When your blood pressure stays high for too long, you have hypertension. It can be the result of excess salt, smoking, drinking, obesity, or a combination of factors. Or, as unfair as it is, you might have just inherited high blood pressure. Hypertension is surrounded by myths and misunderstandings. You may hear all kinds of advice from well-meaning friends and family. Let’s sort through so

  What is Blood Pressure?   Blood pressure(BP) is the most important of vital signs (BP, heart rate, temperature and respiratory rate). After your age, gender and smoking history, your BP is the best indication of how long you will live and what percentage of your life you will spend disabled by the damage done to your body by an “unhealthy BP”: Stroke, heart failure, kid