Health Beat: Blog lists places for moms to nurse with privacy

Wondering what health writer Heather Lalley does in her spare time?

She’s blogging about a wide variety of health topics and the occasional oddball items that cross her desk. A few recent posts on her blog include:

“ A mom who has started her own blog listing all of the nursing rooms in public places around the country. The blog encourages other moms to add their own favorite places to nurse. Health Beat reports that the mom behind this project isn’t against breast-feeding in public places but understands that sometimes privacy is a good thing.

“ A British study found that smoking just one cigarette at a young age puts individuals at an increased risk of becoming regular puffers a few years down the road. According to a Reuters report on the study, those who tried a cigarette at 11 years old were twice as likely to be hooked by 14.

There’s some thought that kids who are willing to try cigarettes at such a young age may simply be more likely to give them another try.

And then there’s the more interesting, biological, explanation, according to the Reuters report: “… (A) first cigarette might change reward pathways in the brain, making a person more vulnerable to the effects of nicotine later on – what they term a ‘sleeper effect,’ or ‘period of dormant vulnerability.’ “

“ A man who got a patent for a ropeless jump-rope. Yep, it’s just two handles. No rope. You just hold ‘em and jump.