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Britney Spears’ memoir is a reminder of the stigma and potential damage of child stardom

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jane-oconnor-1483447">Jane O’Connor</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/birmingham-city-university-920">Birmingham City University</a></em></p> <p>Britney Spears’ new memoir, The Woman in Me, illustrates once again the potential lifelong damage that can be caused by being a child star. Like many before her, including <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Judy-Garland">Judy Garland</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Michael-Jackson">Michael Jackson</a>, Spears was ushered into the dangerous terrain of childhood fame by the adults who were supposed to be protecting her, and was utterly unprepared to deal with the fallout.</p> <p>Spears’ <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-53494405">father’s conservatorship</a>, controlling every aspect of her personal and professional life, was finally rescinded in 2021. She is now able to share the details of her extraordinary years in the limelight and beyond.</p> <p>From a sociological perspective, childhood is considered socially constructed. This means that there are specific ways of raising children which are socially and culturally defined. We discard these conventions surrounding the early years of life at our peril.</p> <p>The boundaries and rules around what is and is not acceptable during childhood, and the normal activities and institutions that shape the experience of being a child have developed over the centuries for a reason – to try and keep children safe from the harsh realities of the adult world.</p> <p>Being sexualised and valued for your appearance, being paid to work, having to deal with criticism and unwanted attention from strangers – these are all difficult aspects of growing up. Children and teens need careful support and guidance if they are to navigate safely into their adult lives and identities.</p> <p>The experience of childhood fame throws aside this social safety net for children in every possible way, and the consequences can be disastrous.</p> <h2>The price of child fame</h2> <p>From the earliest child stars of Hollywood’s golden age, through the television sitcoms and shows of the mid-20th century, the rise of the pop and film industries in the following decades and the burst in popularity of reality TV and talent shows of the early 21st century, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17482798.2011.584378">children have always featured</a>. Many have paid a heavy price for their often short period of fame.</p> <p>Sad stories of <a href="https://www.or-nc.com/why-do-child-stars-become-addicted-to-drugs/">drug and alcohol addiction</a>, <a href="https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2022/11/02/uncle-fester-star-jackie-coogans-tragic-life-child-fortune-to-horror-crash">family disputes</a>, <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/child-actors-who-became-criminals/nathan-gibso">criminal activity</a> and <a href="https://www.dailystar.co.uk/showbiz/us-showbiz/former-nickelodeon-star-drake-bells-29769568">toxic relationships</a> are frequently reported by the media. These reinforce the stereotypical “child star gone bad” and “too much too young” narratives that the wider public has come to expect.</p> <p>For example, stories abound of <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2020/02/11/macaulay-culkin-reveals-never-divorced-parents-emancipated-12222457/">Macaulay Culkin “divorcing” his controlling parents</a> and his difficulties transitioning into adult life, <a href="https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/film-tv/why-it-was-not-a-wonderful-life-for-macaulay-culkin-after-he-found-fame-in-the-hit-christmas-film-home-alone/37620091.html">feeling trapped</a> in the image of boyhood innocence of his most famous character, Kevin in the Home Alone movies.</p> <p><a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=kSJ8XjTw10kC&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;redir_esc=y#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false">In her autobiography</a> actor Drew Barrymore has written about her casual acceptance at Hollywood parties and consumption of alcohol at a very young age, following her role in <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083866/">E.T.</a> (1982) aged five.</p> <p>There is also the tragic life and death of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2010/may/29/gary-coleman-obituary">Gary Coleman</a>, cute kid star of the American sitcom <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077003/">Diff'rent Strokes</a> (1978-1986).</p> <p>Coleman, who died at 42 following a history of <a href="https://nypost.com/2010/05/29/troubled-80s-child-star-gary-colemans-life-is-cut-short-at-42/#:%7E:text=In%202005%2C%20Coleman%20moved%20to,and%20%22wanted%20to%20die.%22">substance abuse</a> and <a href="https://www.salon.com/2010/05/28/gary_coleman_dies/">depression</a>, reported being <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2010/may/29/gary-coleman-obituary">deeply humiliated</a> by people asking: “Didn’t you used to be …?” when he was working as a security guard at a supermarket as an adult.