| "Robert E. Kowalski was a medical journalist, someone who wrote about other people's problems, until he had a heart attack at 35, couldn't control his blood pressure and realized he could die." "This was 30 years ago, before cholesterol was considered important; before statin drugs, back when surgery was the only solution." "Do not go off medications. Start modifying your diet while doing medications. Get your blood pressure down, and maybe your doctor will take you off medications." "And cocoa. A cup of hot cocoa in the evening before bedtime helps reduce blood pressure. Of course, all of this is cumulative." "Forget the salt shaker. It really doesn't make a lot of difference. Maybe a 2- to 3-point drop. " "Get into the habit of using a salt substitute while cooking. The two electrolytes that control blood pressure are sodium and potassium. If you don't have enough potassium, it also raises blood pressure. You can add potassium to your diet with fruits and vegetables, particularly sweet potatoes, honeydew melon, bananas, oranges, mango, papaya. " "If you go into any supermarket, find the salt substitute. You'll see it's made of potassium chloride, not salt. It doesn't taste as good as salt. However,
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