High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure (hypertension) is a long-term condition in which pressure inside the arteries stays elevated enough to raise the risk of stroke, heart attack, heart failure, kidney disease, and other complications over time. It is often called a silent condition because many people feel normal even when readings are consistently high. In Western medicine, hypertension is usually evaluated by repeated office readings, home blood pressure monitoring, or ambulatory monitoring, then managed according to overall cardiovascular risk, blood pressure level, and the presence of conditions such as diabetes, kidney disease, or prior heart disease.

Treatment options vary because high blood pressure does not have a single cause. Salt sensitivity, weight, sleep quality, stress, alcohol use, physical activity, genetics, kidney function, medications, and hormonal factors can all contribute. Conventional care often emphasizes lifestyle measures such as the DASH diet, sodium reduction, exercise, weight loss, and—when needed—antihypertensive medications like thiazide diuretics, ACE inhibitors, ARBs, or calcium channel blockers. Eastern and integrative approaches may frame hypertension through broader patterns involving stress regulation, circulation, autonomic balance, or metabolic health, using modalities such as acupuncture, mind-body practices like tai chi/qigong, and selected herbal formulas. Research support differs across these options, so the best fit often depends on severity, urgency, comorbidities, and a person's tolerance for medication effects, time demands, and uncertainty in the evidence base.