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I have had an issue with hypertension for the last 15 years. I will go on and off of medication, and just when I think I have it licked, it will pop back up. The problem is, my father and grandfather had it, and I inherited it from them. For people for whom it is not hereditary, however, there are many ways to lower blood pressure that can be really helpful.

One of the best and easiest ways to lower blood pressure is through exercise. Something as simple as walking for 30 minutes a day can make a world of difference when it comes to keeping blood pressure under control. I spoke to my doctor after my last office visit, and he informed me that the biggest thing with exercise is not to kill yourself, but to maintain a steady workout program that will allow you to push yourself, but not so strenuous that it becomes a drag.

I also hear that one of the best ways to lower blood pressure is through eating foods that are low in salts. As I understand, high blood pressure is usually caused from water retention, and I know from personal experience that every time I go to the doctor, I am told to watch my sodium intake. I have made it a point to never apply extra salt to any of my food and avoid foods that have a lot of salt, such as French fries, potato chips and popcorn when I go to the movies.

There are many risk factors for heart disease that people should be aware of, and it should be everyone's desire to avoid them at all costs. As a man who comes from a family that has as history of heart disease, I have made it my personal mission to be aware of the factors.

Of all the risk factors for heart disease, I would say that a family history is the biggest. Unfortunately for me, I come from a family that has a long history of heart disease. My father had a heart attack because of it, and so did my grandfather on his side. The only saving grace is that there is no history of heart disease on my mother's side. For my brother and I, it is kind of a crap shoot, and we just hope that we get more of our heart-disease genes from our mother's side.

One of the biggest risk factors for heart disease is obesity. With the fact that it is becoming an epidemic in this country and several others, it looks like the United States will experience more and more incidents of heart disease in the coming generations. It makes me sad to think about this, especially when I see overweight children, but I actually read a study the other day that states that this could be the first generation of children who have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.