</p> <h2>Other possibilities</h2> <p>It’s important to note, however, that a difficult trajectory is not the experience of all child stars and former child stars. The actors from the Harry Potter films, for example, seem <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/oct/22/the-not-so-cursed-child-did-harry-potter-mark-the-end-of-troubled-young-actors">largely to have transitioned well</a> into adult lives and careers – some in the spotlight, others not.</p> <p>And the new generation of famous children and teens such as <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/stranger-things-millie-bobby-brown">Millie Bobby Brown</a>, star of the Netflix show <a href="https://theconversation.com/stranger-things-is-the-upside-down-to-disneys-cute-and-cuddly-universe-83417">Stranger Things</a> (2016-present), seem more prepared for fame than their predecessors, in control of their images and identities via their own social media platforms and <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-44045291">potentially protected to some extent</a> from extreme sexualisation by the MeToo movement.</p> <p>Even so, Brown <a href="https://www.popbuzz.com/tv-film/news/millie-bobby-brown-birthday-instagram-post/">commented on her 16th birthday</a> that: “There are moments I get frustrated from the inaccuracy, inappropriate comments, sexualization, and unnecessary insults.”</p> <p>For Spears though, these were more than moments. She details in her memoir how the constant public scrutiny of her body and physical appearance, being valued for her sexuality and treated as a commodity have characterised her entire life.</p> <p>It is no wonder <a href="https://people.com/britney-spears-reveals-why-shaved-off-hair-in-2007-exclusive-8362494">she shaved her head</a> in 2007, a move interpreted by the media as her having “gone mad”, but in fact a powerful indication of her anger at being perceived as nothing more than a dancing sex-doll. As she writes in her memoir: "I knew a lot of guys thought long hair was hot. Shaving my head was a way of saying to the world: fuck you. You want me to be pretty for you? Fuck you. You want me to be good for you? Fuck you. You want me to be your dream girl? Fuck you."</p> <p>The sociologist Erving Goffman wrote about the stigma of having a “<a href="https://www.howcommunicationworks.com/blog/2020/12/16/what-is-stigma-explaining-goffmans-idea-of-spoiled-identity">spoiled identity</a>” whereby people carry with them the public shame of transgression or physical difference.</p> <p>Being a former child star can be stigmatising for many reasons, including being constantly compared to an ideal younger version of yourself and not having had a “normal” childhood or conventional family relationships.</p> <p>In this memoir, Britney attempts to face down that stigma and reclaim her identity and person-hood as an adult. In doing so, she demonstrates that it can be possible to leave the dangerous terrain of early fame behind – but the journey is a tough one.</p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jane-oconnor-1483447">Jane O’Connor</a>, Reader in Childhood Studies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/birmingham-city-university-920">Birmingham City University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images / Instagram, </em></p> <p><em>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/britney-spears-memoir-is-a-reminder-of-the-stigma-and-potential-damage-of-child-stardom-216545">original article</a>.</em></p>

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Tourist accused of causing over $8,000 in damages to iconic Roman statue

<p>A 22-year-old German tourist has been accused of causing around €5,000 (A$8,400) in damages to the 16th-century Fountain of Neptune in the Piazza della Signoria, Italy. </p> <p>Surveillance footage obtained by the police allegedly show the tourist - who has not been named - climbing over the protective barrier around the monument in the early hours of Monday morning as he posed for a photo on the statue. </p> <p>His two friends, who stood outside of the barrier, took the photos of him and they all fled the scene when the alarm went off, according to city authorities.</p> <p>"According to the investigators' reconstruction, after 1 o'clock this morning the tourist, in Piazza della Signoria with two other friends, climbed over the fence of the Neptune Fountain and climbed onto the edge of the pool," the statement read. </p> <p>"With a jump he then climbed onto the horse's leg, reaching the base of the carriage and, after having some photos taken by his friends, he climbed down," they added.</p> <p>"During the descent he placed his foot again on the hoof, damaging it. As soon as the alarm went off, however, the young man had already managed to escape with the two others." </p> <p>The tourist will be charged under the city penal code that prohibits the "destruction, dispersion, deterioration, disfigurement, soiling or illicit use of cultural or landscape assets."</p> <p>He has been detained in Florence and could be fined and banned from entering the city if convicted. </p> <p>Image:<em> X (formerly Twitter)</em></p>

