created a program called “The Healthy Heart Network” to help people manage their risk of heart attack better. The result of this is a book he wrote which is clear, concise, and lays out a plan to be proactive in preventing a heart attack. His writing style for this book is easy to follow and understand for the layman, which I appreciated.

He starts out by explaining the components and functions of the heart. From there he goes into detail how plaque is formed in the arteries and then how to detect, monitor and if appropriate, treat it. To this end he advocates primary prevention of heart disease and outlines the steps he recommends to accomplish this.

Once you have read this book, you will be in a better educated position to advocate for your heart health while having a discussion with your doctor.

Disclaimer: I was offered the opportunity to read this book and then give my honest opinion of it.