Dear Reader,

Blood pressure is the driving force that gets oxygen-rich blood — the body’s life source — to your organs and tissues and delivers waste to your lungs, liver and kidneys for removal. With the right amount of pressure, the proper amount of blood travels throughout the body.

But when blood pressure is too high, blood flow to organs and tissues also becomes too high. In response, the muscular walls in the blood vessels narrow. This action restores balance in your blood flow, which is good, but the longer the blood vessels do this, the more stress they experience. Over time, the walls of the blood vessels thicken. This makes it hard to achieve proper blood flow, and blood pressure rises even more. In time, the increased stress on the blood vessels leads to organ damage.

This is the cycle of high blood pressure — and why it’s so important to treat and prevent it.

With Mayo Clinic on High Blood Pressure at your side, you will have the essential resources to prevent and manage hypertension effectively. By taking specific steps, you can not only live well with high blood pressure but even keep it from ever forming.

Inside this book you’ll find the following and much more:

How it develops and who is at risk
Diagnosis methods and treatments
The right medication for you
Ways to prevent conditions associated with hypertension
Advice on diet, movement and weight loss
How to reach and maintain a healthy blood pressure

Mayo Clinic on High Blood Pressure offers a solid understanding of the ways you can control your blood pressure — and your future. Taking the steps outlined in this book will help you reach a healthy blood pressure level and live well for years to come.