What is the treatment for essential hypertension?

Healthy lifestyle: Weight loss, exercise and salt restriction may be helpful for some patients but the majority of patients need medication. It's much safer to treat high blood pressure with medication than it is to get a stroke for not treating. Healthy lifestyle should always be our first choice if we have that luxury. Don't wait too long though.

Usually Meds & Wt ↓: Essential/idiopathic=no known physical (other than mind/brain) basis. BP is a balance of CO (CardiacOutput=HeartPumpVolume) vs. TPR (TotalPeripheralResistance), both under brain control 24/7 (hidden control of physical behavior). Docs typically treat body behaviors (easier), not human problems (closer to control issues), plus doing the latter is more complex & largely unpaid by 3rd party payers.