Younger Longer 28-Day Heart Health Challenge

Day 28: Recap and Future Planning

Welcome to the Younger Longer 28-Day Healthy Heart Challenge, a transformative podcast series designed to help you take control of your heart health and live a longer, healthier life. Over the next 28 days, we’ll guide you through a comprehensive journey covering key aspects of cardiovascular wellness—nutrition, exercise, stress management, medical awareness, and lifestyle choices. Each daily episode is packed with expert insights from Dr. Warrick Bishop, best-selling author and cardiologist dedicated to preventing heart disease before it becomes a life-threatening issue. Using the latest science and practical strategies, this series empowers you to make heart-healthy choices and build habits that will support your well-being for years to come. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN THE 28 DAYS: ✔ Understanding Your Heart – How it functions and why proactive care is essential. ✔ Heart-Healthy Nutrition – The best foods to fuel your cardiovascular system. ✔ Exercise & Movement – The role of physical activity in strengthening your heart. ✔ Stress & Mental Well-being – Managing stress and anxiety for a healthier heart. ✔ The Power of Sleep – How sleep quality impacts cardiovascular function. ✔ The Impact of Smoking & Alcohol – Making informed lifestyle changes. ✔ Supplements & Medical Insights – Understanding key nutrients and medical checkups. ✔ Advanced Heart Testing & Risk Factors – Going beyond traditional risk assessments. ✔ Sustaining Long-Term Heart Health Habits – Turning knowledge into action for lifelong benefits. 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. Your heart is your most vital organ, and the steps you take today will shape your future health. Whether you’re looking to prevent heart disease, manage risk factors, or simply improve your overall well-being, this 28-day challenge is your roadmap to a healthier, longer life. Subscribe and start your journey today—because every heartbeat counts! ---------------------------------------- Transcript Well, good day and welcome to Day 28! Well done on getting here. I really, really appreciate you and commend you if you've made it all the way through to this point. If you have, you've learned so much. You know that amazing organ inside your chest is beating 100,000 times a day for you. It starts beating within weeks of conception in utero and will give you three billion beats in a lifetime. And if it stops, so do you. So, how do you look after it? We've touched on diet. We've talked about exercise. We've covered the importance of sleep and stress. We've discussed the Harvard longevity study and the importance of relationships. We've talked about genetics—you can't change those. We've talked about medications, and we've even talked about risk and the kinds of testing you can do to be more precise about your risk. What are you going to do from here on? I hope one of the things you've really taken on board is the importance of being precise about your risk and the value I've attached to individuals considering a coronary artery calcium score as a rite of passage. Men moving from 45 to 50 years of age and beyond, and women from about 55 to 60 years of age and beyond, should consider it—unless there's a risk enhancer like a premature family history of coronary disease or significantly elevated cholesterol levels. How are you going to lock some of these changes into place? One of the key things is to make small, doable changes. Lock in with someone—maybe your partner, spouse, someone at work, or someone you care about—and support each other’s health. Do it together. Look at things you can change in your diet. Look at things you can change with exercise. Simple things. Set goals. Use the SMART goals process—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Don't put things off. Recognize that your healthy heart journey is about being informed before a problem occurs. Get those checks. Know your cholesterol levels. Know your blood pressure. Make sure you're not pre-diabetic. Sleep well. Exercise regularly. Know your calcium score. These are all key pieces of information that can be addressed before a problem arises. Embrace them and think about how you can integrate them into your ongoing health journey. Once you've done that, simple things on a daily basis will make an enormous difference. If you are given medications, don’t stop them unless it’s clear, with the person who prescribed them, why you would stop or what the strategy is around stopping them. There will be lots of resources at the end of this. If you're interested, I'd love to support you with even more detail for an ongoing deep dive into heart health and broader health-related issues. My Healthy Heart Network has been evolving into the Healthy Life Network. Every fortnight, I present a live session where members can contribute, ask questions, and even suggest topics for me to cover in a live Zoom call. We've got plenty of resources attached to that, so check out the resources on this particular day and see if it could be valuable for you or someone you care about. Again, congratulations on getting this far. I am truly grateful that you've listened and engaged to this stage, and I genuinely hope that I’ve given you information that will make a real and meaningful difference in your life. I honestly 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 [https://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/  [https://healthyheartnetwork.com/]and click on the JOIN THE FAMILY BUTTON

