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Why do I get so anxious after drinking? Here’s the science behind ‘hangxiety’

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/blair-aitken-1510537">Blair Aitken</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/swinburne-university-of-technology-767">Swinburne University of Technology</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rebecca-rothman-2231560">Rebecca Rothman</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/swinburne-university-of-technology-767">Swinburne University of Technology</a> You had a great night out, but the next morning, anxiety hits: your heart races, and you replay every conversation from the night before in your head. This feeling, known as hangover anxiety or “<a href="https://adf.org.au/insights/what-is-hangxiety/">hangxiety</a>”, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hup.2623">affects around 22%</a> of social drinkers. While for some people, it’s mild nerves, for others, it’s a wave of anxiety that feels impossible to ride out. The “Sunday scaries” may make you feel panicked, filled with dread and unable to relax. Hangover anxiety can make even simple tasks feel overwhelming. Here’s why it happens, and what you can do about it. <h2>What does alcohol do to our brains?</h2> A hangover is the body’s way of recovering after drinking alcohol, bringing with it a range of symptoms. <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/10/23/5691">Dehydration and disrupted sleep</a> play a large part in the pounding headaches and nausea many of us know too well after a big night out. But hangovers aren’t just physical – there’s a strong mental side too. Alcohol is a nervous system depressant, meaning it alters how certain chemical messengers (or neurotransmitters) behave in the brain. Alcohol relaxes you by increasing <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22857-gamma-aminobutyric-acid-gaba">gamma-aminobutyric acid</a> (GABA), the neurotransmitter that makes you feel calm and lowers inhibitions. It decreases <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22839-glutamate">glutamate</a> and this also slows down your thoughts and helps ease you into a more relaxed state. Together, this interaction affects your mood, emotions and alertness. This is why when we drink, we often feel more sociable, carefree and willing to let our guard down. As the effects of the alcohol wear off, your brain works to rebalance these chemicals by <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886918305762">reducing GABA and increasing glutamate</a>. This shift has the opposite effect of the night before, causing your brain to become more excitable and overstimulated, which can lead to feelings of anxiety. So why do some people get hangxiety, while others don’t? There isn’t one clear answer to this question, as several factors can play a role in whether someone experiences hangover-related anxiety. <h2>Genes play a role</h2> For some, a hangover is simply a matter of how much they drank or how hydrated they are. But genetics may also play a significant role. <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/add.12699">Research</a> shows your genes can explain almost half the reason why you wake up feeling hungover, while your friend might not. Because genes influence how your body processes alcohol, some people may experience more intense hangover symptoms, such as headaches or dehydration. These stronger physical effects can, in turn, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/hup.2623">trigger anxiety during a hangover</a>, making you more susceptible to “hangxiety.” <h2>Do you remember what you said last night?</h2> But one of the most common culprits for feeling anxious the next day is often <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0091450915604988">what you do while drinking</a>. Let’s say you’ve had a big night out and you can’t quite recall a conversation you had or something you did. Maybe you acted in ways that you now regret or feel embarrassed about. You might fixate on these thoughts and get trapped in a cycle of worrying and rumination. This cycle can be hard to break and can make you feel more anxious. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2023.107619">Research</a> suggests people who already struggle with feelings of anxiety in their day-to-day lives are especially vulnerable to hangxiety. Some people drink alcohol to unwind after a stressful day or to make themselves feel more comfortable at social events. This often leads to <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9756407">heavier consumption</a>, which can make hangover symptoms more severe. It can also begin a cycle of drinking to feel better, making hangxiety even harder to escape. <h2>Preventing hangover anxiety</h2> The best way to prevent hangxiety is to limit your alcohol consumption. The <a href="https://adf.org.au/reducing-risk/alcohol/alcohol-guidelines">Australian guidelines</a> recommend having no more than ten standard drinks per week and no more than four standard drinks on any one day. Generally, the more you drink, the more intense your hangover symptoms might be, and the worse you are likely to feel. Mixing other drugs with alcohol can also increase the risk of hangxiety. This is especially true for party drugs, such as ecstasy or MDMA, that give you a temporary high but can lead to anxiety as they wear off and you are <a href="https://adf.org.au/insights/drug-comedowns">coming down</a>. If you do wake up feeling anxious: <ul> <li> focus on the physical recovery to help ease the mental strain </li> <li> drink plenty of water, eat a light meal and allow yourself time to rest </li> <li> try <a href="https://www.headspace.com/mindfulness/mindfulness-101">mindfulness meditation</a> or deep breathing exercises, especially if anxiety keeps you awake or your mind races </li> <li> consider journalling. This can help re-frame anxious thoughts, put your feelings into perspective and encourage self-compassion </li> <li> talk to a close friend. This can provide a safe space to express concerns and feel less isolated. </li> </ul> Hangxiety is an unwelcome guest after a night out. Understanding why hangxiety happens – and how you can manage it – can make the morning after a little less daunting, and help keep those anxious thoughts at bay.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/240991/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/blair-aitken-1510537">Blair Aitken</a>, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Psychopharmacology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/swinburne-university-of-technology-767">Swinburne University of Technology</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/rebecca-rothman-2231560">Rebecca Rothman</a>, PhD Candidate in Clinical Psychology, School of Health Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/swinburne-university-of-technology-767">Swinburne University of Technology</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-i-get-so-anxious-after-drinking-heres-the-science-behind-hangxiety-240991">original article</a>. </div>

Mind

The latest COVID booster will soon be available. Should I get one? Am I eligible?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nathan-bartlett-1198187">Nathan Bartlett</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-newcastle-1060">University of Newcastle</a> Australia’s <a href="https://www.tga.gov.au/products/covid-19/covid-19-vaccines/covid-19-vaccines-regulatory-status">Therapeutic Goods Administration</a> (TGA) has recently approved a new COVID booster. The shot was developed by Pfizer and targets <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/what-to-know-about-the-new-covid-19-vaccine-approved-in-australia/z7ev2u8qn">the JN.1 sub-variant</a> of Omicron. This is now <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-covid-vaccines-may-be-coming-to-australia-heres-what-to-know-about-the-jn-1-shots-237652">the fifth iteration</a> of the COVID vaccines, which have been updated regularly to keep up with the rapidly evolving virus, SARS-CoV-2. But nearly five years into the pandemic, you may be wondering, why do we need yet another type of COVID booster? And do we still need to be getting boosters at all? Here’s what to consider. <h2>Targeting the spike protein</h2> Pfizer’s JN.1 booster (and Moderna’s, though the TGA has <a href="https://www.tga.gov.au/products/covid-19/covid-19-vaccines/covid-19-vaccines-regulatory-status">not approved</a> this one at this stage) is based on mRNA technology. This technology instructs our cells to produce a specific protein – in this case SARS-CoV-2’s spike, a protein on the surface of the virus that allows it to attach to our cells. This helps the immune system produce antibodies that recognise the spike protein and interfere with the virus getting into our cells. In response to our strengthened immune responses from vaccinations and previous infections (called immune pressure), SARS-CoV-2 has continued to evolve over the course of the pandemic, modifying the shape of its spike protein so our antibodies become less effective. Most recently we’ve faced a soup of Omicron sub-variants, including JN.1. Since JN.1 was first detected <a href="https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/seven-things-you-need-know-about-jn1-covid-19-variant">in August 2023</a>, this Omicron sub-variant has spawned a variety of further sub-variants, such as KP.2 (known as FLiRT), KP.3 (<a href="https://theconversation.com/from-flirt-to-fluqe-what-to-know-about-the-latest-covid-variants-on-the-rise-234073">known as FLuQE</a>) and <a href="https://theconversation.com/xec-is-now-in-australia-heres-what-we-know-about-this-hybrid-covid-variant-239292">XEC</a>. The spike protein is made up of <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41401-020-0485-4">1,273 amino acids</a>, a bit like molecular building blocks. Mutations to <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1228128/full">the spike protein</a> change individual amino acids. Certain amino acids are important for allowing neutralising antibodies to bind to the spike protein. This means changes can give the virus an edge over earlier variants, helping it evade our immune response. Scientists keep updating the COVID vaccines in an effort to keep up with these changes. The better matched the vaccine “spike” is to the spike protein on the surface of the virus trying to infect you, the better protection you’re likely to get. <h2>So who should get vaccinated, and when?</h2> Updating vaccines to deal with mutating viruses is not a new concept. It has been happening for the flu vaccine since <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/spotlight/history-of-vaccination/history-of-influenza-vaccination">around 1950</a>. We’ve become accustomed to getting the annual flu vaccine in the lead-up to the winter cold and flu season. But, unlike influenza, COVID has not settled into this annual seasonal cycle. The frequency of COVID waves of infection has been fluctuating, with new waves emerging periodically. COVID is also <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jtm/article/29/8/taac108/6731971">more transmissible</a> than the flu, which presents another challenge. While numbers vary, a conservative estimate of the reproduction number (R0 – how many people will one person will go on to infect) for JN.1 is 5. Compare this to seasonal flu with an R0 of <a href="https://bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2334-14-480">about 1.3</a>. In other words, COVID could be four times more transmissible than flu. Add to this immunity from a COVID vaccination (or a previous infection) <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00124-y">begins to wane</a> in the months afterwards. So an annual COVID booster is not considered enough for some more vulnerable people. <iframe id="gOYwk" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/gOYwk/2/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> For adults <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/covid-19-vaccines/getting-your-vaccination">aged 65 to 74</a>, a booster is recommended every 12 months, but they’re eligible every six months. For adults over 75, a shot is recommended every six months. Adults aged 18 to 64 are eligible every 12 months, unless they have a severe immune deficiency. Many conditions can cause immunodeficiency, including genetic disorders, infections, cancer, autoimmune diseases, diabetes and lung disease, as well as having received an organ transplant. For this group, it’s recommended they receive a shot every 12 months, but they’re eligible every six. <h2>Making sense of the advice</h2> A vaccine that targets JN.1 should provide good protection against the Omicron sub-variants likely to be circulating in the coming months. A few things need to happen before the JN.1 shots become available, such as the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation providing guidance to the government. But we can reasonably expect they might be rolled out <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/what-to-know-about-the-new-covid-19-vaccine-approved-in-australia/z7ev2u8qn">within the next month or so</a>. If they hit doctors’ offices and pharmacies before Christmas and you’re due for a booster, the holiday period might be added impetus to go and get one, especially if you’re planning to attend lots of family and social gatherings over summer. In the meantime, the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-are-the-new-covid-booster-vaccines-can-i-get-one-do-they-work-are-they-safe-217804">XBB.1.5 vaccines</a> remain available. Although they’re targeted at an earlier Omicron sub-variant, they should still offer some protection. While young, healthy people might like to wait for the updated boosters, for those who are vulnerable and due for a vaccination, whether or not to hold out may be something to weigh up with your doctor. The advice on COVID boosters in Australia, with stronger wording (“recommended” versus “eligible”) used for more vulnerable groups, reflects what we know about COVID. People <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ageing/article/49/6/901/5862042">who are older</a> and medically vulnerable are more likely to become very unwell with the virus. For young, healthy people who may be wondering, “do I need a COVID booster at all?”, having one annually is sensible. Although you’re less likely to get very sick from COVID, it’s possible. And, importantly, vaccines also reduce the risk of <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(24)00082-1/fulltext">developing long COVID</a>. While COVID vaccines do a very good job of protecting against severe disease, they don’t necessarily stop you becoming infected. Evidence on whether they reduce transmission <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2116597">has been mixed</a>, and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38820077/">changed over time</a>. We’ve come to appreciate that vaccination is not going to free us of COVID. But it’s still our best defence against severe illness.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/239594/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/nathan-bartlett-1198187">Nathan Bartlett</a>, Professor, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-newcastle-1060">University of Newcastle</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-latest-covid-booster-will-soon-be-available-should-i-get-one-am-i-eligible-239594">original article</a>. </div>

