Blood pressure is the force in the arteries when the heart beats (systolic pressure) and when the heart is at rest (diastolic pressure). It is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) because early blood pressure devices used a mercury column to measure pressure. High blood pressure (also called hypertension) is defined (adult) as a blood pressure greater than or equal to 140 mm Hg systolic pressure or greater than or equal to 90 mm Hg diastolic pressure. Blood pressure is noted as systolic/diastolic, so for example, a normal blood pressure would be recorded as less than 120/80.

High blood pressure increases the risk of heart disease, leading to heart attack and stroke, especially in the presence of other risk factors. Kidney disease is another consequence of hypertension. High blood pressure must be treated!

Non pharmaceutical treatment of hypertension
Weight loss if overweight – even 10 pounds weight loss can help lower blood pressure
Whole food diet – processed foods contain excess salt and added sugar. Salt contributes to hypertension in sodium sensitive individuals. Sugar, especially high fructose corn syrup, contributes to weight gain, diabetes and high triglyceride (blood fat) levels.
Quit smoking.
Exercise - Regular physical exercise makes your heart stronger. Stronger hearts can pump more blood with less effort. When your heart works more efficiently, the force on the arteries decreases, lowering blood pressure. Being more active can lower your systolic blood pressure by an average of 5 to 10 mm Hg. Set a goal of at least 30 minutes of exercise 4-7 days per week. Resistance training (weight lifting) is a beneficial component of exercise. Resistance training is safe in people with mild hypertension (160/100 mmHg or less).
Stress reduction techniques such as meditation, walking, listening to music and yoga are proven to be effective for lowering blood pressure.
Targeted Nutritional Supplements – Specific vitamins, minerals, amino acids and herbs are useful for lowering blood pressure and can be used in combination with prescription blood pressure medications for more effective control.


Prescription Drug Treatments for Hypertension with Notable Side Effects
Please note that stage 1 hypertension needs to be treated to avoid the adverse effects of high blood pressure on the heart, blood vessels, kidneys and eyes. Stage 2 hypertension should be thought of as a medical emergency requiring intervention to decrease the immediate risk of heart attack, stroke, or aneurysm. So even though you may be looking for a non-drug approach, please get your blood pressure under control immediately by the most effective means available.

Diuretics, also known as water pills, help your kidneys flush excess water and salt from your body. This lessens the amount of fluid in your blood, and your blood pressure goes down.
Side effects: People who take diuretics may also have too much potassium in their blood if they take a potassium-sparing diuretic, or too little potassium in their blood if they take a thiazide diuretic. Other side effects include low sodium in your blood, increased blood sugar, increased cholesterol, rash, joint disorders such as gout, impotence in men, menstrual irregularities. breast enlargement in men.

Beta Blockers help your heart beat slower and with less force. Your heart pumps less blood through your blood vessels, and your blood pressure goes down.
Side effects: Common side effects include fatigue, cold hands, dizziness, and weakness. Less common side effects include shortness of breath, trouble sleeping, loss of sex drive and depression.

ACE Inhibitors prevent your body from making a hormone called angiotensin II. This hormone normally causes blood vessels to narrow. ACE inhibitors prevent this, so your blood pressure goes down.
Precautions - ACE inhibitors are not prescribed for pregnant women because they may cause birth defects. Individuals with bilateral renal artery stenosis may experience worsening of kidney function. People who have had a reaction to ACE inhibitors probably should avoid them.
The most common side effects are cough, high blood potassium levels, low blood pressure with dizziness, headache, drowsiness, weakness, rash, metallic or salty taste.

Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers are newer blood pressure medicines that protect your blood vessels from angiotensin II. As a result, blood vessels relax and widen, and your blood pressure goes down.
Side effects: Headache, dizziness, lightheadedness, nasal congestion, back and leg pain, diarrhea. Rare but more serious side effects include kidney failure, liver failure, allergic reactions, decrease in white blood cells, localized swelling of tissues. Angiotensin II receptor blockers can cause birth defects, don't take them if you're pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

Calcium Channel Blockers keep calcium from entering the muscle cells of your heart and blood vessels. This allows blood vessels to relax, and your blood pressure goes down.
Side effects: Constipation, headache, rapid heartbeat, rash, drowsiness, flushing, nausea, swelling in the feet and lower legs.
Some calcium channel blockers interact with grapefruit products. Don't take these medications with grapefruit or grapefruit juice because they can reduce your liver's ability to eliminate calcium channel blockers from your body, allowing the medications to build up in your body.

Alpha Blockers reduce nerve impulses that tighten blood vessels. This allows blood to flow more freely, causing blood pressure to go down.
Side effects and cautions: Alpha blockers may have what is called a first-dose effect. When you first start taking an alpha blocker, you may develop pronounced low blood pressure and dizziness, which can make you suddenly faint when you rise from a sitting or lying position.
Other side effects include headache, pounding heartbeat, nausea, weakness, weight gain and small decreases in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.
Alpha blockers can increase or decrease the effects of other medications you take. Research has found that some alpha blockers can increase the risk of heart failure with long-term use.

Alpha-Beta Blockers reduce nerve impulses the same way alpha blockers do. However, they also slow the heartbeat like beta blockers. As a result, blood pressure goes down.
See side effects of alpha and beta blockers.

Nervous System Inhibitors increase nerve impulses from the brain to relax and widen blood vessels. This causes blood pressure to go down. Examples of nervous system inhibitors include Guanabenz (Wytensin^®) an alpha-2 selective adrenergic agonist and Clonidine hydrochloride (Catapres^®) an alpha₂-agonist. It stimulates alpha₂-adrenergic receptors in the brain stem to decrease sympathetic nervous system outflow. So these two drugs have very similar actions and side effects. Stimulating the alpha-adrenergic receptors in the CNS, causes decreased sympathetic outflow, inhibiting vasoconstriction, and ultimately reducing blood pressure.
Side effects of Guanabenz include dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth, headache, weakness. Symptoms of Guanabenz overdose may include excessive contraction of the pupils, irritability, low blood pressure, sleepiness, slow heartbeat, and sluggishness. Side effects of Clonidine include a a withdrawal syndrome that occurs on discontinuation of the medication characterized by tachycardia, a rapid increase in blood pressure, and anxiety. Drowsiness, sexual dysfunction, and dry mouth commonly occur.

Vasodilators relax the muscles in blood vessel walls. This causes blood pressure to go down.
Side effects and cautions: Vasodilators are medications that are generally used only as a last resort, when other medications haven't adequately controlled your blood pressure. These medications have a number of side effects, some of which require taking other medications to counter those effects. Side effects include chest pain, rapid heartbeat, heart palpitations, fluid retention, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, flushing, headache, nasal congestion, excessive hair growth. Some vasodilators can increase your risk of developing lupus, a connective tissue disease.