High blood pressure, or hypertension, is known in the health care field as the "silent killer". It usually exhibits no symptoms until it has already done substantial damage to a patient's body. Most people only find out about their hypertension when they go in for a routine physical, but most people also tend to skip their routine physicals. Do not take this disease lightly, or delay treatment, just because there are no symptoms. A great majority of the people who experience heart attacks or develop congestive heart failure start out with hypertension. High blood pressure is the number one causative factor in heart disease and one out of every 3 people has high blood pressure

Your blood pressure will be checked as a standard preliminary procedure to any physical. Usually before you are even assigned to an examination room. Be aware of a condition known as White Coat Syndrome in which a person's blood pressure actually increases dramatically as a direct response to visiting the doctor. I react just that way myself, often leading my doctors and their nurses to try to send me to the emergency room when they see my normally high blood pressure become extremely high blood pressure once the cuff is strapped on me in the doctor's office. My solution to this was to buy a home digital blood pressure monitor. They are relatively cheap, and are very accurate. Don't use it to replace the doctor though.

Even though high blood pressure is the major cause of strokes and heart disease, 90% or more of hypertension cases have unknown or uncertain causes. There is no easy answer to what causes hypertension and no easy solution to the problem. This disease is best approached in a holistic fashion.

Normally, blood pressure is naturally controlled by a person's body, keeping it within very strict limits. If blood pressure drops, the body contracts the arteries, decreasing the size of the blood's pathway, thus increasing the resistance encountered by the blood trying to push its way through. Blood pressure increases. If blood pressure becomes too high, the body will reverse this process. In people with long term hypertension, this process does not function correctly for some reason and must be managed by diet and drugs.

Here are some of the factors doctors think cause high blood pressure:

* Excessive alcohol

* Smoking

* Failure to maintain normal weight

* Too much sodium intake

* High stress levels

* Excessive Caffeine

* Genetics

Most of the factors listed are well within our individual control. We can make great progress toward controlling blood pressure with natural techniques. Switching to a healthy diet with more fruits and vegetables and less fat can make a huge difference. Losing just a few pounds of excess fat can work wonders in lowering blood pressure. Easy exercise such as walking for 30 minutes 3 times a week has beneficial effects on blood pressure. Switching to the low sodium DASH diet has been proven in studies to lower blood pressure. These actions will have greater effects when combined. Be sure to consult your medical doctor before beginning any new exercise program or making major changes in your diet.