What is Hypertension?
Approximately 90% of people with high blood pressure have “essential” or
“idiopathic” hypertension, for which the cause is poorly understood. The terms
“hypertension” and “high blood pressure” as used here refer
only to this most common form and not to
pregnancy-induced hypertension or hypertension clearly linked to a known cause, such as
Cushing’s syndrome, pheochromocytoma, or kidney disease. Hypertension must always be
evaluated by a healthcare professional. Extremely high blood pressure (malignant hypertension)
or rapidly worsening hypertension (accelerated hypertension) almost always requires treatment
with conventional medicine. People with mild to moderate high blood pressure should work with
a doctor before attempting to use the information contained here, as blood pressure requires
monitoring and in some cases the use of blood pressure-lowering drugs.
As with conventional drugs, the use of natural substances sometimes controls blood pressure
if taken consistently but does not lead to a cure for high blood pressure. Thus, someone whose
blood pressure is successfully reduced by weight
loss, avoidance of salt, and increased
intake of fruits and vegetables would need to maintain these changes
permanently in order to retain control of blood pressure. Left untreated, hypertension
significantly increases the risk of stroke and
heart disease.
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