Body

"I miss her daily": Fergie opens up on friendship with Diana

As the Duchess of York wraps up her visit Down Under, she has shared some of her most cherished memories in an interview with 9Honey. Following a busy schedule of meet and greets as part of her book tour, Sarah Ferguson opened up on her friendship with the late Princess Diana, who, like the duchess, is a beloved member of the royal family. "The thing about Diana was that she had the best sense of humour of any single person I know – that's quite a big thing, so it's a really big hole because she'd get my sense of humour," the duchess told the publication. "It's really, really hard to really make me cackle with laughter like she used to. "And so, yes, I miss her daily, and I think in the '80s it was just her and I, wasn't it?" The two women were brought together by their marriages to then Prince Charles and Prince Andrew, and the royal affectionately recalled their strong bond. "There isn't anybody else to know, really, what we know because there was no social media and it was just newspaper headlines. "I was so proud of her, what she achieved, and she would be SO proud of her grandchildren. "Oh, my goodness. Can you imagine? She would be just loving every moment. "She was a great lady, and she still is a great lady." The duchess was originally scheduled to visit Australia in October, after she was invited by her Western Australia-based publisher, Serenity Press to showcase her commitment to literature, wellness and empowerment. However, she postponed her visit to not overshadow the King and Queen's tour. The soon to be grandmother of four celebrated the launch of her newest books including Flora & Fern: Wonder in the Woods which is a children's book, and Fabulous Food Art, which is a cookbook she created in collaboration with Melbourne mother and TikTok star Laleh Mohmedi, of Jacob's Food Diaries. Image: Alisdair Macdonald/ Shutterstock Editorial

Family & Pets

I spoke to 100 Japanese seniors, and learnt the secret to a good retirement is a good working life

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/shiori-shakuto-1537774">Shiori Shakuto</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> What makes a good retirement? I’ve <a href="https://www.pennpress.org/9781512827088/after-work/">been researching</a> the lives of “silver backpackers”: Japanese seniors who embark on a later-life journey of self-discovery. Many experienced Japan’s high-growth economy, characterised by rigid gender roles. For many men who worked as iconic cultural figures of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salaryman">sarariiman</a> (white collar workers), excessive working hours were normalised and expected. Their absence from home was compensated by their female partners, many full-time stay-at-home mothers. Entering their 60s meant either retirement from work, or children leaving home. For men and women, retirement is understood as an opportunity to live a life for themselves, leading to a journey of self-discovery. <h2>Dedicating life to work</h2> I interviewed more than 100 older Japanese women and men and found a significant disparity in the quality of life between them. Japanese retired men who led a work-oriented life struggled to find meaning at the initial stages of retirement. One man I spoke to retired at the age of 60 from a large trading company. He was a successful businessman, having travelled the world and held various managerial positions in the company. His wife looked after the children most of the time. They bought a house with a yard in a suburb so the children could attend a good school. It significantly increased his commute, and further reduced his time with children. He also worked on weekends. He barely had time to develop his hobbies or get to know his neighbours. He idealised his retirement as a time to finally spend with his family and develop his own hobbies. When he retired, however, he realised that he and his family didn’t have any common topics of conversation. Through decades of excessive hours spent at work away from home, the rest of the family established a routine that did not include him. Taking up new hobbies at the age of 60 was not as easy as he thought, nor was making new friends at this age. “I became a nureochiba,” he lamented. Nureochiba refers to the wet fallen leaves that linger and are difficult to get rid of. The term is commonly used to describe retired men with no friends or hobbies who constantly accompany their wives. The retirement for many former sarariiman was characterised by boredom – having nowhere to go to or having nothing to do. The sense of boredom led to a sense of isolation and low confidence in old age. Many older Japanese men I spoke to lament not having built a connection with their children or communities at a younger age. <h2>Dedicating life to family and community</h2> Older Japanese women I spoke with were more well-connected with their children and local communities in later life. Many were in regular contact with their children through visits, phone calls and messages. Some continued to care for them by providing food or by looking after grandchildren. Children very much appreciated them. Many older women who had been full-time stay-at-home mothers had already taken up hobbies or volunteering activities at community organisations, and they could accelerate these involvements in their old age. Even women who worked full-time seemed to maintain better connections with their family members because working excessively away from home was simply not possible for them. Older men relied on these women’s networks and activities conducted at the scales of home and communities – from caring for others to pursuing hobbies – to enact a meaningful retirement. The sense of connection with family and communities, not to mention their husbands’ reliance on them, led to a high confidence and wellbeing among older women. I saw many instances where older women preferred spending time with their female friends than their retired husbands and embarked on adventurous trips alone. One woman went on a three-month cruise alone. Feeling liberated, she sent a fax message to her husband from the ship: “When I get off this ship, I will devote the rest of my life to myself. You will have to take care of your own mother.” Upon disembarking, she moved to Malaysia to start her second life. <h2>The silver backpackers</h2> Malaysia has become a popular destination for silver backpackers looking to embark on a journey of self-discovery. Some travel as couples, while others go alone, regardless of their marital status. For many male silver backpackers I spoke to, moving to Malaysia offers a second chance at life to make new friends, find hobbies and, most importantly, start anew with their partners. For many female silver backpackers, visiting Malaysia means being able to enjoy an independent lifestyle while having the security of friends and family in Malaysia and Japan. The experiences of older Japanese men and women can be translated into the experiences of anyone who spent excessive hours at work and those who spent more time cultivating relationships outside of work. The activities of the latter group are not as valued in a society that narrowly defines productivity. However, my research shows that it is their activities that carry more value in old age. Are you under pressure to work long hours? If you can, turn off your phone and computer. Instead of organising events for work, organise a dinner with your family and friends. Take up a new hobby in your local community centres. You can change how you work and live now for a better old age.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/238571/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/shiori-shakuto-1537774">Shiori Shakuto</a>, Lecturer in Anthropology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/i-spoke-to-100-japanese-seniors-and-learnt-the-secret-to-a-good-retirement-is-a-good-working-life-238571">original article</a>. </div>

Retirement Life

Readers response: What’s the best book you’ve read recently, and what did you love about it?

With hundreds of new books on the market, it's hard to know what are the best to recommend. We asked our readers what the best book they've read recently is and what did they love about it, and the response was overwhelming. Here's what they said. Helen Ulgekutt - The Venice Hotel by Tess Woods, loved it start to finish. Zoy Crizzle - The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George. Great book, so easy to read and an interesting story line. I loved it. Keralie Stack - I have just finished Fallen Woman by Fiona McIntosh. A good read. Karen Peardon - The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston. A great story. Nola Schmidt - The Perfect Passion Company by Alexander McCall Smith. It was clever, witty, and gentle. June Lennie - People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. Interesting story set in different historical periods. Brilliantly written and researched. Christine Hayes - Where the Crawdads Sing, just beautiful. Sandra Moores - All That's Left Unsaid by Tracey Lien. A great debut based in Cabramatta, very compelling read. Greg Cudmore - 'To Alpha From Omega'. Although very much Australian, its themes are universal. Denise Zephyr - The Days I Loved You Most. Such a beautiful story and a beautiful ending. Marie Chong - Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy. I love all her books, she tells a good story. Yvonne Bercov - The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, couldn’t put it down. Image credits: Shutterstock

Books

How can I make summer style part of my self-care routine?

Taking care of yourself doesn’t have to be complicated. With summer just around the corner, it’s a great time to refresh your self-care routine with small changes that help you feel your best. One easy way to do this is by choosing clothing made from breathable Australian cotton and linen. They keep you cool, feel great against the skin and make looking put-together effortless. In this guide, we’ll show you how your summer wardrobe can fit into your self-care routine, featuring pieces from Sussan, a retailer known for easy, comfortable styles that last all season. Simplify your day with matching sets <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2024/11/Sussan01.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> A big part of self-care is simplifying your day as much as possible, and that includes your clothing choices. Summer is the time for relaxed, unfussy outfits that don’t require a lot of planning. <a href="https://www.sussan.com.au/clothing/sets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matching sets</a> are perfect for this because they take away the guesswork. Everything is already coordinated, which saves you time and makes your mornings easier. A soft denim skirt made from Australian cotton paired with a lightweight tee is breathable and practical for warm days. These pieces help you stay comfy when running errands or enjoying time with friends. Stay cool all day in linen dresses <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2024/11/Sussan04.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> <a href="https://www.sussan.com.au/clothing/linen/linen-dresses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Linen dresses</a> are an easy go-to for keeping cool and comfortable during hot summer days. The fabric is light, breathable and perfect for warm weather, which is why it’s a great fit for everything from weekend barbecues to beach walks. With styles like shirt dresses, minis, midis and maxis, there’s plenty of variety to match whatever the day calls for. Styling a linen dress is also simple and practical. With the right accessories, it can easily shift from a casual daytime outfit to an evening look. Style it with a hat for an easy brunch outfit or a trip to the markets. To dress it up, add a light jacket and some jewellery, like a pair of earrings or a statement necklace. Unwind with breathable loungewear <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2024/11/Sussan03.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> Practising self-care through summer style can be as simple as choosing clothes that help you relax and feel comfy all day long. This is easy to achieve with loungewear made from pure linen and linen blends. Look for lightweight loungewear tops, pants and shorts that feel soft on the skin and keep you cool as you move through your day. For a summer-ready look, pair a linen top with matching shorts for warm afternoons, or switch to linen pants for a little more coverage on cooler evenings. End your day in Australian cotton sleepwear Winding down at the end of the day feels easier when you’re wearing clothes that make you feel calm and cosy. <a href="https://www.sussan.com.au/shop-the-edit-sleepwear/australian-cotton-sleepwear" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australian cotton sleepwear</a> in soft, breathable fabrics is a great option as it sits lightly on the skin and keeps you comfortable during warm nights. You can mix and match Australian cotton pyjama tops, tanks, shorts and pants or wear nighties to match your mood and comfort level. These versatile let you settle in and enjoy quiet evenings at home. Wear what feels good this summer <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2024/11/Sussan02.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> Updating your summer wardrobe with comfy, breathable pieces is an easy way to bring self-care into your routine. With matching sets, linen dresses, loungewear and soft Australian cotton sleepwear from <a href="https://www.sussan.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sussan</a>, you can have more time to focus on yourself and enjoy the season your way. Start refreshing your wardrobe with these pieces that feel good to wear, and use your summer style to prioritise self-care! Images: Sussan This is a sponsored article produced in partnership with Sussan

