High Blood Pressure (hypertension)
How to Lower Blood Pressure by Natural Means
Keeping blood pressure under control is a basic step in preventing cardiovascular complications. But the pros and cons of the best ways to lower blood pressure remain controversial. Are certain medica…
When Should High Blood Pressure Be Treated?
How low should your blood pressure go? Doctors have a surprisingly hard time answering this seemingly simple question. Historical "High" Blood Pressure: In the mid 20th century, doctors accepted as na…
Could Cayenne Lower Your High Blood Pressure?
Many people prefer to treat chronic health problems by natural means. They hate taking pills, and the specter of side effects makes them nervous. After all, any effective medicine has a range of acti…
Don’t let Blood Pressure Drugs Ruin Qualit…
Q. I have been on medication for high blood pressure for years, but over the past eight months my doctor has changed my prescriptions quite a few times. My blood pressure readings have improved but at…
Natural Approaches to Lower Resistant High Blood…
We recently got a question from a person taking three different medications for high blood pressure. Despite the piling up of antihypertensive drugs, the blood pressure was still not under control, an…
Misdiagnosed Cough from Hell Makes Life Miserabl…
Q. I have had the cough from hell with retching and even vomiting for six months now. The first doctor suggested I have a "post-viral hyper-reactive cough." The second recommended drugs for acid reflu…
SPRINT Study Shows Lower Systolic Blood Pressure…
A large study of blood pressure treatment was stopped early (in September) because the results were considered so promising. Now, the data have been published in The New England Journal of Medicine. S…
Doctors Often Ignore Deadly Drug Interaction War…
The news this week about aggressive control of hypertension (see this news article) will doubtless lead to many more prescriptions for blood pressure medicine. As it is, Americans are taking more medi…
Beets for Lowering Blood Pressure
Recent research shows that lower blood pressure is better. In fact, the study (called SPRINT, for Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial) was halted early because the scientists were so impressed …
Lisinopril Reaction Nearly Proved Fatal
Some medications that are extremely useful for the majority of people can cause frighteningly serious reactions in others. That is surely the case for the ACE inhibitors used to control blood pressure…
Lower Blood Pressure Could Save Your Life But at…
Doctors have been debating the pros and cons of aggressive blood pressure treatment for decades. A comprehensive analysis of all prior well-controlled blood pressure trials by the independent Cochrane…
Can Older People Benefit from Less Blood Pressur…
The treatment of high blood pressure has garnered unexpected attention in the past few years. Who would have guessed that the question of how high is too high could become so controversial? Although …
High Sodium Diets May Lead to High Blood Pressur…
Japanese researchers have found that people who eat high sodium diets are more susceptible to developing high blood pressure. They followed more than 4,500 healthy adults for nearly four years. The Co…
Doctors Are in the Dark About the Best Blood Pre…
Nearly every health care visit starts the same way, with "vitals." Someone puts you on a scale and writes down your weight, pops a thermometer in your mouth and registers your temperature and wraps a …
Can We Just Eat Beets for Blood Pressure Control…
Elevated blood pressure is a risk factor for heart disease and strokes, so control is important. However, research has shown that medication is not as helpful as we would all like unless untreated bl…
Supplements for Blood Pressure
Many people would prefer to use natural approaches to managing blood pressure, but mixing certain supplements for blood pressure with anti-hypertensive drugs can be risky. Make sure to check out such…
Blood Pressure Drug Combos That Could Be Lethal
When doctors prescribe blood pressure medication, their goal is to reduce the likelihood that a patient with hypertension will develop heart attacks, strokes, kidney damage, eye problems or even Alzhe…
Aggressive Blood Pressure Control Leads To Menta…
Physicians have been debating the role of high blood pressure and dementia for decades. Some studies suggest that hypertension is linked to cognitive decline while others have found that higher blood …
Are You in Danger of Kidney Stones if You Love B…
Q. I take beet juice powder and it has dropped my blood pressure to normal levels. But I hear that beets can cause kidney stones in some people. If so, am I putting myself at risk by taking the powder…
Salt Is Not the Killer That CDC Thinks
Large public health organizations are a lot like ocean liners: It takes a lot of time to get them to change course. The most recent example is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) poli…
