You CAN Lower Your Blood Pressure With this Guide "You can do it!" is the message in this action-packed guide. Follow step-by-step instructions on how to achieve and maintain a lower blood pressure through lifestyle and, if prescribed, medication. It's filled with practical advice about how to find your target weight, use herbs and spices to reduce sodium intake, and even how to remember to take your blood pressure medication. The bright, colorful design and upbeat language motivates as it educates hypertensive and prehypertensive patients to take control of their cardiovascular health. Your Guide to Lowering Blood Pressure. 20 pages. NIH Publication No. 03-5232.

2)The DASH Eating Plan Puts Patients on the Road to Heart Health "I give a copy of this to all my hypertensive patients, and have received good feedback. They have found it informative and easy to understand." -M. Keen, MD Toledo, OH

Get with the plan that is clinically proven to significantly reduce blood pressure. It's not enough to tell hypertensive and prehypertensive patients to, "Watch your diet." Give them a week's worth of sample menus, recipes, heart healthy dishes, and an easy-to-read summary of the findings from the "Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension" clinical study that showed how elevated blood pressure levels can be reduced with an eating plan low in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol, and rich in fruits, vegetables, and lowfat dairy products. It even has a form to track food habits before starting the plan and a chart to help with meal planning and food shopping. Facts About the DASH Eating Plan 24 pages. NIH Publication No. 03-4082.

3)The Healthy Heart Handbook for Women--2003 Edition

The 2003 edition of "The Healthy Heart Handbook for Women" provides new information on women's heart disease and practical suggestions for reducing personal risk of heart-related problems. It includes updated information on preventing and controlling high blood pressure, keeping blood cholesterol levels healthy, and postmenopausal hormone therapy. There are also new tips on maintaining a healthy weight, following a nutritious and tasty eating plan, and finding enjoyable ways to get more physical activity. The handbook also includes information about the warning signs of heart attack in women, as well as how to act quickly to get help. 106 pages. NIH Publication No. 03-2720.

4)Facts About Heart Disease and Women: Be Physically Active Coronary heart disease is a woman's concern. Every woman's concern. One in ten American women 45 to 64 years of age has some form of heart disease, and this increases to one in four women over 65. Another 1.6 million women have had a stroke. Both heart disease and stroke are known as cardiovascular diseases, which are serious disorders of the heart and blood vessel system.

Regular physical activity can help you reduce your risk of coronary heart disease. Being active helps women take off extra pounds, helps to control blood pressure, lessens a diabetic's need for insulin, and boosts the level of "good" HDL-cholesterol. Some studies also show that being inactive increases the risk of heart attack. 4 pages. NIH Publication Number: 94-3656