Everyone should find out if they have high blood pressure by
having your blood pressure checked regularly. Most doctors will
diagnose a person with high blood pressure on the basis of two
or more readings, taken on several occasions. A consistent blood
pressure reading of 140/90 mmHg or higher is considered high
blood pressure, another term for hypertension. There are
millions of people who may not even know they have high blood
pressure. High blood pressure often has no signs or symptoms.
The only way to find out if you have high blood pressure is to
be tested for it. Using the familiar blood pressure cuff, your
doctor or nurse can easily tell if your blood pressure is high.
You can take steps to prevent high blood pressure by adopting a
healthy lifestyle. These steps include maintaining a healthy
weight; being physically active; following a healthy eating
plan, that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and lowfat dairy
foods; choosing and preparing foods with less salt and sodium;
and, if you drink alcoholic beverages, drinking in moderation.
Smoking injures blood vessel walls and speeds up the process of
hardening of the arteries. This applies even to filtered
cigarettes. So even though it does not cause high blood
pressure, smoking is bad for anyone, especially those with high
blood pressure. If you smoke, quit.
Most Americans consume more salt than they need. The current
recommendation is to consume less than 2.4 grams (2,400
milligrams[mg] ) of sodium a day. That equals 6 grams (about 1
teaspoon) of table salt a day. The 6 grams include ALL salt and
sodium consumed, including that used in cooking and at the
table. For someone with high blood pressure, the doctor may
advise eating less salt.
There are also prescription medications that a doctor will use
to control high blood pressure.
There are numerous natural treatments for high blood pressure.
One of most common is
Hyprava.
Natural treatments do not require a prescription and are
available to order online without any doctor's written notice.
About the author:
J Ratliff is a health writer for numerous websites.