Beauty & Style

"I’m coming home from a party, and I don’t want to end up getting arrested": do driving apps help people break road rules?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/verity-truelove-1237331">Verity Truelove</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-the-sunshine-coast-1068">University of the Sunshine Coast</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michelle-nicolls-1299069">Michelle Nicolls</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-the-sunshine-coast-1068">University of the Sunshine Coast</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/oscar-oviedo-trespalacios-1417150">Oscar Oviedo-Trespalacios</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/delft-university-of-technology-1040">Delft University of Technology</a> Apps such as Google Maps, Apple Maps and Waze can tell drivers when they are approaching speed cameras or random breath testing stations. Countries such as Germany, France and Switzerland have banned apps from displaying these enforcement locations. But what effect are these apps having in Australia – are they helping drivers break road rules? Our new <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925753524002972">paper</a>, published in the journal Safety Science, examined this question. We found this technology can, in some cases, contribute to people thinking they are invincible on the roads. However, we also found they can sometimes help people drive more safely. <h2>Being made aware of enforcement can help road safety</h2> We conducted focus groups and interviews with a total of 58 drivers from Queensland, to understand how the use of this technology influences perceptions of being caught for breaking road rules. One driver told us: "If I know it’s coming up, I’ll put my phone down. If I was, say, texting or checking something, but then like once a good few 100 metres away, I sort of pick it up again, depending though." Another said: "It sort of depends where I am driving, I guess. Like, if I am driving on a country road and there is a speed camera there I would probably slow down for the speed camera and then sort of speed up again once I am sort of past that; it sort of depends on the circumstances." We also found that, for some people, being made aware of enforcement locations can help drivers better regulate their speed. This helped them comply with road rules more consistently. Waze also shows the speed limit in the area, which further assisted some drivers to stick to the speed limit. One driver told us: "I’m a bit careful if I just look at the speedo and just double check that I’m on the right amount of speed." Another said: "It just gives you a warning like, ‘OK, you need to check your speed.’ Just to double-check you’re going on the right speed perhaps or when it’s a camera coming up." <h2>Concerning behaviours</h2> Concerningly, we also found some drivers who use these apps are looking at and touching their screens more than they otherwise would. This can distract drivers and increase their <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925753524001097">risk of crashing</a>. One driver told us they post traffic updates on the app they use while driving, “which I know is wrong.” Another said: "Just hit the button on the phone. Just two steps after I go past the camera." Another driver told us: "It’s so helpful […] Especially if it’s, say, late night and I’m coming home from a party, and I don’t want to end up getting arrested." One driver said: "I probably feel slightly more invincible, which is probably not a good thing." When asked why these apps are used, one driver said: "I guess the drug and the drink-driving." <h2>Apps can help and hinder road safety</h2> We know breaking road rules significantly contributes to <a href="https://www.who.int/teams/social-determinants-of-health/safety-and-mobility/global-status-report-on-road-safety-2023">crashes and road fatalities</a>, with deaths on Australian roads continuing to <a href="https://www.bitre.gov.au/publications/ongoing/road_deaths_australia_monthly_bulletins">increase</a> over time. On the one hand, when drivers are aware of enforcement measures like cameras and police, they are more likely to stop breaking the rules in those areas. That’s particularly true for behaviours such as speeding and using a phone while driving, we found. Using apps that flag where cameras and police are located also means drivers would be more exposed to enforcement activities than they otherwise would be on a normal drive. On the other hand, our results suggest some drivers are using these applications to break road rules more often in places where they think they won’t be caught. These apps are also not always completely accurate. For instance, even though Waze can display some police operation locations such as roadside breath testing, it can’t capture all on-road police activities. Further, camera locations are not always up to date or accurate. <h2>Weighing benefits against risks</h2> While these apps do have some benefits, it’s important to weigh these against the risks. It’s also important to recognise traffic enforcement isn’t just there to make you comply with road rules at a specific point; it is meant to remind you of the constant risk of being caught and to encourage consistent rule compliance. The goal is to ensure that drivers are following the traffic rules across the entire network, not just in isolated spots. With road fatalities at some of the <a href="https://www.bitre.gov.au/publications/ongoing/road_deaths_australia_monthly_bulletins">highest rates we’ve seen in recent years</a>, we need everyone to work together to stop more preventable deaths and injuries.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/237664/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/verity-truelove-1237331">Verity Truelove</a>, Senior Research Fellow in Road Safety Research, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-the-sunshine-coast-1068">University of the Sunshine Coast</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/michelle-nicolls-1299069">Michelle Nicolls</a>, PhD Candidate, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-the-sunshine-coast-1068">University of the Sunshine Coast</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/oscar-oviedo-trespalacios-1417150">Oscar Oviedo-Trespalacios</a>, A/Professor Responsible Risk Management, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/delft-university-of-technology-1040">Delft University of Technology</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/im-coming-home-from-a-party-and-i-dont-want-to-end-up-getting-arrested-do-driving-apps-help-people-break-road-rules-237664">original article</a>. </div>

Legal

What are house dust mites and how do I know if I’m allergic to them?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/deryn-lee-thompson-1449312">Deryn Lee Thompson</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a> People often believe they are allergic to <a href="https://ahd.csiro.au/everything-in-our-homes-gathers-dust-but-what-exactly-is-it-where-does-it-come-from-and-why-does-it-keep-coming-back-is-it-from-outside-is-it-fibres-from-our-clothes-and-cells-from-our-skin/">house dust</a>. But of the <a href="https://www.allergy.org.au/patients/allergy-treatments/allergen-minimisation">20% of Australians</a> suffereing with allergies, a number are are actually allergic to microscopic <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/dust-mites">house dust mites</a>. House dust mites belong to the same family as spiders and ticks. They measure just 0.2-0.3 mm, with 50 fitting on a single pinhead. They <a href="https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/71977">live</a> for 65–100 days, and females lay 60–100 eggs in their life. House dust mites love temperate climates and humidity. They feed off the skin cells we and animals shed, as well as mould, which they digest using special enzymes. These enzymes are excreted in their poo about <a href="https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/71977">20 times a day</a>. They also shed fragments of their exoskeletons. All these fragments trigger allergies in people with this type of allergic rhinitis (which is also known as hay fever) <h2>What are the symptoms?</h2> When people with house dust mite allergy inhale the allergens, they penetrate the mucous membranes of the airways and eyes. Their body recognises the allergens as a threat, releasing chemicals including one called histamine. This causes symptoms including a runny nose, an itchy nose, eyes and throat, sneezing, coughing and a feeling of mucus at the back of your throat (known as a post-nasal drip). People with this type of allergy usually mouth breath, snore, rub their nose constantly (creating a nasal crease called the “dust mite salute”) and have dark shadows under their eyes. House dust mite allergy <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7328274/">can also cause</a> poor sleep, constant tiredness, reduced concentration at work or school and lower quality of life. For people with eczema, their damaged skin barrier can allow house dust mite proteins in. This prompts immune cells in the skin to <a href="https://academic.oup.com/bjd/article/190/1/e5/7485663">release chemicals</a> which make already flared skin become redder, sorer and itchier, especially in children. Symptoms of house dust mite allergy occur year round, and are often worse after going to bed and when waking in the morning. But people with house dust mite allergy and pollen allergies find their year-round symptoms worsen in spring. <h2>How is it diagnosed?</h2> House dust mite allergy symptoms often build up over months, or even years before people seek help. But an accurate diagnosis means you can not only access the right treatment – it’s also vital for minimising exposure. Doctor and nurse practitioners can order a <a href="https://www.allergy.org.au/patients/allergy-treatments/allergen-minimisation">blood test</a> to check for house dust mite allergy. Alternatively, health care providers with <a href="https://www.allergy.org.au/hp/a-career-in-clinical-immunology-and-allergy">specialised allergy training</a> can perform skin prick tests. This involves placing drops of the allergens on the arm, along with a positive and negative “control”. After 15 minutes, those who test positive will have developed a mosquito bite-like mark. <h2>How is it treated?</h2> Medication options include one or a combination of: <ul> <li>daily non-sedating antihistamines</li> <li>a steroid nasal spray</li> <li>allergy eye drops.</li> </ul> Your health care professional will work with you to develop a <a href="https://www.allergy.org.au/images/stories/pospapers/ar/ASCIA_HP_Allergic_Rhinitis_2022.pdf">rhinitis (hay fever) medical management plan</a> to reduce your symptoms. If you’re using a nasal spray, your health provider will <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ytYj1TLojM">show you how to use it</a>, as people often use it incorrectly. If you also have <a href="https://www.nationalasthma.org.au/understanding-asthma/how-is-asthma-managed">asthma</a> or eczema which is worsened by dust mites, your health provider will adapt your <a href="https://www.nationalasthma.org.au/health-professionals/asthma-action-plans">asthma action plan</a> or <a href="https://medcast.com.au/qhub/eczema/resources">eczema care plan</a> accordingly. If you experience severe symptoms, a longer-term option is <a href="https://www.allergy.org.au/images/pc/ASCIA_PC_Allergen_Immunotherapy_FAQ_2024.pdf">immunotherapy</a>. This aims to gradually turn off your immune system’s ability to recognise house dust mites as a harmful allergen. Immunotherapy involves taking either a daily sublingual tablet, under the tongue, or a series of injections. Injections require monthly attendances over three years, after the initial weekly build-up phase. These are <a href="https://theconversation.com/im-considering-allergen-immunotherapy-for-my-hay-fever-what-do-i-need-to-know-190408">effective</a>, but are costly (as well as time-consuming). So it’s important to weigh up the potential benefits and downsides with your health-care provider. <h2>How can you minimise house dust mites?</h2> There are also important allergy minimisation measures you can take to reduce allergens in your home. Each week, <a href="https://www.allergy.org.au/component/finder/search?q=minimisation&Itemid=100001">wash</a> your bedding and pyjamas in hot water (over 60°C). This <a href="https://www.nationalasthma.org.au/living-with-asthma/resources/patients-carers/factsheets/dust-mites-trigger-my-asthma">removes</a> house dust mite eggs and debris. Opt for doonas, covers or quilts that can be washed in hot water above 60°C. Alternatively, low-cost waterproof or leak proof covers can keep house dust mites out. If you can, favour blinds and wood floors over curtains and carpet. Dust blinds and surfaces with a damp cloth each week and vacuum while wearing a mask, or have someone else do it, as house dust mites can become airborne during cleaning. But beware of costly products with big marketing budgets and little evidence to support their use. A new mattress, for example, will always be house dust mite-free. But once slept on, the house dust mite life cycle can start. Mattress protectors and toppers commonly claim to be “hypoallergenic”, “anti-allergy” or “allergy free”. But their pore sizes are not small enough to keep house dust mites and their poo out, or shed skin going through. Sprays claiming to kill mites require so much spray to penetrate the product that it’s likely to become wet, may smell like the spray and, unless dried properly, may grow mould. Finally, claims that expensive vacuum cleaners can extract all the house dust mites are unsubstantiated. For more information, visit <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/dust-mites">healthdirect.gov.au</a> or the <a href="https://www.allergy.org.au/patients/allergy-treatments/allergen-minimisation">Australian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy</a>.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/240918/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/deryn-lee-thompson-1449312">Deryn Lee Thompson</a>, Eczema and Allergy Nurse; Lecturer, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-are-house-dust-mites-and-how-do-i-know-if-im-allergic-to-them-240918">original article</a>. </div>

Body

"I thought I was Bear Grylls": Woman speaks out after being trapped upside-down for 7 hours

A young woman who spent hours stuck upside-down between two boulders has spoken out about her horrific <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/travel/travel-trouble/woman-rescued-after-getting-stuck-in-between-two-boulders" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ordeal</a> as she was reunited with her rescuers. Matilda Campbell, a 23-year-old from Newcastle, was on a trip away with friends in Laguna, about a 30-minute drive from Cessnock, when she dropped her phone between two huge rocks. The young woman climbed down to retrieve her phone, and when she got stuck upside-down, her friends called 000 for help. Paramedics had to move the boulders using a specialist winch to reach Matilda, before facing the tricky task of “navigating” her out from her precarious position. After suffering minor injuries from the ordeal, Matilda has spoken out about how she ended up in the sticky situation. “We wanted to see nature ... and we saw these beautiful rocks so we sat there ... and then my friend had my phone and it slipped off the rock,” she told 7News. <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBsj-x1CYI2/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBsj-x1CYI2/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by 7NEWS Sydney (@7newssyd)</a> </div> </blockquote> “And I thought oh no I’m still paying off that phone I need it ... so I ventured down and thought I was Bear Grylls ... and I slipped head first into the crevice where I was stuck for seven hours." “I didn’t freak out at the start ... it took me about half an hour to realise I was fully stuck and then I started to have a big cry." “I’m very thankful I was with my friends, otherwise it would have been a very different story.” Campbell has since been reunited with her rescuers, to whom she says she owes her life, as she said, “I’m just thankful to see them again ... I wouldn’t be here today without them. So, I’m really thankful.” Specialist rescue paramedic Peter Watts said the rescue was “challenging but incredibly rewarding”, saying after the rescue, “In my 10 years as a rescue paramedic, I had never encountered a job quite like this.” In total, the woman spent seven hours hanging upside-down before she was freed, with only minor scratches and bruises but still without her phone, which could not be retrieved. Image credits: 7News

