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It’s official: Australia is set for a hot, dry El Niño. Here’s what that means for our flammable continent

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kevin-tolhurst-am-184">Kevin Tolhurst AM</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> An El Niño event has <a href="https://public.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/world-meteorological-organization-declares-onset-of-el-ni%C3%B1o-conditions">arrived</a>, according to the World Meteorological Organization, raising fears of record high global temperatures, extreme weather and, in Australia, a severe fire season. The El Niño is a reminder that bushfires are part of Australian life – especially as human-caused global warming worsens. But there are a few important considerations to note. First, <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/updates/articles/a008-el-nino-and-australia.shtml">not all</a> El Niño years result in bad bushfires. The presence of an El Niño is only one factor that determines the prevalence of bushfires. Other factors, such as the presence of drought, also come into play. And second, whether or not this fire season is a bad one, Australia must find a more sustainable and effective way to manage bushfires. The El Niño threat only makes the task more urgent. <h2>Understanding fire in Australia</h2> An El Niño is <a href="https://www.climate.gov/news-features/blogs/june-2023-enso-update-el-ni%C3%B1o-here">declared</a> when the sea surface temperature in large parts of the tropical Pacific Ocean warms significantly. The <a href="https://public.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/world-meteorological-organization-declares-onset-of-el-ni%C3%B1o-conditions">statement</a> by the World Meteorological Organization, released on Tuesday, said El Niño conditions have developed in the tropical Pacific for the first time in seven years “setting the stage for a likely surge in global temperatures and disruptive weather and climate patterns”. The organisation says there’s a 90% probability of the El Niño event continuing during the second half of 2023. It said El Niño can trigger extreme heat and also cause severe droughts over Australia and other parts of the world. But before we start planning ahead for the next bushfire season, it’s important to understand what drives bushfire risks – and the influence of climate change, fire management and events such as El Niño. The evidence for human-induced climate change is <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-cycle/">irrefutable</a>. While the global climate has changed significantly <a href="https://theconversation.com/while-we-fixate-on-coronavirus-earth-is-hurtling-towards-a-catastrophe-worse-than-the-dinosaur-extinction-130869">in the past</a>, the current changes are occurring at an unprecedented rate. In geologic time scales, before the influence of humans, a significant <a href="https://publications.csiro.au/rpr/pub?list=BRO&pid=procite:13c02405-e8c6-466c-a400-f6137710a651">shift</a> in climate has been <a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/book/6836/">associated</a> with an increase in fire activity in Australia. There is every reason to expect fire activity will increase with human-induced climate change as well. Humans have also changed the Australian fire landscape – both First Nations people and, for the past 200 years, European colonisers. Changes brought about by Indigenous Australians were widespread, but <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32378038/">sustainable</a>. Their methods included, for example, lighting “cool” fires in small, targeted patches early in the dry season. This reduced the chance that very large and intense fires would develop. Changes brought about by European colonisers have also been widespread – such as land clearing using fire, and fire suppression to protect human life and property. But this approach has been <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/30388718_National_Inquiry_on_Bushfire_Mitigation_and_Management">far from sustainable</a>, either financially, ecologically or socially. Australia has just experienced a period of high rainfall across the continent due to a La Niña event <a href="https://climateextremes.org.au/large-scale-climate-drivers-in-australia-2022/#:%7E:text=The%20combined%20influence%20of%20a,in%20123%20years%20of%20records.">combined with</a> two other climate drivers: a negative Indian Ocean Dipole and a positive Southern Annular Mode. It means the soil is moist and plants are flourishing. Now, we’re set to enter into a drying period driven by an El Niño. The abundant plant growth leading into a dry period is likely to result in widespread bushfires across Australia. Initially, this is <a href="https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/resources/bushfire-new-south-wales-1974/">likely to occur</a> in semi-arid inland areas where grasses have flourished in the wet period, but will dry out quickly. If the drying cycle persists for two or three years, then fires might become more prevalent in forests and woodlands in temperate Australia. But an El Niño year doesn’t necessarily mean a bad bushfire season is certain. In Australia, El Niño events are associated with hotter and drier conditions, <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263018552_Multi-decadal_variability_of_forest_fire_risk_-_Eastern_Australia">leading to more days</a> of high fire danger. But large and severe forest fires also need a prolonged drought to dry out fuels, especially in sheltered gullies and slopes. Soils and woody vegetation are currently moist following the La Niña period. So El Niño and its opposite phase, La Niña, are on their own are a relatively <a href="https://research.monash.edu/en/publications/forecasting-fire-activity-in-victoria-australia-using-antecedent-">poor predictor</a> of the number and size of bushfires. <h2>Fight smarter, and be prepared</h2> Climate change will continue to test our fire management systems. And the return of an El Niño has fire crews <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jun/10/australia-firefighters-fire-crews-prepare-for-return-of-el-nino-bushfire-season-smoke-hazard-reduction-burns">on alert</a>. When it comes to fire management, Australia must be much smarter than it has been for the past 200 years. This means changing the focus to holistic fire management. Throwing huge amounts of money and resources at controlling bushfires – such as <a href="https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7034300/govt-vows-to-get-more-firefighting-aircraft/">purchasing more</a> and larger <a href="https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/new-weapon-to-fight-aussie-bushfires-kicks-off-service-in-wa/news-story/fa66e567e336164723cae8b98bb3ba8d">firefighting aircraft</a> – is is not sustainable or sensible. Fire is as fundamental to our environment as wind and rain. And the amount of energy released from a large bushfire will never be matched by any level of resources humans can muster. The evidence bears this out. Take, for example, <a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/wf/WF9970221">analysis</a> of fire dynamics in two areas north and south of the US-Mexico border. Between 1920 and 1972, authorities on the US side had spent hundreds of millions of dollars on firefighting aircraft and other resources trying to suppress wildfires. This resulted in fewer wildfires than in the Mexico region. But the fires that occurred were larger and more severe. Similar patterns have occurred in Australia. For example, a <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284776990_Evidence_of_altered_fire_regimes_in_the_Western_Desert_regime_of_Australia">study</a> of burn patterns in the Western Desert region showed that after the exodus of Traditional Owners, the number of fires reduced substantially, but the fires became far bigger. <h2>Change must happen</h2> Damaging bushfires will return to Australia in the near future. The expected return of another El Niño should heighten efforts to create a more considered and sustainable fire management regime – particularly in southern Australia. Experts, including me, have <a href="https://www.forestry.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Final-KPI-Document-v2.pdf">devised</a> <a href="https://knowledge.aidr.org.au/media/4935/nationalbushfiremanagementpolicy_2014.pdf">plans</a> to guide the shift. They include: <ul> <li>effectively managing the land with fire, including promoting Indigenous Australians’ use of fire</li> <li>engaging communities in bushfire mitigation and management</li> <li>better coordination across land, fire and emergency management agencies</li> <li>ensuring fire management is based on “best practice” approaches.</li> </ul> Australia, with its wealth of scientific knowledge and long history of Indigenous land management, should be well placed to manage fire sustainably – even with the pressures of climate change. Changing our approach will not be quick or simple, but it must be done.<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/209126/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kevin-tolhurst-am-184">Kevin Tolhurst AM</a>, Hon. Assoc. Prof., Fire Ecology and Management, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> Image credits: Getty Images 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/its-official-australia-is-set-for-a-hot-dry-el-nino-heres-what-that-means-for-our-flammable-continent-209126">original article</a>.

