By James Tabafunda
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Body image — or the perception of how one’s body looks — gets reassessed every January. In 2010, losing weight returns as one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions.

Forty-three percent of Asian American women said they considered themselves overweight. This statistic is based on a 1997 survey, which was made up of 234 women attending junior college. It found no ethnic differences in body image dissatisfaction among white women, Asian American women, and other minority women.

For Maureen Francisco, a former TV news anchor, who is an Issaquah resident and Filipino American, body image has become a cause for celebration as well as discussion.

Read the full story

Cindy Chen

By Sarah Yee
Northwest Asian Weekly

In her cozy office in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood, Dr. Cindy Chen has shared countless conversations with clients. She is willing to talk about many issues in life — interpersonal relationships, gambling addiction, low self-esteem — as long as clients are willing to open up. Read the full story

By Vivian Luu
Northwest Asian Weekly

Over-reported

Michael Jackson

1. Michael Jackson dies at the age of 50, but you already knew that

Our bodies pulsed to “Thriller.” Our hearts sank for “Billie Jean.” And when Michael Jackson announced his “This Is It” tour, we went bananas.

And then the world mourned his death, after he died from cardiac arrest on June 25 at age 50. Read the full story

Dr. Peter Jo

By Dr. Peter Jo
Northwest Asian Weekly

More than 130 million Americans suffer from at least one chronic disease.  We spend $1.5 trillion dollars a year to manage chronic diseases, but it still causes 70 percent of all deaths in the United States.

How would you like to reduce your risk of becoming one of these statistics by doing something for just a few minutes a day? That may sound like an opening line to a “too good to be true” infomercial, but these benefits can be yours — absolutely free. Read the full story

By Assunta Ng
Northwest Asian Weekly

Instead of swinging by a drive-thru on the way to work, pack your lunch. A whole wheat bagel with spinach, tomatoes, and ham has far fewer calories than a greasy burger.

Have you ever been in a life or death situation? I was.

Strangely, I had never thought about how lucky I was to be alive until I was fighting for my life a month ago. It was a terrifying experience. This kind of thing tends to hit you without warning, just when you least expect it. It seems to happen when life is smooth and sweet. Read the full story