LONG-TERM EFFECTIVENESS OF NONPHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT OF HYPERTENSION

Various nonpharmacological therapies reduce the blood pressure of a significant portion of both patients with established hypertension and people who are considered to be at high risk for the development of hypertension; that is, they are secondary and primary preventions. Of the various therapies, weight reduction, sodium restriction, moderation of alcohol intake, and regular aerobic exercise have been shown to be most effective, whereas the effectiveness of other practices has been less uniform or smaller in degree. Changes in lifestyle, mainly involving diet and physical activity, should be widely used to treat and, hopefully, to prevent hypertension.