Domestic Travel

5 simple tips to fix dry hair

As we age, our hair is just one of the parts of our body that goes through a drastic change. Aside from the obvious (going grey), it also becomes thinner, drier, duller, and you may experience some hair loss. But thankfully, you can take steps to ensure your hair looks as healthy as possible no matter what your age. Here are five tips to help you rejuvenate and re-moisturise dry, dull hair. 1. Get the temperature right You might like your showers extra hot, but too much heat can force the hair shalt open, and if your hair is dry or damaged, the shaft won’t be able to close fully and the moisture will seep right out. Instead, keep the water warm during washing then finish with a cool rinse to make your hair look shinier. 2. Don’t over-wash Using shampoo every day will strip your hair of its healthy natural oils, thus drying it out. Try to use it only every second day, using conditioner in between to add some moisture. 3. Raid the kitchen The secret to healthy, shiny hair could be lying in your kitchen. For a rejuvenating, vitamin-packed hair mask, simply mash a super ripe avocado with some olive oil. Apply to your hair, leave for 20 minutes and then rinse off – it’s an easy, natural way to restore moisture and shine. 4. Turn off the tools Your hair dryer or straightener may make life easier when it comes to styling, but it’s not doing damaged hair any help. If you absolutely can’t live without them, at least invest in the best tools you can afford. And when choosing a straightener or hair iron, don’t go any hotter than 185 degrees – any higher and your hair may become more damaged. The same goes for hair dryers – avoid the temptation to switch it up to the hottest setting, and before subjecting your hair to any dryers or straighteners, treat it with a heat protectant spray. 5. Book a trip to the salon It might not be that your hair is dry, but rather that the ends of your hair are dry, split and in need of a cut. A good way to judge how much you need to trim is by seeing how quickly your hair dries. If the ends air-dry almost immediately while the rest of your hair remains wet, those ends need to go. Images: Getty

Beauty & Style

6 blow-drying mistakes everyone makes

If you’ve ever wondered why you can’t manage to make your blow dry look as good or last as long as the professionals, it’s probably down to your technique. While taking to your hair with your dryer and hoping for the best may be the easiest way to blow dry, you’ll rarely get the kind of results you’re hoping for. Here are the most common mistakes us amateurs make and how to correct them. 1. Using the wrong type of hair dryer These days the shelves are heaving under the weight of all the different types of blow dryers on the market. The best ones to look for are those that dry hair the fastest while also being as gentle as possible. Ionic, ceramic and tourmaline hair 2. Forgetting to use attachments If you’ve discarded the attachments that came with your dryer to the bottom of the bathroom cupboard now may be the time to pull them out. A diffuser is great for defining curls and waves while the concentrator nozzle can help with that super straight result. 3. Not knowing your angles Not holding your dryer at the right angle and/or pointing it at your hair and holding on the one spot are both key mistakes that result in frizz and damage. Your dryer should be constantly moving and your dryer horizontal. 4. Using the wrong heat setting Most dryers have a variety of heat settings. While selecting the hottest is tempting, it’s not going to do great things for hair that isn’t extremely thick and/or coarse. Medium to mid high is generally the best for normal, damp hair while lower settings are great for fragile or very damaged locks. 5. Forgetting to use heat protectant Heat protectant serums, sprays and lotions should always be used before heat styling to minimise damage and maximize results. 6. Choosing the wrong hairbrush Metal based brushes have been popular for a while now due to their promises of super quick results. Unfortunately they aren’t the best for your hair, leaving it very hot and prone to damage. Look for a round brush with a mix of nylon and boar bristles for best results. Image credits: Getty Images

Beauty & Style

Mum’s clever hack helps dry your dishes in record time

For many people, the ultimate kitchen pet peeve is when you open your dishwasher after its cycle has finished and while your dishes may be clean, they are still sopping wet. Rather than running the appliance through another drying cycle, one clever mum has discovered how to dry your dishes in five minutes flat. Known online for her cleaning hacks and recipes, Babs shared a video to her Instagram to share her savvy hack. "Has this ever happened to you? You're ready to unload the dishwasher, and guess what!? Everything is still wet," says Babs. "Don't hand dry - do this instead." <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/ChwtuzFAwfP/?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/ChwtuzFAwfP/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Babs (@brunchwithbabs)</a> </div> </blockquote> She explains, "Take a terry cloth dish towel, open the door, lay it right over. Just close the door. Wait five minutes. You'll have dry dishes." Many people thanked Babs for the great tip and confirmed that it really does work. “Have been doing it since I first saw it here,” said one commenter. Another added, "Such a great tip! Mine are never dry at the end of the cycle. I'm definitely going to try this.” Despite the praise for her handy tip, ohers cautioned Bab’s viewers with a warning. "It can/will compromise the dishwasher seal and locking mechanism, causing costly repairs or early replacement," someone warned. Image credits: Getty Images

Home & Garden

Mum’s fool-proof hack to dry your clothes in half the time

A clever mum has shared the ultimate laundry tip that will ensure your clothes air-dry in no time. With surging energy bills crippling households, air drying items is a much more efficient way of doing laundry. However, colder winter months can sometimes mean clothes and linen may take days to dry in the fresh air. One mum has found the answer to this problem, sharing her hack on the Facebook page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/mumswhoclean">Mums Who Clean</a>. "I have recently been staying with my elderly parents. While there, I did some washing for them," she says. "Mum said to me, 'Don't forget to do an additional spin cycle after the cycle has finished.'” "Her response was that it wouldn't take as long for the washing to dry on a cold winter's day when there isn't as much sun.” "And guess what, she was right!" The mum tried it for herself when she got home, saying it helped to dry her clothes in half the time. "Since returning home this week to Sydney and the rain, I tried this on a load of towels (bath sheets) before putting them in the dryer," she says. "Normally, the load would take one and a half to two hours to dry, and they took just under 60 minutes." Other group members were impressed with the hack, with many saying they would give it a go. "Oh wow, I'm going to give this a go!" said one person. Others said they’ve been doing this hack “for years”, and were happy others were going to try the handy tip. Image credits: Getty Images

Home & Garden

Physio ‘dry needling’ and acupuncture – what’s the difference and what does the evidence say?

