Hello, welcome back to the "Hypertension Medical Course." I am Jessica. In my clinic, when patients first learn they have hypertension, the most common questions I get are: "Dr. Jessica, can my hypertension be cured? Do I really have to take medicine for life?" From previous lessons , you may realize that as long as we live long enough, our blood vessels will inevitably deteriorate, and hypertension becomes unavoidable. So, to be honest, a complete cure for hypertension is as elusive as conquering aging or achieving immortality. But does this mean medicine is powerless? Once you have hypertension, must you take medication for life? Not necessarily. If the goal is a permanent cure, never to have hypertension again, that’s impossible. But if the goal is reversal—returning blood pressure to age-appropriate levels without medication and maintaining it for years or decades—that is achievable. Even if hypertension eventually develops in your seventies or eighties, at...

Hello, welcome back to the "Hypertension Medical Course." I am Jessica. Previously , we mentioned that as we age, the incidence of hypertension increases, far surpassing other diseases and becoming almost inevitable. So, can it still be prevented? Moreover, 90% of hypertension cases are primary, meaning the cause is unknown or unclear—how can we prevent something like that? Don’t worry. As discussed earlier, hypertension is essentially a non-steady state. The progression from normal blood pressure to prehypertension, to hypertension, and then to complications takes a long time. This gives us the possibility of prevention. Doctors’ approach to hypertension prevention is not to eliminate the enemy completely, but to fight a protracted battle with endgame thinking—delaying the onset as much as possible. As long as blood pressure doesn’t rise dramatically within our lifetime and doesn’t cause significant harm, prevention is considered successful. So, when we talk about preve...

Hello, welcome back to the "Hypertension Medical Course." I am Jessica. In the previous lesso n, we discussed that the essence of hypertension is a non-steady state, which is rather abstract. However, when facing a specific patient, doctors must give clear conclusions, such as whether further examination is needed, whether it is hypertension, and what degree of hypertension it is. The entire process allows no ambiguity; conclusions must be clear and precise. You may wonder, how do doctors balance between ambiguity and precision when making judgments? As Laozi said, "Being and non-being produce each other; difficult and easy complement each other." Ambiguity and precision are a unity of opposites. In this lesson, I will break down the doctor's diagnostic thinking model for hypertension. This model consists of three steps: logical reasoning, clear evidence, and risk assessment. Step 1: Logical Reasoning This means making a preliminary judgment about the pro...

Hello, welcome to the "Hypertension Medical Course." I am Jessica. When it comes to hypertension, the most fundamental question is—Is hypertension a disease? At first glance, this hardly seems like a question. Many people believe that hypertension is obviously a disease! After all, hypertension is so harmful, antihypertensive drugs are abundant, and as soon as someone is diagnosed with hypertension, doctors will always say, "Take your medication on time." Treating with medication—hypertension must be a disease. And it’s not just you; many doctors think so too. Even the most rigorous medical textbooks will tell you—if blood pressure remains stably elevated beyond a certain range, it is a definite disease called hypertension. However, in my view, thinking this way oversimplifies hypertension. Whether it’s the causes, diagnostic criteria, treatment approaches, or attitudes toward it, hypertension is different from conventional diseases. Simply applying the disease...

Hello, welcome to the "Hypertension Medicine Course." I am Jessica. In the previous lecture, we discussed that blood pressure is essentially a continuous pulse wave—an energy field that sustains life. From an energy perspective, humans must solve three problems through blood pressure: First, whether it’s upright walking, gathering, hunting, or even thinking, all these activities consume a lot of energy. How do we meet these energy demands? Second, the initiation and switching of various activities must be rapid and decisive. How can energy be quickly distributed and delivered to where it’s needed most? Third, different activities involve different organs, and each organ requires varying amounts of energy. How can we achieve precise distribution? All of these rely on blood pressure. So, in this lecture, let’s explore how humans solve these problems through blood pressure mechanisms, and understand the costs of these solutions. Main Theme: Long-Term Elevation Let’s first ...

Hello, welcome to the Hypertension Medicine Course. I am Jessica. In the first lecture, we must discuss a fundamental question—what is the essence of blood pressure? Or, more abstractly, why do humans need blood pressure? If we do not clarify this foundational issue, all other discussions are just castles in the air. Three Common Misconceptions About Blood Pressure It sounds simple. We have all measured blood pressure, and doctors always tell us two precise numbers: systolic and diastolic, such as 145/95 mmHg or 128/75 mmHg. Seeing that blood pressure is represented by just two numbers, many people naturally form some opinions: some think human blood pressure is just two points—systolic and diastolic; others believe blood pressure is basically constant; or that blood pressure is the same throughout the body, no matter where it is measured. After all, only then can two simple numbers represent it! But in fact, all three views are incorrect. First, our blood pressure is not two p...

Hello, I am Dr. Jessica. Welcome to my "Hypertension Medical Course". In this course, I want to help you thoroughly understand how blood pressure evolved from a vital sign of life into the number one threat to human health. Perhaps this opening statement surprises you. Don’t worry, let’s first look at what blood pressure is. Blood pressure is one of the four basic indicators of life, alongside body temperature, heart rate, and respiration. The latter three are superficial, while blood pressure is intrinsic and invisible in life. Throughout evolution, blood pressure has played a crucial role. It meets the ever-increasing energy demands and enables rapid, precise energy distribution. Without blood pressure, we couldn’t hunt, think, or become the "king of all creatures". However, this great evolutionary achievement comes at a significant cost. Let me share three facts about hypertension— First: Hypertension is the single largest cause of global mortality—no except...