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- [00:07]
A
Ruby, I mean, I feel fine. I mean, there would be clear signs if my heart wasn't healthy, right?
- [00:17]
B
What are some herbal or over the counter medications you can recommend to improve my heart health?
- [00:22]
A
What kind of lifestyle changes do I need to be making in order to support my heart?
- [00:27]
B
You know, I'm worried about side effects from this medication.
- [00:31]
A
What can I do about that? We all have a lot of questions when it comes to our health. That's why iHeartRadio has teamed up with CVS for Beyond the Script to get your questions answered by the very people who hear them every day in cities and towns around the country. I'm Dr. Jake Goodman, a board certified psychiatrist and health educator. And in today's episode of beyond the Script, I'm. I'll be joined by a CVS pharmacist to talk all about heart health. When we talk about heart health, a lot of people imagine something that shows up suddenly or only later in life. And in the US it's different. The leading cause of death for adults, you can feel completely fine and still have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or early signs of heart issues without realizing it. And when symptoms do show up, they're not always the classic chest clutching moment you see in movies. They might look like fatigue, shortness of breath or discomfort in places you wouldn't expect, like your jaw, your back or your arm. And especially for women, the upside? Many of the biggest risk factors are preventable and you don't have to figure it out alone. For many people, pharmacists are one of the most accessible healthcare professionals. They can help manage medications and answer questions before problems become emergencies. And to help me explore these issues today is Nicole Henry, a district leader for CVS Health in Phoenix, Arizona. She is deeply committed to improving health outcomes, reducing barriers to care, and inspiring the next generation of pharmacy leaders. She's also a woman who loves to swim, which may be a bit of a challenge as she lives in the desert. Nicole, welcome to beyond the Script.
- [02:41]
B
Thanks so much, Jake. Happy to be here.
- [02:44]
A
So to start, I want to ask about heart health because heart health is one of the most common areas of health that I imagine you get asked about. What are the main concerns that you hear from patients?
- [02:56]
B
Typically high blood pressure and high cholesterol. That's not something a patient would notice on a day to day basis necessarily. So a lot of times our patients really just want to know how they can be healthier, how they can stay more active, and then what types of over the counter products we might recommend and how they can take their medications, safety safely and on time each day.
- [03:15]
A
Got it. Okay. And you mentioned staying active. That's one of the things that we can do for our heart health. Tell us a little bit about swimming and what your experience with swimming is like and how it's good for heart health.
- [03:25]
B
That's something I'm very passionate about. So I'm a competitive USMS master swimmer, so I'm out there at swim meet staying active. I think it's very, very important for heart health for, you know, breathing, respiration, and also just to decompress. So it's a very. It's a great aerobic activity. It's also not non weight bearing. So if we have patients out there who might struggle and think that working out is all about running or walking and you know, people even learn later in life too. We have people on our team who went back and learned how to swim and they're in their 50s and 60s, so age is just a number, especially when it comes to that and learning a new hobby to stay physically active.
- [04:00]
A
I love swimming and I tell so many of my patients about swimming because you're right, it's one of these full body workouts. It's not super harmful on the joints. And I don't know if you know this, but I was a competitive swimmer as well. I loved swimming and it was a big part of my life and still is, but now I just kind of do it for fun.
- [04:20]
B
Nice.
- [04:21]
A
Okay. And then Phoenix. So that's not too far from where I'm at in San Diego. It's obviously a much bigger city. Tell me a little bit about your community in Phoenix.