Physiotherapists are increasingly offering needling therapies in addition to their standard care. Many Australian <a href="https://australian.physio/research/prf/translation/five-facts-about-acupuncture-and-dry-needling-musculoskeletal-pain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">physiotherapists</a> in private practice now offer dry needling or Western medical acupuncture as part of a treatment approach. Is it just a fad or does science support it? <h2>Needling, three ways</h2> Physiotherapists can be trained to use dry needling, Western acupuncture and/or traditional acupuncture. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23801002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dry needling</a> involves penetrating the skin with needles to altered or dysfunctional tissue in order to improve or restore function. This often involves needling muscle trigger points to activate a reflexive relaxation of the muscle. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28739020/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Western acupuncture</a> uses traditional needling <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2005290110600143" target="_blank" rel="noopener">meridians</a> (the ancient idea of energy channels through the body) and trigger points. But these ideas are applied to Western understandings of anatomy. In Western acupuncture, points are stimulated to create local tissue changes, as well as spinal and brain effects. The goals is to trigger pain-relieving chemicals, muscle activation or relaxation. Even though traditional acupuncture points are used with this style of needling, Western acupuncture is not viewed as traditional Chinese medicine. <a href="https://healthtimes.com.au/hub/pain-management/44/research/kk1/acupuncture-for-pain-management/1581/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Traditional acupuncture</a> uses meridian lines or other points based on traditional Chinese medicine assessment methods and approaches. All physiotherapists trained in either acupuncture or dry needling meet safety standards which are viewed as within scope by the <a href="https://www.ahpra.gov.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australian Health Practitioners Regulatory Agency</a> and the <a href="https://www.physiotherapyboard.gov.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Physiotherapy Registration Board</a>. These standards cover the level of training required, registration to practice and safety standards that include needle safety and hygiene to protect the public. Minor reported <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7015026/#:%7E:text=Examples%20of%20minor%20adverse%20reactions,pain%20during%20or%20after%20treatment." target="_blank" rel="noopener">side effects</a> related to acupuncture including pain and bleeding or bruising from needle insertion are fairly common. But major adverse events – pneumothorax (collapsed lung), excessive bleeding, prolonged aggravation – are rare. <h2>What’s needling good for?</h2> Research into the effectiveness of acupuncture and dry needling is variable. Some studies show comparable results between dry needling and acupuncture, while others show more favourable results for one or the other depending on the condition being treated. A <a href="https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD001351.pub2/full?highlightAbstract=dry%7Cdri%7Cneedl%7Cneedling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">review</a> that assessed the effects of acupuncture and dry needling for the treatment of low-back pain found they may be useful add-on therapies but could not make firm conclusions due to a lack of quality trials. Another <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6600071/#CIT0034" target="_blank" rel="noopener">review</a> reported the growing popularity of dry needling world wide and across disciplines and points out that many questions still remain regarding the use of needling. For <a href="https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD001218.pub3/full?highlightAbstract=acupuncture%7Cmigraine%7Cmigrain%7Cacupunctur" target="_blank" rel="noopener">migraine</a> and <a href="https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD007587.pub2/full?highlightAbstract=acupuncture%7Cheadach%7Ctension%7Cacupunctur%7Cheadache%7Ctype" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tension</a> headaches, experts say acupuncture seems to reduce the frequency and intensity of attacks – though more research is needed to compare it to other treatments. Acupuncture and dry needling may reduce pain and improve function for people with <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17224820/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">neck pain</a>. A systematic review found significant differences between acupuncture and “sham acupuncture” (which is performed away from acupuncture points) when used to treat <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22965186/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">certain types of chronic pain</a>. However, some research only shows <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33066556/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">small and temporary</a> relief for neck pain with dry needling. Results from randomised control trials support the use of needling for <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27062955" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shoulder pain</a>, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32301166/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tennis elbow</a> and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32186030/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">osteo arthritic knee pain</a>. But a recent systemic review of research reported only weak evidence to support needling to treat <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33760098/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plantarfasciitis and chronic ankle instability</a>. <h2>Not just for sporting injuries</h2> Similarly, small randomised control trials have shown acupuncture and dry needling might reduce <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17095133/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">problematic jaw pain</a> (<a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/temporomandibular-disorder-tmd#:%7E:text=Temporomandibular%20disorders%20(TMD)%20are%20disorders,may%20result%20in%20temporomandibular%20disorder." target="_blank" rel="noopener">temporo mandibular disorder</a>) and improve mouth opening. Systematic reviews have reported needling and acupuncture were safe and effective recommendations for the treatment of broad conditions of <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health/tendinopathy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tendinopathy</a> (the breakdown of collagen in tendons) and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30787631/#:%7E:text=At%20follow%2Dup%20in%20the,for%20the%20management%20of%20FM." target="_blank" rel="noopener">fibromyalgia</a> (chronic pain in the muscles and bones). For women’s health, acupuncture has been shown to be effective for reducing pain with <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29879061/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">periods</a>, compared to no treatment or non-steroidal pain relief medications – but the research had design limitations. Though <a href="https://www.cochrane.org/CD002962/PREG_acupuncture-or-acupressure-induction-labour#:%7E:text=Acupuncture%20involves%20the%20insertion%20of,with%20onset%20of%20labour%20contractions." target="_blank" rel="noopener">widely used</a> in pregnancy, research into the use of acupuncture to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32032444/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">induce labour</a> reports it may increase satisfaction with pain management and reduce pain intensity. But it may have little to no effect on the rates of caesarean or assisted vaginal birth. In summary, it appears needling techniques – whether dry needling or acupuncture – generally show positive effects over no treatment or “sham” treatments, but more research and high quality trials are needed. <h2>Just one part of a treatment program</h2> Needling <a href="https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD001351.pub2/full?highlightAbstract=dry%7Cdri%7Cneedl%7Cneedlin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">may be useful</a> as part of multimodal care – that is, when <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4780149/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more than one treatment</a> is used in conjunction to treat a problem. Physiotherapists may combine needling therapies with exercise prescription, hands-on care including massage, mobilisations and manipulations, and taping techniques. They may also employ therapies that apply external energy such as ultrasound, laser, transcutaneous (under the skin) electrical nerve stimulation and biofeedback. Finally, while the various needling techniques all use a filiform needle (with a solid filament as opposed to a hollow bore needle), the styles with each can be quite different. Ask what style of needling is being employed to treat you, and if you have a history of finding one style works better for you, discuss this with your practitioner. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/physio-dry-needling-and-acupuncture-whats-the-difference-and-what-does-the-evidence-say-181939" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Body

Always do this if you want to avoid dry skin in winter

How to avoid dry skin in winter Ah, winter. ’Tis the season for dry skin, along with potential complications, including itching, flaking, cracking, bleeding, rosacea (redness and inflammation) and eczema flare-ups. There are several reasons for this. First, the air outdoors is drier. Indoor air tends to be parched as well, an effect of heating systems. Seniors need to take extra care, since cumulative sun damage and slower production of natural oils put them at greater risk of dryness. Happily, there’s plenty you can do to combat dry skin in winter. Switch up your shower routine To start, adapt your bathing routine. Piping hot water may feel good, but that’s a sure way to strip away your skin’s natural oils. Use warm water instead, keep your baths or showers short, and apply a generous amount of moisturiser after you dry off. Thick, oily products are especially effective at fighting winter moisture loss, “but don’t despair if you can’t tolerate those due to pore clogging or shininess,” says dermatologist, Dr Bav Shergill. “Even a light moisturiser will give you some protection.” Hand care When it comes to your hands, frequent washing with soap is essential for preventing the flu and other infections, but it leads to dryness. So after you clean them, apply hand cream. If that doesn’t help enough, try a dab of petroleum jelly before bed; you can put on cotton gloves to keep it in place overnight. Wearing mittens or gloves outdoors also reduces damage, since exposure to the frigid air further harms skin. Layer up If you’re prone to winter itch (which is exactly what it sounds like), avoid direct contact with potentially irritating fabrics such as wool or synthetic fibres. “The best approach is to wear several thin layers,” says Shergill. “The one next to the skin could be cotton or a cotton/silk blend, both of which appear to be well tolerated by most people.” Layering lets you adapt to various temperatures during the day, keeping you toasty while avoiding excessive sweating that could trigger itching and scratching in already-irritated skin. Written by Samantha Rideout. This article first appeared in <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/healthsmart/beauty/skin/always-do-this-if-you-want-to-avoid-dry-skin-in-winter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader’s Digest</a>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, <a href="http://readersdigest.innovations.com.au/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&utm_medium=articles&utm_campaign=RDSUB&keycode=WRA87V" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here’s our best subscription offer.</a> Image: Getty Images

Beauty & Style

Always do this if you want to avoid dry skin in winter

Ah, winter. ’Tis the season for dry skin, along with potential complications, including itching, flaking, cracking, bleeding, rosacea (redness and inflammation) and eczema flare-ups. There are several reasons for this. First, the air outdoors is drier. Indoor air tends to be parched as well, an effect of heating systems. Seniors need to take extra care, since cumulative sun damage and slower production of natural oils put them at greater risk of dryness. Happily, there’s plenty you can do to combat dry skin in winter. Switch up your shower routine To start, adapt your bathing routine. Piping hot water may feel good, but that’s a sure way to strip away your skin’s natural oils. Use warm water instead, keep your baths or showers short, and apply a generous amount of moisturiser after you dry off. Thick, oily products are especially effective at fighting winter moisture loss, “but don’t despair if you can’t tolerate those due to pore clogging or shininess,” says dermatologist, Dr Bav Shergill. “Even a light moisturiser will give you some protection.” Hand care When it comes to your hands, frequent washing with soap is essential for preventing the flu and other infections, but it leads to dryness. So after you clean them, apply hand cream. If that doesn’t help enough, try a dab of petroleum jelly before bed; you can put on cotton gloves to keep it in place overnight. Wearing mittens or gloves outdoors also reduces damage, since exposure to the frigid air further harms skin. Layer up If you’re prone to winter itch (which is exactly what it sounds like), avoid direct contact with potentially irritating fabrics such as wool or synthetic fibres. “The best approach is to wear several thin layers,” says Shergill. “The one next to the skin could be cotton or a cotton/silk blend, both of which appear to be well tolerated by most people.” Layering lets you adapt to various temperatures during the day, keeping you toasty while avoiding excessive sweating that could trigger itching and scratching in already-irritated skin. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/healthsmart/beauty/skin/always-do-this-if-you-want-to-avoid-dry-skin-in-winter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader’s Digest</a>.

