CardioCare Clinic

CardioCare Clinic Heart health, back in your hands

A heart attack diagnosis can feel overwhelming. Frightening. Disorienting.You might leave hospital with a folder full of...
03/09/2026

A heart attack diagnosis can feel overwhelming. Frightening. Disorienting.

You might leave hospital with a folder full of information and still not really know what comes next.

Here’s a simple way to think about it.

In the early days, the focus is on recovery and allowing your heart and body to heal. Your medical team will guide what’s appropriate for you — including medications, follow-up appointments and when it’s safe to start increasing your activity.

But recovery doesn’t stop there. And it doesn’t mean staying still.

Once medically cleared, gradually returning to movement is an important part of recovery. This might begin with short, gentle walks and gradually progress over time. From there, cardiovascular exercise and resistance training can be reintroduced progressively, guided by your symptoms, your medical team and how you’re recovering.

Cardiac rehabilitation — a structured program combining exercise, education and support — is strongly recommended after a heart attack. It can reduce the risk of future cardiac events, improve fitness and support long-term cardiovascular health.

You don’t have to figure this out alone.

An exercise physiologist can work alongside your medical team to help you return to movement safely, rebuild your fitness gradually, and feel confident in your body again.

Recovery is real. And it starts sooner than most people expect.

A heart attack happens when blood flow to part of the heart muscle is blocked or significantly reduced.The coronary arte...
31/08/2026

A heart attack happens when blood flow to part of the heart muscle is blocked or significantly reduced.

The coronary arteries supply the heart muscle with oxygen-rich blood. When blood flow through one of these arteries is reduced or blocked — whether through a clot, a tear in the artery wall, a spasm, or another cause — the heart muscle it supplies is starved of oxygen.

If blood flow isn’t restored quickly, that muscle begins to be damaged. Time matters. The sooner flow returns, the less damage occurs. This is why acting on symptoms quickly makes a real difference to outcomes.

Symptoms to know: chest pain or pressure, shortness of breath, nausea, unusual fatigue, pain in the jaw, neck, back or arm. In women, symptoms are often less typical and easier to dismiss. If something feels wrong, call 000. Don’t wait.

A heart attack is not the same as cardiac arrest.

SCAD: a heart attack that can happen without the usual risk factors.Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) occurs...
19/08/2026

SCAD: a heart attack that can happen without the usual risk factors.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) occurs when a tear develops within the wall of a coronary artery, which can restrict blood flow to the heart and cause a heart attack.

What makes SCAD particularly important to understand is that it often affects women who may not have the traditional risk factors we associate with coronary artery disease.

SCAD can occur in younger and otherwise healthy women, and it has been associated with hormonal and physiological changes, including pregnancy and the postpartum period.

Symptoms can include:
• Chest pain or pressure
• Shortness of breath
• Sweating
• Nausea or vomiting
• Pain that may radiate to the arm, jaw, back or shoulder

Recognising these symptoms matters. A heart attack doesn’t always look the way we expect it to and heart disease can affect women at any age.

If you experience symptoms that could indicate a heart attack, seek urgent medical attention.

And if you’ve experienced SCAD, your recovery doesn’t end when you’re discharged from hospital. Cardiac rehabilitation, appropriate exercise and ongoing cardiovascular care can play an important role in rebuilding confidence and supporting your return to activity.

Women’s heart health deserves to be understood — not overlooked.

Pregnancy is one of the most significant cardiovascular events in a woman’s life.Blood volume increases by around 50%, t...
17/08/2026

Pregnancy is one of the most significant cardiovascular events in a woman’s life.

Blood volume increases by around 50%, the heart works harder, and the cardiovascular system undergoes remarkable changes to support both mother and baby. For most women, these changes settle after birth. But pregnancy can also reveal vulnerabilities that weren’t previously obvious — and some complications can have implications for heart health well beyond pregnancy.

→ Pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes

Both are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease later in life — including high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. They can be considered part of a woman’s broader cardiovascular risk profile, and an opportunity to pay closer attention to heart health in the years that follow.

→ Peripartum cardiomyopathy

PPCM is a condition where the heart muscle weakens towards the end of pregnancy or in the months after birth. Symptoms — breathlessness, marked fatigue, swelling, a racing heartbeat can be hard to distinguish from the normal demands of early parenthood. It is uncommon, but knowing these symptoms can have a cardiovascular cause is genuinely important. The encouraging part: recovery is possible, and many women experience substantial improvement with the right care.

→ What about exercise?

Once medically cleared, individualised exercise can support cardiovascular fitness, strength and confidence — helping women return to movement safely and progressively. The right approach will look different for everyone.

Pregnancy is not just a chapter in your reproductive history. It can also be part of your cardiovascular story.

If you live with an autoimmune condition — lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis, or one of many others — ther...
10/08/2026

If you live with an autoimmune condition — lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis, or one of many others — there’s already a lot to navigate.

