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Diagnosis

High blood pressure is often diagnosed during a visit to the doctor. Blood pressure is measured using a cuff around the arm and a device called a sphygmomanometer. If your blood pressure reading is high, you'll be asked to come back for repeat blood pressure checks. If you have two or more visits with readings over 140/90, you will be diagnosed with high blood pressure.

Untreated high blood pressure can lead to:

Heart disease
Heart attack
Stroke
Kidney damage

What Causes High Blood Pressure?

Stress In many instances, stress can be the major factor causing high blood pressure. High sugar intake. People who had more sugar in their diet had markedly increased blood pressure.

Smoking Chronic smoking decreases blood flow to the brain, increasing the risk of stroke.

If your diastolic blood pressure is over 90, then you have high blood pressure and you should get medical advice immediately. Getting on top of it early can make all the difference.

Types of medications to lower blood pressure include:

Diuretics
Beta blockers
Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors)
Calcium channel blockers
Alpha blockers
Alpha-beta blockers
Nervous system inhibitors
Vasodilators

High Blood Pressure can be reduced significantly and quickly through making minor adjustments to your lifestyle.

Until then, these tips should be followed:

Lose Weight. Exercise. Drinks lots of water. Dietary modification to decrease animal products and sugar and increase fruits, vegetables and complex carbohydrates. The sugar-free diet is the optimal diet to help you control your weight, blood pressure and risk for serious disease.

Sodium intake is one factor involved in the development of high blood pressure. Reduce salt and sodium intake.(Ideally, daily intake should not exceed 6 grams of salt) Reduce or stop alcohol intake. Reduce or stop caffeine.

If you are a smoker, reduce or eliminate your tobacco intake. While cigarette smoking is not directly related to high blood pressure, it increases your risk of heart attack and stroke.