High blood pressure is also known as hypertension. It is a potentially serious condition which can lead to heart damage, a heart attack, or a stroke. You can do a lot to manage high blood pressure, and your doctor can help. The doctors at Iowa Kidney Physicians provide a wide range of medical services, including diagnosis, treatment, and management of high blood pressure. They have several convenient office locations in Des Moines, IA, to help you.

What You Need To Know About High Blood Pressure

So, what exactly is high blood pressure? Blood pressure is a measurement of blood flowing through your arteries. If there is an obstruction or resistance in your arteries, your blood pressure will rise. The obstruction or resistance is often caused by fat accumulation on your artery walls.

Genetics is one of the causes of high blood pressure, and you don’t have much control over this cause high blood pressure. Fortunately, you can control most of the factors which can lead to high blood pressure. One of the main factors is diet. When you eat a high fat, high sodium diet, you increase your risk of arterial fat. To help prevent high blood pressure, remember to:

• Eat lean meats like fish or poultry instead of fatty red meats
• Consume low fat dairy products instead of full fat dairy
• Eat lots of green leafy vegetables and fruits
• Limit your salt intake to help prevent water retention
• Limit your alcohol intake and don’t smoke

In addition to dietary modifications, you should also:

• Exercise regularly, at least 30 minutes on most days of the week
• Do aerobic exercises like swimming, walking, or jogging to get your heart pumping
• Practice stress reduction techniques to keep blood pressure stable

You also need to visit your doctor regularly for effective high blood pressure management. Your doctor may recommend medications to help lower blood pressure. Common medications include:

• Diuretics, to limit fluid buildup
• ACE inhibitors, to relax blood vessels
• Beta Blockers, to lower your cardiac workload
• Calcium channel blockers, to slow down your heart rate

Want To Know More?

To find out more about causes, signs, symptoms, treatment, and management of high blood pressure, call the doctors at Iowa Kidney Physicians in Des Moines, IA. You can reach them in Methodist Plaza at (515) 336-6557, or in Riverpoint at (515) 243-3161, so call today.