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5 surprising factors damaging your heart

<p>It’s important to maintain heart health at all stages of life, but it becomes particularly crucial as we age – after all, the older you get, the older your heart becomes, too. And even though you might be taking all the right precautions (e.g. quitting smoking, eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly), you could be tarnishing your ticker without even realising it. Here are five things you didn’t know could negatively affect your heart health.</p> <p><strong>1. Damaged hearing</strong> – if you’ve spent much of your life working or living in noisy areas or regularly attending loud events (i.e. those rock concerts you frequented back in the day!), beware. A 2015 study found that people with high-frequency hearing loss in both years (most often due to prolonged exposure to high-decibel noise) were twice as prone to heart disease than those with normal hearing.</p> <p><strong>2. Air pollution</strong> – Have you been considering a sea or tree change? Now might be the time to do it. Researchers in 2011 discovered that exposure to traffic and air pollution is responsible for between 5 and 7 per cent of heart attacks around the world. Experts believe this may be due to an increase in arterial plaque build-up experienced by city-dwellers.</p> <p><strong>3. Sleep deprivation</strong> – A chronic lack of sleep increases production of adrenaline and cortisol (the stress hormone), which in turn increases your heart rate and blood pressure. In fact, one study found those who regularly had less than five hours of sleep were three times more at risk of heart attack than those who got between six and eight hours.</p> <p><strong>4. Excessive exercise</strong> – Believe it or not, but exercise could be putting you at risk of a heart attack – that is, if you’re doing too much vigorous exercise too often. Anything that causes strain can lead to dangerously high blood pressure – this means weightlifting and endurance sports (e.g. marathons) could be off the table. Stick to low-impact workouts like brisk walking, light weights and yoga.</p> <p><strong>5. Too much sitting</strong> – We’ve heard it all before – that sitting is bad for you – but you might not have realised just how bad it can be. According to a 2015 report, the average adult spends more than half of their waking hours sitting down, making them more likely to suffer or die from heart disease –even those who exercised an hour a day couldn’t combat this higher risk.</p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

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Arctic Ocean could be ice-free in summer by 2030s, say scientists – this would have global, damaging and dangerous consequences

<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jonathan-bamber-102567">Jonathan Bamber</a>, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-bristol-1211">University of Bristol</a></em></p> <p>The Arctic Ocean could be ice-free in summer by the 2030s, even if we do a good job of reducing emissions between now and then. That’s the worrying conclusion of a new study in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-38511-8">Nature Communications</a>.</p> <p>Predictions of an ice-free Arctic Ocean have a long and complicated history, and the 2030s is sooner than most scientists had thought possible (though it is later than some had wrongly forecast). What we know for sure is the disappearance of sea ice at the top of the world would not only be an emblematic sign of climate breakdown, but it would have global, damaging and dangerous consequences.</p> <p>The Arctic has been experiencing climate heating <a href="https://theconversation.com/arctic-is-warming-nearly-four-times-faster-than-the-rest-of-the-world-new-research-188474">faster than any other part of the planet</a>. As it is at the frontline of climate change, the eyes of many scientists and local indigenous people have been on the sea ice that covers much of the Arctic Ocean in winter. This thin film of frozen seawater expands and contracts with the seasons, reaching a minimum area in September each year.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530136/original/file-20230605-19-mdh85y.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530136/original/file-20230605-19-mdh85y.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530136/original/file-20230605-19-mdh85y.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=184&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530136/original/file-20230605-19-mdh85y.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=184&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530136/original/file-20230605-19-mdh85y.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=184&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530136/original/file-20230605-19-mdh85y.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=232&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530136/original/file-20230605-19-mdh85y.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=232&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530136/original/file-20230605-19-mdh85y.