If high blood pressure can be identified early enough, when still in its very mildest stages, the first line of defense would be an attempt to modify the risk factors associated with it. Of course, we cannot do anything about our heredity, age, race, or sex. However, we can lose weight, exercise more, stop smoking, and improve our eating habits. We may even be able to alter our personality. In most cases, the mainstay of hypertension treatment is ...