How to lower blood pressure? Take your medications

Ask the doctor how to lower your blood pressure and he’ll give you medicine. You’re probably not going to get your readings down because you don’t take your medicines all the time. You may see a drop in your readings and then stop taking the meds thinking you’re cured. This is according to a new study released in http://www.thelancet.com/

The editorial states “Despite very effective and cost-effective treatments, target blood pressure levels are very rarely reached, even in countries where cost of medication is not an issue. Many patients still believe that hypertension is a disease that can be cured, and stop or reduce medication when blood pressure levels fall.”

I’m in this statistic too. I started taking my meds and then after a few days I stopped. I am aware of the risks of high blood pressure - death being the most severe - but I didn’t want to take meds for the rest of my life, I wanted to change my lifestyle and eating habits instead.

And it worked. I dropped my readings by 20 points in a few months. I still have to watch what I eat, watch how much salt I eat and do some activity to keep my levels low. But, I don’t have to be on medications for the rest of my life.

The editorial offered this advice to give to other physicians treating patients with high blood pressure:

“Physicians need to convey the message that hypertension is the first, and easily measurable, irreversible sign that many organs in the body are under attack. Perhaps this message will make people think more carefully about the consequences of an unhealthy lifestyle and give preventative measures a real chance,” the Editorial concludes.

What I get from this is that medication is not the only answer. It’s lifestyle changes that will produce lasting results without any side effects. High blood pressure is a silent killer. It needs to be taken seriously.

-Chris

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