it wasn't long ago that 140/90 was considered "normal". Yeah, I know that research changes things, but I also know that a lot of "research" is sponsored by the big drug companies. The bp meds are some of the most prescribed in the world, and are cash cows for those companies.
True, but I think they jumped on the bandwagon after the fact more than anything. We heard a lot about BP and heart disease the last 2-3 years, and making people get those numbers lower has probably helped the (slightly lower) trend in heart disease lately. The drug companies just rode the wave and made some $$$.
The cuff thing can make a huge difference. I had mine tested at 145/85 with a regular cuff, but with a specialty cuff I was fine a couple weeks later at 113/70. After researching I found that:
a regular cuff fits arms up to 15 inches.
an XL cuff fits arms up to 17 inches.
Anything larger will require a specialty cuff that the average Walmart won't carry but you can get from pharmceutical supply companies.
