High Blood Pressure For Dummies

Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Introduction
	About This Book
	Foolish Assumptions
	Icons Used in This Book
	Beyond the Book
	Where to Go from Here
Part 1 Understanding High Blood Pressure
	Chapter 1 Introducing High Blood Pressure
		Understanding Your Cardiovascular System
		Measuring Your Blood Pressure and Understanding the Measurement
		Looking at the Risk Factors for High Blood Pressure
		Focusing on the Consequences of High Blood Pressure
		Lowering High Blood Pressure with Different Treatments
		Evaluating High Blood Pressure in Children, Women, and Older People
	Chapter 2 Detecting High Blood Pressure
		Looking at the Gauge Used to Measure Blood Pressure
		Taking Your Blood Pressure Correctly
		Understanding the Numbers
		Lowering Blood Pressure Too Much
		Getting the Right Assessment
			Reviewing your history
			Having a physical exam
			Looking at lab tests
	Chapter 3 Determining Whether You’re at Risk
		Reviewing Important Aspects of High Blood Pressure
			Understanding the effect of genetics
			Estimating the effects of ethnicity
			Seeing how medication can affect blood pressure
		Changing Your Lifestyle to Prevent High Blood Pressure
	Chapter 4 Reviewing the Causes of Resistant High Blood Pressure
		Identifying the Signs and Symptoms of Resistant High Blood Pressure
		Considering Chronic Kidney Disease and High Blood Pressure
		Navigating Narrowed Renal Arteries
			Diagnosing renal artery stenosis
			Treating blocked renal arteries
		Homing in on Hormones That Cause Hypertension
			Finding an epinephrine-producing tumor
				Treating a pheochromocytoma
			Detecting a tumor that produces aldosterone
				Diagnosing primary hyperaldosteronism
				Treating primary hyperaldosteronism
			Recognizing Cushing’s syndrome
				Diagnosing Cushing’s syndrome
				Treating Cushing’s syndrome
		Evaluating Other Causes of Resistant High Blood Pressure
			Coarctation of the aorta
			Too much or too little thyroid hormone
			Sleep apnea
Part 2 Considering the Medical Consequences of High Blood Pressure
	Chapter 5 Protecting Your Heart from Heart Disease
		Introducing the Mighty Heart: Pumping and Relaxing
		Blocking Blood Flow to the Heart Muscle
		Analyzing Coronary Artery Disease
			Understanding angina and heart attack
				Stable angina
				Unstable angina
				Heart attack
			Getting a diagnosis
			Considering treatment options
				Medication and lifestyle modifications
				Angioplasty
				Bypass surgery
		Developing Congestive Heart Failure
			Noticing important signs and symptoms
			Understanding what your doctor will look for
			Determining the underlying cause of heart failure
				Decreasing pump function
				Being unable to chill out and relax
			Treating congestive heart failure
		Recognizing and Treating Important Risk Factors
			Reducing high cholesterol
			Quitting smoking
			Controlling diabetes
			Stepping up physical activity
	Chapter 6 Caring for Your Kidneys
		Examining the Role of Your Kidneys
			Filtering
			Making hormones
		Understanding Chronic Kidney Disease and Common Causes
			Defining chronic kidney disease
			Diagnosing chronic kidney disease
			Staging and treating chronic kidney disease
		Coping with End-Stage Renal Disease
			Dialysis
				Peritoneal dialysis
				Hemodialysis
			Kidney transplant
	Chapter 7 Keeping Your Brain Intact
		Understanding the Causes of Strokes
			Atherosclerosis
			Cerebral embolus
			Brain hemorrhage
		Preventing Stroke
			Understanding the risk factors you can’t change
			Modifying the risk factors you can
			Reducing stroke risk with medications
		Thinking F.A.S.T. When Suspecting a Stroke
		Utilizing Brain Imaging
		Understanding Treatment Options for Stroke
		Recovering from a Stroke
			Regaining function
			Working with rehabilitation specialists
	Chapter 8 Eyeing Your Blood Pressure
		Eyeballing the Anatomy of the Eye
		Getting Hyper about Hypertensive Retinopathy
Part 3 Preventing and Treating High Blood Pressure
	Chapter 9 Choosing Foods That Lower High Blood Pressure
		DASHing Down Your Blood Pressure
			Leading up to DASH
			Proving the value of DASH
			Getting with the program
				Specific foods and servings
				Sample menus
				Helpful hints and resources
			Reducing your salt consumption with DASH
		Maximizing the Mediterranean Diet to Lower Your Blood Pressure
		Seeing the Value of a Plant-Based Diet Plan
		Losing Weight with Nutrition
			Calculating your ideal weight
			Determining your daily caloric needs
			Adjusting your DASH nutrition plan
		Consulting with a Nutritionist
	Chapter 10 Keeping Salt and Sugar Out of Your Diet
		Making the Connection between Salt and High Blood Pressure
			Proving the connection between sodium and high blood pressure
			Looking at salt sensitivity
			Lowering your salt intake
				Reading food labels
				Avoiding high-salt foods
				Going on a low-salt diet
		Connecting Sugar and High Blood Pressure: The Role of Insulin
	Chapter 11 Avoiding Tobacco, Alcohol, and Caffeine
		Playing with Fire: Tobacco and High Blood Pressure
			Examining the extent of the problem
			Understanding the consequences of tobacco use
			Reducing your exposure to secondhand smoke