- [04:29]
B
I'm in the central Phoenix area where I actually also teach at the College of Pharmacy here. Locally, the community is very diverse. We typically have Project Health in the community too. So I don't know if I of our listeners out there have heard about Project Health, but it supports our patients to get blood pressure screenings, cholesterol screenings free of charge. That's something that CVS Health sponsors. But it's a very diverse community when it comes to even healthcare education too. So we see a lot of patients that are very well educated on their healthcare and a lot of patients that have questions. And I think it's really important that as providers, we try to limit when our patients come in and they're very nervous to talk to the provider. We really want to eliminate that because as pharmacists, we're the most accessible healthcare provider. We're available locally, we're available for the community. And we're available to answer any questions that our patient might have. The only silly question is the one you don't ask. That's what I tell my patients, because I really want them to let me know how I can help them, because that's what we're here for. The one thing I really love about community pharmacy is that really, I call it a pharmale because it's very much like a family. And that's where we get to know our patients over time, and they really become almost like family. And once we get to know them, we can make those recommendations. We can see if they come in and something has changed, because they might not think something's changed, but I see them every 30 or 90 days, so I'm really going to notice if something's changed with them in their healthcare. And I can then ask some of those questions because they've got to know me. They know this is a safe space, and then I'm ultimately here to help them and make sure they can live a healthy life.
- [05:57]
A
Yeah, that safe space is so important for people to feel that they can get their questions answered and feel comfortable doing so. Very cool. Let's jump in. Let's. Let's talk about heart health. When we talk about heart health, what are we actually referring to?
- [06:19]
B
So heart health, a little bit with the medical terminology is kind of cardiovascular overall health. So let's simplify that, break it down a little bit. So it's how well our heart is pumping and then also delivering oxygen to our body. And heart health, it's. It's something over time. So I know a lot of times in the new year, people have New Year's resolutions. Oh, I want to work out every single day. Well, start small, because that way we can make sure that we maintain those routines and behaviors. It takes 21 days to make a habit. So if our patients start small, they focus on heart health. Also. A strong component of that not only is exercise, but is diet as well. So diet is very important for our patients. Heavily processed food or high salt foods can drive up, say, blood pressure and cholesterol. So it's important, you know, if. If a patient's really cognizant of their diet, I used to tell them, hey, if it comes in a package, just think twice. Think about what we can cook instead, because we're gonna have fewer of the added ingredients, a lower salt content.
- [07:14]
A
Overall, you've talked about some of the most frequent questions you get asked. And just to be clear, people can ask these questions at any time. When Picking up a prescription, for example, they don't need an appointment, right?
- [07:26]
B
Correct. Patients do not need an appointment to talk to the pharmacist. So we are definitely one of the most accessible healthcare providers.
- [07:32]
A
I want to touch on some of the over the counter medications. How do people know if these are safe to take with their current medications?
- [07:42]
B
So if a patient comes in and stops in at a local community pharmacy where they have all the records of their medications, we can always run a check just to make sure. So if a patient routinely fills at the pharmacy, we can then just triple check and make sure that everything is okay for the over the to be added. That being said, if a patient does fill up multiple pharmacies, I think a good call out for the public is that there, there may not be shared information there. So it's always important that our patient has a medication list of all the medications that they're taking, any over the counter that they're already taking. Because some of the over the counters can actually interact with each other as well and some can be pretty severe interactions. So it's just really important that the patient double checks. They go into their local pharmacy and say, hey, this is my med list. And uh, what do you think about this? Can I add this over the counter? Here's the symptoms. Am I, I'm having. But it's always important to make sure our patients are taking them safely.
- [08:32]
A
That makes sense. And what type of prescribed medications are commonly used to treat heart conditions?
- [08:38]
B
So it depends on the type of heart condition. A lot of times if a patient has high blood pressure, perhaps lisinopril, it's known technically as an ACE inhibitor. Losartan is another familiar drug that's out there. Propranolol, atenolol, a lot of the beta blockers too. That's another very common heart. If a patient has some severe chest pain, they might be prescribed nitrates. Also if they have high cholesterol, usually the statin medications are the gold standards. There's also some novel drugs too. And some of those more novel therapies, they target different mechanisms in the body where our patients, you know, might say, hey, I'm interested in trying a different therapy. The provider, they can see if it's a good fit. And then once they pick it up at the pharmacy, they can receive a full consultation from any pharmacist. And we can let them know some of the risks, the side effects, how to take it every day. Also something we're big on is adherence. So making sure our patient takes the medication every single Day. I always tell the patients, hey, the medication only works if we take it. So if we skip it and we forget, let's see, how can I help you remember to take that every day? Is it a phone reminder? What works best for you? What are your ideas? And that way we can work with the patient and make sure that it's something they're comfortable with, that works for them.
