Medications like statins and beta-blockers can help manage heart conditions.
Welcome to the Younger Longer 28-Day Healthy Heart Challenge, a transformative podcast series designed to help you take control of your heart health and live a longer, healthier life. Over the next 28 days, we’ll guide you through a comprehensive journey covering key aspects of cardiovascular wellness—nutrition, exercise, stress management, medical awareness, and lifestyle choices.
Each daily episode is packed with expert insights from Dr. Warrick Bishop, best-selling author and cardiologist dedicated to preventing heart disease before it becomes a life-threatening issue. Using the latest science and practical strategies, this series empowers you to make heart-healthy choices and build habits that will support your well-being for years to come.
What You’ll Learn in the 28 Days:
✔ Understanding Your Heart – How it functions and why proactive care is essential.
✔ Heart-Healthy Nutrition – The best foods to fuel your cardiovascular system.
✔ Exercise & Movement – The role of physical activity in strengthening your heart.
✔ Stress & Mental Well-being – Managing stress and anxiety for a healthier heart.
✔ The Power of Sleep – How sleep quality impacts cardiovascular function.
✔ The Impact of Smoking & Alcohol – Making informed lifestyle changes.
✔ Supplements & Medical Insights – Understanding key nutrients and medical checkups.
✔ Advanced Heart Testing & Risk Factors – Going beyond traditional risk assessments.
✔ Sustaining Long-Term Heart Health Habits – Turning knowledge into action for lifelong benefits.
Why Listen?
- Get practical tips and science-backed advice you can apply immediately.
- Learn from real-world examples and medical expertise.
- Gain daily challenges to help you stay engaged and track progress.
- Take charge of your heart health in a simple, effective, and engaging way.
Your heart is your most vital organ, and the steps you take today will shape your future health. Whether you’re looking to prevent heart disease, manage risk factors, or simply improve your overall well-being, this 28-day challenge is your roadmap to a healthier, longer life.
Subscribe and start your journey today—because every heartbeat counts!
Transcript
Welcome! Today is the 26th, and we are talking about medication. There are millions of people who take heart-related medications, and the really good thing is that we have plenty of medications in the cardiovascular realm to help with all sorts of aspects of cardiovascular care. So, let's talk about blood pressure tablets.
First of all, we've got beta blockers. They dampen down the sympathetic nervous system, slow the heart, and reduce blood pressure. We also have these wonderful agents called angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers, which work through the angiotensin system to help blood vessels relax. The same agents are really good for cardiac failure—so are beta blockers, as it happens.
Calcium channel blockers come in different types. Some slow the heart while also opening the arteries, while others work more peripherally by opening the arteries with less effect on heart rate. We can also use diuretics, such as thiazide diuretics, and sometimes mineralocorticoid-blocking diuretics like spironolactone, which can help with blood pressure as well.
When it comes to cholesterol lowering, you’ve likely heard of statins, but these days, we're adding other agents as well. Ezetimibe, for example, blocks cholesterol absorption from the gut. We're also using agents called PCSK9 inhibitors because PCSK9 is a protein that, if blocked, improves the cycling of cholesterol receptors on liver cells. If the receptor is working better, it pulls more cholesterol out of the bloodstream, reducing LDL cholesterol—the "bad" cholesterol.
We've also got drugs that prevent blood clots, such as aspirin and aspirin-like medications, which are used routinely if you’ve had a stent. Additionally, we have blood thinners that work differently, known as anticoagulants. You may have heard of warfarin—it was once referred to as rat poison, and in its first iteration, it was. However, in very controlled doses, warfarin has been used to thin the blood. These anticoagulants differ from antiplatelet agents, which act on platelets—the tiny components that clump together in the blood to aid in clotting. Aspirin and aspirin-like agents target platelets, while blood thinners work on the proteins that aid in coagulation.
Newer blood thinners, available for about five years, are called non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants. We also have medications that reduce chest pain, such as nitrates—sprays used under the tongue to open up arteries and ease anginal pain. It's important not to mix this spray with certain medications, particularly Viagra.
Without going into further detail about these heart-related medications, I really want to stress two key points. First, if you are on heart-related medications, please carry an up-to-date list with you at all times. If you see a doctor and they ask what medications you are on, don’t shrug your shoulders—pull out your list and show them. Imagine how much better care you'd receive in an emergency if that was the case.
Second, and this is extremely important, if a cardiologist has prescribed you medication for a specific purpose and you believe you're having a problem with it, please go and talk to the person who prescribed it. Understand exactly why you are on it and what strategies you need to implement to assess whether it is causing an issue.
For example, if you were to stop taking a blood thinner like aspirin after receiving a stent, you would run an extremely high risk of a clot forming within the stent, suddenly blocking the artery. That could be the last thing you ever remember. So, please don't just stop your tablets—talk to someone, be clear on what the medication is doing, and understand the next steps.
Well, that's it from me. I do hope you live as well as possible for as long as possible, and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Take care, and bye for now.
Are You at Risk of a Sudden Heart Attack? How Healthy is Your Heart? Really?
Heart disease is the #1 killer in the Western World. In Australia, someone dies every 28 minutes from heart disease. That’s 51 people a day. In the US, someone has a heart attack every 40 SECONDS! Fortunately, many heart attacks are preventable. However, regular exercise and eating healthy are no guarantee you won’t succumb to this silent killer.
- 94% of Australians have at least One Risk Factor for heart disease.
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