<s>[INST] I just took my blood pressure and it was 152 over 93 pluse rate 80. What does this mean. I have never had problems with my blood pressure until this weekend when I went out to dinner and ate some ribs and ham. About an hour later my head started hurting and has been doing this off and on since Sunday. [/INST] Hello! Welcome and thank you for asking on Chat Doctor! I understand your concern, and would explain that your blood pressure values are above the normal ranges. But this could be just an episode of high blood pressure, related to a big amount of salt intake or anxiety. I recommend you to closely monitor your blood pressure, different times during the day for the next week (in sitting position, after 15 minutes of total relax) and report these values to your GP. You need to perform a complete check-up : - physical examination- resting ECG-chest x-ray study - blood lab tests (complete blood count, fasting glucose, thyroid hormone levels, kidney and liver function tests, blood electrolytes, etc.), to exclude a possible secondary cause related to high blood pressure. If your blood pressure is permanently above the values 130/90 mm Hg, it would be indicative of arterial hypertension. In such case, you should discuss with your doctor on the above issues and the possibility of starting an antihypertensive therapy. Meanwhile, I would advise you some modifications to your lifestyle : - a balanced diet with low salt intake and low caffeine- a lot of physical activity (walking, aerobics, etc)- lose weight if you are overweight. These changes to your lifestyle would help you maintain a low blood pressure. Hope to have been of help! Feel free to ask any other questions, whenever you need! Best wishes,  </s>