- [09:51]
A
I'm glad you mentioned the adherence piece. That's something that I work with my patients on as well. And I get it. It can be hard to remember to take medications. We have very busy lives. One of the things, it's an obvious thing, but it's been quite helpful for me and my patients is just to buy a little pill box, a little pillbox you put right by your bed or right by where you normally eat breakfast. And it's got the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday on it. And you could basically just know exactly where you're at, make sure you didn't miss a pill. Because sometimes we're like, wait, did I take that pill too? So, question you mentioned some of these medications, like blood pressure medications, cholesterol lowering drugs. Can you give us a sort of high level, 10,000 foot view? How do these medications work?
- [10:32]
B
Yes. So blood pressure medications, what that's going to do is help to drive down the blood pressure. Sometimes it just slows the heart rate. So a beta blocker is just gonna focus on heart rate. So sometimes that'll slow down the heart, sometimes. So if we have a patient who has heart failure, which can sometimes be a scary term, but it really just means their heart struggling a little bit, they might get a beta blocker. They may also get a blood pressure medication which is going to drop down. Like, say the blood pressure is a typical blood pressure, 120 over 80. A lot of our patients may have heard of this if they see something substantially higher than that. I know a lot of patients take their blood pressure at home, but that would be a moment to consult with a provider when it comes to statin therapies. Statin therapies are going to inhibit the process of our body to make cholesterol. So a lot, lot of times we counsel a patient to take these medications at night because that can sometimes be a bit more effective if they take it at night, but that'll lower what's known as the LDL cholesterol. LDL is low density lipoprotein, which means that it's more likely to create a blockage. So that's why it's known as the Bad cholesterol. The HDL is the healthy cholesterol. The statins can also support and so can diet and exercise. With driving the healthy cholesterol up. Being that it's high density means it's lower volume, so, so it's packed in. Which means that if that's traveling through a patient's bloodstream, that's a healthy cholesterol. That's what we want more of. If they have had a heart attack, they will be put on a blood thinner for a period of time. Sometimes it may be for life and sometimes it may be for a shorter duration. But it's always important to check with a provider and double check because it is a blood thinner that can put our patients at potentially increased risk of bleeding, especially in combination with over the counter products. They actually interact with dietary foods too. So if somebody eats a diet heavy and leafy green vegetables, that can actually alter how well their blood thins or not. So again, just something where we want our patients to ask those questions on diet and exercise. As a pharmacist, we'll typically offer that information in a consultation. That way our patients can take those medications safely.
- [12:32]
A
One thing I heard that I didn't know, which is one reason I love this podcast, because I'm constantly learning new things. You mentioned our body tends to produce more cholesterol at night. So typically you advise your patients to take statins at night.
- [12:45]
B
That is correct. So that is when the body is typically synthesizing cholesterol. There are some cholesterol medications that are irrespective, which has shown that it's just as effective to take it in the morning or as in the evening. Similar to what we discussed before, the best time to take a medication is when our patient's gonna remember it. Of course.
- [13:02]
A
And what would you say to a patient who came to the counter and said, nicole, am I gonna have to be on these medications for life?
- [13:09]
B
We do get this question a lot. We do wanna let them know to again consult with their provider for the reason that they're on these med. If a patient recently had a heart attack, for example, they have a stent, there's risk calculations that go into effect, they would consult with their provider. However, more than likely most patients do take these for life. We do want them to focus on say diet and exercise, other interventions they can do. And it's possible there could be a dose adjustment or a change in there. And that's why just those routine follow ups are very important. The partnership with their provider, the partnership with the pharmacist and we can continue to help our patients stay healthy.
