EP344: Climate Change and CVD and PFO at PD 2024

Doctor Warrick Bishop - Heart Health

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.

Dr. Warrick Bishop, a cardiologist, discusses highlights from a medical conference he attended. He focuses on two key topics - the impact of climate change on cardiovascular health, and the treatment of patent foramen ovale (PFO), a common heart condition.

Climate change is linked to increased inflammation, coagulation, heat stress, electrolyte imbalances, and air pollution - all of which can negatively impact heart health. Studies have shown that reducing secondhand smoke exposure can significantly lower heart attack risk in affected communities.

PFO is a hole in the heart that typically closes at birth, but remains open in about 25% of people. This can allow blood clots to pass from the venous to arterial circulation, potentially causing strokes. Minimally invasive procedures can be used to close the PFO and prevent this complication.

Doctor Bishop shares his own experience of having a PFO-related stroke, which resolved without lasting symptoms. He plans to have his PFO closed as a preventive measure.

Takeaways:

• Climate change and environmental factors are having a significant impact on cardiovascular health, including increasing inflammation, coagulation, and electrolyte imbalances.
• Thermoregulation issues due to increased heat can be detrimental for those with cardiac conditions like heart failure.
• Air pollution, including particulate matter and secondhand smoke, is linked to increased risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular events.
• Noise pollution is associated with higher blood pressure and increased cardiovascular disease risk.
• A patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a common condition where a hole in the heart does not close properly after birth, which can allow blood clots to pass from the venous to arterial circulation and cause strokes.
• Doctor Bishop had a personal experience with a PFO-related stroke and is planning to get it surgically closed.
• Procedures to close a PFO involve minimally invasive catheter-based techniques rather than open heart surgery.
• Closing a PFO carries a risk of developing atrial fibrillation, which needs to be considered.
• Doctor Bishop emphasizes the importance of understanding and managing cardiovascular risk factors, including those related to environmental and climate changes.
• Doctor Bishop promotes his podcast and website as resources for helping people live healthier and longer lives by addressing heart disease.

Overall, the podcast highlights important connections between environmental factors, cardiovascular disease, and emerging treatment approaches that can help people live healthier, longer lives.

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!

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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

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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