Heart health was voted one of your top health concerns in Australia’s Biggest Health Check Survey. To learn more about heart disease and how to maintain a healthy heart, we enlisted the help of one of the nation’s most eminent cardiologist, Dr. Ross Walker.
Dr. Ross Walker specialises in preventative screening and the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Dr. Walker runs a busy cardiology practice in Sydney and is regarded as one of the world’s best keynote speakers on heart health. He is also a bestselling author.
Talking heart health
Cardiologist Dr. Ross Walker discusses the risks, preventative measures and lifestyle factors associated with heart disease.
Priceline: Heart disease is a men’s issue, right?
Dr. Ross: It’s the biggest killer of men and women. It’s just as high in women as it is in men, the only difference being that women are protected by their hormones up to menopause so their heart disease tends to occur, ten years later than men.
Heart disease in women often presents differently than it does in men. Men typically get central chest pain when they walk up a hill, but women can get unusual discomfort, shortness of breath or even marked fatigue.
Priceline: When should women start looking after their cholesterol and blood pressure?
Dr. Ross: It depends on the presence or absence of other risk factors. The five major risk factors for heart disease are high cholesterol, high blood pressure, cigarette smoking, diabetes and family history. If any of these are present, I would suggest having their cholesterol checked at around age 35-40 and their blood pressure checked regularly.
Priceline: And how should you check these?
Dr. Ross: By applying a cuff to either arm and measuring the pressure. It’s a simple, painless test. Cholesterol is measured with a blood sample taken in the morning before breakfast.
Priceline: I don’t have high blood pressure or cholesterol, how can I keep it this way?
Dr. Ross: The most important health advice I give to all my patients is the 5 Point Way to a Healthy Life, which is:
(1) Keep your belly fat down to below 90cm for a male and below 80cm for a female
(2) Have no addictions – you can’t be healthy and smoke, drink too much alcohol or use illegal drugs
(3) Eat good quality natural food and less of it
(4) Enjoy the ‘second best drug on the planet’ - at least three hours per week of testing exercise. It should make you hot and modestly short of breath.
(5) Enjoy the best drug on the planet – peace and contentment.
Priceline: What symptoms should I be mindful of?
Dr. Ross: Unfortunately, high blood pressure and cholesterol do not typically cause any symptoms. Be mindful of cardiac symptoms including discomfort from your jaw down to your belly button, pain down your arms, shortness of breath, dizziness (especially if everything is going black) or heart palpitations. These symptoms need to be assessed immediately by a doctor or cardiologist.
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