High blood pressure is a lifelong disease. It can usually be controlled but not cured. Once you begin to manage it and start a treatment program, maintaining a lower blood pressure is easier. By controlling your high blood pressure, you ll lower your risk of diseases like stroke, heart attack, heart failure and kidney disease. You can do it! The first thing to do is to have your blood pressure checked. If you have high blood pressure, you can do a lot to reduce it. Work with your doctor to determine the best treatment for you. It may include reducing the fat (particularly saturated fat) in your diet, eating less salt, and changing your lifestyle by losing weight and getting regular physical activity. Quitting smoking is also important to reduce your overall risk for heart attack and stroke. Your doctor may recommend reducing how much alcohol you drink. Many medicines also can help reduce and control high blood pressure. Your doctor will decide whether you need medicine in addition to dietary and lifestyle changes. Be sure to look at our patient education sheets on high blood pressure. These can be printed out and taken to your physician. There are spaces for you to ask questions and for your physician to write special instructions for you.