Hypertension, more commonly referred to as high blood pressure is the most common cause of heart attack as well as stroke and kidney failure. There are millions of people in the United States that have high blood pressure and many of them use blood pressure meds to control it. But, for a large number of those people, medications and lifestyle changes are often not enough, leaving them to struggle with blood pressure that is too high to be safe. In response to those ongoing concerns, science is working on and testing a new approach to the condition. That approach aims to burn away some of the overactive nerves that may increase blood pressure.

The process, done by threading a small catheter up through a small hole in the groin area and into the blood vessels traces a path all the way to the kidneys, the organs that are crucial to blood pressure regulation. Once in the right place, the doctors will burn and destroy some of those nerves, calming them and lessening some of their impact.

Prescription medication has been the cornerstone for the treatment of hypertension for a number of years, but those medications have been less effective in many cases. In addition, some of the most common types of blood pressure medications have been show to have serious side effects that can make them dangerous - sometimes more dangerous than the blood pressure problems.

Most people who have high blood pressure are given strict orders in addition to their medications not only to change their diets but to increase their physical exercise as well. The diet suggestion of choice is the DASH diet, recommended most by the American Heart Association because it focuses on fresh fruits and vegetables as well as reducing salt intake each day. Sodium intake is another factor in rising blood pressure.

For some, changing eating habits and losing even as little as ten to twenty pounds can bring the blood pressure back into line. For others, even major lifestyle changes may not be enough to affect the blood pressure and medications are given with the hope of bringing the blood pressure down to a more manageable level. When those medications stop working, though, the surgical intervention might become necessary.

People who have kidney disease are at even higher risks for developing high blood pressure. Ironically, high blood pressure is also likely to cause problems with the kidneys as well. Some of the medications prescribed for blood pressure also may cause problems for the kidneys and other organs.