Caring

Drying land and heating seas: why nature in Australia’s southwest is on the climate frontline

In a few days world leaders will descend on Glasgow for the United Nations climate change talks. Much depends on it. We know climate change is already happening, and nowhere is the damage more stark than in Australia’s southwest. The southwest of Western Australia has been <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/factsheets/IPCC_AR6_WGI_Regional_Fact_Sheet_Australasia.pdf">identified</a> as a global drying hotspot. Since 1970, winter rainfall has declined up to 20%, river flows have plummeted and heatwaves spanning water and land have intensified. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-change-has-already-hit-australia-unless-we-act-now-a-hotter-drier-and-more-dangerous-future-awaits-ipcc-warns-165396">warns</a> this will continue as emissions rise and the climate warms. Discussion of Australian ecosystems vulnerable to climate change often focuses on the Great Barrier Reef, as well as our rainforests and alpine regions. But for southwest Western Australia, climate change is also an existential threat. The region’s wildlife and plants are so distinctive and important, it was listed as Australia’s first <a href="https://www.cepf.net/our-work/biodiversity-hotspots">global biodiversity hotspot</a>. Species include thousands of endemic plant species and animals such as the quokka, numbat and honey possum. Most freshwater species and around 80% of marine species, including 24 shark species, live nowhere else on Earth. They <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-south-west-a-hotspot-for-wildlife-and-plants-that-deserves-world-heritage-status-54885">evolved in isolation</a> over millions of years, walled off from the rest of Australia by desert. But climate heating means this remarkable biological richness is now imperilled – a threat that will only increase unless the world takes action. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428719/original/file-20211027-17-1xrecip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="Banksia in flower" /> Hooker’s Banksia is an iconic West Australian species. Dr Joe Fontaine, Author provided <h2>Hotter and drier</h2> Southwest WA runs roughly from Kalbarri to Esperance, and is known for its Mediterranean climate with very hot and dry summers and most rainfall in winter. But every decade since the 1970s, the region’s summertime maximum temperatures have risen 0.1-0.3℃, and winter rainfall has fallen 10-20 millimetres. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428742/original/file-20211027-25-1jl7l8r.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /> Decadal trends in winter precipitation. Australian Bureau of Meteorology. And remarkably, a 1℃ increase in the average global temperature over the last century has already <a href="https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nph.17348">more than doubled</a> the days over 40℃ in Perth. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428994/original/file-20211028-21-ibw728.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428994/original/file-20211028-21-ibw728.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" alt="Graph showing temperatures over 40 degrees at Perth Airport" /></a> Cumulative number of days over 40° at Perth Airport over 30-year periods between 1910-1939 (historic) and 1989-2018 (current). Author provided This trend is set to continue. Almost all climate models <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2019EF001469">project a further</a> drop in winter rainfall of up to 30% across most of the southwest by 2100, under a high emissions scenario. The southwest already has very hot days in summer, thanks to heat brought from the desert’s easterly winds. As climate change worsens, these winds are <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00382-016-3169-5">projected to get more intense</a>, bringing still more heat. <h2>Drying threatens wildlife, wine and wheat</h2> Annual rainfall in the southwest has fallen by a fifth since 1970. That might not sound dangerous, but the drop means river flows have already fallen by an alarming 70%. It means many rivers and lakes now dry out through summer and autumn, causing major problems for freshwater biodiversity. For example, the number of invertebrate species in 17 lakes in WA’s wheatbelt fell from over 300 to <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/gcb.15890">just over 100</a> between 1998 and 2011. The loss of water has even killed off common river invertebrates, such as the endemic Western Darner dragonfly, with most now <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/gcb.15673">found only</a> in the last few streams that flow year round. The drying also makes it very hard for animals and birds to find water. Most native freshwater fish in the southwest are <a href="https://www.dpaw.wa.gov.au/plants-and-animals/threatened-species-and-communities/threatened-animals">now officially considered</a> “threatened”. As river flow falls to a trickle, fish can no longer <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.12444">migrate to spawn</a>, and it’s only a short march from there to extinction. To protect remaining freshwater species we must <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2017.02.007">develop perennial water refuges</a> in places such as farm dams. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428721/original/file-20211027-27-1mvytaa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428721/original/file-20211027-27-1mvytaa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" alt="Freshwater crayfish - marron - moving through fresh water" /></a> Smooth Marron moving as a group in a reservoir. Dr Stephen Beatty, Author provided The story on land is also alarming, with intensifying heatwaves and chronic drought. This was particularly dire in 2010/2011, when <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-31236-5">all ecosystems in the southwest</a> suffered from a deadly drought and heatwave combination. What does that look like on the ground? Think beetle swarms taking advantage of forest dieback, a sudden die off of endangered Carnaby’s Black Cockatoos, and the deaths of one in five shrubs and trees. Long term, the flowering rates of banksias have declined <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1890/140231">by 50%</a>, which threatens their survival as well as the honey industry. For agriculture, the picture is mixed. Aided by innovation and better varieties, wheat yields in the southwest have actually increased since the 1970s, despite the drop in rainfall. But how long can farmers stay ahead of the drying? If global emissions aren’t drastically reduced, droughts in the region <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1029/2020GL087820">will keep getting worse</a>. Increased heating and drying will also likely threaten Margaret River’s famed wine region, although the state’s northern wine regions will be <a href="https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/apme/56/7/jamc-d-16-0333.1.xml">the first at risk</a>. <h2>Hotter seas, destructive marine heatwaves</h2> The seas around the southwest are another climate change hotspot, <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11160-013-9326-6">warming faster than 90%</a> of the global ocean since the middle of last century. Ocean temperatures off Perth <a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/mf/MF07082">have risen by an average</a> of 0.1-0.3℃ per decade, and are now almost 1℃ warmer than 40 years ago. The waters off the southwest are part of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-other-reef-is-worth-more-than-10-billion-a-year-but-have-you-heard-of-it-45600">Great Southern Reef</a>, a temperate marine biodiversity hotspot. Many species of seaweeds, seagrasses, invertebrates, reef fish, seabirds and mammals live nowhere else on the planet. As the waters warm, species move south. Warm-water species move in and cool-water species flee to escape the heat. Once cool-water species reach the southern coast, there’s nowhere colder to go. They can’t survive in the deep sea, and are at risk of going extinct. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428961/original/file-20211028-27-1yipdxz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" alt="Marine heatwave map" /> Temperature anomalies over land and ocean in March 2011. Scientific Reports, Author provided Marine heatwaves are now striking alongside this long-term warming trend. In 2011, a combination of weak winds, water absorbing the local heat from the air, and an unusually strong flow of the warm Leeuwin Current led to the infamous marine heatwave known as <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/srep01277">Ningaloo Nino</a>. Over eight weeks, ocean temperatures soared by more than 5℃ above the long-term maximum. Coral bleached in the state’s north, fish died en masse, <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-much-do-marine-heatwaves-cost-the-economic-losses-amount-to-billions-and-billions-of-dollars-170008">34% of seagrass died</a> in Shark Bay, and kelp forests along 100km of WA’s coast were wiped out. Following the heatwave came sudden distribution changes for species like sharks, turtles and many reef fish. Little penguins starved to death because their usual food sources were no longer there. Recreational and commercial fisheries were forced to close to protect ailing stocks. Some of these fisheries have not recovered 10 years later, while others are only now reopening. This is just the start. <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2019.00734/full">Projections suggest</a> the southwest could be in a permanent state of marine heatwave within 20-40 years, compared to the second half of the 20th century. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428980/original/file-20211028-17-1o7ypsp.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/428980/original/file-20211028-17-1o7ypsp.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="Comparative pictures of a kelp forest before and after a heatwave" /></a> Reef in Kalbarri before (left) and after (right) the 2011 Ningaloo Nino. Dense kelp covered reefs before the heatwave. Afterwards, kelp died and the reefs were covered by sediment and turf algae. <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-030-71330-0_12#DOI" class="source">Professor Thomas Wernberg</a>, Author provided <h2>Adaptation has limits</h2> Nature in the southwest cannot adapt to these rapid changes. The only way to stem the damage to nature and humans is to stop greenhouse gas emissions. Australia must take responsibility for its emissions and show ambition beyond the weak promise of net-zero by 2050, and commit to real 2030 targets consistent with the Paris climate treaty. Otherwise, we will witness the collapse of one of Australia’s biological treasures in real time.<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; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/170377/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jatin-kala-1283114">Jatin Kala</a>, Senior Lecturer and ARC DECRA felllow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/murdoch-university-746">Murdoch University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/belinda-robson-1283377">Belinda Robson</a>, Associate Professor, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/murdoch-university-746">Murdoch University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/joe-fontaine-136827">Joe Fontaine</a>, Lecturer, Environmental and Conservation Science, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/murdoch-university-746">Murdoch University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stephen-beatty-1144778">Stephen Beatty</a>, Research Leader (Catchments to Coast), Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems, Harry Butler Institute, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/murdoch-university-746">Murdoch University</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/thomas-wernberg-116019">Thomas Wernberg</a>, Professor, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-western-australia-1067">The University of Western Australia</a> 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/drying-land-and-heating-seas-why-nature-in-australias-southwest-is-on-the-climate-frontline-170377">original article</a>. Image: Author provided

Domestic Travel

What causes dry lips, and how can you treat them? Does lip balm actually help?