- [13:47]
A
And one of the reasons that sometimes people don't take medications or they're, they're hesitant to take medications, they're concerned about side effects. So what are some of the common side effects that your patients come to you with when they're taking something like, for example, a statin for cholesterol or a blood pressure medication?
- [14:09]
B
So if a patient's taking a statin, they may have muscle pain or weakness. They could also have dark Coca Cola colored urine. And if they do do have that, that means it might be a sign of, say, muscle wasting. We could discontinue the statin, of course, in partnership with the provider, because that is a rare but serious side effect. So not something that, that we see very often at all, but still something for our patients to be aware of. Because if we have a patient who's looking to increase the physical activity and then all of a sudden they have muscle pain and weakness and they may not be able to do that as much as they wanted to, that's where we can provide a recommendation on a dose change or maybe even a therapy change. These medications are processed in the liver. Still another reason for them to check in with their provider or pharmacist. We can provide those counseling points and then take it on a case by case patient basis. When it comes to blood pressure medications, dizziness is a common side effect. So definitely something we counsel patients on to see how it's going to affect you before you drive a vehicle. And typically we start low, so we want to start the lowest effective dose and then increase over time. And that's something that the patient would work with their provider on too. When it comes to pharmacy consultations, anyone can come to the consultation window with any question. We're happy to help them, especially when it relates to the medications, side effects or any drug interactions. Our role primarily as a pharmacist is though, to provide a strong recommendation. So we wouldn't be telling the patient to increase or decrease their dose. It's always in collaboration with the provider. So we would encourage the patient to then take the resources, go to their provider, have a conversation.
- [15:45]
A
I'm glad you mentioned that people can come to this consultation window and chat with the pharmacist. And just speaking personally, I definitely have received messages throughout my career from pharmacists about specific medications that has changed care, because I've thought, hmm, you know, that's a really good point that they brought up about this medication. And so I always appreciate the Collaboration. So let's talk about food. Are there any foods that people listening should avoid or when taking heart medications?
- [16:16]
B
It's a great question. We do get this quite a bit in the outpatient pharmacy setting. So it's not an all or nothing. However, there are certain, certain products or certain foods that can say drive up cholesterol or drive up blood pressure. So that'll be say highly processed foods, things that are gonna have high salt content. Fast food, we never like to tell patients completely avoid. It's usually more like an in moderation situation. So if they have their favorite food and they love that and they want to have that once a week, we'd recommend that they could continue on with that. We just want them to have healthier choices.
- [16:50]
A
Yes. So we talked about nutrition, we talked about exercise. I'm wondering what other lifestyle changes can people make that have been shown to have a positive impact on heart health?
- [17:01]
B
I would also say wellbeing is very important too. So there's a lot to be said for stress and stressors in patients environments. If our patients are very stressed throughout the day, that is also gonna contribute to higher blood pressure. So important to notice what helps them. I mean, is that physical activity, is that swimming, whatever that is to just kind of decompress at the end of the day. That is very, very important as well.
- [17:25]
A
I'm really happy to hear that you mentioned wellbeing. Obviously I'm a bit biased. I'm a psychiatrist. Another thing I like to talk to my patients about is sleep. Sleep is one of those things. Having consistent quality sleep over a long period of time can absolutely protect, you know, your heart, your brain, your whole body. It's one of those things that I think we don't talk about enough as clinicians. And it's, it's, it can be life changing to get somebody who was previously sleeping four to five hours a night. Get them up to seven or eight. I don't know if you have thoughts on that.
- [17:56]
B
Oh, I absolutely think sleep plays a crucial role. I think it plays a crucial role in anxiety too, like you mentioned, and that's increasing heart rate potentially and just sleep routines too. And that's something. As a pharmacist, we can take a look at the patient from a holistic view. If they're in the consultation, they have questions, we can ask them open ended questions to get to the root cause. If they're having a sleep aid question and they want to start a sleep aid. My very first question is, tell me about your sleep habits and routine. What does that look like for you? Perhaps there's another recommendation that we can make.