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=232&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="Animation of Arctic sea ice from space" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Arctic sea ice grows until March and then shrinks until September.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/esnt/2022/nasa-finds-2022-arctic-winter-sea-ice-10th-lowest-on-record">NASA</a></span></figcaption></figure> <p>The ice which remains at the end of summer is called multiyear sea ice and is considerably thicker than its seasonal counterpart. It acts as barrier to the transfer of both moisture and heat between the ocean and atmosphere. Over the past 40 years this multiyear sea ice has shrunk from around <a href="http://polarportal.dk/en/sea-ice-and-icebergs/sea-ice-extent0/">7 million sq km to 4 million</a>. That is a loss equivalent to roughly the size of India or 12 UKs. In other words, it’s a big signal, one of the most stark and dramatic signs of fundamental change to the climate system anywhere in the world.</p> <p>As a consequence, there has been considerable effort invested in determining when the Arctic Ocean might first become ice-free in summer, sometimes called a “blue ocean event” and defined as when the sea ice area drops below 1 million sq kms. This threshold is used mainly because older, thicker ice along parts of Canada and northern Greenland is expected to remain long after the rest of the Arctic Ocean is ice-free. We can’t put an exact date on the last blue ocean event, but one in the near future would likely mean open water at the North Pole for the first time in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature10581">thousands of years</a>.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530138/original/file-20230605-29-9uuhxu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530138/original/file-20230605-29-9uuhxu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530138/original/file-20230605-29-9uuhxu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=712&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530138/original/file-20230605-29-9uuhxu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=712&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530138/original/file-20230605-29-9uuhxu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=712&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530138/original/file-20230605-29-9uuhxu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=895&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530138/original/file-20230605-29-9uuhxu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=895&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530138/original/file-20230605-29-9uuhxu.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=895&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="Annotated map of Arctic" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">The thickest ice (highlighted in pink) is likely to remain even if the North Pole is ice-free.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/2015/05/new-tools-for-sea-ice-thickness/">NERC Center for Polar Observation and Modelling</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure> <p>One problem with predicting when this might occur is that sea ice is notoriously difficult to model because it is influenced by both atmospheric and oceanic circulation as well as the flow of heat between these two parts of the climate system. That means that the climate models – powerful computer programs used to simulate the environment – need to get all of these components right to be able to accurately predict changes in sea ice extent.</p> <h2>Melting faster than models predicted</h2> <p>Back in the 2000s, an assessment of early generations of climate models found they generally <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2007GL029703">underpredicted the loss of sea ice</a> when compared to satellite data showing what actually happened. The models predicted a loss of about 2.5% per decade, while the observations were closer to 8%.</p> <p>The next generation of models did better but were <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2012GL052676">still not matching observations</a> which, at that time were suggesting a blue ocean event would happen by mid-century. Indeed, the latest <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-working-group-i/">IPCC climate science report</a>, published in 2021, reaches a similar conclusion about the timing of an ice-free Arctic Ocean.</p> <p>As a consequence of the problems with the climate models, some scientists have attempted to extrapolate the observational record resulting in the controversial and, ultimately, incorrect assertion that this would happen <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/aug/21/arctic-will-be-ice-free-in-summer-next-year">during the mid 2010s</a>. This did not help the credibility of the scientific community and its ability to make reliable projections.</p> <h2>Ice-free by 2030?