TRENDO HEALTH TIPS

Mum's the word the next time you have your  blood pressure  checked. Talking while the cuff is on can boost your blood pressure reading. So can a full   bladder   or crossing your legs, the American Heart Association (AHA) says. "These simple things can make a difference in whether or not a person is classified as having  high blood pressure  that requires treatment," said Dr. Michael Hochman, a member of the  heart  association's blood pressure task force. He's also an associate professor of clinical medicine at the University of Southern California. "Knowing how to measure blood pressure accurately at home, and recognizing mistakes in the physician's office, can help you manage your pressure and avoid unnecessary medication changes," Hochman said in an AHA news release. Here, the heart association outlines seven common culprits that can alter your blood pressure reading. Having a full bladder can add 10 to 15 points to a blood pre...

 If you or your child is taking an antibiotic, new research suggests you might want to watch closely for signs that  kidney stones  might be developing. "We found that five classes of commonly prescribed  antibiotics  were associated with an increased risk of kidney stones," explained study author Dr. Gregory Tasian. That increased risk appeared to linger for three to five years, and pediatric patients were the most vulnerable to developing the painful condition. The findings echoed those of prior studies, "although we did not know which specific classes of antibiotics would be associated with an increased risk of stones and which ones would not," Tasian added. Tasian is an assistant professor of urology and epidemiology with the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. The five antibiotic classes newly linked to  kidney stone  risk included sulfas (Bactrim, Gantanol); cephalosporins (Keflex); fluoroquinolones (Cipr...