- [18:26]
A
There's also a lot of things that we can avoid that are damaging to our heart health. One of them is smoking. So smoking clearly has a huge impact on heart health. Can you explain why this is the case?
- [18:40]
B
If a patient's smoker, they. They're ingesting a lot of different additives all the time. And smoking itself is inherently unhealthy because over time, what it's going to do is restrict our tiny blood vessels. What does that mean in simple terms? Increased risk of heart attack. Because if we have smaller blood vessels and the blood's not able to pump adequately through there, we end up with a blockage and then our patient can have complications. So as a pharmacist, that's always something that we can recommend is smoking cessation. Different products that we have available, say if that's a nicotine patch, a lot of times there' prescription medications like bupropion is typically used for smoking cessation as well. That's where we can partner again with the provider. We can help make a strong recommendation. And that is super, super critical as a pharmacist, as a provider, that we help them with that decision. There's a couple other options, and we can help them think through some other solutions.
- [19:29]
A
There's so many different options available. So if you're listening to this and you want to quit smoking, speaking to a pharmacist is a great way to get started. Now, let's talk about the worst case scenario. A heart attack. I know that pharmacists can help with patient education, but for an active heart attack, how does someone know they're having one and what should they do about it?
- [19:50]
B
If a patient is having an active heart attack, it sometimes depends on the symptoms that they may experience. So if they have any chest tightness, difficulty breathing, that's very acute. It's a sudden onset, any weakness on one side of the body, all of those are extreme warning sign. If they're slurring their speech, trouble talking, you know, they have difficulty standing or walking, any of those, that's an acute onset, which means very rapid. That's when our patient should get help right away. So we'd recommend, you know, definitely contacting 911 if able, and then certainly if that's happening in a provider space, we would get them help right away and make sure that we can contact 911. We did actually have a patient one time who was struggling with what seemed like heart attack symptoms. And he came into the pharmacy and said, you know, I really have chest pain. I'm really struggling to breathe right now. What do you recommend? I did get 911 on the phone, and we had them arriving. As we. As we were discussing this, I got a blood pressure cuff and I got his blood pressure. It was actually very high, so a 180 over 120. So when the emergency response team arrived, I was able to provide them with the patient's blood pressure immediately, and that was crucial to help him. He actually came back to the pharmacy the following week, and he was so, so thankful that we were able to help him with that. He ended up needing an ablation. He was picking up his heart attack medication. He actually didn't know that he had high blood pressure or that he had high cholesterol. He didn't routinely see a provider. So that was something I was able to counsel on. I think that's important to call out is that our patients with high blood pressure and high cholesterol may not have symptoms every day, they may not have acute symptoms. So it's kind of the silent killer, is something that we need to make sure our patients are seeing the provider to have that conversation, get labs, make sure they have blood pressure readings, because that's super, super important.
- [21:42]
A
That's super powerful. I'm wondering if these symptoms of a heart attack are different between men and women.
- [21:51]
B
Yes, it absolutely can be. So. Men typically have more, say, urgent symptoms. So they'll have the chest pain, there's trouble breathing. For women, it may be more subtle. It may just be a little bit of weakness on one side. It might be a little bit of numbness on one side inside. I would say anything that's just concerning and feels urgent, we should be addressing it.
- [22:12]
A
Gotcha. And I think one of the confusing points about heart health is the difference between a heart attack and a stroke. Can you walk us through a little bit about what the differences are and also what the similarities are?