</h2> <p>The scientists behind the latest study have taken a different approach by, in effect, calibrating the models with the observations and then using this calibrated solution to project sea ice decline. This makes a lot of sense, because it reduces the effect of small biases in the climate models that can in turn bias the sea ice projections. They call these “observationally constrained” projections and find that the Arctic could become ice-free in summer as early as 2030, even if we do a good job of reducing emissions between now and then.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530365/original/file-20230606-21-usmovg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530365/original/file-20230606-21-usmovg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/530365/original/file-20230606-21-usmovg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=394&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530365/original/file-20230606-21-usmovg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=394&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530365/original/file-20230606-21-usmovg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=394&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530365/original/file-20230606-21-usmovg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=495&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530365/original/file-20230606-21-usmovg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=495&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/530365/original/file-20230606-21-usmovg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=495&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="Walruses on ice floe" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Walruses depend on sea ice. As it melts, they’re being forced onto land.</span> <span class="attribution">outdoorsman / shutterstock</span></figcaption></figure> <p>There is still plenty of uncertainty around the exact date – about <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2016GL070067">20 years or so</a> – because of natural chaotic fluctuations in the climate system. But compared to previous research, the new study still brings forward the most likely timing of a blue ocean event by about a decade.</p> <h2>Why this matters</h2> <p>You might be asking the question: so what? Other than some polar bears not being able to hunt in the same way, why does it matter? Perhaps there are even benefits as the previous US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2019/05/06/politics/pompeo-sea-ice-arctic-council/index.html">once declared</a> – it means ships from Asia can potentially save around 3,000 miles of journey to European ports in summer at least.</p> <p>But Arctic sea ice is an important component of the climate system. As it dramatically reduces the amount of sunlight absorbed by the ocean, removing this ice is predicted to further accelerate warming, through a process known as a positive feedback. This, in turn, will make the Greenland ice sheet <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2014GL059770">melt faster</a>, which is already a major contributor to <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2021RG000757">sea level rise</a>.</p> <p>The loss of sea ice in summer would also mean changes in <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/chapter/ccp6/">atmospheric circulation and storm tracks</a>, and fundamental shifts in ocean biological activity. These are just some of the <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2021RG000757">highly undesirable consequences</a> and it is fair to say that the disadvantages will far outweigh the slender benefits.</p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jonathan-bamber-102567">Jonathan Bamber</a>, Professor of Physical Geography, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-bristol-1211">University of Bristol</a></em></p> <p><em>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/arctic-ocean-could-be-ice-free-in-summer-by-2030s-say-scientists-this-would-have-global-damaging-and-dangerous-consequences-206974">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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More than 100,000 tourists will head to Antarctica this summer. Should we worry about damage to the ice and its ecosystems?

<p>As the summer sun finally arrives for people in the Southern Hemisphere, more than 100,000 tourists will head for the ice. Travelling on one of more than 50 cruise ships, they will brave the two-day trip across the notoriously rough Drake Passage below Patagonia, destined for the polar continent of Antarctica. </p> <p>During the COVID summer of 2020-21, just 15 tourists on two yachts visited Antarctica. But now, tourism is back – and bigger than ever. This season’s <a href="https://iaato.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/ATCM44-IAATO-Overview.pdf">visitor numbers</a> are up more than 40% over the largest <a href="https://iaato.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IAATO-on-Antarctic-visitor-figures-2019-20-FINAL.pdf">pre-pandemic year</a>. </p> <p>So are all those tourists going to damage what is often considered the last untouched wilderness on the planet? Yes and no. The industry is well run. Tourists often return with a new appreciation for wild places. They spend a surprisingly short amount of time actually on the continent or its islands. </p> <p>But as tourism grows, so will environmental impacts such as black carbon from cruise ship funnels. Tourists can carry in microbes, seed and other invasive species on their boots and clothes – a problem that will only worsen as ice melt creates new patches of bare earth. And cruise ships are hardly emissions misers.