Day 27: Maintaining Long-Term Heart Health Habits

Consistency in diet, exercise, and stress management is key. ---------------------------------------- Welcome to the Younger Longer 28-Day Healthy Heart Challenge, a transformative podcast series designed to help you take control of your heart health and live a longer, healthier life. Over the next 28 days, we’ll guide you through a comprehensive journey covering key aspects of cardiovascular wellness—nutrition, exercise, stress management, medical awareness, and lifestyle choices. Each daily episode is packed with expert insights from Dr. Warrick Bishop, best-selling author and cardiologist dedicated to preventing heart disease before it becomes a life-threatening issue. Using the latest science and practical strategies, this series empowers you to make heart-healthy choices and build habits that will support your well-being for years to come. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN THE 28 DAYS: ✔ Understanding Your Heart – How it functions and why proactive care is essential. ✔ Heart-Healthy Nutrition – The best foods to fuel your cardiovascular system. ✔ Exercise & Movement – The role of physical activity in strengthening your heart. ✔ Stress & Mental Well-being – Managing stress and anxiety for a healthier heart. ✔ The Power of Sleep – How sleep quality impacts cardiovascular function. ✔ The Impact of Smoking & Alcohol – Making informed lifestyle changes. ✔ Supplements & Medical Insights – Understanding key nutrients and medical checkups. ✔ Advanced Heart Testing & Risk Factors – Going beyond traditional risk assessments. ✔ Sustaining Long-Term Heart Health Habits – Turning knowledge into action for lifelong benefits. 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. Your heart is your most vital organ, and the steps you take today will shape your future health. Whether you’re looking to prevent heart disease, manage risk factors, or simply improve your overall well-being, this 28-day challenge is your roadmap to a healthier, longer life. Subscribe and start your journey today—because every heartbeat counts! ---------------------------------------- Transcript G'day and welcome to Day 27! We're really so close to the end of this challenge. First of all, thank you for getting this far. We are at the stage where we need to be thinking about locking in some of the things that you've learned over these last, well, almost three weeks. It's really important to understand that small changes that can be sustained can make big dividends over a long period of time. So just think about some of those small changes that you can make in your diet—maybe adding a little bit of extra veggies or salad into your meals, leaning towards leaner protein choices, particularly trying to get more fish on board, especially fatty fish. Make an effort to seek out and reduce saturated fats, processed foods, and foods high in salt. Little changes, sustainable changes—they'll make a big difference. Exercise is also really important. As we went through the exercise days, I made the point that you've got to enjoy it. If you don't enjoy your exercise, you won't do it. So whatever it is for you, I hope you're able to find several sessions a week—maybe five sessions of 30 minutes of moderate exercise, walking, or something that makes you happy and fits into your life. Also, try to incorporate more movement into your daily routine—taking the stairs instead of the elevator or parking a bit farther away instead of always opting for the closest spot. We will have touched on smoking. If you've got this far, my gut feeling is you're probably not a smoker, but if you are, no one's going to judge you. Just for your own health and for those who love you, please think about quitting. Managing stress is also crucial, as stress has a negative impact on your health. Sleep is really important too. Many of us enjoy alcohol—some go without it, but others may drink a bit too much. What starts as one or two glasses can easily become three or four. Keeping hydrated is also essential, so take a bottle of water with you throughout the day. It's really nice to try and support local, especially if you know the provenance of your groceries. Try to reduce waste and bring simple, sustainable habits into practice. By walking just 30 minutes a day, you can reduce your risk compared to someone who isn’t active by over 30%. Eating two servings of fish a week can reduce your risk of an event by nearly the same amount. Similarly, not getting enough good-quality sleep increases your risk. So as you reflect on what you've learned over these past three weeks, think about the little changes you can implement easily and sustainably to support your best health journey moving forward. For now, I’m going to wish you the very best. I do hope you live as well as possible for as long as possible, and I look forward to speaking with you tomorrow. 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 [https://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/  [https://healthyheartnetwork.com/]and click on the JOIN THE FAMILY BUTTON

