High Blood Pressure Help

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a serious condition that is often called the 'silent killer' because it often has no symptoms and many people do not know they have it. The American Heart Association estimates about a third of Americans have high blood pressure, and one-third of those people do not know. When left untreated and uncontrolled, high blood pressure can cause heart attack, stroke or heart and kidney failure. The condition can easily be diagnosed through a simple blood pressure screening. Treatment options include medications and lifestyle changes.

Medications

• Plenty of prescription drugs are available to help people who suffer from high blood pressure. If your doctor thinks it is best to prescribe a medication for hypertension, the first options include beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, renin inhibitors, thiazide diuretics, ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers. If you try these medications without success, you may be prescribed another type of medication, such as alpha blockers, alpha-beta blockers, vasodilators and central-acting agents. All these medications work in different ways but they all have the effect of lowering blood pressure. Be sure to discuss all your drug options and your complete medical history with your doctor so you can together choose the best drug for you.

Diet

• Making a few simple changes to your diet can help lower blood pressure. The American Heart Association and other medical groups recommend that people with hypertension follow the DASH diet, or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. DASH recommends limiting saturated and total fat content and eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products. People with hypertension should also try to limit salt intake and eat plenty of potassium. Potassium-rich foods include papaya, mangoes, pears, bananas, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, raisins, kiwis, oranges, orange juice and prune juice.

Lifestyle Changes

• Many lifestyle choices can affect a person's risk for developing high blood pressure, so if you are diagnosed with hypertension it's a good idea to see if there are some changes you can make. If you are overweight, it's a good idea to shed some excess pounds. Even if you aren't overweight it's important to get plenty of physical exercise. It's best to strive for 30 to 60 minutes per day, but if you haven't exercised much recently, try to build up to a regular interval. Smoking and drinking alcohol also can increase blood pressure and should be avoided by people with hypertension or at risk for hypertension.