High Blood Pressure Specialist

What is high blood pressure?

Your blood pressure is a measurement of the force of your blood against the walls of your blood vessels. When you have high blood pressure, it means this force is high enough to damage your vessels and heart if left untreated.

You can have high blood pressure without any symptoms. Symptoms of this condition often occur when damage is already happening in your blood vessels and heart. Because of this, high blood pressure is often known as a silent killer.

When should I schedule a consultation for high blood pressure?

Because you can have high blood pressure without knowing it, it’s essential to have routine screenings with your family doctor to monitor your blood pressure several times a year.

You might also need more frequent blood pressure checks if you have a family history of high blood pressure or other heart conditions.

Other risk factors for high blood pressure include:

• Obesity
• Diabetes
• Excess stress
• High cholesterol
• Hormone imbalance

Drinking too much alcohol, smoking cigarettes, and using birth control can also contribute to high blood pressure.

How is high blood pressure treated?

The initial goal of treating high blood pressure is to naturally lower your blood pressure levels through diet and lifestyle changes. Learning breathing techniques and other stress management tools is also beneficial for maintaining healthy blood pressure.

The providers at Cary Cardiology, P.A., can help you create a low-salt, low-cholesterol diet to protect your heart health. Diet changes are also important for weight loss and the long-term management of your weight. Your physician can recommend exercises you can do to lower your blood pressure and keep you fit.

If you’re not able to control your blood pressure with diet and exercise, you might need to take medications. There are many types of medications to lower blood pressure, including diuretics to get rid of excess salt and fluids in your body and beta-blockers that reduce your heart rate.

You can expect to take blood pressure medications for the rest of your life. The providers at Cary Cardiology, P.A., will continue to monitor your blood pressure through regular checkups.

For help managing high blood pressure, call the Cary Cardiology, P.A., office nearest you or book a consultation online today.