then a blood pressure reading of 140/90 is way too high because compared to your midlife friend with the same risks but with lower blood pressure, you have a much higher chance of getting one (or all) of those complications mentioned earlier.
So what should you do with this new information? Simple: (as I tell my son whenever he complains about something unexpected, which is always) deal with it, man.
.....You should start by getting your blood pressure checked (you should actually be checking it regularly but I know that lots of you have not had it measured recently) and memorizing those numbers (you’d be amazed at how many people tell me, “I don’t know my blood pressure, Art, but the doctor said it was normal”), and then you should discuss with your doctor how safe that level of yours really is, and if it’s not as safe as you thought, you should do something about it.
.....That starts with lifestyle adjustment, of course, especially losing those extra pounds, getting off that large butt more often, and eating a better diet, but if lifestyle intervention doesn’t get that pressure down, then an increasing number of experts now believe that if you have “prehypertension” and other risks, you should start taking one or more of several types of medication, including ASA, a cholesterol-lowering drug, and at least one drug to lower blood pressure.
.....That, by the way, is what’s behind the recent media fuss about a “polypill”, a single pill that will combine all those medications and which should, many experts argue, be given to virtually everyone because so many have “prehypertension” (a 5-year-old study claimed that over 50 % of Americans have prehypertension, and since weights have climbed steadily since, I’m sure that number is now closer to 60% or even 65 %).
.....And in case you think that putting everyone on a “polypill” is just some alcohol-fueled rambling from a few professor-type dudes in tweed jackets mumbling at the local pub, Spanish authorities recently announced that the first “polypill” will be available in Spain by the year 2009. And you can bet it will be instantly prescribed for millions of people.
.....By the way, if I were going to invent a “polypill”, I’d combine Viagra, Prozac, and Valium with an anti-oxidant like dark chocolate. I figure that kind of polypill would take care of a whole lot more problems than one they’re actually going to manufacture.

Dr. Art Hister can be heard on CKNW and other Corus Radio Network stations on House Calls on Saturdays at 10 AM, as well as seen on Global TV news on Saturday mornings at 9:20.