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Living with High Blood Pressure

Being diagnosed with high blood pressure means taking new steps to maintain your health, but it doesn't mean the end of enjoyable living. There are many easy strategies, helpful tips, and creative ideas that can help you get the most out of everyday life while still staying healthy and keeping your high blood pressure under control.
Antidepressants and Blood Pressure
Antidepressant drugs are an increasingly common treatment tool for a variety of mood and non-mood related conditions. These drugs work primarily by changing the levels of certain chemicals in the brain and nervous system. Some antidepressants have been linked to increases in blood pressure. Learn which drugs are known to raise blood pressure and what to do if you have high blood pressure and need to take an antidepressant medication.
Diuretics and Potassium
Diuretics are a cornerstone of high blood pressure treatment, used to treat most patients with elevated blood pressure. Diuretics can cause the level of potassium in your body to decrease, which can lead to other problems. Learn how diuretics influence the level of potassium in the body and what to do if your potassium is low after being prescribed diuretic therapy
Over the Counter Drugs that Raise or Change Blood Pressure

Most people are aware that certain prescription medications can raise blood pressure, or interfere with the process of high blood pressure treatment. Fewer, though, realize that over-the-counter medicines – common remedies like cold medicine, cough syrup, and allergy pills – can also have similar effects. Many well known a…

Prescription Medications that Raise or Change Blood Pressure
Many prescription drugs can change blood pressure. It is more common for prescription drugs to raise blood pressure than to lower it, but both are possible. Learn which drugs most commonly cause blood pressure changes and how to work around these drugs, if necessary.
Does L-Arginine Lower Blood Pressure?
Once a relatively rare product, l-arginine supplements have been growing in popularity thanks to the successful marketing efforts of health food chains and the popular press. Companies that produce the supplements claim beneficial effects ranging from increased muscle endurance to reduced blood pressure. Learn the science and effects of l-arginine.
Eating Healthy on a Budget
As food prices continue to rise, many people may feel that a healthy diet might be slipping in the realm of unaffordable. Though things have gotten more expensive, it is still possible to eat a heart healthy diet without breaking the budget. These cost saving tips will help you pack more nutrition punch for your food dollar.
How Do Beta Blockers Affect My Exercise Goals?
Exercise is an important part of blood pressure maintenance. Exercising efficiently often means shooting for certain measures of activity, like a target heart rate. If you're taking a beta blocker, your heart rate will be slower at rest. How does this affect your exercise goals and how can you adjust your program to take this into account?
I’ve Started Exercising, Lost Weight, and Quit Smoking -When Can I Stop My Meds?
Many patients see reductions in blood pressure when they start a regular program of exercise and lose weight. Quitting smoking also makes a big difference in average blood pressure readings. If you're making positive lifestyle changes and wondering what effect it will have on your need for drug therapy, talk with your doctor. Learn the signs that it might be time to stop the meds, and the indications that further drug treatment is needed.
Seven Foods That May Affect Your Blood Pressure
Many foods can affect blood pressure -- some (like the weak stimulants found in coffee and tea) for a short period of time, others (like salt) over a longer period. Because a healthy diet has been shown to improve blood pressure health, knowing which foods to incorporate into your meal plans -- and which to avoid -- can help you make better dietary decisions. Each of the foods listed below has b…
Do Adults and Children Share Risk Factors for High Blood Pressure?
The risk factors for high blood pressure are well established and understood for adults. While children share these risk factors, the contribution that each factor makes on the overall risk is less clear. A significant amount of research - both clinical and laboratory - has been aimed at trying to figure out how risk factors contribute to the overall risk profile in children. Special interest has been given to the topics outlined below.
Walking for Blood Pressure Maintenance and Weight Control
New guidelines from the American Heart Association have increased the daily exercise recommendation for most Americans and seem to downplay the importance of lower intensity workouts. The guidelines, though, are not meant to suggest that activities like walking are not beneficial. Learn how to update your walking routine to comply with the new guidelines. For new walkers, learn how this simple activity can help add years to your life.
Keep a Blood Pressure Log
Keeping a home blood pressure log is sometimes a valuable activity that can help track trends and changes in blood pressure over time. If your doctor has asked you to keep a blood pressure log, here are six easy steps to get you started.
Special Types of High Blood Pressure
While many people are familiar with the two most common kinds of high blood pressure, there are several other important types. Because some of these types can be side effects of "regular" high blood pressure, those with preexisting high blood pressure should be especially familiar with them. Learn the signs and symptoms of these different kinds of high blood pressure and find out if you're at risk.
How to Talk to Your Doctor
It can sometimes be hard to talk to doctors. They're busy, seem to speak a different language, and talk too fast. Use these five tips to improve your communication with your doctor and get the most out your time together.
Start & Maintain a Regular Exercise Program
Exercise is a universally accepted way to boost your personal health. All types of exercise have both immediate and long term benefits for every organ system in the body, especially the cardivascular and circulatory systems. Learn how to integrate exercise into your daily routine as a part of your high blood pressure control.
Recommended Foods for High Blood Pressure Control
A proper diet can make managing high blood pressure much easier. Similarly, eating the wrong foods can make things worse by increasing the difficulty of treatment and raising the risk of possible complications. Learn to bolster your food health by including these healthy choices.
Foods to Avoid if you Have High Blood Pressure
A proper diet can make managing high blood pressure much easier. Similarly, eating the wrong foods can make things worse by increasing the difficulty of treatment and raising the risk of possible complications. Avoid these complications by learning which foods you should work to minimize or eliminate from your diet
The DASH Diet for High Blood Pressure
Developed by a consortium of doctors, nutritionists, and researchers, the DASH diet has a proven track record for improving and moderating high blood pressure. Learn the fundamentals of this important system and discover tips for integrating it as a permanent part of healthy eating.
Recipies for Heart Health
Built on the DASH protocol, these recipies are heart healthy and delicious. Published by the National Institutes of Health, they are meant to provide a jumping off point for further reading.

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