Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Will Low Blood Pressure Increase the Danger of D…
Many physicians believe that a good blood pressure (BP) is right around 120/80, regardless of age. Some aggressively prescribe several blood pressure medicines to achieve that goal. There is, however,…
What Cold Medicine Is Safe for People With High …
If your blood pressure is elevated, there are all sorts of things you are supposed to avoid. Pretzels and potato chips, for example, along with other foods that contain a lot of salt. You may have hea…
How Has Pandemic Stress Affected Your Blood Pres…
Pandemic stress has had a significant impact on blood pressure (Circulation, Dec. 6, 2021). A new study utilized data from hundreds of thousands of people in a large employee wellness program. Quest D…
Common Medications That Raise Blood Pressure
Have you ever felt as if you were driving with your foot on the brake and the gas at the same time? If you are caught in stop and go traffic, you know how frustrating it can be. It’s hard to get ver…
Lead in Hair Dye Is Finally Coming Out!
Lead is not good for animals or people. This mineral can cause a range of very serious health problems, from depression and memory loss to hypertension and multiple organ damage. That’s why we have …
Glaucoma Patients Should Not Take Blood Pressure…
We sometimes get questions about when to take medicines. Does it matter whether you take them all at once, or do they need to be separated? (The correct answer to this question, unfortunately, depends…
When Should You Take Your BP Pills? Morning or B…
When do you swallow your pills? If you are like most people, you get into the habit of taking all your medications and supplements at breakfast time. It's a routine that is hard to break. One study su…
Do You Really Have High Blood Pressure?
Have you been told you have high blood pressure? Doctors recognize that untreated hypertension can increase your chance of developing heart disease, kidney damage or stroke. Consequently, you should t…
Can You Control Blood Pressure Naturally?
Do you have high blood pressure? Chances are very good that you do. The goal posts have been moved by medical authorities. As a result, half of all U.S. adults are now considered hypertensive. Normal …
Can You Really Control Blood Pressure With Dande…
High blood pressure is a very common condition that is usually treated with one or more medications. For the most part, people don't have a lot of trouble with diuretics like hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ…
Do ACE Inhibitors or ARBs Work Better for Blood …
One out of two adults in the US has hypertension. That means their systolic blood pressure reads 130 or above and their diastolic blood pressure is at least 80. Most of these people need medication to…
Hydrochlorothiazide Side Effects: Skin Cancer an…
You have been advised by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology that if you have systolic blood pressure of 130 or higher and/or diastolic blood pressure of 80 or higher…
Will Mouthwash Nix the Benefits of Beets?
Is your blood pressure a bit high? You might want to consider adding a little beet juice to your morning smoothie. Although it seems improbable, a review of 11 randomized controlled trials shows that …
How Your Home Address Affects Your Health
Where people live can have a profound impact on their risk of developing certain chronic health conditions. Scientists have been able to map the differences in health conditions across the United Stat…
More Americans Now Have Uncontrolled Hypertensio…
High blood pressure may be one of the pre-existing conditions that make people more vulnerable to complications from COVID-19. Unfortunately, an analysis published in JAMA reveals that an increasing p…
How Does Baking Soda in Water Fight Swelling?
A half teaspoon of baking soda in water is a time-honored simple home remedy for indigestion. Many people with occasional heartburn find that this inexpensive approach works well. We have also heard f…
Blood Pressure Measurements Are Too Important to…
We are constantly amazed at how many mistakes health professionals make when they take blood pressure measurements. Readers have shared that technicians don’t often give them time to sit down and re…
Will Blood Pressure Medicines Prevent Alzheimer …
Doctors have been debating the link between high blood pressure (hypertension) and cognitive decline for decades (BMC Cardiovascular Disorders, Nov. 3, 2016). They have been equally divided and uncert…
Will Blood Pressure Remedy Lead to Kidney Stones…
Hippocrates' warning that the physician should do no harm in the course of treating a condition should also apply to anyone treating themselves with home remedies. An astute reader searching for a blo…
Should You Worry About COVID-19 with ACE Inhibit…
Tens of millions of people take blood pressure medications called ACE inhibitors (ACEIs) or ARBs, angiotensin receptor blockers. ACEIs are drugs such as lisinopril, benazepril, captopril, enalapril an…
Avoid Drug Side Effects by Being Informed!