			Avoiding all forms of tobacco
			Quitting tobacco successfully
				Keys to quitting
				Effective methods of quitting
			Tapping into resources
		Linking Alcohol to High Blood Pressure
		Cutting Back on Caffeine
			Knowing how much is too much
			Considering caffeine’s health consequences
			Recognizing the gains in giving up caffeine
			Avoiding the beans, chocolate, energy drinks, and soda
	Chapter 12 Lowering Blood Pressure with Exercise
		Recognizing the Benefits of Exercise
		Preparing to Begin an Exercise Program
			Getting a checkup
			Personalizing your exercise program
				Walking for exercise
				Choosing other aerobic activities
			Using the right equipment
		Exercising to Lose Weight
		Exercising to Gain Strength
		Lowering Your Blood Pressure with Complementary Therapies
			Yoga
			Meditation
			Biofeedback
	Chapter 13 Taking Medications to Lower Your Blood Pressure
		Examining Classes of Blood Pressure Medications
			Diuretics: Medications that reduce fluid buildup
				Thiazide and thiazide-like diuretics
				Loop diuretics
				Potassium-sparing diuretics
				Aldosterone-antagonist diuretics
			Other first-line medications
				Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors
				Angiotensin II receptor blockers
				Calcium channel blockers
			Medications that act on the nervous system
				Methyldopa
				Clonidine
				Beta-adrenergic receptor blockers
				Alpha-1 adrenergic receptor antagonists
			Vasodilators: Medications that open the blood vessels
				Hydralazine
				Minoxidil
		Choosing the Right Medication
			Reviewing basic principles of medication dosing
			Personalizing the medication choice
			Selecting another medication when necessary
			Adhering to the medication prescription
		Recognizing Common Medication Side Effects
		Identifying Brand Names
	Chapter 14 Considering Important Clinical Studies of High Blood Pressure
		SPRINT: Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial
		STEP: Strategy of Blood Pressure Intervention in the Elderly Hypertensive Patients
		ACCORD: Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes
		ADVANCE: Action in Diabetes and Vascular Disease
Part 4 Taking Care of Special Populations
	Chapter 15 Handling High Blood Pressure in Older Adults
		Evaluating Cognitive Ability
		Assessing Blood Pressure in an Older Person
			Recognizing baseline high blood pressure
			Considering resistant high blood pressure
			Examining the medications that raise blood pressure
		Improving Nutrition to Lower Blood Pressure
			Assessing your nutritional status
			Following the DASH nutrition plan
			Reducing salt intake
		Modifying Your Lifestyle to Lower Blood Pressure
		Taking Prescription Medications to Lower Blood Pressure
		Avoiding Dangerous Falls in Blood Pressure
	Chapter 16 Handling High Blood Pressure in Children
		Measuring Blood Pressure and Interpreting the Results
			Taking a blood pressure reading on tiny arms
			Interpreting the results of the measurement
		Considering the Causes of Elevated Blood Pressure
			Surveying hereditary influences
			Factoring in weight
			Evaluating other possible causes
		Initiating Treatment with Lifestyle Changes
		Using Medications
	Chapter 17 Treating High Blood Pressure in Women
		Connecting High Blood Pressure and Salt Sensitivity in Women
		Understanding High Blood Pressure and Pregnancy
			Knowing what causes high blood pressure during pregnancy
				Chronic high blood pressure
				Gestational hypertension
				Preeclampsia
				Dealing with eclampsia
			Dealing with high blood pressure after delivery
		Using Hormone Treatments If You Have High Blood Pressure
			Oral contraceptives
			Hormone replacement therapy
Part 5 The Part of Tens
	Chapter 18 Ten Simple Ways to Prevent or Reduce High Blood Pressure
		Know Your Blood Pressure
		Know Whether You Have Resistant High Blood Pressure
		Adopt the DASH Diet
		Cut Out the Caffeine
		Reduce the Amount of Salt in Your Diet
		Give Up Tobacco and Alcohol
		Start an Exercise Program
		Practice Mind-Body Techniques
		Take Your Medication
		Avoid Medications That Raise Blood Pressure
	Chapter 19 Ten (or So) Myths about High Blood Pressure
		High Blood Pressure Is Inevitable as You Get Older
		The Treatment Is Worse Than the Disease
		You Must Restrict Your Life Because You Have High Blood Pressure
		You Only Need Treatment If You Have High Systolic Blood Pressure
		If You Have High Blood Pressure, You’ll Have to Take Medication Forever
		You Can Stop Treatment after a Heart Attack or Stroke
		You Should Avoid Exercise If You Have High Blood Pressure
		If You’re Feeling Good, You Can Stop Taking Your Blood Pressure Meds
		High Blood Pressure Can’t Be Controlled
		People with High Blood Pressure Are Just Nervous or Anxious
		Older People Don’t Need to Be Treated
		High Blood Pressure Is Less Dangerous in Women
Appendix Resources
	National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
	National Kidney Foundation
	National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
	American Heart and Stroke Associations
	National Library of Medicine
		MedlinePlus
		PubMed
	The Mayo Clinic
	American College of Lifestyle Medicine
	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Index
EULA