Day 26: Medication and Heart Health

Medications like statins and beta-blockers can help manage heart conditions. ---------------------------------------- Welcome to the Younger Longer 28-Day Healthy Heart Challenge, a transformative podcast series designed to help you take control of your heart health and live a longer, healthier life. Over the next 28 days, we’ll guide you through a comprehensive journey covering key aspects of cardiovascular wellness—nutrition, exercise, stress management, medical awareness, and lifestyle choices. Each daily episode is packed with expert insights from Dr. Warrick Bishop, best-selling author and cardiologist dedicated to preventing heart disease before it becomes a life-threatening issue. Using the latest science and practical strategies, this series empowers you to make heart-healthy choices and build habits that will support your well-being for years to come. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN THE 28 DAYS: ✔ Understanding Your Heart – How it functions and why proactive care is essential. ✔ Heart-Healthy Nutrition – The best foods to fuel your cardiovascular system. ✔ Exercise & Movement – The role of physical activity in strengthening your heart. ✔ Stress & Mental Well-being – Managing stress and anxiety for a healthier heart. ✔ The Power of Sleep – How sleep quality impacts cardiovascular function. ✔ The Impact of Smoking & Alcohol – Making informed lifestyle changes. ✔ Supplements & Medical Insights – Understanding key nutrients and medical checkups. ✔ Advanced Heart Testing & Risk Factors – Going beyond traditional risk assessments. ✔ Sustaining Long-Term Heart Health Habits – Turning knowledge into action for lifelong benefits. 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. Your heart is your most vital organ, and the steps you take today will shape your future health. Whether you’re looking to prevent heart disease, manage risk factors, or simply improve your overall well-being, this 28-day challenge is your roadmap to a healthier, longer life. Subscribe and start your journey today—because every heartbeat counts! ---------------------------------------- Transcript Welcome! Today is the 26th, and we are talking about medication. There are millions of people who take heart-related medications, and the really good thing is that we have plenty of medications in the cardiovascular realm to help with all sorts of aspects of cardiovascular care. So, let's talk about blood pressure tablets. First of all, we've got beta blockers. They dampen down the sympathetic nervous system, slow the heart, and reduce blood pressure. We also have these wonderful agents called angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers, which work through the angiotensin system to help blood vessels relax. The same agents are really good for cardiac failure—so are beta blockers, as it happens. Calcium channel blockers come in different types. Some slow the heart while also opening the arteries, while others work more peripherally by opening the arteries with less effect on heart rate. We can also use diuretics, such as thiazide diuretics, and sometimes mineralocorticoid-blocking diuretics like spironolactone, which can help with blood pressure as well. When it comes to cholesterol lowering, you’ve likely heard of statins, but these days, we're adding other agents as well. Ezetimibe, for example, blocks cholesterol absorption from the gut. We're also using agents called PCSK9 inhibitors because PCSK9 is a protein that, if blocked, improves the cycling of cholesterol receptors on liver cells. If the receptor is working better, it pulls more cholesterol out of the bloodstream, reducing LDL cholesterol—the "bad" cholesterol. We've also got drugs that prevent blood clots, such as aspirin and aspirin-like medications, which are used routinely if you’ve had a stent. Additionally, we have blood thinners that work differently, known as anticoagulants. You may have heard of warfarin—it was once referred to as rat poison, and in its first iteration, it was. However, in very controlled doses, warfarin has been used to thin the blood. These anticoagulants differ from antiplatelet agents, which act on platelets—the tiny components that clump together in the blood to aid in clotting. Aspirin and aspirin-like agents target platelets, while blood thinners work on the proteins that aid in coagulation. Newer blood thinners, available for about five years, are called non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants. We also have medications that reduce chest pain, such as nitrates—sprays used under the tongue to open up arteries and ease anginal pain. It's important not to mix this spray with certain medications, particularly Viagra. Without going into further detail about these heart-related medications, I really want to stress two key points. First, if you are on heart-related medications, please carry an up-to-date list with you at all times. If you see a doctor and they ask what medications you are on, don’t shrug your shoulders—pull out your list and show them. Imagine how much better care you'd receive in an emergency if that was the case. Second, and this is extremely important, if a cardiologist has prescribed you medication for a specific purpose and you believe you're having a problem with it, please go and talk to the person who prescribed it. Understand exactly why you are on it and what strategies you need to implement to assess whether it is causing an issue. For example, if you were to stop taking a blood thinner like aspirin after receiving a stent, you would run an extremely high risk of a clot forming within the stent, suddenly blocking the artery. That could be the last thing you ever remember. So, please don't just stop your tablets—talk to someone, be clear on what the medication is doing, and understand the next steps. Well, that's it from me. I do hope you live as well as possible for as long as possible, and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. 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 [https://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/  [https://healthyheartnetwork.com/]and click on the JOIN THE FAMILY BUTTON

Day 25: Why do Heart Attacks Occur Seemingly Out of the Blue?

