Clifton had a good excuse. After all, as a field manager in McDonnell Douglas, he certainly had his share of stress. And, let's not even talk about the pipe smoking.

According to Dr. Castro just being male was a cause of his hypertension. The fact that he was 44 certainly didn't help.

Unfortunately, hypertension rarely causes any symptoms until it has caused some significant damage and possibly a stroke. In fact, arterial hypertension can be surprisingly severe before there are any symptoms.

Your arterial blood pressure goes up and down throughout the day. If you do some skateboarding your pressure will go up. Even if you just see a stimulating scene on TV you will see a rise in your arterial blood pressure.

If you took your blood pressure right after that, it would be high, but not diagnostic.

Things you eat, drink and smoke can also increase your blood pressure. Caffeine drinks like coffee will do the same. Nicotine from pipe tobacco stimulates the heart to increase your pressure as well.

You may think that alcohol relaxes you, but the long term effects of all those alcohol, cocktails, and liquers drinks take their toll as well.

Spending too much time in your favorite recliner instead of getting some exercise increases your chances of blood pressure problems.

Fortunately, there are many places you can get your blood pressure checked today. Many stores and pharmacies have automatic blood pressure machines you can use. Just sit down for a couple minutes and get it checked. If you pressure is up slightly three different times, you should see a doctor. If it is over about 160 just once, you should also seek medical advice.

Rest makes your blood pressure go down. Because of that, the best time to take your blood pressure is after a good rest.

But, back to Clifton. His family history made a big difference in his arterial hypertension. He had a father who died at age 50 of a kidney failure from atherosclerosis. Genetics can really increase your chances of needing treatment for arterial hypertension.

Fortunately, these days, there is a lot you can do to decrease arterial hypertension.

Changing your diet will definitely help. You will improve your blood pressure as well as your overall health by increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables. You should get regular exercise, lots of water and a good night's sleep. If you can stop using tobacco and limit or cut out your alcohol altogether that will help a great deal.

If you don't completely normalize your blood pressure by those means, many different medications are available today that will help. You will want to find a physician that you can work with on keeping your pressure normal.

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