Travel Trouble

Arguing with the people you love? How to have a healthy family dispute

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jessica-robles-617248">Jessica Robles</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/loughborough-university-1336">Loughborough University</a> Unlike Britain’s royal family, most of us don’t have the option to move to another country when we don’t see eye to eye. But most of us have likely experienced disagreements with loved ones. <a href="https://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/faculty/heritage/Site/Publications_files/CA_as_SOCIAL_THEORY.pdf">Conversations are designed to</a> do things – to start some action, and complete it – whether it’s a service transaction, an invitation to coffee or reassurance on a bad day. Our <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ZnhyDwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false">uniquely complex communicative system</a> has evolved to help us get things done in the social world. Arguments are part of this complex system. They can be unavoidable, necessary or even productive. But they can also be difficult. It can be hard to know what to do when tensions are high and harsh words are flying, particularly when it involves someone you’re close to. But research on how disputes unfold – and conversation more generally – offers some ideas about the best way to handle one. <h2>What is a dispute?</h2> There are many words for disagreeing, and there are plenty of academic theories describing what disputes are and why they happen. But arguments are not abstract models. They’re lived in, breathed in, sweated in and talked (or sometimes shouted) into being. Research focusing on <a href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/288351315.pdf">how disputes actually happen</a> shows they’re characterised by three types of features. First are the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378216606000488">vocal features</a>, which include talking in a higher pitch, louder and faster. Then, there are <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1750481310395452?casa_token=MCNQWEQD6HwAAAAA:8nbyXh-cgjWzfL3syRrwybRFQl_ddHIMy9tRIAwPRAFADrgHtR2LSl9ZoUFsVlnzWPjWaKQZZ9XEVA">embodied features</a> such as aggressive gestures and avoidant stances, such as turning away from someone. Finally, there are <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/01638539009544746?casa_token=BB9edpIE1oUAAAAA:FTK-JRJ2oCmG7BufkUAQX1k1_9C1Cvc12r5ynYPM6duFB-HDWhgef8Va-Rh5Z2XksR64oTcPmi4FAQ">interactional features</a> such as talking over each other, not listening or metatalk – <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/08351813.2020.1826765?casa_token=isJl2NJbSIkAAAAA:Mh-dXMfkBSGvEeoOWAoxLDjzbZ_eF-zbND-D8q4RAP5WHadqg1KUZDF_UnySFAcyb3LD-DF3BbGq1A">comments about the conversation</a> as it’s happening. <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1354067X9953001?casa_token=Gje17vkyg_AAAAAA:ik_4Ze-4PIFLa6yjthOpztvJrtdVOokhRT73M8jDN4t1w0Bl7WzW2--d1vjZwanphorOH_r6jaVZdA">Displays of emotion</a> such as displeasure or anger, are also common. Participants might accuse each other of emotions or label their own emotions. Disputes happen for several reasons. What each person is doing can vary, from <a href="https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.530.8869&rep=rep1&type=pdf">complaints and accusations</a> to <a href="https://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1348/014466610X500791?casa_token=r58ikQ5XFxEAAAAA:QR9wr0Fcz7q5BeSvL8soAIhKMNA1O9TcpcBaLleBKDvZ8Q5sPyX1OSg0OzSL5-xb8By5QbgNm9kHNhg">demands, threats or resistance</a>. They can be about many things – familial obligations, what to have for dinner, politics or how to plan a holiday. Luckily, disputes share elements <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=2NxaC7nSetAC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q&f=false">with each other</a> and with conversation generally – so you don’t have to invent new strategies every time you’re caught in one. <h2>Affiliation and alignment</h2> When bickering with a friend or family member, there are ways to make them feel like you’re still on their side even if you disagree. If you can keep these in mind, and use them at the right time, you might stop your dispute from escalating into something harder to mend. The first thing is <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781405198431.wbeal0196.pub2">affiliation</a>, which means support for the other person or their view of things. Affiliation involves phrasing what you say so it’s best <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/08351810903471258?casa_token=yxnWxfDAEB8AAAAA:uoHEX2dlOS06wxwlHH7TOWmmfB51qMMbzg5tadx5SeRcf_5-vABUKQZtIt0Hchu4vUlFNfCX4qRi5A">understood and easier to respond to</a>. For example, saying “you’ve been to France before, right?” invites someone to share their experience – partly by including the tag “right” at the end, which at least requires a confirmation. It can also involve categorisation, the way we talk about or treat others as <a href="https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/BF00142771.pdf">certain types or group members</a>. For example, if you reduce the other person to a stereotype through labelling – by saying something like “girls always say stuff like that” or “OK, boomer” – you risk provoking a response to the insult, not to the action in which that insult was embedded. The second thing we expect from any conversation is alignment – cooperating with the direction of the conversation, such as accepting or denying a request. The opposite, disalignment, might occur when a request is ignored. Alignment has more to do with the sequence of the conversation, how the dispute unfolds over time. Asking for clarification – a practice known as <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0136100">repair</a> – or <a href="https://www.jbe-platform.com/content/journals/10.1075/prag.27.1.03rob?crawler=true">claiming a misunderstanding</a> can treat problems as fixable errors rather than moral failings or attacks. <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0261927X17744244">Humour can diffuse</a> conflict escalation. <h2>How to have a healthy dispute</h2> In the course of a dispute, you need to think about when to bring these tactics out. They’re more likely to yield better outcomes earlier in the dispute. By the time it’s escalated, your responses may be viewed through the prism of the dispute and <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=eFSXDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT200&ots=6tM3fJnXr1&sig=Zchtur1abh25W7ERN5Q49ASRaJc#v=onepage&q&f=false">any offensiveness</a> you’ve already displayed toward each other. In cases like this, teasing can come across as contempt, for example, and claims to misunderstand as bad-faith mockery. It can feel like disputes take on a life of their own – as if the conversation uses us rather than we use it – and this is partly because conversation can seemingly take us along for the ride (consider the difficulty of turning down invitations). We invest our identities into conversations so disputes can seem to threaten us and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378216618304302?casa_token=1SbOpn_2k8MAAAAA:YQ2Yb9nt-ONsmBKmVzTCx8cfl76bS5nK6_Yd8zONBVJFdJ57vwgdBDJxsXfk0aUOhilRQAF-ABA">what we stand for</a> morally. This may be starker with family, whose opinions of us often matter more than friends or colleagues, for example. It’s always worth stopping to reflect on what a dispute is really for, whether what you’re saying lines up with your goals and whether taking a stand is worth it.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/159565/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jessica-robles-617248">Jessica Robles</a>, Lecturer in Social Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/loughborough-university-1336">Loughborough University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/arguing-with-the-people-you-love-how-to-have-a-healthy-family-dispute-159565">original article</a>. </div>

Family & Pets

What washing machine settings can I use to make my clothes last longer?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alessandra-sutti-1513345">Alessandra Sutti</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/amol-patil-1513347">Amol Patil</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/maryam-naebe-1513346">Maryam Naebe</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> Orbiting 400 kilometres above Earth’s surface, the astronauts on the International Space Station live a pretty normal social life, if not for one thing: they happily wear their unwashed clothes <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/glenn/nasa-glenn-interns-take-space-washing-machine-designs-for-a-spin/">for days and weeks at a time</a>. They can’t do their laundry <a href="https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Engineering_Technology/Keeping_your_underwear_clean_on_the_Moon">just yet</a> because water is scarce up there. But down here on Earth, washing clothes is a large part of our lives. <a href="https://bigee.net/media/filer_public/2013/03/28/bigee_domestic_washing_machines_worldwide_potential_20130328.pdf">It’s estimated</a> that a volume of water equivalent to 21,000 Olympic swimming pools is used every day for domestic laundry worldwide. Fibres from our clothes make their way into the environment via the air (during use or in the dryer), water (washing) and soil (lint rubbish in landfill). Most of this fibre loss is invisible – we often only notice our favourite clothing is “disappearing” when it’s too late. How can you ensure your favourite outfit will outlast your wish to wear it? Simple question, complex answer. <h2>Washing machines are not gentle</h2> When you clean the filters in your washing machine and dryer, how often do you stop to think that the lint you’re holding <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk-laundry-releases-microfibres-weighing-the-equivalent-of-1-500-buses-each-year-199712">was, in fact, your clothes</a>? Laundering is harsh on our clothes, and <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0250346">research confirms this</a>. Several factors play a role: the type of washing machine, the washing cycle, detergents, temperature, time, and the type of fabric and yarn construction. There are two types of domestic washing machines: top-loader and front-loader. Mechanical agitation (the way the machine moves the clothes around) is one of the things that helps ease dirt off the fabric. Top-loaders have a vertical, bucket-like basket with a paddle, which sloshes clothes around in a large volume of water. Front-loaders have a horizontal bucket which rotates, exposing the clothes to a smaller volume of water – it takes advantage of gravity, not paddles. Top-loading machines <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12541-010-0047-7">tend to be more aggressive</a> towards fabrics than front-loaders due to the different mechanical action and larger volumes of water. Washing machine panels also present many choices. Shorter, low-temperature programs <a href="https://clevercare.info/more-eco-temperature-tips">are usually sufficient for everyday stains</a>. Choose longer or <a href="https://iprefer30.eu/animations/UK/wash-brochure-uk.pdf">high-temperature programs</a> only for clothing you have concerns about (healthcare uniforms, washable nappies, etc.). Generally, washing machine programs are carefully selected combinations of water volume, agitation intensity and temperature recommended by the manufacturer. They take into consideration the type of fabric and its level of cleanliness. Select the wrong program and you can say goodbye to your favourite top. For example, high temperatures or harsh agitation may cause some fibres to weaken and break, causing holes in the garment. <h2>Some fabrics lose fibres more easily than others</h2> At a microscopic level, the fabric in our clothes is made of yarns – individual fibres twisted together. The nature and length of the fibres, the way they are twisted and the way the yarns form the fabric can determine how many fibres will be lost during a wash. In general, if you want to lose fewer fibres, you should wash less frequently, but some fabrics are affected more than others. Open fabric structures (knits) with loose yarns <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-98836-6">can lose more fibres</a> than tighter ones. Some sports clothing, like running shirts, are made of continuous filament yarn. These fibres are less likely to come loose in the wash. Cotton fibres are only a few centimetres long. Twisted tightly together into a yarn, they can still escape. Wool fibres are also short, but have an additional feature: scales, which make wool clothes much more delicate. Wool fibres can come loose like cotton ones, but also tangle with each other during the wash due to their scales. This last aspect is what causes wool garments to shrink when <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/004051756403400303">exposed to heat</a> and agitation. <h2>Go easy on the chemicals</h2> The type of detergent and other products you use also makes a difference. Detergents contain a soap component, enzymes to make stains easier to remove at low temperature, and fragrances. Some contain harsher compounds, such as bleaching or whitening agents. Modern detergents are very effective at <a href="https://www.choice.com.au/home-and-living/laundry-and-cleaning/laundry-detergents/review-and-compare/laundry-detergents">removing stains such as food</a>, and you don’t need to use much. An incorrect choice of wash cycles, laundry detergent and bleaching additives could cause disaster. Certain products, like bleach, can <a href="https://site.extension.uga.edu/textiles/textile-basics/understand-your-fibers/">damage some fibres like wool and silk</a>. Meanwhile, research on <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749120366872?via%3Dihub">fabric softeners and other treatments</a> <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0233332&type=printable">continues</a> – there’s no one-size-fits-all answer about their potential impact on our clothes. <h2>Just skip laundry day</h2> So, how to ensure your clothes last longer? The main tip is to wash them less often. When it’s time for a wash, carefully read and follow the care labels. In the future, our washing machines will <a href="https://www.teknoscienze.com/tks_article/trends-in-laundry-by-2030/">recognise fabrics and select the wash cycle</a>. For now, that’s our responsibility. And the next time you throw your shirt into the dirty laundry basket, stop. Think of the astronauts orbiting above Earth and ask yourself: if they can go without clean laundry for a few days, maybe I can too? (Although we don’t recommend just burning your dirty undies, either.)<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224064/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C1j6KLP492E?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alessandra-sutti-1513345">Alessandra Sutti</a>, Associate Professor, Institute for Frontier Materials, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/amol-patil-1513347">Amol Patil</a>, Research Engineer, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/maryam-naebe-1513346">Maryam Naebe</a>, Associate professor, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-washing-machine-settings-can-i-use-to-make-my-clothes-last-longer-224064">original article</a>. </div>

