Hypertension

Two forms of high blood pressure include essential (or primary) hypertension and secondary hypertension. Essential hypertension is a far more common condition and accounts for 95% of the population with hypertension. The cause of essential hypertension is unknown. In secondary hypertension, which accounts for 5% of all cases, the high blood pressure is secondary to or caused by a specific abnormality in one of the organs or systems of the body such as renal hypertension, adrenal gland tumors and coarctation of the aorta.

• Weight. Carrying excessive body weight can increase blood pressure due to increase in blood produced to supply oxygen and nutrients to tissues in your body.
• Ethnicity. People of African American and Native American ethnicity have very high rates of high blood pressure.
• Activity level. Lack of physical activity tends to increase heart rate, which forces your heart to work harder with each contraction.
• Tobacco use. Chemicals in cigarettes and tobacco can damage artery walls.
• Sodium intake. Excessive sodium in the diet can result in fluid retention and high blood pressure, especially in people sensitive to sodium.
• Potassium intake. Low potassium can result in elevated sodium in cells, because the two balance one another.
• Stress. Chronic Stress can raise blood pressure.
• Anger. Chronic underlying anger and resentment can raise blood pressure (in Chinese medicine, pattern of imbalance could be Liver Yang Rising or Heart Heat).
• Alcohol consumption. Excessive alcohol intake can, over time, increase the risk of heart disease.
• Age. The risk of high blood pressure increases as you get older.
• Family history. People with relatives who have high blood pressure are more likely to develop high blood pressure.

High blood pressure can also be caused by an underlying condition, such as kidney disease, hormonal disorders, thyroid disease, adrenal gland disease, and the use of certain drugs, such as oral contraceptives, or herbs such as licorice. This type of high blood pressure is called secondary hypertension.

Essential hypertension has no cure, but treatment can modify its course. Many drug combinations are used to treat hypertension, as are diuretics. Several classes of diuretics exist, including thiazide diuretics (e.g., chlorthalidone [Hygroton®], chlorothiazide [Diuril®], hydrochlorothiazide [Esidrix®, HydroDIURIL®]), loop diuretics (e.g., bumentanide [Bumex®], ethacrynic acid [Edecrin®], furosemide [Lasix®], torsemide [Demadex®]), and potassium-sparing diuretics (e.g., amiloride [Midamor®], spironolactone [Aldactone®], triamterene [Dyrenium®]). Diuretics are usually combined with beta-blockers (e.g., propranolol [Inderal®], metoprolol [Lopressor®], atenolol [Tenormin®], timolol [Betimol®], bisoprolol [Zebeta]) or ACE inhibitors (e.g., captopril [Capoten], benazepril [Lotensin®], lisinopril [Prinivil®], enalapril [Vasotec®]). Alternatively, calcium channel blockers (e.g., amlodipine [Norvasc®]) may be combined with diuretics. Healthcare practitioners may also recommend lifestyle modifications, such as moderate weight reduction and dietary sodium restriction.

• Stop smoking: Smoking is particularly injurious for people with hypertension. The combination of hypertension and smoking greatly increases the risk of heart disease-related sickness and death.
• Alcohol in moderation: Drinking three or more alcoholic beverages per day increases blood pressure in proportion to the amount of alcohol consumed.
• Exercise: Daily exercise can lower blood pressure significantly. A 12-week program of Chinese T'ai Chi was reported to be almost as effective as aerobic exercise in lowering blood pressure in sedentary elderly people with high blood pressure.
• Weight loss: Many people with high blood pressure are overweight. Weight loss can lower blood pressure significantly in those who are both overweight and hypertensive.

• Cut back on salt: Salt intake has also been definitively linked to hypertension in western societies. Eliminating salt from the diet lowers blood pressure in most people. The more salt is restricted, the greater the blood pressure-lowering effect.
• Eat vegetables: Vegetarian diets have been reported to significantly lower blood pressure. This occurs partly because fruits and vegetables contain potassium - a known blood pressure-lowering mineral. The fiber provided by vegetarian diets may also help reduce high blood pressure.
• Avoid sugar: Sugar has been reported to increase blood pressure in animals and humans. Though the importance of this experimental effect remains somewhat unclear, some doctors recommend that people with high blood pressure cut back on their intake of sugar.
• Avoid caffeine: Although the effects of long-term avoidance of caffeine (from coffee, tea, chocolate, cola drinks, and some medications) on blood pressure remain unclear, many doctors tell people with high blood pressure to avoid caffeine-containing food and drink due to possible blood pressure - raising effects.
• Avoid food allergens: Food allergy was reported to contribute to high blood pressure in a study of people who had migraine headaches. In that report, all 15 people who also had high blood pressure experienced a significant drop in blood pressure when put on a hypoallergenic diet.
• Exposure to lead and other heavy metals: Exposure to this material has been linked to high blood pressure in some, but not all, research. If other approaches to high blood pressure prove unsuccessful, it makes sense for people with hypertension to have their body's burden of lead evaluated by a healthcare professional.

• CoQ10
• Omega 3 Fish Oil
• Discussion of other nutrients

• Acupuncture
• Biofeedback
• Meditation
• Yoga
• Auricular (ear) acupressure

Smoking

Alcohol

Exercise

Weight

Meditation & Yoga

Acupuncture

Auricular acupressure

Chiropractic

See footnote references.