Blueberries for Blood Pressure
Blueberries have a reputation as a superfood, and new research confirms that they are indeed special. Nutrition scientists at Florida State University report on a placebo-controlled study that found f…
High or Low Glycemic Index in Diet Doesn’t…
People at risk for diabetes are often advised to concentrate on whole grains, vegetables and other types of minimally processed foods that don't make blood sugar rise quickly. A new study from Harvard…
For Blood Pressure, Sugar May Be Worse Than Salt
When public health authorities give dietary recommendations to help lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, they usually focus on salt. We are all advised to cut our sodium…
BPA Exposure Boosts Blood Pressure
Drinking from rigid, clear plastic bottles or from cans raises urinary levels of bisphenol A. This compound, known as BPA, has been identified as an endocrine disruptor. Now research from Korea indica…
Handling White Coat Hypertension
Do you know your blood pressure measurement? It is just as important to your heart health as your cholesterol level, and even easier to track. All you need is a home blood pressure monitor. If you fin…
Serious Blood Pressure Problem Calls for Serious…
Q. Your recent column about using probiotics in yogurt to reduce blood pressure in an otherwise healthy young person was way below the standard of care. I am a physician. Had I treated such a patient …
Yogurt for Natural Blood Pressure Control
Q. I need your advice about lowering my blood pressure. I have found online advice conflicting and confusing. My family doctor, I'm sorry to say, is not interested in anything other than prescription …
Measuring Blood Pressure Properly Can Be Tricky
The opening ritual for almost every doctor visit involves measuring weight and blood pressure. For such fundamental data, there is a surprising lack of attention to accuracy. There are often no standa…
Aggressive Blood Pressure Treatment Can Cause De…
Hypertension is frequently referred to as the silent killer. That's because it has few symptoms but greatly increases the likelihood of strokes, heart attacks and kidney damage. Does It Make Sense to …
Cutting Carbs Led to Success in Lowering Blood P…
Q. A number of years ago, my blood pressure was 210/100. I took the prescribed medication but started reading about how to control high blood pressure naturally. I forget to take pills if I have no sy…
Extremely Low Salt Diets Could Prove Deadly
Years ago, there was a popular book titled All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum. It was full of wisdom like Share everything, Play fair, Wash your hands before you eat…
Diabolical Dilemma: High Blood Pressure or Risk …
Q. I am a 73 year old retired RN who has been treated for high blood pressure since last August by an internist and a cardiologist. Every prescription they have written has had adverse side effects fo…
Hibiscus Tea Controls Blood Pressure Tastefully
Wouldn't it be great to be able to manage your health risks through your choice of what to eat or drink? It turns out this is not a pipe dream. Elevated blood pressure responds very well to a diet t…
The Dark Side of Aggressive Blood Pressure Treat…
Every one knows the dangers of hypertension. We are repeatedly told that the "silent killer" leads to heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease, blindness and dementia, to name just some of the scary con…
Home Blood Pressure Monitors Discover Hidden Hyp…
High blood pressure is linked to cardiovascular complications such as strokes and heart attacks. Experts may argue about when treatment is needed, especially for older patients. Nevertheless, they agr…
New Blood Pressure Recommendations Could Cause S…
After five years of deliberation, a committee of experts has revised treatment protocols for hypertension. For one thing, people over the age of 60 will no longer require medication unless their systo…
Back Pedaling on Beta Blockers (Atenolol, Metopr…
For decades, American physicians prescribed beta blockers as a primary treatment for high blood pressure. When we checked a few years ago, we discovered that 115 million prescriptions were dispensed f…
Cardiologists Quarrel Over New Hypertension Guid…
Physicians rarely fight openly about the best ways to practice good medicine. That's because doctors tend to accept the recommendations put forth by their professional organizations. All that changed …
Hibiscus Tea Provides Amazing Blood Pressure Con…
For years, doctors thought that blood pressure just naturally got higher as people grew older. Under that formula, just about everyone on Medicare would be taking blood pressure pills. But that's…
Blueberry Compounds Open Blood Vessels and Impro…
Chocolate and cocoa have been found to relax blood vessels and lower blood pressure. Now researchers have found that the compounds in blueberries also dilate blood vessels and improve blood flow. In t…