Uncontrolled blood sugar damages blood vessels and increases heart disease risk. ---------------------------------------- Welcome to the Younger Longer 28-Day Healthy Heart Challenge, a transformative podcast series designed to help you take control of your heart health and live a longer, healthier life. Over the next 28 days, we’ll guide you through a comprehensive journey covering key aspects of cardiovascular wellness—nutrition, exercise, stress management, medical awareness, and lifestyle choices. Each daily episode is packed with expert insights from Dr. Warrick Bishop, best-selling author and cardiologist dedicated to preventing heart disease before it becomes a life-threatening issue. Using the latest science and practical strategies, this series empowers you to make heart-healthy choices and build habits that will support your well-being for years to come. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN THE 28 DAYS: ✔ Understanding Your Heart – How it functions and why proactive care is essential. ✔ Heart-Healthy Nutrition – The best foods to fuel your cardiovascular system. ✔ Exercise & Movement – The role of physical activity in strengthening your heart. ✔ Stress & Mental Well-being – Managing stress and anxiety for a healthier heart. ✔ The Power of Sleep – How sleep quality impacts cardiovascular function. ✔ The Impact of Smoking & Alcohol – Making informed lifestyle changes. ✔ Supplements & Medical Insights – Understanding key nutrients and medical checkups. ✔ Advanced Heart Testing & Risk Factors – Going beyond traditional risk assessments. ✔ Sustaining Long-Term Heart Health Habits – Turning knowledge into action for lifelong benefits. 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. Your heart is your most vital organ, and the steps you take today will shape your future health. Whether you’re looking to prevent heart disease, manage risk factors, or simply improve your overall well-being, this 28-day challenge is your roadmap to a healthier, longer life. Subscribe and start your journey today—because every heartbeat counts! ---------------------------------------- Transcript Hi and welcome to Day 25, and this is probably one of the most important days if you ask me. What I want to get across is how heart attacks can occur out of the blue in people who otherwise seem healthy—no signs, no problems. I am going to ask you to take a moment to check out the resources associated with this particular day because I'm going to include my TEDx talk, which is a personal experience where I dealt with a patient who had exactly that occur, and it changed the way I practice cardiology. So please check it out. What's really, really important is to understand that we don't feel raised cholesterol. But what's also really important is some of these statistics that we know: nearly 50% of heart attacks occur in people who have normal cholesterol. So don't use that as a reassurance. For many people, the very first symptom of heart disease is a heart attack—nearly 20%. And of heart attacks, one in six, that's 15%, will be fatal. When we look at people who have heart attacks, up to 20% to 25% of all heart attacks occur in individuals 65 years of age or less. Since heart disease affects nearly 20% to 25% of the entire population, we are all at risk until we know otherwise. So what really catches us? Cholesterol building up in the arteries doesn't give you a symptom. And here's the key: you won't get a symptom from the buildup of cholesterol in the arteries until that cholesterol has built up so much that it limits flow down the arteries, or becomes flow-limiting. That makes sense—if you exercise and have flow-limiting plaque in your arteries, not enough blood gets down that artery to supply the heart as it should. The heart then suffers the consequences of this lack of blood flow, which is equivalent to cramp. This gives rise to pain, stiffness, shortness of breath, and discomfort—the anginal syndrome you may have heard of. But here’s the bit I really want you to understand. Before plaque builds up to being flow-limiting, it is non-flow-limiting. If it's non-flow-limiting, it does not restrict blood flow down the artery at all, even when someone exercises full tilt. Why is that important? At autopsy, when doctors cut open the arteries to examine what happened, they find that nearly 40%—that's almost half—of all heart attacks occur on plaque that was not limiting flow up until the moment it ruptured, burst, and formed a clot. This is so, so important to understand. It means you can be walking around completely symptom-free with a plaque that is not limiting blood flow but has the potential to rupture suddenly. When a clot forms on that ruptured plaque, it can block the artery suddenly, leading to a heart attack out of the blue. So what can you do? We've talked about traditional risk checks. We've talked about checks with your GP. We've talked about managing blood pressure. But in my opinion, one of the single most important things to do is to look at the health of your arteries and consider getting a coronary artery calcium score. I've talked about this multiple times. You can check it out at virtualheartcheck.com, where you can organize a scan for yourself. Men aged 45 to 50 and above, and women aged 55 to 60 and above, should think of it as a rite of passage to see what's going on. Please check out the resources for today. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow and the last couple of days. Thank you so much for being attentive and getting this far. I really hope that today sinks in, resonates with you, and leads to action. For now, I truly 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 [https://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/  [https://healthyheartnetwork.com/]and click on the JOIN THE FAMILY BUTTON