Do you know the most common and the most serious side effects of all the medicine you are taking? Was the information presented in a way you could actually understand what symptoms to look out for? Wh…
Your Blood Pressure Will Vary Throughout the Day…
What’s your blood pressure? Not in general, but right now, this very minute! Unless you get out your blood pressure monitor and actually measure it as you are reading this article, you won’t have …
Do Ginseng Supplements Raise Blood Pressure?
Ever since the mid-1990s, Americans have been exploring the potential benefits of herbal medicines. Many have been experimenting with ginseng, perhaps because it holds an important place in traditiona…
Can Ginger Reduce Blood Pressure & Soothe A…
As we add additional birthdays to life's scorecard, we frequently start to notice more aches and pains. Arthritis can affect almost any joint in the body, and many people have problems with multiple j…
Using Eggplant to Lower Your Blood Pressure
Several years ago, a reader wrote to tell us about using eggplant water to treat elevated blood pressure. At the time, we were quite surprised, as we were unfamiliar with this home remedy. A search of…
Can You Lower Your Blood Pressure With Cherries?
Half of the adults in the United States have hypertension. The usual solution is blood pressure medicine and that may be necessary in many cases. But there are many ways to get hypertension under cont…
Do You Know How to Take Your Blood Pressure Righ…
Public health experts at the American Heart Association estimate that about half of American adults have high blood pressure, also termed hypertension. As a result, they are at increased risk for stro…
Holiday Blood Pressure Challenges Hard to Manage
Have you taken your blood pressure today? Was it less than 130/80? If not, you are in the danger zone according to the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC). At…
ACE Inhibitors Like Lisinopril and Lung Cancer
Doctors appreciate ACE (angiotensin receptor enzyme) inhibitors for lowering high blood pressure. They have been first-line treatments for hypertension for many years. We used to think drugs such as b…
Losartan and Suicide? Another ARB (Sartan) Conce…
Over the last 15 months, millions of blood pressure pills called ARBs have been recalled due to contamination with nitrosamines. Many people with hypertension worried about a possible increased risk o…
How Herbal Medicines Lower Blood Pressure
Scientists at the University of California, Irvine, have made a fascinating discovery (PNAS, Sep. 30, 2019). They have identified the mechanism by which some traditional herbal medicines lower blood p…
Home Blood Pressure May Be Better Than Clinic
Do you take your blood pressure at home? Home blood pressure monitoring can be extremely helpful. Measuring your own blood pressure in the privacy of your home can help sidestep the nerves that lead t…
Does Green Tea Interact with Heart Drugs?
When you sit down to enjoy a beverage, do you think about whether it might affect the medications you take? Years ago, research on grapefruit juice showed that what you drink can indeed affect your pi…
Can Mouthwash Increase Blood Pressure? An Unusua…
If you think about bacteria in the mouth you probably consider bad breath. But oral bacteria are crucial for good health. They are part of your microbiome (the organisms that live in and on your body)…
Prescriptions on Demand from Online Doctors
For over a century, patients got their medicines by seeing a doctor, getting a prescription and going to a pharmacy. Of course, that was before the Internet. The web has changed everything. People buy…
The Beta Blocker Blahs Can Be Debilitating
Beta blockers are blood pressure medications that have been around for many decades. They include drugs like atenolol (Tenormin), metoprolol (Toprol) and propranolol (Inderal). In some instances, such…
Generic Furosemide Disappoints | How to Afford L…
Ask any doctor about the importance of furosemide (Lasix) and you are likely to get an earful. The FDA approved this diuretic in 1966. It is considered an essential medicine by the World Health Organi…
Can Blueberries Combat Metabolic Syndrome?
A cup of blueberries a day could be a tasty way to combat metabolic syndrome. In this condition, extra fat in the abdomen makes the waist larger. Elevated blood pressure, high cholesterol and insulin …
Can Licorice Lead to a Hypertensive Emergency?
Licorice root is a traditional herbal medicine that may be used to ease ulcers or heartburn. Europeans use it for coughs and colds. Moreover, people around the world often enjoy licorice in foo…
Will Eating Your Vegetables Ward Off Heart Failu…
When your grandmother urged you to eat your vegetables, she had your health at heart. She might not have known why, but scientists have confirmed that people who eat about a cup of dark green leafy ve…