You may have heard of white coat syndrome—the boost in your blood pressure in a healthcare setting. Researchers at Worcester Polytech identified another procedure in a doctor’s office that raises stress and blood pressure. Simply weighing in, even if weighing themselves, raised blood pressure in a group of college students who took part in a mock medical visit. Students who were not weighed had lower blood pressures. Researchers reported in the journal Stigma and Health that short-term increases in blood pressure may not cause lasting harm. But if a patient repeatedly is stressed by weighing in right before blood pressure is measured it could distort an important piece of data that may be used to diagnose health issues.. The study offers a simple solution: weigh in at the end of the healthcare visit.