Home & Garden

I have hay fever. How can I tell what I’m allergic to?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ryan-mead-hunter-1480189">Ryan Mead-Hunter</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873">Curtin University</a> When we think of spring we think of warming weather, birdsong and flowers. But for many people, this also means the return of their seasonal hay fever symptoms. Around <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health-conditions-and-risks/health-conditions-prevalence/latest-release">24% of Australians</a> get hay fever, with sneezing, a runny or blocked nose, and itchy or watery eyes the most common symptoms. In <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/hay-fever#:%7E:text=Key%20facts,dust%20mites%2C%20and%20animal%20fur">severe cases</a>, this may impact sleep and concentration, or be linked to increased frequency of sinus infections. The exact timing of the symptoms depends on your exposure to an allergen – the thing you’re allergic to. Those impacted by tree pollen (from plane trees or cypress pine, for example) may experience symptoms at different times of the year than those impacted by grass pollen (such as rye grass). This will also vary around the country. In Perth, for example, tree pollen (cypress pine) is generally present in August to October, while grass pollen counts tend to be highest in October to November. Other cities and regions may have longer pollen seasons, which may extend further into summer. <h2>Remind me, how does hay fever impact the body?</h2> What we know colloquially as hay fever is called allergic rhinitis. Exposure to a specific allergen (or allergens) triggers an immune response in the body. This leads to inflammation and swelling of the tissue lining the nasal passages in the nose. A range of <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/hay-fever#:%7E:text=Key%20facts,dust%20mites%2C%20and%20animal%20fur.">allergens</a> may trigger such a response: pollen (from trees, grass or weeds), dust mites, pet fur, dander, mould and some air pollutants. Those with allergies that are only present for part of the year, such as pollen, experience what we call seasonal hay fever, while those with allergies that may be present at any time, such as dust mites and pet dander, experience perennial hay fever. <h2>Getting a diagnosis</h2> Many people with hay fever self-manage their symptoms by limiting exposure to allergens and using over-the-counter <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-do-hay-fever-treatments-actually-work-and-whats-best-for-my-symptoms-213071">antihistamines and steroid nasal sprays</a>. But this may require assistance from your GP and confirmation that what you’re experiencing is hay fever. Your GP can assess your symptoms and medical history, provide a diagnosis, and help with treating and managing your symptoms. Your GP may also be able help you identify potential allergens, based on when you experience symptoms and the environments to which you’re exposed. If symptoms persist, your GP may suggest allergy testing. They may refer you to a specialist called an immunologist, to determine what particular allergen is causing your symptoms, using <a href="https://www.allergy.org.au/patients/allergy-testing/allergy-testing">skin prick tests or blood tests</a>. Tests typically involve controlled exposure to small quantities of suspected allergens. But note, there are a number of tests marketed online that are unproven and not recommended by reputable bodies. <h2>How else can I work out what I’m allergic to?</h2> For those with seasonal hay fever, resources are available to help manage exposures, based on the flowering seasons for common allergy-related species or through pollen forecasting services. The Australian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy provides a <a href="https://www.allergy.org.au/patients/allergic-rhinitis-hay-fever-and-sinusitis/guide-to-common-allergenic-pollen">useful pollen guide</a> for each species and when they’re most likely to cause symptoms, broken down for each state and territory. Pollen monitoring and forecasting services – such as <a href="https://www.perthpollen.com.au/">Perth Pollen</a>, <a href="https://www.melbournepollen.com.au/">Melbourne Pollen</a> and <a href="https://www.sydneypollen.com.au/">Sydney Pollen</a>, as well as for other cities – can help you plan outdoor activities. There are also associated phone apps for these services, which can give notifications when the pollen count is high. You can down load these apps (such as <a href="https://airrater.org/">AirRater</a>, Perth Pollen, Melbourne Pollen and Sydney Pollen) from your preferred app store. Apps such as <a href="https://airrater.org/">AirRater</a> also allow you to enter information about your symptoms, which can then be matched to the environmental conditions at the time (pollen count, temperature, smoke, and so on). Using statistical modelling, the app may be able to establish a link between symptoms and exposure. If a sufficiently high correlation is established, the app can send you notifications when the <a href="https://airrater.org/how-does-it-work/">exposure risk</a> is high. This may prompt you to limit outdoor activities and have any medication readily available. <hr /> Further information about managing allergic rhinitis is available from <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/hay-fever">healthdirect</a> and <a href="https://allergyfacts.org.au/__interest/allergic-rhinitis/">Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia</a> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ryan-mead-hunter-1480189">Ryan Mead-Hunter</a>, Senior lecturer, School of Population Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/curtin-university-873">Curtin University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/i-have-hay-fever-how-can-i-tell-what-im-allergic-to-240450">original article</a>. </div>

Body

Why do I have hay fever? I didn’t have it as a child

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/janet-davies-103598">Janet Davies</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/joy-lee-1480523">Joy Lee</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a> Hay fever (or allergic rhinitis) is a long-term inflammatory condition that’s incredibly common. It affects about <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health-conditions-and-risks/national-health-survey-state-and-territory-findings/latest-release">one-quarter</a> of Australians. Symptoms vary but <a href="https://www.allergy.org.au/patients/fast-facts/hay-fever-allergic-rhinitis">can include</a> sneezing, itchy eyes and a runny or blocked nose. Hay fever can also contribute to sinus and ear infections, snoring, poor sleep and asthma, as well as lower performance at school or work. But many people didn’t have hay fever as a child, and only develop symptoms as a teenager or adult. Here’s how a combination of genetics, hormones and the environment can lead to people developing hay fever later in life. <h2>Remind me, what is hay fever?</h2> Hay fever is caused by the nose, eyes and throat coming into contact with a substance to which a person is allergic, known as an allergen. Common sources of outside allergens include airborne grass, weed or tree pollen, and mould spores. Pollen allergens can be carried indoors on clothes, and through open windows and doors. Depending on where you live, you may be exposed to a range of pollen types across the pollen season, but grass pollen is the most common trigger of hay fever. In <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0013935122010891?via%3Dihub">some regions</a> the grass pollen season can extend from spring well into summer and autumn. <h2>How does hay fever start?</h2> Hay fever symptoms most commonly start in adolescence or young adulthood. <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/JAA.S170285">One study</a> found 7% of children aged six had hay fever, but that grew to 44% of adults aged 24. Before anyone has hay fever symptoms, their immune system has already been “sensitised” to specific allergens, often allergens of grass pollen. Exposure to these allergens means their immune system has made a particular type of antibody (known as IgE) against them. During repeated or prolonged exposure to an allergen source such as pollen, a person’s immune system may start to respond to another part of the same allergen, or another allergen within the pollen. Over time, these new allergic sensitisations can lead to development of <a href="https://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(12)00959-1/fulltext">hay fever</a> and possibly other conditions, such as allergic asthma. <h2>Why do some people only develop hay fever as an adult?</h2> 1. Environmental factors Some people develop hay fever as an adult simply because they’ve had more time to become sensitised to specific allergens. Migration or moving to a new location can also change someone’s risk of developing hay fever. This may be due to exposure to different <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969722076884">pollens</a>, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969724060194?via%3Dihub">climate and weather</a>, green space <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/all.14177">and/or</a> air quality factors. A number of studies <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0105347">show</a> people who have migrated from low- and middle-income countries to higher-income countries may be at a higher risk of developing hay fever. This may due to local environmental conditions influencing expression of genes that regulate the immune system. 2. Hormonal factors <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anai.2015.04.019">Hormonal changes</a> at puberty may also help drive the onset of hay fever. This may relate to sex hormones, such as oestrogen and progesterone, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9392967/#R55">affecting</a> histamine levels, immune regulation, and the response of cells in the lining of the nose and lower airways. 3. Genetic factors <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ng.3985">Our genes</a> underpin <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK542187/">our risk</a> of hay fever, and whether this and other related allergic disease persists. For instance, babies with the skin condition eczema (known as atopic dermatitis) have a <a href="https://www.annallergy.org/article/S1081-1206(21)00172-1/abstract">three times greater risk</a> of developing hay fever (and asthma) later in life. Having a food allergy in childhood is also a risk factor for developing hay fever later in life. In the case of a peanut allergy, that risk is more than <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27542726/">2.5 times greater</a>. <h2>What are the best options for treatment?</h2> Depending on where you live, avoiding allergen exposures can be difficult. But <a href="https://auspollen.edu.au/auspollensitesmap/">pollen count forecasts</a>, if available, can be useful. These can help you decide whether it’s best to stay inside to reduce your pollen exposure, or to take preventative medications. You may also find <a href="https://www.health.vic.gov.au/environmental-health/epidemic-thunderstorm-asthma-risk-forecast">alerts on thunderstorm asthma</a>, where pollens combine with specific weather conditions to trigger <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-could-see-thunderstorm-asthma-in-south-eastern-australia-this-season-heres-how-to-prepare-215793">breathing difficulties</a>. If you have mild, occasional hay fever symptoms, you can take non-drowsy antihistamines, which you can buy at the pharmacy. However, for more severe or persistent symptoms, intranasal steroid sprays, or an intranasal spray containing a steroid with antihistamine, are the <a href="https://theconversation.com/can-i-take-antihistamines-everyday-more-than-the-recommended-dose-what-if-im-pregnant-heres-what-the-research-says-228390">most effective treatments</a>. However, it is important to use these <a href="https://allergyfacts.org.au/allergic-rhinitis-treatment/">regularly and correctly</a>. Allergen immunotherapy, also known as desensitisation, is an <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/all.13201">effective treatment</a> for people with severe hay fever symptoms that can reduce the need for medication and avoiding allergens. However, it involves a longer treatment course (about three years), usually with the supervision of an allergy or immunology specialist. <h2>When should people see their doctor?</h2> It is important to treat hay fever, because symptoms can significantly affect a <a href="https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/11/e038870.long">person’s quality of life</a>. A GP can: <ul> <li> recommend treatments for hay fever and can guide you to use them correctly </li> <li> organise blood tests to confirm which allergen sensitisations (if any) are present, and whether these correlate with your symptoms </li> <li> screen for asthma, which commonly exists with hay fever, and may require other treatments </li> <li> arrange referrals to allergy or immunology specialists, if needed, for other tests, such as allergen skin prick testing, or to consider <a href="https://www.allergy.org.au/patients/allergy-treatments/allergen-immunotherapy">allergen immunotherapy</a> if symptoms are severe. </li> </ul> <hr /> More information about hay fever is available from the <a href="https://www.allergy.org.au/patients/fast-facts/hay-fever-allergic-rhinitis">Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy</a> and <a href="https://allergyfacts.org.au/">Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia</a>.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/239409/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/janet-davies-103598">Janet Davies</a>, Respiratory Allergy Stream Co-chair, National Allergy Centre of Excellence; Professor and Head, Allergy Research Group, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/joy-lee-1480523">Joy Lee</a>, Respiratory Allergy Stream member, National Allergy Centre of Excellence; Associate Professor, School of Translational Medicine, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065">Monash University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-i-have-hay-fever-i-didnt-have-it-as-a-child-239409">original article</a>. </div>

