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Hypertension is a silent disease; people with high blood pressure often don't feel ill. We often see some one going red in the face with effort or from stress and say that their blood pressure is up, but it can be raised without any outward symptoms. The lack of obvious symptoms of high blood pressure is why the doctor should check your blood pressure at every visit.

If a patient has symptoms of high blood pressure it is usually headaches, or "floaters" in the visual field.

High blood pressure is defined most widely now as anything over 140/ 80. In practice it is the lower number that matters the most. That is the baseline pressure your blood vessels are always experiencing. Ideally this number is around seventy, it is considered high at eighty, wand lifestyle choices are usually addressed at this point. Treatment is more aggressive once the bottom number reaches ninety.

Taking some lifestyle measures and using some natural treatments can very often avoid drug treatment, or mean that less treatment is necessary.

STOP SMOKING

Yes, smoking is blamed for all ills in our modern age, and most smokers will be able to tell you about one relative or another who lived to 103 and smoked every day since they were twelve years old.

A simple test can show what smoking does to blood pressure. Take your blood pressure, or that of the smoker, before a cigarette and record the result. Now have a cigarette, or allow them to, and recheck the blood pressure. It will have risen considerably. Stopping smoking is one of the greatest gifts you can give your health.

DIET

Increasing your intake of fruit and vegetables, and decreasing your intake of red meat is a good idea for your general health, and for your blood pressure. This is the best way to increase your intake of vitamins and minerals. Fruits and vegetables contain other beneficial substances, known as phytochemicals, that help with blood pressure control and general health.

It is important to reduce saturated fats in your diet to reduce the risk of heart disease. The bad effects of a high fat diet are complex, relating to weight, inflammation and the health of the circulatory system. By hardening the arteries a high fat diet can directly increase blood pressure, as well as worsening the effects of high blood pressure.

The diet that is recommended at present is the "Mediterranean diet", which is high in fruit and vegetables, high in protein from fish, high in good oils and low in red meat.

EXERCISE

Just thirty minutes of activity three

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