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Stress management
Although there are limited studies validating the long-term effect
of relaxation therapy on blood pressure reduction, there is little
doubt that stress management can ameliorate an individual’s qual-
ity of life, and play an important role in the overall risk reduction
of cardiovascular disease.
Benefits beyond
blood pressure reduction
Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC’s) should be the corner-
stone of the initial therapy of hypertension. When implemented,
these simple interventions can significantly decrease blood pres-
sure, reduce the number of pills required to control blood pres-
sure, improve the efficacy of medications, and in some rare cases,
eliminate the need to take medications. Moreover, TLC’s provide
benefits beyond blood pressure reduction by enabling weight loss,
improving cholesterol profile and blood sugar control, and de-
creasing the global risks for cardiovascular disease, which is the
leading cause of death in the United States.

About the Author
Dr. Herold Merisier is a Board Certified Family Physician in pri-
vate practice in Plantation, Florida. He is a Fellow of the American
Academy of Family Physicians and serves as a Voluntary Assis-
tant Professor of Family Medicine at the Miller School of Medi-
cine, University of Miami.

Exercise
Regular aerobic exercise may be beneficial not just for the treat-
ment of hypertension, but may also prevent the development of high
blood pressure. The minimum amount of exercise recommended is
30 to 45 minutes of brisk walking or any other activity at least three
to four days a week

Lifestyle Modifications
In the medical literature, these lifestyle changes are usually referred
to as TLC’s, which in this case does not mean Tender Loving Care,
but signifies Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes. These lifestyle modifi-
cations are simple steps that can be selfimplemented by patients to
help improve their blood pressure. They consist of: weight loss, di-
etary changes, exercise, moderation of alcohol consumption, smok-
ing cessation, and stress management.

Moderate Alcohol Consumption
It should be emphasized that excessive alcohol intake can cause
hypertension and other serious liver and gastrointestinal problems.
It is recommended that men have no more than two drinks, and
women have no more than one drink per day. One drink is defined
as 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor.
Smoking cessation
Studies have demonstrated that in addition to other health hazards
such as increase risk of cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, emphy-
sema or chronic obstructive lung disease, nicotine can also cause
elevation of blood pressure.
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