Day 24: Understanding Heart Testing

These tests provide a clearer picture of heart health beyond traditional risk assessments. ---------------------------------------- Welcome to the Younger Longer 28-Day Healthy Heart Challenge, a transformative podcast series designed to help you take control of your heart health and live a longer, healthier life. Over the next 28 days, we’ll guide you through a comprehensive journey covering key aspects of cardiovascular wellness—nutrition, exercise, stress management, medical awareness, and lifestyle choices. Each daily episode is packed with expert insights from Dr. Warrick Bishop, best-selling author and cardiologist dedicated to preventing heart disease before it becomes a life-threatening issue. Using the latest science and practical strategies, this series empowers you to make heart-healthy choices and build habits that will support your well-being for years to come. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN THE 28 DAYS: ✔ Understanding Your Heart – How it functions and why proactive care is essential. ✔ Heart-Healthy Nutrition – The best foods to fuel your cardiovascular system. ✔ Exercise & Movement – The role of physical activity in strengthening your heart. ✔ Stress & Mental Well-being – Managing stress and anxiety for a healthier heart. ✔ The Power of Sleep – How sleep quality impacts cardiovascular function. ✔ The Impact of Smoking & Alcohol – Making informed lifestyle changes. ✔ Supplements & Medical Insights – Understanding key nutrients and medical checkups. ✔ Advanced Heart Testing & Risk Factors – Going beyond traditional risk assessments. ✔ Sustaining Long-Term Heart Health Habits – Turning knowledge into action for lifelong benefits. 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. Your heart is your most vital organ, and the steps you take today will shape your future health. Whether you’re looking to prevent heart disease, manage risk factors, or simply improve your overall well-being, this 28-day challenge is your roadmap to a healthier, longer life. Subscribe and start your journey today—because every heartbeat counts! ---------------------------------------- Transcript Hi and welcome to Day 24, and we're talking about testing of the heart. Well, we've talked about traditional risk factor calculators, and I'm not sure that they're the bee's knees, so let's talk about some other stuff. I've already touched on coronary artery calcium a few times, and this is a great way to actually be precise about your risk. In my perfect world, every male 45 to 50 years of age and every female 55 to 60 years of age should have a coronary artery calcium score done as a rite of passage as we age. One in four people are affected by coronary artery disease, so why wouldn't we check? That's pretty straightforward, and I think I've even got links to show you where you can organize your own scan without even the need to see a GP or a specialist. Check that out—that's virtualheartcheck.com—and you can pursue that as you see appropriate. Those ages I gave you? You might even do that scanning a little bit earlier if there's a really bad family history. Well, what are the other tests we can use? If we think that there is a buildup of plaque in the arteries, or rust in the pipes if you like, and we think that buildup is so much that it might be limiting flow, we can put people through some sort of stress test or functional test. If we combine that with an ultrasound or an echocardiogram, then we can get readings on the electrical response of the heart and how the heart contracts by looking at it with ultrasonography. A heart that's not getting enough blood shows electrical changes that we monitor, and a heart that's not getting enough blood cramps—it doesn't move properly. So stress echocardiography is a great way to assess if there's flow limitation. You may have heard of coronary artery calcium scoring because I've been talking about it a lot, but if we take a coronary artery calcium score-style test and add dye or contrast and inject at the same time, we can outline the arteries with even more detail. This is called a CT angiogram, and it's really, really valuable. We tend to use it for individuals who have symptoms. It's not standard for risk. You may have also heard of MRI scanning of the heart, and this is a beautiful tool used for a number of different parameters within heart evaluation, particularly things like the quality of the heart muscle itself. Are there changes that point to there being deposition of some sort of compound, chemical, or protein within the muscle? How well is the muscle working? Can we see scar within the muscle of the heart? MRI also helps assess how well the valves are working, and we can get very, very accurate assessments of valve leakage. We can also get very accurate assessments of the function of things like even the aorta. So cardiac MRI imaging provides exquisite images for really evaluating hearts when we have some uncertainty and need more detail. To summarize: Coronary artery calcium scoring – Highly recommended to really figure out your risk. Stress testing/functional testing – Used if we think there could be a risk of any flow-limiting plaque buildup in the arteries. CT coronary angiography – A great test, more precise than coronary artery calcium scoring, and used for people with symptoms. Cardiac MRI – A beautiful test giving us exquisite images, but it does take a while and is fairly expensive. It provides great insight into the integrity and quality of the muscle, any features of scar, and any problems with the valves. For now, I'm going to wrap up. I look forward to seeing you at Day 25. Until tomorrow, 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 [https://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/  [https://healthyheartnetwork.com/]and click on the JOIN THE FAMILY BUTTON