As we head into the colder weather, many of us might be afflicted with the irritating ailment of dry and chapped lips. People have been trying to figure out how to fix dry lips for centuries. Using beeswax, olive oil and other natural ingredients have been reported as early as Cleopatra’s <a href="https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/movies/secret-gloss-a-brief-history-of-lip-balm-from-earwax-to-clorox">time</a>, around 40 B.C. In 1833, there were even reports of human earwax being <a href="https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/The_American_Frugal_Housewife/-YYSAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=the+American+Frugal+Housewife,+Dedicated+to+Those+who+are+Not+Ashamed+of+Economy&printsec=frontcover">recommended</a> as a successful remedy for dry, cracked lips. Not long after, the first commercial lip balms hit the market. So what causes dry lips, and which lip balms actually help? The key is to avoid lip balms that contain certain additives which might worsen the problem. They need to be soft but resilient Our lips are constantly exposed to the elements, such as sunlight, wind, dry air, and cold weather. They have to withstand our daily lifestyle, including contact with food, cosmetics, biting, picking, rubbing against clothes, kissing and more. So, although they look soft and fleshy, our lips need to be resilient and tough. Lips sit at the junction where our outside facial skin transitions into the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsrlJn2cDh0&t=58s">tissue</a> layers lining the mouth. As such, the lips are structured similar to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507900/">mucous membranes</a>, but with the addition of a <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s004030050453">protective</a> outside layer of skin. Lips don’t have hair follicles, or sweat, saliva and oil glands. This unique structure means they’re particularly prone to dryness as they have a much lower ability to hold <a href="https://europepmc.org/article/med/15030342">water</a> than the rest of the face’s skin. What causes dry lips? Many of us get dry lips at certain times of the year. This can occur naturally, or be brought on by many different factors, including: <ul> <li> inflamed lips, known as <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6531998/">cheilitis</a>. This can be due to a skin condition, or an infection such as herpes or cold sores </li> <li> <a href="https://journals.lww.com/dermatitis/Abstract/2007/12000/Allergic_Contact_Cheilitis_from_Benzophenone_3_in.8.aspx">allergies</a> </li> <li> medications which impact the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12974516/">salivary glands</a>, the mouth’s surrounding <a href="https://youtu.be/UNyKlwO23w4">muscles</a>, or sensations throughout the lip area </li> <li> tongue injuries, teeth that rub against the lips, or other dental issues </li> <li> poor oral health. This can be brought on by general neglect, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22750232/">eating disorders</a>, or bad oral hygiene habits </li> <li> burns, such as eating food that’s too hot, or sunburn. Burns can result in the lips swelling, <a href="https://youtu.be/T-FnAH9y1N4">scarring</a> and blistering, and it may take a long time for the pain to alleviate </li> <li> some diseases or disorders, such as <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19445445/">Sjögren’s syndrome</a> </li> <li> dehydration, heat stroke, <a href="https://youtu.be/BxgEoLmOACo">fever</a>, or excessive heat </li> <li> <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352647520300988?via%3Dihub">nasal</a> congestion, which leads to chronic mouth-breathing. This can sometimes be a result of illness, such as when you have a common cold </li> <li> cold weather or cold wind that runs along the lips and removes moisture </li> <li> persistent licking, which can create a wet-dry cycle that excessively <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352647520300988">dries</a> out your lips. </li> </ul> The dryness can also lead to pain, itching or stinging. If dry lips start causing serious issues, it may be helpful to discuss this with a medical professional. How can you treat dry lips? It is important to identify what’s causing dry lips. If it’s due to lip licking, then you need to make habitual changes to stop the practice. If it’s due to cold, windy or dry weather, then certain balms and ointments can help protect the lips. Drinking adequate amounts of <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352647520300988">water</a> can assist, because this helps prevent dry skin in general. If this isn’t enough, bland, non-irritating, unflavoured lip balms can help, as they act as a film covering the lip surface, keeping moisture in. <img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/403497/original/file-20210531-15-u2nxjk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="Man with beard applying lip balm" /> It’s best to choose a bland lip balm that doesn’t contain fragrances, flavours and colours. Shutterstock In many cases these use petroleum jelly as a base (although it’s not <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ics.12533">required</a>), along with refined mineral oils to remove any <a href="https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jchem/2019/1680269/">hazardous</a> compounds, and other ingredients that can assist in retaining and maintaining a <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ics.12583">barrier function</a>. In the race to appeal to consumers, cosmetic manufacturers have trialled a number of new ingredients in their lip balms. Popular lip balms often contain additives which can make the balm smell or taste nice, or soften the feel when it rubs against the lips. Some of these extra ingredients can help. For example, if you’re out in the sun a lot, lip balm with included sunscreen is a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1227745/">great</a> addition. Products to avoid In many cases, these compounds provide the feeling of immediate relief on the lips but don’t actually help with the barrier function. And in some cases, they can become irritants and even worsen the dryness. When choosing a lip balm, try to avoid products containing these ingredients: <ul> <li> <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6477564/">fragrances</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://enveurope.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s12302-016-0076-7">flavours</a>, such as mint, citrus, vanilla, and cinnamon </li> <li> shiny <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/not-just-lip-service-gloss-can-invite-skin-cancer-flna1c9459959">glosses</a>, which can intensify damage from the sun’s rays </li> <li> <a href="https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetic-ingredient-names/color-additives-permitted-use-cosmetics">colours</a>, which can cause irritation and do nothing to assist the barrier function </li> <li> menthol, phenol or salicylic acid, which can actually make your lips <a href="https://health.clevelandclinic.org/7-signs-your-lip-balm-use-is-just-a-bad-habit/">drier</a> </li> <li> additional, unnecessary <a href="https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/skin-care-basics/dry/heal-dry-chapped-lips">ingredients</a> such as camphor, lanolin, octinoxate, oxybenzone or propyl gallate. </li> </ul> And be sure to stop biting, picking or excessively licking your lips. Staying hydrated and applying a bland lip balm should be a routine incorporated into your every day lifestyle for healthy, protected, and moisturised lips.<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; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/161264/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/christian-moro-121754">Christian Moro</a>, Associate Professor of Science & Medicine, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/charlotte-phelps-1187658">Charlotte Phelps</a>, PhD Student, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/bond-university-863">Bond University</a> 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-causes-dry-lips-and-how-can-you-treat-them-does-lip-balm-actually-help-161264">original article</a>.

Body

Is Australia looking the other way as Assange is hung out to dry?

Right now, the substantial extradition hearings involving the US government request that the UK hand over publisher and journalist Julian Assange <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-09/julian-assange-what-does-extradition-hearing-mean/12642972">are underway</a>. The Wikileaks founder has been held in British custody at London’s Belmarsh prison since April 2019. The Trump administration is attempting to extradite the Australian through the mechanisms of the UK-US Extradition Treaty. However, due process has been thrown out the window when it comes to the way our fellow citizen has been dragged before the Old Bailey in London. The terms of the 2003 treaty specifically ban extradition over <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-assange/uk-u-s-treaty-bans-extradition-of-assange-lawyer-says-idUSKBN1YN1G9">political offences</a>. And Julian is facing multiple espionage charges in relation to the publishing of classified US government documents: distinctly political crimes. Another major middle finger to the rule of law is the fact that the United States has reached across international jurisdictions and arrested Assange <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/julian-assange-the-afp-raids-and-the-crime-of-dissent/">by proxy</a> for alleged crimes that were committed outside of its own borders. And on top of all this, the UK has been holding Assange on remand on behalf of the States <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/sep/14/julian-assange-to-remain-in-jail-pending-extradition-to-us">since September 2019</a>. A dangerous precedent “There’s no due process being followed whatsoever,” said <a href="https://www.facebook.com/julianassangesydney.townhallgathering?ref=bookmarks">Julian Assange Sydney Town Hall Gathering</a> spokesperson Tony Wakeham. “The judicial system couldn’t do more to hobble Assange, than they’re doing – short of killing him.” “It goes right back to him being gaoled for <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/unacceptable-risk-in-bail-laws-what-does-it-mean/">bail jumping</a>,” he told Sydney Criminal Lawyers. “By the time they put him in gaol for the maximum time for bail jumping, they did so after the Swedes had dropped their attempt to extradite him on what were false grounds in the first place.” Wakeham also warns that if the extradition is successful it will set a dangerous precedent for the entire planet, as anyone anywhere in the world involved in publishing information about crimes committed by the US in either the mainstream or social media will be open to the same treatment. Assange published over <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=where+is+the+extradition+trial+assange+taking+place&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBAU887AU887&oq=where+is+the+extradition+trial+assange+taking+place&aqs=chrome..69i57j33.9919j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8">700,000 classified US government documents</a> over 2010 and 2011. These were leaked by former US military intelligence officer Chelsea Manning. And if Assange ends up in America, he’ll be facing 18 espionage charges with a combined maximum penalty of 175 years. A not so fair go The lawyer representing the US government in the extradition proceedings, James Lewis QC, told the Old Bailey <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/this-is-nonsense-julian-assange-interjections-earn-stern-warning-20200909-p55tpj.html">on the first day of hearings</a> this week that Assange is not facing charges for the blanket publishing of the files, but rather he’s charged over conspiring to obtain some of them. At that point Julian was heard to call out, “This is nonsense.” But he was promptly silenced by the judge. Meanwhile, back in his homeland, there’s been a lot of radio silence around what’s happening to this Australian. And Wakeham’s none too impressed about it. The social justice activist questions why PM Scott Morrison and foreign minister Marise Payne don’t step up and speak out to protect a fellow citizen, as the government has done this before on behalf of journalists <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/australian-journalist-imprisoned-in-cambodia-seeks-royal-pardon/">James Ricketson</a> and <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/free-assange-incarcerated-for-exposing-the-truth/">Peter Greste</a> when they were imprisoned overseas. Wakeham posits that the ministers of the Morrison cabinet aren’t doing their jobs because there’s not enough opposition to what’s happening to Assange. “And this brings me to the most disheartening thing about all of this, which is that we Australians, by and large, don’t give a shit about what’s happening to him,” the fervent Wikileaks supporter concluded. Written by Paul Gregoire. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/australia-looks-the-other-way-as-assange-is-hung-out-to-dry/">Sydney Criminal Lawyers.</a>