</p> <h2>How did Antarctic tourism go mainstream?</h2> <p>In the 1950s, the first tourists hitched rides on Chilean and Argentinian naval vessels heading south to resupply research bases on the South Shetland Islands. From the late 1960s, dedicated icebreaker expedition ships were venturing even further south. In the early 1990s, as ex-Soviet icebreakers became available, the industry began to expand – about a dozen companies offered trips at that time. By the turn of this century, the ice continent was receiving more than 10,000 annual visitors: Antarctic tourism had gone mainstream. </p> <p>What does it look like today? </p> <p>Most Antarctic tourists travel on small “expedition-style” vessels, usually heading for the relatively accessible Antarctic Peninsula. Once there, they can take a zodiac boat ride for a closer look at wildlife and icebergs or shore excursions to visit penguin or seal colonies. Visitors can kayak, paddle-board and take the polar plunge – a necessarily brief dip into subzero waters. </p> <p>For most tourists, accommodation, food and other services are provided aboard ship. Over a third of all visitors never stand on the continent. </p> <p>Those who do set foot on Antarctica normally make brief visits, rather than taking overnight stays. </p> <p>For more intrepid tourists, a few operators offer overland journeys into the continent’s interior, making use of temporary seasonal camp sites. There are no permanent hotels, and Antarctic Treaty nations recently <a href="https://documents.ats.aq/ATCM44/fr/ATCM44_fr001_e.pdf">adopted a resolution</a>against permanent tourist facilities. </p> <p>As tourists come in increasing numbers, some operators have moved to offer ever more adventurous options such as mountaineering, heli-skiing, underwater trips in submersibles and scuba diving.</p> <h2>Is Antarctic tourism sustainable?</h2> <p>As Antarctic tourism booms, some advocacy organisations have warned the impact may be unsustainable. For instance, the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition <a href="https://www.asoc.org/campaign/responsible-tourism-and-shipping/">argues</a> cruise tourism could put increased pressure on an environment already under significant strain from climate change. </p> <p>In areas visited most by tourists, the snow has a <a href="https://theconversation.com/each-antarctic-tourist-effectively-melts-83-tonnes-of-snow-new-research-177597">higher concentration</a> of black carbon from ship exhaust, which soaks up more heat and leads to snow melt. Ship traffic also risks carrying <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2110303118">hitchhiking invasive species</a> into the Southern Ocean’s vulnerable marine ecosystems.</p> <p>That’s to say nothing of greenhouse gas emissions. Because of the continent’s remoteness, tourists visiting Antarctica have a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09669581003653534">higher per capita carbon footprint</a>than other cruise-ship travellers. </p> <p>Of course, these impacts aren’t limited to tourism. Scientific expeditions come with similar environmental costs – and while there are far fewer of them, scientists and support personnel spend far more time on the continent. </p> <h2>Antarctic tourism isn’t going away – so we have to plan for the future</h2> <p>Are sustainable cruises an oxymoron? Many <a href="https://www.popsci.com/environment/why-cruise-ships-are-bad-for-the-environment/#:%7E:text=Studies%20have%20shown%20one%20cruise,in%20unhealthy%20levels%20of%20pollution.">believe so</a>. </p> <p>Through its sheer size, the cruise industry has created <a href="https://theconversation.com/time-to-rock-the-boat-cruise-ships-can-destroy-the-very-destinations-they-sell-to-us-55245">mass tourism</a> in new places and <a href="https://theconversation.com/overtourism-a-growing-global-problem-100029">overtourism</a> in others, generating unacceptable levels of crowding, disrupting the lives of residents, repurposing local cultures for “exotic” performances, damaging the environment and adding to emissions from fossil fuels. </p> <p>In Antarctica, crowding, environmental impact and emissions are the most pressing issues. While 100,000 tourists a year is tiny by global tourism standards – Paris had almost 20 million in 2019 – visits are concentrated in highly sensitive ecological areas for only a few months per year. There are no residents to disturb (other than local wildlife), but by the same token, there’s no host community to protest if visitor numbers get too high. </p> <p>Even so, strong protections are in place. In accordance with the Antarctic Treaty System – the set of international agreements signed by countries with an Antarctic presence or an interest – tourism operators based in those nations have to apply for permits and follow <a href="https://www.ats.aq/e/protocol.html">stringent environmental regulations</a>. </p> <p>To avoid introducing new species, tourists have to follow rules such as disinfecting their boots and vacuuming their pockets before setting foot on the ice, and keeping a set distance from wildlife. </p> <p>Almost all Antarctic cruise owners belong to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, the peak body that manages Antarctic tourism. </p> <p>For the first time this year, operators have to report their <a href="https://iaato.org/antarctic-tour-operators-fuel-consumption-to-be-analysed-as-they-embark-on-climate-strategy/">overall fuel consumption</a> as part of IAATO’s efforts to make the industry more climate-friendly. Some operators are now using hybrid vessels that can run partly on electric propulsion for short periods, reducing carbon dioxide emissions.