How does medications help with high blood pressure?

Blood pressure questions?

• I went to the hospital because I had an accident when I dropped a large glass on my foot and it cut it badly. They took my blood pressure and it was something like 100/140 at the time. I was told that everyone is different and it is probably due to the adrenaline from my incident. So they stitched my wound up and sent me on my way. Wasn't the hospital supposed to take my blood pressure for a second time before they sent me off since it was high the first time? 14 days later when I had to get my stitches out, I went to a local clinic. They took my blood pressure again and weight. The lady said I had high blood pressure, so I asked "How high?" and she just said "High" I had to argue with her to tell me the exact numbers. She told me 100/130 or something like that. So I clearly have high blood pressure. =/ What are ways that I can lower my blood pressure without medications? Are there foods I can eat that will help? Does drinking lots of water help? I know I have to lose lots of weight, I am on the heavy side at 299 pounds. Also, is it normal that I can feel my pulse through my finger tips? I assume that is my blood pressure I am feeling?

• Answer:

  I think that you had your blood pressure reversed- the higher number always comes first in a blood pressure reading. Normal blood pressure is 120/80 and anything higher than 140/90 is considered hypertension, or high blood pressure. Your blood pressure readings are boarderline high, but not in a dangerous range. Stress, fear, pain, adrenaline, caffience, and nicotine can raise your blood pressure temporarily. The hospital didn't take your blood pressure again because it wasn't higher than they would expect in someone with your condition. It's possible that you were nervous or in pain when you had your stitches out and that made your blood pressure a little high. The best thing to do is take your blood pressure in a low-stress situation, like at a wal-mart. That will tell you what your blood pressure normally is and whether it is really high or not. If you are still concerned that you might have high blood pressure, you can lower it by getting regular exercise (at least one hour three times per week), eating a healthy diet (low in saturated fat and sugar, lots of vegetables and fruit), maintaining a healthy weight, and by not smoking. Do you mean that you feel a pulse when you touch your fingertips to places on your body like your wrist or neck? It is normal to be able to feel a pulse through your fingertips on certain places in your body. It is also possible that you sometimes feel the blood flowing through your fingertips without touching anything. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with high blood pressure or if you have arteries in your fingers that are close to the surface of your skin.