Flares. Fatigue. Medications. Specialist appointments. The good days and the not-so-good ones.

So heart health probably isn’t always at the top of your list. But it should be part of the conversation.

We now know that autoimmune conditions are linked with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease — and this is particularly important for women, who are much more likely to develop autoimmune conditions than men.

Research published in 2025 found that women living with rheumatoid arthritis, lupus or systemic sclerosis had a significantly higher rate of cardiovascular disease-related death than men living with the same conditions.

And here’s the part that’s really important:

It’s not just about cholesterol or blood pressure.

Chronic inflammation can affect the blood vessels themselves, contributing to the development of atherosclerosis — even when traditional cardiovascular risk factors appear well controlled.

So what can you do?

Move your body. But make it work for you.

Regular, appropriately prescribed exercise can support cardiovascular health, maintain strength, improve energy and function, and support quality of life.

And importantly, exercise doesn’t have to mean pushing through. Your program should take into account your condition, your symptoms, your medications, your energy levels — and those inevitable flare-ups.

Some days might be strength training.
Some days might be a walk.
Some days might be doing less.

That still counts.

Looking after your heart doesn’t need to become another thing on your to-do list. It can simply become part of looking after your whole body.

You’ve had the chest pain. You’ve had the tests. And then you’ve been told everything looks normal.For many women, that’...
05/08/2026

You’ve had the chest pain. You’ve had the tests. And then you’ve been told everything looks normal.

For many women, that’s not the end of the story — it’s the beginning of a frustrating one. INOCA and ANOCA (Ischaemia and Angina with Non Obstructive Coronary Arteries) describe real, reduced blood flow to the heart, even when the main arteries look completely clear. The most common cause is coronary microvascular dysfunction — problems in the heart’s smallest blood vessels, which a standard angiogram simply isn’t designed to see.

Women are affected far more often than men. These tiny vessels respond differently to hormonal and inflammatory changes, which is thought to be part of why. A proportion of patients referred for coronary angiography are found to have no significant obstruction — and the majority of them are women.

A clear angiogram is genuinely good news. It’s just not always the whole picture.

Exercise is also a recognised part of managing INOCA and ANOCA — and the evidence is encouraging. Early research suggests that structured aerobic exercise may improve coronary microvascular function and reduce symptoms over time. The approach needs to be carefully paced and individualised, since symptoms can vary day to day, but movement is not something to avoid. With the right guidance, most people can build a sustainable exercise routine that genuinely helps.

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Osteoporosis and heart disease don’t often get mentioned in the same breath. But the connection is real — and the timing...
03/08/2026

Osteoporosis and heart disease don’t often get mentioned in the same breath. But the connection is real — and the timing often overlaps.

Oestrogen plays an important role in protecting both bone and cardiovascular health. When oestrogen levels drop around menopause, bone loss can accelerate — often quietly, without symptoms. By the time osteoporosis is diagnosed, significant bone density may already have been lost.

The same life stage that brings changes to cardiovascular risk can also bring changes to bone strength.

Weight-bearing, impact and resistance exercise are some of the most effective tools we have to support bone health — particularly during the years around menopause when bone loss can be fastest.

This isn’t about doing random high-impact exercise or pushing through unsafe movements. It’s about progressively loading the skeleton in ways it can respond to, with the right exercises, technique and progression for the individual.

If you’re also managing a cardiac condition or cardiovascular risk factors, it can feel complicated. But the answer is often not choosing one over the other — it’s creating an approach that supports both.

Protecting your bones and protecting your heart aren’t competing priorities. They’re often the same workout.

Understanding your options for exercise physiology at CardioCare Clinic.No referral is needed to book with us. Here is a...
23/07/2026

Understanding your options for exercise physiology at CardioCare Clinic.

No referral is needed to book with us. Here is a breakdown of how you can access our services and what rebates may be available to you.

Management (CDM) plan
If your GP has put together a CDM plan, you are eligible for a Medicare rebate of $63.40 per session, for up to 5 allied health appointments per calendar year. If you have reached the Medicare Safety Net threshold, your rebate may be higher. To access this, ask your GP about a CDM plan and a referral to an Accredited Exercise Physiologist.

Medicare — Type 2 Diabetes Group Services
Our group classes also attract Medicare rebates for eligible participants with type 2 diabetes, under a separate referral from your GP. Ask your GP about a Type 2 Diabetes Group Services referral.

Private health extras
We accept private health extras cover. Item codes to check with your fund:
Initial consultation: 102 | Review: 202 | Group class: 502

NDIS
We accept self-managed NDIS participants.

WorkCover
We accept WorkCover referrals.

If you are unsure which option applies to you, don’t hesitate to reach out and we can guide you.

Address

1A Newland Street
Bondi Junction, NSW
2022

Opening Hours

Thursday 8am - 8pm
Saturday 8am - 4pm

Telephone

+61407492137

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