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TLDR: One of the best indicative (and most cost effective) tests you can get to ensure you are healthy is a Calcium Score (Contrast CT).
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Next time your doc says u don’t need a Calcium CT scan bc your cholesterol is “good” - show them this chart. Heart attacks are the most preventable cause of death - $150, 15 mins, no insurance. In Silicon Valley - SimonMed Imaging, SV Med Imaging, El Camino Health. ❤️ <a href="https://t.co/Iepm6VzmX9">pic.twitter.com/Iepm6VzmX9</a></p>— Brad Gerstner (@altcap) <a href="https://twitter.com/altcap/status/1848357695990219192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 21, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
[alt text - Brad Gerstner shows a chart where heart attacks happen even with low LDL (another indicator).]
If you're anything like me, you are constantly trying to figure out how to optimize between family, friends, work, healthy, leisure (pick three!).
When people ask us at Padma Care which (medically validated) diagnostics they can do to understand their general health (we're not talking about Bryan Johnson trying to live forever). I generally recommend 3 things.
Of these 3, 1 is quite well known - you can do it here or abroad as might be your preference. But 3 is little known - and for people over 35 - more important.
Heart attacks are one of the leading causes of 'premature' death among adults >30. While a healthy, active lifestyle and good nutrition are good preventative measures many of us are congenitally (genetically) pre-disposed to having accumulating plaque in our arteries. Over time sticky plaque clogs veins and arteries making it harder for your heart to pump the same amount of blood through your circulatory system. More often than not occluded (partially blocked) or blocked arteries are the cause of dangerous heart events.
Fortunately, because these issues are so common, lots of money has been invested to identify treatments for this issue - enter Statins (you may have heard of Atorvastin) - these drugs help make the walls of your arteries more slippery. And are often prescribed prophylactically (in anticipation and to avoid future complications). But many, like me are not about to put any drugs in my system, that I don't absolutely need.
Now comes the Contrast CT - and related calcium score which tells you how much plaque is seen in your arteries from this particular diagnostic. The best news is the results are easy to interpret. If you have any plaque in your heart you should strongly consider starting statins (which will be in your medicine cabinet for the rest of your life, but better than dying early from a heart attack, right!?). 100-400 is considered moderate and should strongly consider a regular statin regimen and above 400 is a serious concern.
So what does all this mean? Your heart health is one of the most important parts of your body (arguably heart and brain) - and this test can assess the likelihood that you will have an issue before something else breaks (all things being equal). So all around a good choice for those of us who want to grow old and enjoy our lives in this island paradise.
As a final plug. Padma Care is happy to prepare a contrast CT appointment for our Members. The only CT machine in Bali is at Sanglah hospital (now frustratingly called Prof dr. IGNG Ngoerah General Hospital) - and our recommendation is to work with dr. Bagus Ari (though he is very difficult to get a hold of on your own). So let us know if we can help. And stay healthy.
