Table of Contents

Welcome 7

1 Dave Jernigan 9

2 You Gotta Know Your Numbers: Just Barely 11

3 A Little (Uncomfortable) History 14

4 So What's the Big Deal? 17

5 The Metabolic Syndrome 20

6 You're Not Alone 24

7 Plumbing 101: Basic Blood Pressure Physiology 27

8 The Numbers: What Do They Mean? 30

9 Measuring Your Blood Pressure: Is There a Right Way? 34

10 Office-Based Blood Pressure Management 37

11 Home Blood Pressure Monitoring: Is It a Waste of Time? 40

12 Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring: The New Gold Standard 43

13 The White-Coat Syndrome 46

14 You Gotta Know Your Numbers: It's Getting a Little Frosty 49

15 Getting Started 53

16 Don't DASH Off: Your Diet as a Weapon Against High Blood Pressure 56

17 The Low-Carb Approach 59

18 Please Pass the Salt (No, Please Pass on the Salt) 63

19 Wreaking Havoc: The Hidden Dangers in Your Saltshaker 65

20 Becoming Salt Savvy 68

21 Exercise: Get Moving 74

22 Hot Off the Press: How Much Exercise to Live Longer? 77

23 The Motors Always Running: Chronic Stress and Your Blood Pressure 79

24 All You Need Is a Good Night's Sleep 83

25 Weight Loss 88

26 Have You Got a Light?: The Perils of Smoking 90

27 Myrtle 93

28 You Gotta Know Your Numbers: The Sentinel 96

29 The Fine Print: Making Sense of Those Labels 99

30 Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) 104

31 CAM: What Really Works? 107

32 CAM: Where You Can Save Your Money 112

33 CAM: Things You Need to Avoid 116

34 CAM: A Realistic and Workable Approach 119

35 I've Tried Everything! 122

36 Pearls from the Experts 125

37 You Gotta Know Your Numbers: Heart Don't Fail Me Now 129

38 When It Comes to BP Medicines, mat Choices Do We Have? 132

39 The Water Pills 135

40 Diuretics: The Pro and Cons 138

41 The Calcium Channel Blockers (CCBs) 141

42 CCBs: The Pros and Cons 144

43 The Beta-Blockers: What They Are and How They Work 148

44 Beta-Blockers: The Pros and Cons 151

45 Keep an ACE Up Your Sleeve: The ACE Inhibitors 153

46 ACE Inhibitors: The Pros and Cons 157

47 The Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARBs): Just Another ACE? 160

48 The ARBS: The Pros and Cons 164

49 Combination Blood Pressure Drugs: Are They Worth It? 166

50 The Combination Drugs: The Pros and Cons 169

51 The Big Guns: When All Else Fails 172

52 Children and Adolescents (Yes, They Get High Blood Pressure Too) 176

53 Special Circumstances 180

54 You Gotta Know Your Numbers: A Ticking Time Bomb 185

55 Don't Be Misled 188

56 It's All About Balance 191

57 Frequently Asked Questions 197

58 Victory! 202

59 Putting It All Together 204

60 You Gotta Know Your Numbers 207