Body

I have a stuffy nose, how can I tell if it’s hay fever, COVID or something else?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/deryn-thompson-1449312">Deryn Thompson</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a> Hay fever (also called allergic rhinitis) affects <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health-conditions-and-risks/national-health-survey-state-and-territory-findings/latest-release">24%</a> of Australians. <a href="https://www.allergy.org.au/patients/allergic-rhinitis-hay-fever-and-sinusitis/allergic-rhinitis-or-hay-fever">Symptoms</a> include sneezing, a runny nose (which may feel blocked or stuffy) and itchy eyes. People can also experience an itchy nose, throat or ears. But COVID is still <a href="https://theconversation.com/xec-is-now-in-australia-heres-what-we-know-about-this-hybrid-covid-variant-239292">spreading</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/i-feel-sick-how-do-i-know-if-i-have-the-flu-covid-rsv-or-something-else-234266">other viruses</a> can cause cold-like symptoms. So how do you know which one you’ve got? <h2>Remind me, how does hay fever cause symptoms?</h2> <a href="https://www.allergy.org.au/hp/papers/allergic-rhinitis-clinical-update">Hay fever</a> happens when a person has become “sensitised” to an allergen trigger. This means a person’s body is always primed to react to this trigger. Triggers can include allergens in the air (such as pollen from trees, grasses and flowers), mould spores, animals or house dust mites which mostly live in people’s mattresses and bedding, and feed on shed skin. When the body is exposed to the trigger, it produces IgE (immunoglobulin E) antibodies. These cause the release of many of the body’s own chemicals, including histamine, which result in hay fever symptoms. People who have asthma may find their asthma symptoms (cough, wheeze, tight chest or trouble breathing) worsen when exposed to airborne allergens. Spring and sometimes into summer can be the worst time for people with grass, tree or flower allergies. However, animal and house dust mite symptoms usually happen year-round. <h2>What else might be causing my symptoms?</h2> Hay fever does not cause a fever, sore throat, muscle aches and pains, weakness, loss of taste or smell, nor does it cause you to cough up mucus. These symptoms are likely to be caused by a virus, such as COVID, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) or a “cold” (often caused by rhinoviruses). These conditions can occur all year round, with some overlap of symptoms: <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/624085/original/file-20241007-16-xf6euv.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/624085/original/file-20241007-16-xf6euv.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/624085/original/file-20241007-16-xf6euv.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=582&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/624085/original/file-20241007-16-xf6euv.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=582&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/624085/original/file-20241007-16-xf6euv.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=582&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/624085/original/file-20241007-16-xf6euv.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=731&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/624085/original/file-20241007-16-xf6euv.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=731&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/624085/original/file-20241007-16-xf6euv.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=731&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption><a class="source" href="https://theconversation.com/i-feel-sick-how-do-i-know-if-i-have-the-flu-covid-rsv-or-something-else-234266">Natasha Yates/The Conversation</a></figcaption></figure> COVID still <a href="https://theconversation.com/xec-is-now-in-australia-heres-what-we-know-about-this-hybrid-covid-variant-239292">surrounds</a> us. <a href="https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/public+content/sa+health+internet/about+us/health+statistics/surveillance+of+notifiable+conditions/respiratory+infections+dashboard">RSV and influenza</a> rates appear higher than before the COVID pandemic, but it may be <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10888990/#:%7E:text=Increases%20in%20RSV%20patient%20volume,with%20an%20RSV%20diagnosis%20occurred">due to more testing</a>. So if you have a fever, sore throat, muscle aches/pains, weakness, fatigue, or are coughing up mucus, stay home and avoid mixing with others to limit transmission. People with COVID symptoms can take a rapid antigen test (<a href="https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-04/coronavirus-covid-19-rapid-antigen-tests.pdf">RAT</a>), ideally when <a href="https://www.cochrane.org/CD013705/INFECTN_how-accurate-are-rapid-antigen-tests-diagnosing-covid-19">symptoms start</a>, then isolate until symptoms disappear. <a href="https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2023/219/11/covid-19-rapid-antigen-tests-approved-self-testing-australia-published">One negative RAT alone</a> can’t rule out COVID if symptoms are still present, so test again 24–48 hours after your initial test if symptoms persist. You can now test yourself for COVID, RSV and influenza in a <a href="https://www.tga.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-02/covid-19-rapid-antigen-self-tests-are-approved-australia-ifu-406813.PDF">combined RAT</a>. But again, a negative test doesn’t rule out the virus. If your symptoms continue, <a href="https://www.tga.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-02/covid-19-rapid-antigen-self-tests-are-approved-australia-ifu-406813.PDF">test again</a> 24–48 hours after the previous test. <h2>If it’s hay fever, how do I treat it?</h2> Treatment involves blocking the body’s histamine release, by taking antihistamine medication which helps reduce the symptoms. Doctors, nurse practitioners and pharmacists can develop a <a href="https://www.allergy.org.au/images/pc/ASCIA_Allergic_Rhinitis_Treatment_Plan_2024.pdf">hay fever care plan</a>. This may include using a nasal spray containing a topical corticosteroid to help reduce the swelling inside the nose, which causes stuffiness or blockage. Nasal sprays need to delivered <a href="https://allergyfacts.org.au/are-you-using-your-nasal-spray-correctly/">using correct technique</a> and used over several weeks to work properly. Often these sprays can also help lessen the itchy eyes of hay fever. Drying bed linen and pyjamas inside during spring can <a href="https://www.allergy.org.au/patients/allergy-treatments/allergen-minimisation">lessen symptoms</a>, as can putting a <a href="https://www.nps.org.au/consumers/managing-hay-fever">smear of Vaseline</a> in the nostrils when going outside. Pollen sticks to the Vaseline, and gently blowing your nose later removes it. People with asthma should also have an <a href="https://asthma.org.au/manage-asthma/asthma-action-plan/">asthma plan</a>, created by their doctor or nurse practitioner, explaining how to adjust their asthma reliever and preventer medications in hay fever seasons or on allergen exposure. People with asthma also need to be <a href="https://www.nationalasthma.org.au/living-with-asthma/resources/patients-carers/factsheets/thunderstorm-asthma">alert for thunderstorms</a>, where pollens can burst into tinier particles, be inhaled deeper in the lungs and cause a severe asthma attack, and even death. <h2>What if it’s COVID, RSV or the flu?</h2> Australians aged 70 and over and others with underlying health conditions who test positive for COVID are <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/covid-19/medications#at-home">eligible for antivirals</a> to reduce their chance of severe illness. Most other people with COVID, RSV and influenza will recover at home with rest, fluids and paracetamol to relieve symptoms. However some groups are at greater risk of serious illness and may require additional treatment or hospitalisation. For <a href="https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Pages/respiratory-syncytial-virus.aspx">RSV</a>, this includes premature infants, babies 12 months and younger, children under two who have other medical conditions, adults over 75, people with heart and lung conditions, or health conditions that lessens the immune system response. For influenza, people at <a href="https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/Influenza/Pages/at-risk.aspx">higher risk</a> of severe illness are pregnant women, Aboriginal people, people under five or over 65 years, or people with long-term medical conditions, such as kidney, heart, lung or liver disease, diabetes and decreased immunity. If you’re concerned about severe symptoms of COVID, RSV or influenza, consult your doctor or call 000 in an emergency. If your symptoms are mild but persist, and you’re not sure what’s causing them, book an appointment with your doctor or nurse practitioner. Although hay fever season is here, we need to avoid spreading other serious infectious. For more information, you can call the healthdirect helpline on 1800 022 222 (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria); use the <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/symptom-checker">online Symptom Checker</a>; or visit <a href="http://healthdirect.gov.au/">healthdirect.gov.au</a> or the <a href="https://www.allergy.org.au/patients/allergy-treatments/allergen-minimisation">Australian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy</a>.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/240453/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/deryn-thompson-1449312">Deryn Thompson</a>, Eczema and Allergy Nurse; Lecturer, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/i-have-a-stuffy-nose-how-can-i-tell-if-its-hay-fever-covid-or-something-else-240453">original article</a>. </div>

Body

How do I know when it’s time to replace my running shoes?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/john-arnold-178470">John Arnold</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/joel-fuller-2210202">Joel Fuller</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/macquarie-university-1174">Macquarie University</a> Any runner will tell you there’s nothing better than slipping on a brand new pair of shoes. But how regularly should runners fork out hundreds of dollars on their next pair? Conventional wisdom tells us the average lifespan of a running shoe is around 500 to 800 kilometres. But where did this advice come from, and is it based on science? Some evidence comes from <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0363546585013004">impact testing</a> with machines designed to simulate the shoe repeatedly contacting the ground during running. Other evidence comes from <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/19424280.2010.519348">monitoring runners who have used shoes in the real world</a> for long periods. This research is often focused on shoe materials and structure. But we think more compelling markers for the runner are shoe comfort, performance benefit and injury risk. Rather than seeking a “one-size-fits-all” answer to how many kilometres your shoes should be limited to, it’s also better to consider individual signs based on your shoe type and its purpose. <h2>The three signs to watch for</h2> Runners tend to replace their shoes for three main reasons: <ol> <li>they believe their performance is being negatively impacted</li> <li>their shoes are leading to some bodily discomfort which may cause (or has already caused) an injury</li> <li>the shoes are no longer comfortable or “feel” as good as they used to.</li> </ol> So what does the evidence say about these factors? <h2>Performance</h2> Some shoe material properties do contribute to enhanced running efficiency. Degrading these materials by racking up the kilometres may hinder peak performance on race day. This is most clearly seen in carbon fibre plate shoes used by modern elite runners to achieve <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-020-01420-7">rapid road race times</a>. The design features <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-018-1024-z">thought to drive this</a> are the combination of highly compliant and resilient midsole foam and a stiff embedded carbon fibre plate, which support energy storage and return. Runners will typically “save” these shoes for race day and replace them after fewer kilometres, compared to conventional running shoes. The available research does support the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-017-0811-2">performance benefits of these shoes</a>. However, it’s not known how long the benefits last relative to kilometres of wear. To our best knowledge, there’s only one study on running performance and shoe wear, but unfortunately it did not involve carbon fibre plate shoes. A University of Connecticut 2020 <a href="http://hdl.handle.net/11134/20002:860659513">master’s thesis</a> investigated eight college-level runners over 400 miles (643km) of Nike Pegasus shoe use. Large reductions in running economy were reported at 240km, and this was statistically significant at 320km. No reduction was observed at 160km. So, if you’re chasing personal best times, the evidence above suggests that for peak performance, shoes should be replaced somewhere between 160 and 240km (although this is not directly based on carbon fibre plate shoe research). It appears that minimising training kilometres for your favourite racing shoes – keeping them “fresh” – could contribute to peak performance on race day, compared to racing in a pair of old shoes. <h2>Injury or discomfort</h2> The link between shoe wear and injury is unclear, and based on <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/37/3/239">minimal and often conflicting evidence</a>. One study did find that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.12154">runners who alternate their running shoes</a> have a lower risk of injury than runners who run only in the same pair of shoes over a 22-week period. Runners who alternated shoes throughout the study period would have accumulated less wear in each shoe. This provides some support for the notion that accumulating too many kilometres in your shoes may increase risk of injury. Unfortunately, the exact age of running shoes was not reported in this study. However, based on the running characteristics reported, the single-shoe pair users completed an average of 320km in their shoes (after adjusting for a small fraction who had to replace shoes during the study). This was compared to the multi-shoe pair users who used an average of 3.6 pairs of shoes, ran more total kilometres, but accumulated an average of only 200km per shoe pair. <h2>Comfort</h2> Comfort and fit are the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19424280.2024.2353597#abstract">two most important factors</a> to runners when selecting running shoes. Evidence linking improved shoe comfort to <a href="https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/fulltext/2001/11000/relationship_between_footwear_comfort_of_shoe.21.aspx">reduced injury rates</a> or <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17461391.2019.1640288">improved running economy</a> is mixed, but reducing harms from poorly fitting and uncomfortable shoes is clearly a priority for runners. Most <a href="https://commons.nmu.edu/isbs/vol35/iss1/293/">runners land on their heel</a>. The repeated compression of the midsole causes the material to harden, possibly after as <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5534152/pdf/ijspt-12-616.pdf">little as 160km</a>, according to one study from 2017. However, there was virtually no change in the amount of cushioning runners perceived under their heel after 160km. Even after using the shoes for 640km, they felt little difference – about 3%. While at first this might seem like runners are not very good at judging when shoes lose their cushioning, it also tells us changes in perceived shoe cushioning are very gradual and may not be important for runners until they reach a certain threshold. This amount will differ from person to person, and from shoe to shoe, but research suggests it’s not until perceived cushioning reaches about a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02640414.2020.1773613?casa_token=P87vatZhOlgAAAAA%3ACu11TZmGjKc1xYsaUlEVfWvZDvcSnx3qgKL1E2DsRYwf6hMvBiyVAm-M_-4Iauq4lwHna0QMu1IRmw">10% change</a> that runners consider it meaningful. We must be careful when applying these findings to the latest running shoes which use newer materials. But you can use it as a rule of thumb – once you notice a drop in comfort, it’s time to get a new pair. <h2>When to choose new shoes</h2> Ultimately, there’s no one simple answer for when you should get new running shoes. You may also not keep close track of how many kilometres your favourite pair has racked up. Overall, we believe the most practical advice is to keep your racing shoes “fresh” (under 240km), alternate a couple of other pairs during regular training, and replace them when you detect a notable drop in comfort.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/238997/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/john-arnold-178470">John Arnold</a>, Senior lecturer, Sport & Exercise Biomechanics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/joel-fuller-2210202">Joel Fuller</a>, Senior Lecturer, Department of Health Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/macquarie-university-1174">Macquarie University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-do-i-know-when-its-time-to-replace-my-running-shoes-238997">original article</a>. </div>