Art

Dry, wet, barking, hacking: A guide to coughs in the time of coronavirus

For centuries, doctors and care givers have listened to the different types of cough in search of clues to help <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.imu.2020.100319">diagnose</a> underlying disease. Coughs are a valuable diagnostic tool, but how do you know if you’ve got a relatively harmless cough, a coronavirus cough – or something else altogether? An occasional cough is healthy, but one that persists for weeks, produces bloody mucus, causes changes in phlegm colour or comes with fever, dizziness or fatigue may be a sign you need to see a doctor. Cough questions If you’ve gone to see a doctor about a cough, he or she will want to know: <ul> <li>how long has the cough lasted? Days, weeks, months?</li> <li>when is the cough most intense? Night, morning, intermittently throughout the day?</li> <li>how does the cough sound? Dry, wet, barking, hacking, loud, soft?</li> <li>does the cough produce symptoms such as vomiting, dizziness, sleeplessness or something else?</li> <li>how bad is your cough? Does it interfere with daily activities, is it debilitating, annoying, persistent, intermittent?</li> </ul> COVID-19 cough: dry, persistent and leaves you short of breath The most prominent symptoms of COVID-19 are fever and fatigue, and you may feel like you have a cold or flu. Cough is present in about half of infected patients. Considering that COVID-19 irritates lung tissue, the cough is dry and persistent. It is accompanied with shortness of breath and muscle pain. As disease progresses, the lung tissue is filled with fluid and you may feel even more short of breath as your body struggles to get enough oxygen. Wet and phlegmy or dry and hacking? A wet cough brings up phlegm from the lower respiratory tract (the lungs and lower airways, as opposed to your nose and throat) into the mouth. The “wet” sound is caused by the fluid in the airways and can be accompanied by a wheezing sound when breathing in. The lower airways have more secretory glands than your throat, which is why lower respiratory tract infections cause a wet cough. A dry cough doesn’t produce phlegm. It usually starts at the back of the throat and produces a barking or coarse sound. A dry cough does not clear your airways so sufferers often describe it as an unsatisfactory cough. Nose and throat infections cause irritation to those areas and produce a hacking dry cough with sore throat. These types of cough are often seen in flu or cold. Sometimes a cough can start off dry but eventually turn wet. For example, the lung infection pneumonia often begins with a dry cough that’s sometimes painful and can cause progressive shortness of breath. As infection progresses, the lung air sacs (alveoli) can fill up with inflammatory secretions such as lung tissue fluid and blood, and then the cough will become wet. At this stage, sputum becomes frothy and blood-tinged. What about whooping cough? Whooping cough is caused by bacterial infection that affects cells in the airways and causes irritation and secretion. Symptoms include coughing fits that end in a loud, “breathing in” noise that often sounds like a long “whoop” and leaves you gasping for air. Mucus is often expelled. Prolonged, forceful coughing can damage your airways, or cause rib fractures or muscle tears – so it’s important to know when medical help is required. So whatever your cough sounds like, keep an eye on it and see a doctor (either in person or via a <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-can-you-use-a-telehealth-consult-for-and-when-should-you-physically-visit-your-gp-135046">telehealth</a> appointment) if it doesn’t go away or gets worse.<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; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/136048/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/maja-husaric-1025997">Maja Husaric</a>, Lecturer, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/victoria-university-1175">Victoria University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/vasso-apostolopoulos-105605">Vasso Apostolopoulos</a>, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Research Partnerships, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/victoria-university-1175">Victoria University</a> 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/dry-wet-barking-hacking-a-guide-to-coughs-in-the-time-of-coronavirus-136048">original article</a>.

Body

What makes wine dry?

When you take a sip of wine at a family meal or celebration, what do you notice? First, you probably note the visual characteristics: the color is generally red, rosé or white. Next, you smell the aromatic compounds wafting up from your glass. And then there’s the sensation in your mouth when you taste it. White wine and rosé are usually described as refreshing, because they have brisk acidity and little to moderate sweetness. Those <a href="https://www.winemag.com/2017/09/21/why-calling-a-wine-dry-or-sweet-can-be-simply-confusing/">low levels of sugar</a> may lead you to perceive these wines as “dry.” People also describe wines as dry when alcohol levels are high, usually over about 13%, mostly because the ethanol leads to hot or burning sensations that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.6b03767">cover up other sensations</a>, especially sweetness. People also perceive red wines as dry or astringent because they contain a class of molecules called polyphenols. <a href="https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=55360215200">As an enologist</a> – a wine scientist – I’m interested in how all the chemistry in a glass of wine adds up to this perception of dryness. People are good at evaluating a wine’s dryness with their senses. Can we eventually come up with a way to automatically assess this dryness or astringency without relying on human tasters? The chemistry at the vineyard Everything starts with the grapes. If you taste a mature grape skin or seed at harvest, it will seem dry or astringent to you, thanks to a number of chemical compounds it contains. Large molecules called condensed <a href="https://www.wineaustralia.com/getmedia/df422991-82ed-4125-b0f7-8395a63d438f/201005-tannin-management-in-the-vineyard.pdf">tannins</a> are mostly responsible for the astringency perception. These compounds are made up of varying types and numbers of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/bk-2002-0825.ch015">smaller chemical units called flavanols</a>. Tannins are in the same family of molecules, the polyphenols, that give grapes their red or black color. They tend to be larger in grape skins than in grape seeds, and consequently the skins tend to be more astringent, while the seeds are more bitter. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/bk-2002-0825.ch015">Grape varieties differ in how much</a> of each of these compounds they contain. In Vitis vinifera cultivars, like Pinot noir and Cabernet sauvignon, the tannin concentration varies from a relatively high 1 to 1.5 mg/berry. In cold-hardy hybrid grapes found in the Midwestern United States, <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation3030047">like Frontenac and Marquette</a>, the concentrations are much lower, ranging from 0.3 to 0.7 mg/berry. <a href="https://www.wineaustralia.com/getmedia/df422991-82ed-4125-b0f7-8395a63d438f/201005-tannin-management-in-the-vineyard.pdf">Factors in the vineyard</a> – including site, soil qualities and amount of sun – affect the final concentration of tannins in the fruit. The chemistry in your mouth Basically, the more tannin there is in a wine, the more astringent it will be. When you take a sip, the large tannin molecules <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2014.08.001">interact with proteins from your saliva</a>. They combine and form complexes, reducing the number of salivary proteins available to help lubricate your mouth. It leaves your mouth with a dry sensation – like if a snail were to lose its mucus layer, it would dry out. Because everyone has a different composition and concentration of saliva proteins, and because the flow rate of saliva as you bring wine into your mouth varies, your perceptions of an astringent or dry wine won’t be the same as those of your friends or family. The alcohol level, pH and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aca.2011.12.042">aroma of the wine</a> also influence how intensely and for how long you perceive a red wine’s dryness. Since wine dryness is a perception, the most appropriate tool to appraise it is sensory evaluation. It requires panelists trained on the wine aroma, taste and mouthfeel based on prepared standards and other wines. But winemakers would love to have a quick, simple way to objectively measure astringency without relying on human tasters. That way, they could easily compare this year’s wine to last year’s, or to another wine that is not available to be tested. Can we scientifically evaluate dryness? The challenge for me and my colleagues was to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.9b01480">see if we could match up</a> the quantified chemical <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2018.09.043">and physical properties</a> in a wine to the trained panelists’ perceptions. First, we used analytical methods to figure out the different sizes of tannins present in particular wines, and their concentrations. We investigated how these tannins interacted and formed complexes with standard salivary proteins. My collaborators and I also used a physical approach, relying on a piece of equipment with two surfaces that are able to mimic and measure the forces of friction that occur in a drinker’s mouth between the tongue and the palate as wine and saliva interact. The friction forces increase between drier surfaces and decrease between more lubricated surfaces. Then, we trained human panelists to evaluate the intensity of dryness in the same wines and in a wine containing no tannins. People perceived the wine containing the higher concentration of larger tannins as drier for a longer time than the wine without tannins. That made sense based on what we already knew about these compounds and how people sense them. We were surprised, though, by our physical measurements in the lab, because they provided the opposite result as our human tasters’ perception. In the presence of too large or too many tannins in the wine, we recorded lower friction forces than in wines low in tannins. Based on the mechanical surfaces test, it seemed like there would be less dry mouthfeel than we’d expect in high-tannin wines. My colleagues and I are planning to investigate this unexpected result in future research to improve our understanding of the dryness perception. All its chemical and physical variables are part of what makes drinking wine a richly personal and ever-changing experience. Considering the impact of astringency on how individuals perceive a particular wine, a quick measure could be very helpful to winemakers as they do their work. So far, we haven’t been able to create a simple scale that will tell a winemaker that tannins at one certain level match up with a very particular dryness perception. But we enologists are still trying. <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/aude-watrelot-831853">Aude Watrelot</a>, Assistant Professor of Enology, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/iowa-state-university-1322">Iowa State University</a> This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-makes-wine-dry-its-easy-to-taste-but-much-harder-to-measure-123506">original article</a>.

