Natural Ways to Control High Blood Pressure (and, Better Yet, Prevent It!)

Blood pressure plays an important role in our heart’s health. Blood pressure is the force of blood against the walls of our arteries, and blood pressure can change throughout the day. When this pressure rises and stays that way over a period of time, it is considered high blood pressure or hypertension. There are often no warning signs or symptoms that you have developed high blood pressure. If your blood pressure is 120/80, this is considered prehypertension. This predisposes you to having high blood pressure in the future. Once your blood pressure numbers reach 140/90, then it is considered high. 

Unfortunately, once you get high blood pressure, you’ll usually have it for the rest of your life. Both numbers are important in a blood pressure reading, but the top number (systolic) is more important in ages 50 or over. High blood pressure is extremely dangerous for a number of reasons. It makes the heart work too hard and also can cause hardening of the arteries. It increases the chance of stroke, kidney and heart disease. Heart disease is the number one cause of death in Americans. Almost one in every four adults has high blood pressure.