- [22:27]
B
Definitely. So if a patient's having a heart attack, that means they have an urgent blockage, so the blood's not able to pump through that artery. And there's. Since there's a blockage, the heart muscle tissue actually begins to rapidly die. If a patient's having a stroke, typically that's more of a blockage, say, in the brain. So that patient may have slurred speech, difficulty seeing, difficulty walking, difficulty communicating. Again, anything that's just very acute sudden onset. Any confusion, too? Definitely. As a pharmacist, we see this occasionally. There was one Time I had a patient come in and he was recently retired, so enjoying his retirement and came in every 90 days. I saw him, him, and when he came in, he was super confused. And he said, wait, who are you? And that shocked me because we talked every single time and he didn't recognize who I was. So I was able to have him sit down, ask him some more questions, raise the concerns. And then we were able to contact 911 and make sure that he was cared for. So he did come back and he was super, super thankful. His wife stopped by as well to thank us because they found that he, he was actively having a stroke. And that's just something else that we do as, as pharmacists in the community is supporting our patients and making sure that they're healthy.
- [23:46]
A
That is amazing. So we talked about some of the acute, the more emergent and urgent situations that can happen, like having a heart attack or a stroke. But what services can pharmacists offer for heart health monitoring and prevention?
- [24:02]
B
For heart health monitoring, we can offer blood pressure machines so a patient can then take their blood pressure every day. For patients that are looking to monitor their cholesterol, we do have Project Health. It travels around. It's a mobile unit. And that way we can provide real time feedback to our patients on their blood pressure and cholesterol levels as well.
- [24:23]
A
And you know, so many of these heart conditions are silent. People may not even know that they have one for years. And so, so let's say I'm coming to you. Let's say I have a primary care appointment coming up in two weeks. So, Nicole, what can you do to help me prepare questions for my doctor visit?
- [24:42]
B
Definitely. So if you're looking to prepare for your doctor visit, if you have a blood pressure log, definitely make sure that's up to date at least daily, if not twice daily. That is critical. If you have any updated labs that you'd like to share with your provider, or if you've been to Project Health and we've done some cholesterol screenings and you have those numbers, that would be critical to let your doctor know. And then also if you've had a blood sugar or A1C, again at Project Health, that's something that we do as well. And you could bring those results to your provider, they could take a look at that and then provide some follow up. All of that is very important, along with if the patient has any side effects. So if you're experiencing any side effects to, say, a medication or if you have any concerns regarding health or heart health. I would make sure that those are all written down. I really like to encourage our patients to write down all of their questions because sometimes with white coat syndrome or a patient's nervous at an office visit, they may forget to ask some of those very urgent questions. Or if they've had a side effect where they're not sure where this is coming from. I always encourage them to write down everything prior to their doctor's visit.
- [25:47]
A
What questions should people be asking about their heart health? Even if they feel fine?
- [25:52]
B
If they feel fine, they should be just double checking that their blood pressure is within normal range and that their blood sugars are within normal range. All of that is very important. And then also sharing with their doctor their diet and exercise routine, I think is very critical as well.
- [26:07]
A
Okay, so we're going to take a quick break, but don't go anywhere. Up next, we're talking about daily aspirin and other heart health related beliefs. Are they myths or math? Medicine. We'll be right back.
- [26:34]
C
At cvs, it matters that we're not just in your community, but that we're part of it. It matters that we're here for you when you need us, day or night. And we want everyone to feel welcomed and rewarded. It matters that CVS is here to fill your prescriptions and here to fill your craving for a tasty and, yeah, healthy snack. At cvs, we're proud to serve your community because we believe where you get your medicine matters. So Visit us@cvs.com or just come by our store. We can't wait to meet you. Store hours vary by location.
- [27:08]
B
Foreign.
- [27:15]
A
Welcome back to beyond the script. I'm Dr. Jake Goodman and I'm here with CVS pharmacist Nicole Henry from Phoenix, Arizona. Nicole, on every episode of beyond the Script, we have a look at some of the beliefs that people have about the best courses of action for their health. And we ask our pharmacists to break down if there's any truth to them. It's time for myth versus medicine. Today, of course, it's all about heart health. Are you ready, Nicole?
- [27:53]
B
Ready. Let's do it.
- [27:55]
A
Okay. Question number one. Taking aspirin daily is safe for everyone. Myth or medicine?
