Off-beat health news topic of blog

Looking for off-beat takes on the latest health news? Check out Health Beat. Staff writer Heather Lalley tracks breaking medical stories, as well as little health news nuggets that might fall through the cracks.

Here are a few recent posts from the Health Beat blog:

Next, have them try on swimsuits

Researchers have found that a therapy called “mirror exposure” can help women with negative body image see themselves in a better light, according to a Reuters report.

Says the story:

“The basic idea behind mirror exposure is that learning to realistically look at one’s own body in objective terms can alter the automatic, negative judgments that would normally arise in individuals with this disorder. In one main element, women look at themselves in the mirror and describe their bodies in nonjudgmental but honest ways.

“So instead of looking at herself and saying, ‘I have a big belly,’ a woman might note that her lower abdomen is rounder than her upper abdomen,” explained lead study author Dr. Sherrie S. Delinsky of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Uh, yeah, sure. As somebody who just tried on swimsuits, I can tell you this therapy sounds about as effective as trying to treat a massive head wound by simply calling it a “paper cut.”

But, then, I’m just one woman, not a scientific study.

Check out the International Journal of Eating Disorders latest issue for more on the research.

We’re No. 63 …

We’ve still got a ways to go until we catch up with Scranton, Penn., for the dubious title of the worst city for asthma in the United States.

But we’re certainly holding our own.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America puts out its “Asthma Capitals” list each year, ranking the 100 most challenging places for people with asthma to live, according to a WebMD report.

The researchers looked at 12 factors from the categories of prevalence, risk and medical factors.

At No. 63, Spokane is just ahead of New Orleans (wonder if they factored in all the hurricane debris?) and just behind Tulsa, Okla. For the record, Seattle is slightly less asthma-friendly than we are (they come in at No. 54).

All you ever wanted to know about earwax

Here’s a report from The New York Times: Scientists Find Gene That Controls Type of Earwax in People

This story is full of fascinating bits of information I can’t believe I’ve spent my entire life not knowing.

For instance, betcha’ didn’t know that earwax comes in two types (wet and dry, in case you’re wondering).

And you probably didn’t know that a single gene controls which type of wax your ears secrete.

And then there’s this tidbit you probably didn’t know either: It seems earwax type and armpit odor are correlated.

Feel free to thank me later.