Recommendations for nondrug therapy



SYSTEMIC HYPERTENSION

THERAPY

Nondrug Therapy

LIFE STYLE MODIFICATIONS

Interest in the use of various nondrug therapies, better called life style modifications, for the treatment of hypertension has risen markedly in the past few years, yet many practitioners either do not use them or use them in a casual, perfunctory manner.

This hesitant attitude can be attributed both to the sparseness of firm evidence indicating that these therapies succeed and to the difficulty many have faced in convincing patients to adhere to them. This situation is likely to change:

Evidence for the effectiveness of these approaches in lowering blood pressure is growing, techniques for improving adherence are being popularized, and patients seem increasingly willing to adopt changes in life style.

Recommendations for nondrug therapy

| |Normotensive individuals |Hypertensive patients |

|Alcohol |2 drinks/day (8 oz. wine, 2 oz. liquor, 24 oz. beer) |2 drinks/day (8 oz. wine, 2 oz. liquor, 24 oz. beer);|

| | |Abstinence if BP still uncontrolled |

|Obesity |Goal body weight = BMI 20–27 kg/m˛ |Reduce to acceptable BMI by diet and exercise |

|Saturated fat |Total fat ................
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