Food & Wine

What a hot and dry Australian summer means for you

Summer is likely to start off hot and dry, according to the Bureau of Meteorology’s <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/outlooks/#/overview/summary">summer outlook</a>, released today. Much of eastern Australia is likely to be hotter and drier than average, driven by the same climate influences that gave us a warmer and drier than average spring. But these patterns will break down over summer, meaning these conditions may ease for some areas in the second half of the season. Despite this, we’re still likely to see more fires, heatwaves, and dust across eastern Australia in the coming months. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304164/original/file-20191127-176602-1dh4kdv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304164/original/file-20191127-176602-1dh4kdv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> Rainfall outlook for December 2019. BOM What drove the climate in 2019 Our current weather comes in the context of a <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/state-of-the-climate/">changing climate</a>, which is driving a drying trend across southern Australia and general warming across the country. In southern Australia, rain during the April to October “cool season” is crucial to fill dams and grow crops and pasture. However, like 17 of the previous 20 cool seasons, 2019 was well below average, meaning a dry landscape leading into the summer months. The frequency of high temperatures has also increased at all times of year, with the greatest increase in spring. But summer, like spring, will also be influenced by two other significant climate drivers: a change in ocean temperatures in the Indian Ocean, and warm winds above Antarctica pushing our weather systems north. Indian Ocean The first driver is a near-record strong positive <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/iod/">Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD)</a>. A positive IOD occurs when warmer than average water develops near the Horn of Africa, and cooler waters emerge off Indonesia. This pattern draws moisture towards Africa - where in recent weeks they have seen flooding and landslides - and produces higher pressures over central and southern Australia. This means less rain for Australia in winter and spring. Usually the IOD events break down by early summer, when the monsoon arrives in the southern hemisphere. However, this year the monsoon has been very sluggish moving south – in fact it was the latest retreat on record from India – and international climate models suggests the positive IOD may not end until January. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304165/original/file-20191127-176588-1v2887s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304165/original/file-20191127-176588-1v2887s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> Rainfall outlook for summer 2019-20. BOM Southern Ocean The other unusually persistent climate driver is a negative <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/sam/">Southern Annular Mode (SAM)</a>, which means weather systems over the Southern Ocean - the fronts and lows and wild winds - are further north than usual. This means more days of westerly winds for Australia. In western Tasmania, where those winds are coming off the ocean, it means cooler and wetter weather. In contrast, in southeast Queensland and New South Wales, where westerlies blow across long fetches of land, this air is dry and hot. This persistent period of negative SAM in 2019 was triggered by a <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-air-above-antarctica-is-suddenly-getting-warmer-heres-what-it-means-for-australia-123080">sudden warming of the stratosphere above Antarctica</a> - a rare event identified in early September. Models suggest the negative SAM will decay in December. This means the second half of summer is less likely to be influenced by as many periods of these strong westerlies. But while both these dry climate drivers are expected to be gone by midsummer, their legacy will take some time to fade. The positive IOD and the dry conditions we have seen in winter and spring are associated with <a href="https://theconversation.com/indian-ocean-linked-to-bushfires-and-drought-in-australia-20893">severe fire seasons for southeast Australia in the following summer</a>. And while the drying influences are likely to ease, the temperature outlook indicates that days are very likely to remain warmer than average. We also know that any delay in the monsoon will keep air drier for longer across Australia, and potentially aid in heating up the continent. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304167/original/file-20191127-176593-1awfhxw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304167/original/file-20191127-176593-1awfhxw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> Maximum temperature outlook for summer 2019-20. BOM What about the wet season? For areas of southern Queensland and northeastern NSW, the wet season will eventually bring seasonal rains, although heatwaves are likely to continue through summer. So, while the outlook for below average rainfall may ease over summer months for some areas, the lead-up to summer means Australia’s landscape is already very dry. Even a normal summer in the south will mean little easing of the dry until at least autumn. With dry and hot conditions looking likely this summer, it’s important to stay safe, have an emergency plan in place, look after your friends and neighbours in the hot times, and always listen to advice from your local emergency services. You can visit the Bureau of Meteorology <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/outlooks/">website</a> to view the latest outlook, or <a href="https://e.bom.gov.au/link/id/zzzz53bb31db150fb433/page.html?prompt=1">subscribe</a> to receive climate outlooks via email.<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; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/127990/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/catherine-ganter-259928">Catherine Ganter</a>, Senior Climatologist, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-bureau-of-meteorology-1083">Australian Bureau of Meteorology</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/andrew-b-watkins-2818">Andrew B. Watkins</a>, Head of Long-range Forecasts, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-bureau-of-meteorology-1083">Australian Bureau of Meteorology</a> This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-hot-and-dry-australian-summer-means-heatwaves-and-fire-risk-ahead-127990">original article</a>.

