Heart Disease: How Disease Management Helps Participating in a disease management program gives you the chance to ask questions about exercise, medication, diet, and other treatment options. Checking Your Blood Pressure at Home Home blood pressure monitoring can be a good way for you and your doctor to learn how your blood pressure changes during the day. Checking Your Own Blood Pressure Did you know you can purchase your own blood pressure monitor and check the reading yourself at home? Managing Prehypertension Without Drugs Even if your blood pressure is normal or high-normal, you're still at increased risk for hypertension (high blood pressure), the condition in which your heart works too hard and the resulting forceful blood flow harms arteries. Managing Hypertension with the DASH Diet A study in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that following the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet reduced blood pressure. This diet is low in saturated fat, cholesterol and total fat and emphasizes fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products.