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thus decrease the need for prescription medications - or perhaps limit the number and dosage of medications required. DIET A healthy diet can make a difference. Increase your fruits and veg- etables. A healthy diet should be part of a plan to lower elevated high blood pres- sure, because it works.  Dr. Thomas Moore at Brigham and Women's Hospital, part of Harvard Medical School, conducted the most well- known study examining diet and high blood pressure (1):   • The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) study exam- ined 459 patients eating one of three diets.    • While none of the patients on a high-fat diet lowered their blood pressure, those on a near-vegetarian diet significantly improved their blood pressure.   • The average drop in sys- tolic and diastolic pressure was 6 points and 3 points, respectively.   • Click here for more on the DASH diet. Complete vegetarian diets are also known to lower blood pressure (2):   • The mechanism for this reduction is believed to    involve increased potassium in the diet, due to an increased consumption of fruits and vegetables (3). • A second contributing fac- tor may be increased fiber intake, which is also believed to lower blood pressure (4).   Individuals consuming addi- tional fruits and vegetables should exercise caution in taking potassium-sparing diuretics such as spironolac- tone (Aldactone), as should those with kidney failure.  In both instances such a prac- tice could lead to danger- ously high levels of potassi- um.   Reduce sodium and bal- ance other electrolytes. Balancing the body's elec- trolytes, which include sodi- um, potassium and magne- sium, is very important. Approximately 20% of Americans with high blood pressure are sensitive to the effects of sodium.  Sodium promotes fluid retention, and excessive fluid in the blood vessels of a person who has hypertension leads to additional increases in blood pressure caused by pressure on the vessel walls.   While there is no evidence that people with normal blood pressure need to take special measures to reduce their risk of acquiring hyper- tension, a low-sodium diet is recommended for people with elevated blood pressure:   • The National High Blood Pressure Education program, an organization of researchers, recommends no more than 2,000 mg of sodi- um per day.  Unfortunately, most Americans consume about twice this much.   • Foods to avoid include canned soups, chips, pickled products, condiments such as ketchup, mustard, soy sauce, cured meats such as ham, cold cuts, bacon and hot dogs.   • It is also recommended to switch to unsalted butter and margarine.   • Experts recommend tasting food before considering adding salt - and eliminating the salt shaker from the din- ner table.   • Experimenting with herbs and spices while cooking can help replace the flavor lost from salt and result in food that tastes delicious. While reducing sodium, con- sider increasing potassium intake.  A healthy balance of potassium may be beneficial to the control of high blood pressure.  Foods high in potassium include bananas, black beans, carrots, oranges, milk, pork, pota- toes, prunes, spinach and veal.  A healthy diet should

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