Take Your Health to Heart
Celebrate American Heart Health Month this February

WOONSOCKET, R.I., Feb. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the U.S. More than 36% of deaths in the nation each year are the result of heart-related illnesses and an estimated 80 million people in the U.S. have some form of cardiovascular disease. Many forms of heart disease are associated with or worsened by modifiable risk factors, such as an unhealthy diet, smoking, obesity or lack of exercise.

In collaboration with The Heart Truth, a national awareness campaign about heart disease sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, CVS/pharmacy has created a free educational resource booklet, Your Smart Guide to a Healthy Heart, which is available at all CVS/pharmacy locations nationwide. This comprehensive educational booklet provides patients with information on heart disease symptoms, risk factors, and tips for maintaining a heart-healthy lifestyle. (Excerpts are also available online at www.cvs.com/hearthealth.) The booklet also features money-saving offers through the CVS ExtraCare program on over-the-counter medications, healthy food items, and diabetes monitoring products.

In addition to these heart health resources, CVS pharmacists are available to counsel patients. Also, at about 500 CVS/pharmacy locations that have MinuteClinic retail health clinics, certified nurse practitioners are available to check patients' blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

"The term 'heart disease' covers a long list of conditions related to the function of the heart, so it is important for patients to educate themselves on heart disease prevention and treatment," said Troyen A. Brennan, M.D., M.P.H., Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for CVS Caremark. "We encourage our patients to speak to their pharmacist about medication therapies, prescription or over the counter, that they are taking related to their heart health, and to visit one of our in-store MinuteClinic locations for a health screening."

CVS/pharmacy offers the following tips to help prevent or manage heart disease:

• Aspirin can reduce your risk of a heart attack by as much as 32% and reduce the risk of a second attack by 20%.
• Get your blood pressure and your cholesterol levels checked regularly.
• Diabetes can increase your risk of heart disease; if you are diabetic know your type to determine what medications or lifestyle changes are needed to manage the disease.
• Lose weight if you are overweight; quit if you are a smoker.
• Manage stress by getting enough sleep, setting limits and consulting medical professionals if necessary.

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