Tai chi has many health benefits. It improves flexibility, reduces stress and can help lower blood pressure. Ruth Jenkinson/Getty Images/Science Photo Library hide caption
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hypertension
A worker in a Bangladeshi lead mill, without safety protection. A new analysis finds the death toll from lead exposure is about six times higher than the previous estimate. Jonathan Raa/Nurphoto via Getty Images hide caption
Restaurant food and packaged foods are often high in salt to make them more palatable. The Food and Drug Administration wants to see the food industry gradually reduce sodium levels in these foods. Eric Savage/Getty Images hide caption
Eating too much salt is making Americans sick. Even a 12% reduction can save lives
Bridget Desmukes (center) and her husband, Jeffrey, love having a big, active family. "The kids are always climbing on things, flipping all the time — it's not dull," she says, laughing. Because Desmukes had developed preeclampsia in a previous pregnancy, her OB-GYN recommended low-dose aspirin at her first prenatal appointment this past spring. Ryan Kellman/NPR hide caption
A Daily Baby Aspirin Could Help Many Pregnancies And Save Lives
Can a sexual assault increase your risk of high blood pressure, even years later? Recent research suggests yes. Fabio Pagani/EyeEm/Getty Images hide caption
Fried chicken and mac and cheese: A study suggests Southern cuisine may be at the center of a tangled web of reasons why black people in America are more prone to hypertension than white people. Robert Manella/Getty Images hide caption
A Swiss study tracking the health of a group of children conceived via assisted reproductive technology found that a surprising number developed premature aging of their blood vessels. Now in their teens, 15 percent have hypertension. Steve Debenport/Getty Images hide caption
The drug test developed by Aegis Sciences checks urine samples to help doctors determine if their patients are taking their blood pressure medicine. Blake Farmer/WPLN hide caption
Drug Test Spurs Frank Talk Between Hypertension Patients And Doctors
A computer-enhanced scan of a brain shows a hemorrhage due to hypertension. Scott Camazine/Science Source hide caption
Ann Mazuca has diabetes and glaucoma that can be aggravated by high blood pressure. The support shown by clinic staff at the University Family Health Center Southeast, in San Antonio, helps her do what's needed to reduce hypertension, she says. "The fact that they care makes me care." Wendy Rigby/TPR hide caption
Knowing Someone Who Faced Discrimination May Affect Blood Pressure
A woman has her blood pressure checked at a center for the elderly in Bangkok. Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Troy Hodge was only 41 years old when a vessel in his brain burst. "You don't think of things you can't do until you can't do them," he says. Matailong Du/NPR hide caption
For people 50 and older at a high risk for heart disease or stroke, an aggressive approach to treatment has advantages. But there are risks, too. iStockphoto hide caption
A landmark federal study was halted when early results showed that lowering patients' top blood pressure number to 120 or lower led to dramatic reductions in heart disease and deaths. iStockphoto hide caption
Aggressively Lowering Blood Pressure Saves Lives, Study Finds
Steaks on the grill at the Mercado del Puerto in Montevideo. So far there are no figures that show if the table salt ban, which was enacted a few years ago, is actually making a difference in Uruguayans' health. Travel Aficionado/Flickr hide caption
Assault On Salt: Uruguay Bans Shakers In Restaurants And Schools
Long-Term Depression May Boost Stroke Risk Long After Mood Improves
Esther Okaya has a health problem that is a growing concern in Sub-Saharan Africa: high blood pressure. Gregory Warner/NPR hide caption
Shape-Up And Checkup: LA Barbers To Start Testing Blood Pressure
Nutrition fact labels are good but confusing, consumers say. iStockphoto.com hide caption
The use of multiple blood pressure medications may be helping some Americans bring their hypertension under control. iStockphoto.com hide caption
Knowing your blood pressure is just the beginning. iStockphoto.com hide caption