Hypertension (high blood pressure) is the most common form of cardiovascular disease in
the United States, affecting nearly one in three adults.
High blood pressure is a threat because it makes the heart work harder, increasing its
oxygen demands and contributing to angina (chest pain related to heart disease). Unchecked,
high blood pressure increases the risk of heart attacks, stroke and kidney disease.
Some people can lower and control their blood pressure with healthy lifestyle measures -
losing weight if necessary (even a 10 percent weight loss might do the trick), quitting smoking if
that's an issue, limiting intake of caffeine (in coffee, tea and sodas) and alcohol, all of which can
contribute to the problem, as well as cutting back on salt (processed foods are the biggest
sources of sodium in today's Western diet) and practicing relaxation methods.
The last of these may be the most important, yet doctors often fail to emphasize the
importance of learning how to relax the involuntary nervous system, which controls the tone of
blood vessels. Meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, and biofeedback training can all help. I
recommend checking out a simple device called RESPeRATE that teaches you to lower your
blood pressure by changing your breathing patterns.
If you have high blood pressure and have made and are maintaining these lifestyle
changes, you might then try to cut down on your blood pressure medication. Do so gradually,
and be sure to monitor your pressure at home - at least 2-3 times a day, both when you are
calm and when you are not -to make sure that it doesn't start to rise. If it does, you'll have to
return to the usual dosage of your medication. It would be best to make these changes under
the supervision of your physician so you will not be alone in your efforts.
A large study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published
in the May 4, 2007, issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly found that while most Americans
who have high blood pressure are trying to bring it under control, 70 percent of them have
failed.
The CDC researchers collected information on more than 101,000 people and found
that of the nearly 25,000 who had high blood pressure, 98.1 percent said they were doing at
least one thing to lower it: nearly 71 percent said they had changed their eating habits; 79.5
percent said they had reduced or eliminated the salt in their diets; 79.2 percent either didn't
drink or had cut back on alcoholic beverages; 68.6 exercised and 73.4 were taking medication.
But the study showed that those efforts paid off in only 30 percent of all cases.
If you have a family history of hypertension, lifestyle measures may not be enough to
keep your blood pressure under control - you probably will need some medication. But no one
should depend on drugs alone. A healthy lifestyle, including relaxation practice, is also key to
keeping blood pressure in the safe range.
