01 January 2003
It has recently been found that my blood pressure is raised that is 151/94 which Im very worried about. I am 26 and do not really want to go on high blood pressure tablets. Is there anything alternative I can do to reduce it naturally. I do not smoke but I am a very anxious person, it also goes up every time I visit the doctor.

Response
You can help your blood pressure by regular exercise, keeping your alcohol intake low, reducing the amount of salt in your diet and losing weight if you are overweight. If you tend to be an anxious person, then exercise alone has been shown to reduce stress levels, but you could also think of learning some additional relaxation techniques. Don't assume that you have high blood pressure just based on one reading. You will need to have a set of readings to get some kind of idea how your blood pressure is doing. See your practice nurse to have it checked again. It may be that you have 'white coat' hypertension, ie blood pressure that goes up in the surgery, but that is normal at other times. This can be identified by some special tests which measure your blood pressure over 24 hours. Your doctor will be able to arrange this for you if necessary. Read our article on managing anxiety for some tips on stress reduction and links to other websites.