Beauty & Style

How can I stop using food to cope with negative emotions?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/inge-gnatt-1425767">Inge Gnatt</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/swinburne-university-of-technology-767">Swinburne University of Technology</a> Have you ever noticed changes in your eating habits when you are sad, bored or anxious? Many people report eating either more, or less, as a way of helping them to cope when they experience difficult emotions. Although this is a very normal response, it can take the pleasure out of eating, and can become distressing and bring about other feelings of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2018.02.008">shame and self-criticism</a>. Adding to the complexity of it all, we live in a world where <a href="https://butterfly.org.au/diet-culture-101/">diet culture</a> is unavoidable, and our relationship to eating, food and body image can become complicated and confusing. <h2>Emotional eating is common</h2> “Emotional eating” refers to the eating behaviours (typically eating more) that occur in response to difficult emotions. <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041744">Research shows</a> around 20% of people regularly engage in emotional eating, with a higher prevalence <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0285446">among adolescents</a> and women. In a <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0285446#sec012">study</a> of more than 1,500 adolescents, 34% engaged in emotional eating while sad and 40% did so while anxious. Foods consumed are often fast-foods and other energy-dense, nutrient-poor convenience foods. <h2>Stress, strong emotions and depression</h2> For some people, emotional eating was simply a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-09519-0">habit formed earlier in life</a> that has persisted over time. But other factors might also contribute to the likelihood of emotional eating. The physiological effects of stress and strong emotions, for example, can influence hormones such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0306-4530(00)00035-4">cortisol, insulin and glucose</a>, which can also increase appetite. Increased impulsivity (<a href="https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.158.11.1783">behaving</a> before thinking things through), vulnerability to depression, a tendency to ruminate and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840X.2014.940781">difficulties regulating emotions</a> also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/FBP.0b013e328357bd4e">increase the likelihood</a> of emotional eating. <h2>So what do you do?</h2> First, know that fluctuations in eating are normal. However, if you find that the way you eat in response to difficult emotions is not working for you, there are a few things you can do. Starting with small things that are achievable but can have a huge impact, such as prioritising <a href="https://theconversation.com/no-sleep-challenge-the-dangers-of-sleep-deprivation-236608">getting enough sleep</a> and <a href="https://insideoutinstitute.org.au/podcasts/episode-3-the-mindful-dietitian-fiona-sutherland">eating regularly</a>. Then, you can start to think about how you handle your emotions and hunger cues. <h2>Expand your emotional awareness</h2> Often we label emotions as good or bad, and this can result in fear, avoidance, and <a href="https://youtu.be/NDQ1Mi5I4rg?si=lv9d8qjUThSsemXG">unhelpful coping strategies</a> such as emotional eating. But it’s also important to <a href="https://www.pspnet.ca/assets/the-gottman-institute-the-feeling-wheel-v2.pdf">differentiate</a> the exact emotion. This might be feeling isolated, powerless or victimised, rather than something as broad as sad. By <a href="https://headspace.org.au/online-and-phone-support/interactive-tools/activities/understanding-emotions/">noticing</a> what the emotion is, we can bring curiosity to what it means, how we feel in our minds and bodies, and how we think and behave in response. <h2>Tap into your feelings of hunger and fullness</h2> Developing an intuitive way of eating is another helpful strategy to promote <a href="https://insideoutinstitute.org.au/blog/what-is-normal-eating">healthy eating behaviours</a>. Intuitive eating means recognising, understanding and responding to internal signals of hunger and fullness. This might mean tuning in to and acknowledging physical hunger cues, responding by eating food that is nourishing and enjoyable, and identifying sensations of fullness. Intuitive eating <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23509">encourages flexibility</a> and thinking about the pleasure we get from food and eating. This style of eating also allows us to enjoy eating out with friends, and sample local delicacies when travelling. It can also reduce the psychological distress from feeling out of control with your <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2013.12.024">eating</a> habits and the associated negative <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2015.10.012">body image</a>. <h2>When is it time to seek help?</h2> For some people, the thoughts and behaviours relating to food, eating and body image can negatively impact their life. Having the support of friends and family, accessing <a href="https://nedc.com.au/eating-disorder-resources/interactive-digital-resource-for-eating-disorders">online resources</a> and, in some instances, seeing a trained professional, can be very helpful. There are many <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-020-01498-4">therapeutic interventions</a> that work to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2015.02.010">improve aspects</a> associated with emotional eating. These will depend on your situation, needs, stage of life and other factors, such as whether you are <a href="https://nedc.com.au/eating-disorders/types/neurodivergence">neurodivergent</a>. The best approach is to engage with someone who can bring compassion and understanding to your personal situation, and work with you collaboratively. This work might include: <ul> <li>unpacking some of the patterns that could be underlying these emotions, thoughts and behaviours</li> <li>helping you to discover your emotions</li> <li>supporting you to process other experiences, such as trauma exposure</li> <li>developing a more flexible and intuitive way of eating.</li> </ul> One of the dangers that can occur in response to emotional eating is the temptation to diet, which can lead to disordered eating, and eating disorder behaviours. Indicators of a potential <a href="https://nedc.com.au/eating-disorders/eating-disorders-explained/whats-an-eating-disorder">eating disorder</a> can include: <ul> <li>recent rapid weight loss</li> <li>preoccupation with weight and shape (which is usually in contrast to other people’s perceptions)</li> <li>eating large amounts of food within a short space of time (two hours or less) and feeling a sense of loss of control</li> <li>eating in secret</li> <li>compensating for food eaten (with vomiting, exercise or laxatives).</li> </ul> <a href="https://nedc.com.au/eating-disorders/treatment-and-recovery/treatment-options">Evidence-based approaches</a> can support people experiencing eating disorders. To find a health professional who is informed and specialises in this area, search the <a href="https://butterfly.org.au/get-support/butterflys-referral-database/">Butterfly Foundation’s expert database</a>. <hr /> If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or the <a href="https://butterfly.org.au/get-support/helpline/">Butterfly Foundation</a> on 1800 ED HOPE (1800 33 4673).<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/238218/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/inge-gnatt-1425767">Inge Gnatt</a>, PhD Candidate, Lecturer in Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/swinburne-university-of-technology-767">Swinburne University of Technology</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-can-i-stop-using-food-to-cope-with-negative-emotions-238218">original article</a>. </div>

Body

‘We’re all Muriel’: why we still love Muriel’s Wedding, 30 years on

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lisa-french-12625">Lisa French</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a> P.J. Hogan’s classic Australian film Muriel’s Wedding is 30 and it plays as well today as it did when it had its world premiere. Muriel might have been “terrible” – but the film was a great success. Australians love to laugh at themselves, and everyone loves an underdog. Muriel’s Wedding took more than A$15 million at the box office in Australia — making it one of the <a href="https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/fact-finders/cinema/australian-films/feature-film-releases/top-australian-films">highest-grossing</a> Australian feature films of all time. As fun as the film is with its kitsch aesthetic, bold colour palette and garish costumes, it has a unique mix of comedy and serious drama. It slips from the absurd to painful realism, with more depth than your average comedy and a twist in the plot that made it an original take on the genre. While Australians generally have received it as hilarious, audiences elsewhere were more attuned to the tragedy, such as Muriel’s mother Betty’s suicide following relentless bullying, and Rhonda’s illness and disability. But it worked for audiences everywhere who warmed to the representation of friendship, its emotional compassion and critique of the narrow mindedness of small-town communities. <h2>‘We’re all Muriel’</h2> Sometimes it is the stars who can bring in an audience and make a film successful. However, although there were a lot of experienced actors in Muriel’s Wedding, Toni Collette (Muriel) and Rachel Griffiths (Rhonda) – whose performances were exceptional – were both playing lead and supporting roles for the first time in a feature film. It was also Hogan’s first feature, so it is unlikely star power drew in audiences (although all of them were to become stars, and Hogan later directed My Best Friend’s Wedding with Julia Roberts, one of the <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/08/best-romantic-comedies-list">top romantic comedies of all time</a>). It did, however, have a wonderful trailer. I asked Rachel Griffiths what she thought was the key to the film’s success and she identified its universality: it translated for an array of audiences and enabled broad identification. She described the film as having one foot in the grotesque and the other in Ridley Scott’s 1991 getaway heist Thelma & Louise – another film about female friendship, independence and individual growth. Griffiths gave the example of going with the film to New York on its release and discovering it was wildly meaningful to the LGBTQIA+ community. In conversation with a gay man in his late 20s, he described it as a parable for AIDS, which at that time was in full-blown crisis. According to Griffiths, he said: “We’re all Muriel. We don’t fit in.” <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/laHqRJeXeVU?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> Growing up in small towns where they are “the freak”, with closet musical tastes, he said: <blockquote> We’re the outcasts in our family. Our fathers belittle us for being feminine. We escape to the big smoke with the promise of becoming ourselves and following our own journey. We replace our families who have rejected us with our chosen family who celebrate us. </blockquote> And when one of their own is struck suddenly by this terrible affliction, like Rhonda, they are sent home in humiliation, to be looked after, which is their worst fear. The aspiration is to be rescued by the adopted family and taken back to the big city and shown unconditional love. Griffiths says: <blockquote> That’s the ending and the survival story of both Rhonda and Muriel, you go back to that kind of pride moment, to be proud of who you are. </blockquote> For Griffiths, Rhonda and Muriel have “a kind of blood-sister friendship, a bond that can’t be broken”. We all long for that deep acceptance. It is a parable of inclusion, where Muriel and Rhonda truly see and accept each other and themselves. <h2>A feminist film</h2> I asked Griffiths if Muriel’s Wedding was received as feminist when it was released. She replied it wasn’t at the time it was made, but more recently this has come up. Her explanation of why this wasn’t considered 30 years ago is informative regarding film criticism. She elaborated that the critics at the time were 90% male and their take on feminism expected powerful female lead characters who pursue their goals and achieve in the face of competition. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oykn8YgGkJs?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> In this story, there is a girl escaping patriarchal control. Muriel’s father, Bill Heslop (Bill Hunter), is a bully and narcissist who blames everyone else – especially the women – for his failures. Griffiths aligns Muriel to the Cinderella myth because in the beginning she sees her value will only be ascribed to her once she marries. The film, Griffiths said, is “a fundamental kind of feminist journey”. The central focus is Muriel’s personal growth in rejecting ideology that promotes romantic coupling as the pinnacle of happiness for women. Instead Muriel embraces her own worth and her friendship with Rhonda. Marriage is portrayed as a patriarchal structure that ideologically binds women – the marriages are variously fraudulent, starting with Tanya and Chook, then Muriel and, ultimately, her mother. There are many elements that make Muriel’s Wedding an Australian classic, from the universal themes and relatability to how the story is able to extend beyond national borders. The film leaves us with admiration for resilience in the face of adversity, signalled by Muriel and Rhonda grinning assuredly at each other in the final scene. It is a unique and very real comedy/drama with a highly engaging aesthetic and a feminist message. It is an opportunity to laugh at ourselves, despite quite a lot of tragedy and adversity — which is a very Australian thing to do! The author wishes to thank Rachel Griffiths who was interviewed in Melbourne on August 17 2020.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/236793/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lisa-french-12625">Lisa French</a>, Professor & Dean, School of Media and Communication, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a> Image credits: Miramax This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/were-all-muriel-why-we-still-love-muriels-wedding-30-years-on-236793">original article</a>. </div>

