Melissa Clark has set to work reporting and come back with answers — and three recipes for using shrimp thoughtfully.

Hypertension is a problem. It raises the risk of heart disease; it's one of the most consistent risk factors for that condition, as well as others like kidney disease. But before you start freaking out about your high blood pressure, make sure you actually have it. A single elevated reading does not a hypertension diagnosis make. Readings are snapshots in time. They can be a part of a trend, or...