Parents of children with a history of moderate to severe middle ear infections probably won't want to hear this, but a new study suggests such children tend to become overweight later in life.

The study, by researchers at the University of Florida's Center for Smell and Taste, notes that chronic ear infections can damage the chorda tympani nerve, which passes through the middle ear and controls taste sensations. Damage to this nerve appears to intensify the desire for fatty or high-energy foods, which may result in obesity.

“The more energy dense a food is, the more a person with ear infections likes it. You can see what that would do to weight gain,” said Linda Bartoshuk, who headed the study.

Bartoshuk's study reviewed medical data from 245 patients (age 30 and older) with a history of middle ear infections and 1,055 patients with no such history. She cautioned that the findings were preliminary and more study was needed. On the other hand, said Bartoshuk, the research underscores the need to promptly diagnose and treat middle ear infections in children.

BODY OF KNOWLEDGE

According to acupuncturists, there is a point on the head that you can press to stop feeling hungry. It's in the hollow just in front of the flap of each ear.

GET ME THAT. STAT!

A report to be published in the Journal of Women's Health says more than one-quarter of 25,000 men and women surveyed said they borrow or share medical prescriptions. The highest percentage (36.5 percent) were women ages 18 to 44.

MEDTRONICA

Hospital compare

hospitalcompare.hhs.gov

This site, produced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, allows users to compare hospitals throughout the country based on specific measures, such as mortality rates for heart attacks and pneumonia, or the quality of care for children with asthma. Though limited in specifics, it is still among the broadest-based hospital assessment tools online.

STORIES FOR THE WAITING ROOM

Most teens can and will eat almost anything. Not Natalie Cooper, a 17-year-old English girl who reportedly vomits almost immediately after eating. There is only one thing she can keep down: Tic Tac mints.

Doctors have yet to find an explanation. Cooper said she discovered her alimentary affinity for the small candies by accident.

“I went from Trebor Extra Strong Mints to Polos and ended up with Tic Tacs,” Cooper told her local newspaper in Kent. “They give me a bit of energy, but I eat them mostly to get rid of hunger; it's a psychological effect.”

For real sustenance, Cooper receives a special formula of nutrients through a feeding tube into her stomach.

DOC TALK

Pruritus — a medical term referring to an itch or sensation that makes a person want to scratch.

HYPOCHONDRIAC'S GUIDE

Blaschko's lines is an extremely rare and unexplained phenomenon that's neither a specific disease nor a representative symptom. First described in 1901 by German dermatologist Alfred Blaschko, the lines manifest themselves as distinctive striped patterns on the skin. They do not correspond to nervous, muscular or lymphatic systems, but may represent the original developmental growth pattern of skin.

PHOBIA OF THE WEEK

Rhytiphobia — fear of getting wrinkles

OBSERVATION

Medicines are only fit for old people.

— French general and emperor Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)

CURTAIN CALLS

In 1986, a Rhode Island woman apparently died of a disorder known as night eating syndrome (NES). Despite following a daytime restrictive diet that was essential to her health, the woman gained 200 pounds in three months. The disorder was discovered only after her husband found her dead one morning in the kitchen, every box and can from the pantry and refrigerator opened and empty.

People with NES often eat in the middle of the night without being aware of it. NES is described as both an eating and a sleeping disorder.

To find out more about Scott Lafee and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE INC.