Movies

"I need answers": Devastated widow vows to stage hunger strike

A woman who lost her husband and son in the devastating crash at a pub in Victoria last year has vowed to stage a protest, just days after the driver of the car was dismissed of all charges. In November 2023, 66-year-old William Swale was behind the wheel of his BMW when he suffered a medical episode, crashing into the beer garden of The Royal Daylesford Hotel, killing five people. Charges against Mr Swale were <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/finance/legal/charges-dropped-over-crash-that-killed-five-people" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dropped</a> on Thursday, after a magistrate ruled the evidence against him was “so weak”. Mr Swale's lawyers successfully argued his actions were not voluntary because he was in a state of severe hypoglycaemia, as he is an insulin-dependent diabetic. After hearing that the charges were dropped, Ruchi Bhatia, whose husband Vivek, their son Vihaan, 11, were killed as a result of the crash, says the ruling is as though she has lost them all over again. Ruchi and her nine-year-old son were also injured in the crash, but survived after spending months in hospital. Speaking for the first time since the deadly incident, Bhatia expressed her pain and said it feels like her life has been torn apart again, recalling the horrifying moment she woke in hospital to learn her husband and eldest son did not make it. “Still today I don’t believe that they are not with me,” she told <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/daylesford-beer-garden-crash-victim-ruchi-bhatia-plans-protest-after-driver-charges-dismissed-c-16164598" target="_blank" rel="noopener">7News</a>. “We were just having fun, we were outside, we were all together and the next moment they were gone and I’m never going to see them again.” In court on Thursday, Magistrate Guillaume Bailin found the prosecution case was flawed and decided not to commit Swale to stand criminal trial, as all charges were dropped and Mr Swale walked out of court a free man. Despite the ruling, Bhatia is demanding answers and says her fight for justice is far from over. “He stopped the car in the middle of the road — why did he start his engine again? I need answers for that,” she said. Bhatia and her family are planning to protest, which will include a hunger strike. While Bhatia said she knew the protest wouldn't bring back her family, she said they needed justice to move on from the tragedy. Image credits: 7News

Family & Pets

Why do I need to take some medicines with food?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mary-bushell-919262">Mary Bushell</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-canberra-865">University of Canberra</a> Have you ever been instructed to take your medicine with food and wondered why? Perhaps you’ve wondered if you really need to? There are varied reasons, and sometimes complex science and chemistry, behind why you may be advised to take a medicine with food. To complicate matters, some similar medicines need to be taken differently. The antibiotic amoxicillin with clavulanic acid (sold as Amoxil Duo Forte), for example, is recommended to be taken with food, while amoxicillin alone (sold as Amoxil), can be taken with or without food. Different brands of the same medicine may also have different recommendations when it comes to taking it with food. <h2>Food impacts drug absorption</h2> Food can affect how fast and how much a drug is absorbed into the body in up to <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jpp/article-abstract/71/4/510/6122024?login=false">40% of medicines</a> taken orally. When you have food in your stomach, the makeup of the digestive juices change. This includes things like the fluid volume, thickness, pH (which becomes less acidic with food), surface tension, movement and how much salt is in your bile. These changes can impair or enhance drug absorption. Eating a meal also delays how fast the contents of the stomach move into the small intestine – this is known as <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9505616/">gastric emptying</a>. The small intestine has a large surface area and rich blood supply – and this is the primary site of drug absorption. Eating a larger meal, or one with lots of fibre, delays gastric emptying more than a smaller meal. Sometimes, health professionals will advise you to take a medicine with food, to help your body absorb the drug more slowly. But if a drug can be taken with or without food – such as paracetamol – and you want it to work faster, take it on an empty stomach. <h2>Food can make medicines more tolerable</h2> Have you ever taken a medicine on an empty stomach and felt nauseated soon after? Some medicines can cause stomach upsets. Metformin, for example, is a drug that reduces blood glucose and treats type 2 diabetes and polycystic ovary syndrome. It commonly causes gastrointestinal symptoms, with <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4452716/">one in four users affected</a>. To combat these side effects, it is generally recommended to be taken with food. The same <a href="https://amhonline.amh.net.au/auth">advice</a> is given for corticosteroids (such as prednisolone/prednisone) and certain antibiotics (such as doxycycline). Taking some medicines with food makes them more tolerable and improves the chance you’ll take it for the duration it’s prescribed. <h2>Can food make medicines safer?</h2> Ibuprofen is one of the most widely used over-the-counter medicines, with around one in five Australians reporting use <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health-conditions-and-risks/medications/latest-release">within a two-week period</a>. While effective for pain and inflammation, ibuprofen can impact the stomach by inhibiting protective prostaglandins, increasing the risk of <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1586/14737175.6.11.1643#d1e212">bleeding, ulceration and perforation</a> with long-term use. But there <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4574824/">isn’t enough research</a> to show taking ibuprofen with food reduces this risk. Prolonged use may also affect kidney function, particularly in those with pre-existing conditions or dehydration. The <a href="https://amhonline.amh.net.au/auth">Australian Medicines Handbook</a>, which guides prescribers about medicine usage and dosage, advises taking ibuprofen (sold as Nurofen and Advil) with a glass of water – or with a meal if it upsets your stomach. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4574824/">A systematic review published in 2015</a> found food delays the transit of ibuprofen to the small intestine and absorption, which delays therapeutic effect and the time before pain relief. It also found taking short courses of ibuprofen without food reduced the need for additional doses. To reduce the risk of ibuprofen causing damage to your stomach or kidneys, use the lowest effective dose for the shortest duration, stay hydrated and avoid taking other <a href="https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/medications-non-steroidal-anti-inflammatory-drugs">non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines</a> at the same time. For people who use ibuprofen for prolonged periods and are at higher risk of gastrointestinal side effects (such as people with a history of ulcers or older adults), your prescriber may start you on a <a href="https://australianprescriber.tg.org.au/articles/peptic-ulcer-disease-and-non-steroidal-anti-inflammatory-drugs.html">proton pump inhibitor</a>, a medicine that reduces stomach acid and protects the stomach lining. <h2>How much food do you need?</h2> When you need to take a medicine with food, how much is enough? Sometimes a full glass of milk or a couple of crackers may be enough, for medicines such as prednisone/prednisolone. However, most head-to-head studies that compare the effects of a medicine “with food” and without, usually use a heavy meal to define “with food”. So, a cracker may not be enough, particularly for those with a sensitive stomach. A more substantial meal that includes a mix of fat, protein and carbohydrates is generally advised. Your health professional can advise you on which of your medicines need to be taken with food and how they interact with your digestive system.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/235782/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mary-bushell-919262">Mary Bushell</a>, Clinical Associate Professor in Pharmacy, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-canberra-865">University of Canberra</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-i-need-to-take-some-medicines-with-food-235782">original article</a>. </div>

Body

"I don't call that a life": Couple sign up to die in double suicide pod

Warning: This article contains sensitive content that some readers may find distressing. A couple from the UK has signed up to be the first to die in a double suicide pod, invented by an Australian doctor, after 46 years of marriage. Peter and Christine Scott, from Suffolk in England’s east, have shared their plans to travel to Switzerland to die together after Ms Scott, a former nurse, was diagnosed with early-stage vascular dementia. After meeting at a jazz club, the pair married 46 years ago, and shared that they have opted out of potentially years of hospital treatment and the crippling costs of care which could eat into their life savings. “We have had long, happy, healthy, fulfilled lives but here we are in old age and it does not do nice things to you,” Mr Scott, 86, told<a title="www.dailymail.co.uk" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13825105/Former-RAF-engineer-nurse-wife-sign-British-couple-use-double-suicide-pod-Switzerland-dementia.html"> The Daily Mail</a>. “The idea of watching the slow degradation of Chris’s mental abilities in parallel to my own physical decline is horrific to me,” the former Royal Air Force pilot added. “Obviously I would care for her to the point I could not, but she has nursed enough people with dementia during her career to be adamant she wants to remain in control of herself and her life”. “I would not want to go on living without her,” he said of his 80-year-old wife. “I don’t want to go into care, to be lying in bed dribbling and incontinent – I don’t call that a life”. As English law does not allow for euthanasia, the couple have planned their trip to Switzerland for the procedure, where Ms Scott has planned out her final days with her husband. “I’d like to go walking with Peter in the Swiss Alps, by a river. I’d have a beautiful plate of fish for my last supper, and enjoy a great bottle of Merlot,” she said. “I’d make a playlist including Wild Cat Blues and The Young Ones by Cliff Richard and I’ve found a poem called Miss Me But Let Me Go, which sums up exactly how I feel”. The suicide pod, known as Sarco, can be turned on with a simple flick of a switch from inside the futuristic capsule that resembles a modern car. The machine was invented by Australian Dr Philip Nitschke, who has long been behind a number of initiatives to allow legal euthanasia in Australia. The 3D printed Sarco capsule ends the lives of those inside by pumping the pod with nitrogen which replaces the oxygen in the pod, which renders the occupants unconscious within about a minute without, its claimed, any panic or distress. With falling oxygen, the person eventually suffocates. Dr Nitschke said the machine is activated by a button from inside the pod. “The capsule for two people works exactly the same as the single Sarco but there is only one button so they will decide between them who will push it,” he told <a title="www.dailymail.co.uk" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13825105/Former-RAF-engineer-nurse-wife-sign-British-couple-use-double-suicide-pod-Switzerland-dementia.html">The Daily Mail</a>. “Then they’ll be able to hold each other”. Image credits: Courtesy of Exit International

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‘We’re all Muriel’: why we still love Muriel’s Wedding, 30 years on

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Why do I need to take some medicines with food?

"I don't call that a life": Couple sign up to die in double suicide pod

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