The American Heart Association’s new blood pressure guidelines were supposedly put in place to save lives. A new report shows they may actually cost lives.
In late 2017, the AHA decided that people with blood pressure higher than 130/80 should take drugs to lower it. The previous threshold was 140/80.
… Read MoreThere is no shortage of drugs to treat high blood pressure.
Fourteen different classes of medications have been approved for hypertension. And within those classes are more than 110 drugs.1
… Read MoreWalk into your doctor’s office with high blood pressure and chances are you’ll walk out with a prescription for a hypertension drug.
Americans spend over $20 billion a year on hypertension medications.
These drugs often have serious side effects. They include sexual problems, headaches, fatigue, and chronic cough. Some have even been linked to cancer.1
… Read MoreMost of us with high blood pressure try to eat right to get our numbers down.
We avoid salt. Try to lose weight. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Maybe we add more potassium to our diet.
But a large new study shows that it’s not only what we eat that’s important…it’s how we cook it.
… Read MoreIf you have high blood pressure and take medication for it, you should have two goals.
One is, of course, to lower your blood pressure.
The second is to do it consistently.
… Read MoreWhen it comes to high blood pressure, sodium seems to get all the attention. Cutting out salt is likely the first advice your doctor will offer if your numbers are high.
Sodium raises your blood pressure by pulling water into your blood vessels. This raises your total blood volume which, in turn, increases your blood pressure. Reduce your sodium and you lower your blood pressure.… Read More