What else can I do to help manage my high blood pressure?

Reduce your sodium intake. Guidelines continue to recommend that all Canadians should reduce their intake of sodium. Too much sodium (salt) in the diet is a significant cause of high blood pressure. Check food labels to see how much sodium each serving contains. To manage your blood pressure, consider reducing your sodium intake to less than 2,000 mg per day. Depending on your individual situation, your doctor may recommend a lower sodium intake. To cut your sodium intake, try using fresh foods more often than processed "convenience foods," rinsing canned foods to remove some sodium, using spices instead of salt during cooking, and choosing low- or reduced-sodium versions of foods.

High blood pressure treatment should be based on a person's overall heart disease risk, not just on high blood pressure. Therefore, in developing a treatment plan, doctors need to consider other risk factors for heart disease such as smoking, high cholesterol, physical inactivity, being overweight, diabetes, age, and gender. This overall risk will affect the blood pressure targets as well as the types of medications used.

Combination treatment is usually needed to control high blood pressure. Although lifestyle changes alone may control blood pressure for some, most people will need to combine lifestyle changes with one or more medications. Even when medications are needed, lifestyle changes are still important, as they may reduce the number of medications required to control high blood pressure. Experts agree that it is better to add on medications than to use the maximum dose of one medication or change to another medication.

Sticking with treatment is the key to long-term success. It can be a challenge to take medications regularly, especially for a medical condition such as high blood pressure that often has no symptoms. To help stick to your treatment plan, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about:

• ways to help you remember to take your medications
• simplifying your medications (e.g., once-daily dosing or combination products) – talk to your doctor or pharmacist about options that may be right for you
• any questions you have about high blood pressure and your treatment (including questions about lifestyle issues and medications)

For more information and tips on sticking with treatment, see our Health Feature "Don't Miss a Dose."

All material copyright MediResource Inc. 1996 – 2024. Terms and conditions of use. The contents herein are for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Source: www.medbroadcast.com/healthfeature/gethealthfeature/High-Blood-Pressure-Whats-New