Domestic Travel

Handy year-round tips for dry skin and chapped lips

Refusing to scratch problem skin irritated by eczema, psoriasis and a multitude of other factors is a medical must-do – and much easier said than done. For the instant relief it gives some skin issues, holding back from scratching is difficult, and extremely problematic when dealing with irritated, itchy and uncomfortable children and adults alike. Medicated treatments, creams and salves free from SLS, petrochemicals, sulphates, parabens and fragrances are a necessary solution to removing the uncomfortable side effect of skin irritation to let the skin heal. According to the Australasian society of clinical immunology and allergy, eczema can be effectively treated and managed, but no cures are currently available. The ASCIA says the “scratch and itch” cycle can be most distressing and having eczema means that when the skin barrier is damaged, moisture evaporates and this makes the skin more susceptible to allergens and irritants. This irritation can trigger the skin to release certain chemicals that make the skin itchy. If you scratch, more chemicals are released and the skin feels even itchier. But there are solutions that can help. Dry and chapped lips are also associated with cheilitis, an inflammatory lip condition that can be caused as a side effect of certain medications or extreme sun exposure. Therefore, caring for our lips all year round is extremely important. There are three simple rules to live by: <ol> <li>Keep yourself well hydrated</li> <li>Avoid licking your lips</li> <li>Keep a good lip balm on you at all times.</li> </ol> This article first appeared in <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/healthsmart/handy-year-round-tips-dry-skin-and-chapped-lips">Reader’s Digest</a>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, <a href="http://readersdigest.innovations.com.au/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&utm_medium=articles&utm_campaign=RDSUB&keycode=WRA93V">here’s our best subscription offer.</a> <img style="width: 100px !important; height: 100px !important;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7820640/1.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f30947086c8e47b89cb076eb5bb9b3e2" />

Beauty & Style

From $200K to $25 – Grieving widow shocked to find late husband’s super fund drained dry

After Kim Garbutt’s husband, Craig, passed away 10 years ago, his family was expecting a cheque for more than $208,000 in death benefits from AMP – Craig’s superannuation fund. Instead, they received $25.09 13 days later. The grieving widow was shocked to find that the account had only a small sum of money when she was under the impression that her husband had left her with $208,000. “When the account arrived, I was a bit dumbfounded,” she told <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-13/widow-expected-$200,000-super-death-benefit-amp-paid-her-$25/10114662">7.30</a>. “Sometime after that I spoke to them and they were saying basically the account had run dry. They went, ‘So sad that he’s died but too bad, the accounts got no money in it.” Ms Garbutt only discovered the account was $212 in arrears – and that AMP had cancelled the policy – five months before Craig’s death. Before his death in 2008, Craig had fought an alcohol addiction which put strain on his marriage with Ms Garbutt. Although the two split shortly after the wedding, they decided to stay legally married for the sake of their two children. Craig, who passed away at the age of 39, was described by Ms Garbutt as someone who was “super smart…he was funny, he liked to dress well.” “He wasn’t ostentatious, he was bombastic, he was just a nice friendly guy. He was well-liked, he was well-loved.” While he tried to seek help by attending rehab facilities, in the end, he couldn’t rid himself of his addiction. Before he passed away, Craig was using friends’ couches and his car to live out of after his business went bankrupt. “He was in debt to what we think is $300,000 to $400,000 to maybe six or seven creditors. Phones had been cut off,” said Ms Garbutt. After investigating, Ms Garbutt discovered that Craig had transferred $1621.93 into the account from his previous super fund in 2003, but in as little as 5 weeks, the amount was down to $1433.77 after he was charged over $188.16 in fees and premiums. Even though Craig had no further contribution to his account after the initial $1621.93, AMP continued to deduct fees and charges – many of which were hidden. AMP claims to have contacted Craig before his death to let him know that his account was low on funds and would be cancelled. They advised her that there was nothing more they can do. According to Ms Garbutt, AMP was not cooperative and refused to speak with her on compassionate grounds, and since Craig’s passing, she has been struggling to compete with the insurance company about Craig’s superannuation and insurance. Ms Garbutt reveals that while AMP sent her late husband letters regarding his fund, he was seriously ill and was not opening mail at the time. A spokeswoman from AMP said that the company “strongly rejects” the idea that Ms Garbutt had been uninformed throughout the process. “At no time were we informed that [Craig] was unwell, and we corresponded with him as early as seven months before his death that he was at risk of losing his valuable insurance,” said the spokeswoman. “We do allow customers to reinstate lapsed policies based on medical evidence, however, we do not allow this where the reinstatement is due to the customer now wishing to claim.” Ms Garbutt claims to have “begged and pleaded” with the insurance giant regarding where Craig’s money had gone, but AMP remained uncooperative. “It was ‘Nope, we told Craig it was going to be cancelled’,” she said. “I went, ‘Craig wasn’t functioning, we wouldn’t have read the letters’.”

Legal

This is the most hygienic way to dry hands in public restroom

A study looking at different methods of hand-drying in public restrooms has found that single-use paper towels are the most hygienic option, while electric hand dryers spread bacteria around the room. More traditional hand dryers (where you push a button or wave your hands under a sensor to get it going) spray microbes at a level of around 0.9m from the floor, which is a worrying figure when you consider the height of children using the devices. Newer air jet dryers, which are modern and sleek in appearance, and dry hands in seconds, can spray liquid and bacteria up to 1.5m around the room. With organisms such as salmonella and E. coli potentially on people’s hands, the findings are worrying. Dr Keith Redway, the lead researcher on the study, stated that, “cross contamination in public washrooms is a legitimate public health concern.” Related links: <a href="/news/news/2015/04/therapy-llama-cheers-up-hospital-patients/" target="_blank">Meet Pearl, the therapy llama who cheers up hospital patients</a> <a href="/news/news/2015/04/physiotherapy-may-work-just-as-well-as-surgery-for-back-pain/" target="_blank">A study has found that physiotherapy may be just as effective as surgery for chronic back pain</a> <a href="/news/news/2015/04/most-expensive-trailer/" target="_blank">Is this the most expensive trailer in the world?</a>

Body

The secret to drying clothes faster

It can take quite a while for laundry to dry and it seems like everyone has wondered how the time-consuming task could be shortened. Using a dryer definitely helps reduce the time it takes for laundry to dry but there is a different trick that will make the process even faster. The secret to reducing the time it takes for your clothes to dry is as easy as adding a clean, dry tea towel to your load of wet clothes in the dryer. It sounds a bit weird but cleaning expert Shannon Lush stands by the trick, claiming it reduces drying time by a third. Shannon admitted that she hated using clothes dryers at all but when she does she always puts her trick to use. She explained, “It wicks the water away and spreads the surface area for the dryer to do its work.” If all we have to do to save time is add an extra item to our laundry pile, then we are onboard. To find your home essentials <a href="https://shop.oversixty.com.au/?utm_source=over60&utm_campaign=Over60Shop&utm_medium=in-article-link-o60shop&utm_content=over60-shop" target="_blank">head to the Over60 Shop for high-quality offerings</a>. <a href="https://shop.oversixty.com.au/collections/bathroom?utm_source=Over60&utm_medium=in-article-banner-bathroom&utm_campaign=Over60Shop&utm_content=over60-shop" target="_blank"><img src="http://media.oversixty.com.au/images/EditorialAddon/201706_Shopnow_EditorialAddon_468x60_Bathroom.jpg" alt="Over60 Shop - Bathroom Range"/></a>

Home & Garden

Why you shouldn’t dry your clothes indoors during winter

It can be tempting to put your wet clothes and <a href="https://shop.oversixty.com.au/collections/towels?utm_source=Over60&utm_medium=in-article-link-towels&utm_campaign=Over60Shop&utm_content=over60-shop" target="_blank">towels</a> inside to dry during winter, but it turns out this could be turning your house into a breeding ground. Senior Lecturer in Environmental Health at the University of NSW Nick Osbourne explained to Kidspot that drying clothes inside could lead to the growth of mould and dust mites. Dr Osbourne said that a damp house can trigger or worsen symptoms for those who suffer from asthma. Dr Christine Cowie, a senior research fellow with the University of NSW, said that mould and other biological agents can have a negative health impact. “From a health perspective … many biological agents are found indoors and they usually thrive on dampness and inadequate ventilation. They have found that dampness itself has been a good indicator of risk of asthma and respiratory symptoms. There are other studies that show inhalation of fungal spores … are linked to allergic sensitisation and asthma,” she said. Dr Osbourne said that other lifestyle habits in winter also contribute to dust mites and mould. “As far as winter time goes, we’re all coming inside with wet coats and hanging them up and people are inside a lot more,” Dr Osborne said. “Especially if there are a lot of people in a small dwelling. And add to that showers and cooking steam. If a house isn’t correctly ventilated moisture builds up inside and will condensate on windows and in walls.” Dust mites thrive off moisture and a damp house will also create a mouldy smell. Dr Osbourne explains that during winter, there are simple yet effective ways to reduce moisture in your home. “If you’re cooking, remember to turn the extractor fan on. There could potentially be more hot meals served in winter.” “Dry the dog off before you come inside and think about where you store your wet coats — put them on the veranda until they dry off.” “If it’s sunny get your washing out and make sure if you use a dryer that it’s vented to the outside. It all adds up,” he said. A warm and well-ventilated house will help keep mould and dust mites at bay. To find your home essentials <a href="https://shop.oversixty.com.au/?utm_source=over60&utm_campaign=Over60Shop&utm_medium=in-article-link-..." target="_blank">head to the Over60 Shop for high-quality offerings.</a>

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