 Here's another Thrive Tip from Kaiser Permanente and Fox 12. New blood pressure guidelines issued by two leading health groups may have you suddenly confused or worried about your health. The new blood pressure guidelines came out in 2017 because we've accumulated more evidence that shows that reducing blood pressure targets improves long-term outcomes for patients. The number of patients in the population who are defined as having high blood pressure now is reaching almost 50%. So what we've done is we've decided that instead of 140 over 90 as being the definition of high blood pressure, we've adopted 130 over 80. There are a variety of ways one can reduce their blood pressure. One can quit smoking, drink less, avoid medications like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory. One can exercise more and most importantly one can eat more fruits and vegetables. It's still best to have your blood pressure checked every two years and to talk with your doctor if you have high blood pressure or concerns about your risk. This has been another Thrive Tip sponsored by Kaiser Permanente and Fox 12. Visit kptv.com slash thrive for more information.