Easier said than done, even if you have an automatic, at-home device. Make your next reading right-on with these rules:
1 Sit quietly for 3 to 5 minutes before you get measured.
2 Make sure the cuff fits. A too-small cuff will overestimate blood pressure, a too-large one underestimates it.
3 Have your BP measured at least twice. The average should go in your chart.
4 Sit comfortably in a chair with a backrest with your feet flat on the floor, legs uncrossed. Your arm should be supported at heart level.
5 Avoid caffeine, cigarettes and alcohol for at least 30 minutes before measuring.
6 Blood pressure is naturally higher in the morning and lower in the evening. Do readings at home at about the same time each day.
If your reading is not between 100 and 120 for the upper number, or 55 and 80 for the bottom number, talk to your doc about strategies to get it in that range.
Contamination of raw nuts unlikely
Q: My local health-food store sells raw nuts and seeds in bulk. I would love to buy these for snacks, but I worry about how safe they are. Is there a way to “sanitize” them?
— BARB, via e-mail
A: We haven't found a good way to do this at home, but you probably don't have to anyway. The most recent evidence in the current peanut-contamination issue suggests that the microbes entered after roasting, not in the raw nuts.
At stores that sell foods in bulk, there is usually minimal handling of nuts or seeds. They're usually kept in clean and closed dispensers outfitted with spouts so consumers don't need to reach into the bins to fill their bags. If that small chance of contamination still seems large to you, buy your nuts from a local source that you trust to have clean growing and handling methods.
Motion is lotion for stiff joints
Q: My physical therapist gave me some exercises to do for my frozen shoulder, but I read on the Internet that it's best not to move my arm and to wear a brace. What do you think?
— Sabrina, Marsing, Idaho
A: We think there's good and bad information on the Web, and the bit about not moving your arm probably falls into the “bad info” category. But for joints, motion is lotion, so most times you'll need to move it or risk even more stiffness. Movements that gently stretch those tissues and move your shoulder through a full range of motion help you continue to be able to brush your hair or drive until your shoulder “thaws” and gets better on its own. Apply heat before you do the exercises prescribed by your physical therapist .
source: chron
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