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Treatment Options
Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
Helping Yourself
Treating hypertension always involves lifestyle modifications, which are things you can change to reduce your blood pressure. Changes in your lifestyle have been shown to decrease blood pressure, enhance the effectiveness of antihypertensive drugs, and decrease the risk of developing complications.
- Eat a healthy diet. A heart healthy diet includes lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, low fat dairy products and other high-fiber foods. Saturated fats and cholesterol should be limited. It's also important to reduce your sodium intake. 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 (also known as sodium chloride) a day. The 6 grams include ALL salt and sodium consumed, including that used in cooking (such as garlic salt, seasoned salt) and at the table. Avoiding fast food, junk food, or pre-processed foods will help you to minimize the amount of fat and salt in your diet. The recommended guide for a healthy diet includes:
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DASH Eating Plan |
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Food Group |
Daily Servings (based on 2,000 calories a day) |
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Grains
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7-8
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Vegetables
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4-5
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Fruits
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4-5
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Low-fat and nondairy
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2-3
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Meats, poultry, and fish
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2 or fewer
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Nuts, seeds, and legumes
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Fewer than 1
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Fats and oils
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2-3
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Sweets
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5 per week
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National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Facts about the DASH Eating Plan, Available at URL: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/new_dash.pdf Accessed April 2006.
- Get regular exercise. A regular exercise program of about 30 minutes per day on four or more days per week should include both aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, jogging, or swimming, as well as anaerobic exercise, such as weight lifting. Before beginning or expanding your exercise program, be sure to get approval from your doctor.
- Lose weight. Because excess body weight forces the heart to work harder, obesity is a key risk factor for hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. Losing as little as ten pounds can reduce blood pressure significantly.
- Limit alcohol intake to no more than one or two drinks (12 oz beer, 5 oz wine, or 1.5 oz of 80-proof whiskey) per day for most men, and no more than once drink per day for women and lighter-weight persons.
- Stop smoking. Quitting cigarettes can not only reduce your risk of hypertension and other kinds of heart disease, it may also improve your lung capacity, reduce the number and intensity of the colds you catch, and prevent cancer of the throat, lungs, and other organs.
Even if lifestyle modifications do not work well enough to lower blood pressure adequately, they are still important to continue. Studies have shown that lifestyle modifications can reduce the need for antihypertensive medications (that is you may require fewer medications or lower doses to control your blood pressure) and can reduce cardiovascular complications such as heart attacks.
Note: The above information is intended to supplement, not substitute for, the expertise and judgment of your physician, pharmacist, or other healthcare professional. It is not intended to diagnose a health condition, but it can be used as a guide to help you decide if you should seek professional treatment or to help you learn more about your condition once it has been diagnosed.
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