- [28:02]
B
That's a myth. Depending on patient's age, risk factors, aspirin can sometimes increase risk of bleeding in certain patients. It can also cause drug interactions depending on what the patient is taking.
- [28:15]
A
Okay. High blood pressure always has noticeable symptoms. Myth or medicine?
- [28:21]
B
That's a myth. So our patients may not have noticeable symptoms, especially because blood Pressure can definitely creep up over time, and it's not always a problem until somebody ends up with a heart attack, they have a stroke or a complication. So very important that we do that self monitoring at home. Our patients are following up with their provider and they're bringing their list of questions to their doctor as well.
- [28:44]
A
Women can display different symptoms to men when it comes to heart disease. Myth or medicine.
- [28:50]
B
That's medicine. So women and men can definitely have different symptoms when it comes to heart disease, heart attack, stroke. So always important if it's an acute issue, something that's acutely changing for them. So they have difficulty speaking, walking, talking, any of that. It's an urgent medical emergency, and our patients get help right away.
- [29:10]
A
Cholesterol problems only come from eating fatty foods. Myth or medicine?
- [29:16]
B
That's a myth. So cholesterol problems can come from variations in diet, usually in a heavy processed food diet. It can be familial as well, which means it might be something that runs in their family. So important that our patients are getting monitored and also that they're focused on maybe not processed foods. So something that they're cooking every day or they're not adding a lot of different additives to it, that can just be healthier overall for our patients as well.
- [29:42]
A
Okay, next one. Over the counter supplements can replace prescription heart medications. Myth or medicine?
- [29:49]
B
That's a myth. So over the counter products can complement our patients initial therapies, and that's something where they can have a conversation with their pharmacist, with their provider. If a patient has any questions on over the counter medications, just come right up to the consultation window. A pharmacist can definitely help you and provide some recommendations, some risk or benefit assessment, and then see if that product is right for you.
- [30:12]
A
Heart disease is mostly a concern for older adults. Myth or medicine?
- [30:18]
B
That's a myth. So heart disease is something that accumulates over time through diet, lifestyle habits, also through heart issues over time. If people have uncontrolled blood pressure or cholesterol over time, it's very important that we make sure that the heart is taken care of. We're assessing these values. It can become worse as we age. Absolutely. That part is correct. But we want to make sure that it's addressed early on.
- [30:43]
A
All right, well, that is it for this round of myth or medicine. Huge thank you, Nicole, for our conversation today. I learned so much from you about cholesterol, blood pressure, heart rate, strokes, heart attacks, and so much more. And there's so many things that we can do to protect our heart now and as we age. So thank you so much for coming out today.
- [31:18]
B
Thanks so much Jake. Thanks for having me.
- [31:27]
A
Next time on beyond the Script, we'll turn our attention to pediatric health and how pharmacists play a key role in supporting children's health through medication safety, prevention and guidance for parents and caregivers. For more information about everything we talked about on today's episode, Please head to cvs.com pharmacy and for ongoing health and wellness advice you can trust anytime. Don't forget to follow CVS on social media at cvspharmacy. Beyond the Script is produced in partnership with CVS Pharmacy and iHeartMedia's Ruby Studio. Our show is hosted by me, Dr. James Goodman. Our producers are Sam Walker, Julie Belewski, Carter Wogan and Marina Paiz, with original music by Max Hirschenau. Ruby's managing EP is Matt Romano and our EP of post production is James Foster. Of course, a big thank you to our friends at CVS and their incredible pharmacists. Until next time, don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening.
- [32:46]
C
At cvs, it matters that we're not just in your community, but that we're part of it. It matters that we're here for you when you need us, day or night, and we want everyone to feel welcome and rewarded. It matters that CVS is here to fill your prescriptions and here to fill your craving for a tasty and, yeah, healthy snack. At cvs, we're proud to serve your community because we believe where you get your medicine matters. So Visit us@cvs.com or just come by our store. We can't wait to meet you. Store hours vary by location.