How to Treat Hypertension

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, affects 58 million Americans. If you have high blood pressure, seek medical treatment. Untreated hypertension can lead to stroke, kidney failure and death.

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Blood Pressure Monitors
• Scales
• Notebooks
• Notebooks
• low-fat, high-fiber diet

1. See your family doctor, cardiologist or internist, who will examine the blood vessels in your eyes to check for damage to the retinal vessels. This will tell her how much damage the high blood pressure has done to the vessels in the rest of your body.

2. Get an EKG to determine if your heart muscle or coronary arteries have been damaged by the high blood pressure.

3. Take any medications your doctor prescribes, usually a diuretic or an anti-hypertensive drug.

4. Know that diuretics reduce your circulating blood volume, which decreases the workload on your heart and blood vessels. Anti-hypertensive drugs help dilate the blood vessels. If the medications cause you to gain more than 2 pounds, tell your doctor.

5. Lose weight if you're overweight. Eat a low-fat, high-fiber diet, rich in fruits and vegetables. It's OK to use salt in moderation, unless your doctor orders otherwise, but no more than 2,300mg per day.

6. Drink alcohol in moderation.

7. Exercise aerobically. Walk for 30 to 45 minutes at least three to four times a week. Thirty minutes every day is ideal.

8. Quit smoking.

9. Reduce your stress. Stress causes your arteries and veins to constrict.

10. Buy an at-home blood pressure monitor and check your blood pressure frequently. Record the results in a notebook.

11. Check your cholesterol once a year and record it in a notebook. High blood cholesterol can narrow arteries and make you more prone to hypertension.

Tips & Warnings

• In general, if your blood pressure is not dangerously high, your doctor will wait for up to six months before starting you on anti-hypertensive medication. This will give your body a chance to lower its blood pressure through lifestyle and dietary changes.
• Diuretics will cause you to urinate more frequently, which has a tendency to deplete your blood potassium. Eat foods high in natural potassium, such as bananas, dried apricots, tomatoes and potatoes boiled in their skins.
• If you experience dizziness, impotence, swelling around your ankles or any other side effects, call your doctor immediately.
• If you have any questions or concerns, contact a physician or other health care professional before engaging in any activity related to health and diet. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment.

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on 11/22/2005 Have your machine calibrated before you bring it home and use it. Often, the readings can be incorrect if the machine's not calibrated correctly.