A patient's arm should be supported at around heart level when taking blood pressure readings. Tunvarat Pruksachat/Moment RF/Getty Images hide caption
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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
The FDA has released sample labels of some of the two recalled blood pressure medications — various dosages of irbesartan tablets and irbesartan and hydrochlorothiazide tablets. FDA hide caption
Clots, Strokes And Rashes. Is COVID-19 A Disease Of The Blood Vessels?
When the heart pushes too hard, as it does when blood pressure is elevated, it can cause damage that can lead to a stroke, says Dr. Walter Koroshetz. John Rensten/Getty Images hide caption
Worried About Dementia? You Might Want to Check Your Blood Pressure
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 telemedicine program in Rochester, Minn., allows low-risk expectant mothers to forgo some standard prenatal visits. Mike Harrington/Getty Images hide caption
Hearts Get 'Younger,' Even At Middle Age, With Exercise
A computer-enhanced scan of a brain shows a hemorrhage due to hypertension. Scott Camazine/Science Source hide caption
Is it the heat that makes you healthier? Or the chance to chill? bortonia/Getty Images hide caption
Emily Blair, a medical assistant at the Colon, Stomach and Liver Center in Lansdowne, Va., takes a blood pressure reading for Robert Koenen. New guidelines say that patients should have their arm resting on a surface while taking a reading and both feet should be placed flat on the ground. Josh Loock/NPR hide caption
With Stricter Guidelines, Do You Have High Blood Pressure Now?
Roughly 80 percent of all first strokes arise from risks that people can influence with behavioral changes, doctors say — risks like high blood pressure, smoking and drug abuse. Brenda Muller/Gallo Images/Getty Images hide caption
Clare Kelley practices "forest bathing" along the edge of an urban forest on Roosevelt Island, in the middle of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. In contrast to hiking, forest bathing is less directed, melding mindfulness and nature immersion to improve health. Allison Aubrey/NPR hide caption
Oh, Dave. Scott Roth/AP hide caption
Knowing Someone Who Faced Discrimination May Affect Blood Pressure
The pressure is a little high. Now what? Disability Images/Science Source 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
That black triangle icon is a sodium warning label next to a dish on the menu at an Applebee's in New York City. Starting Tuesday, the city's Health Department is requiring chain restaurants with 15 or more locations to display the salt shaker icon next to menu items containing 2,300 mg or more of sodium — the recommended daily limit. Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images 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
For all the good aspirin can do in preventing second heart attacks and strokes, taking it daily can boost some risks, too — of ulcers, for example, and of bleeding in the brain or gut. iStockphoto hide caption
Hey docs! Play this online game and learn how to do a better job of getting our blood pressure under control! Lisa F. Young/iStockphoto hide caption
Bacteria in your gut can break down the antioxidants in chocolate into smaller, anti-inflammatory compounds. Meg Vogel/NPR hide caption