</p> <h2>Returning from the ice: the ambassador effect</h2> <p>Famed travel writer Pico Iyer <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/17/t-magazine/travel-destinations-experiences.html?te=1&amp;nl=from-the-times&amp;emc=edit_ufn_20221127">recently wrote</a> of his experience in the deep south of the world. The visit, he said, “awakens you to the environmental concerns of the world … you go home with important questions for your conscience as well as radiant memories”. </p> <p>Iyer isn’t alone. This response is widespread, known in the industry as <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/polar-record/article/what-and-who-is-an-antarctic-ambassador/4943D999A9D58BC00D1705C110075163">Antarctic ambassadorship</a>. As you’d expect, this is <a href="https://iaato.org/antarctic-ambassadors/antarctic-ambassadors/">strongly promoted</a> by tourism operators as a positive. </p> <p>Is it real? That’s contentious. Studies on links between polar travel and pro-environmental behaviour have yielded <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0032247408007456">mixed results</a>. We are working with two operators to examine the Antarctic tourist experience and consider what factors might feed into a long-lasting ambassador effect. </p> <p>If you’re one of the tourists going to Antarctica this summer, enjoy the experience – but go with care. Be aware that no trip south comes without environmental cost and use this knowledge to make clear-eyed decisions about your activities both in Antarctica and once you’re safely back home.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/more-than-100-000-tourists-will-head-to-antarctica-this-summer-should-we-worry-about-damage-to-the-ice-and-its-ecosystems-192843" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

International Travel

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Alex Jones to pay eye-watering sum in damages

<p dir="ltr">Alex Jones, the host of far-right radio show InfoWars, has been ordered to pay a total of $US 49.3 million ($NZD 78.43 million) in damages for falsely claiming the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax.</p> <p dir="ltr">A Texas jury ruled that Jones pay $45.2 million in punitive damages, after awarding $4.1 million in compensatory damages the previous day, per <em><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62444302" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BBC News</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Jones has repeatedly claimed that the shooting at Sandy Hook primary school, Connecticut, where 20 children and adults were killed was a “hoax” carried out by actors who opposed the Second Amendment right to bear firearms.</p> <p dir="ltr">Nail Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, the plaintiffs in the case and whose son died in the shooting, asked the court for $150 million, claiming they endured harassment and emotional distress as a result of his misinformation.</p> <p dir="ltr">Heslin told the court that Jones’ falsehoods had made his life “hell” and led to harassment and death threats from people who believed he had lied about his son’s death.</p> <p dir="ltr">The $4.1 million in compensatory damages were issued on Thursday to cover the actual costs incurred by the plaintiffs as a result of Jones’ defamation, including the private security they hired out of fear a Jones supporter may attack them during the trial.</p> <p dir="ltr">The following day’s $45.2 million are meant to deter Jones from repeating his offence.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We ask that you send a very, very simple message and that is: Stop Alex Jones,” a lawyer for the parents said in court on Friday.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Stop the monetisation of misinformation and lies. Please.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Lawyers representing Heslin and Lewis accused Jones of trying to hide evidence, arguing that he committed perjury by denying having sent any messages about the shooting - with one attorney revealing that Jones’ legal representative accidentally sent them two years of Jones’ text messages.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Did you know 12 days ago your attorneys messed up and sent me an entire digital copy of your entire cell phone with every text message you’ve sent for the past two years?” said attorney Mark Bankston, according to HuffPost.</p> <p dir="ltr">“And when informed did not take any steps to identify it as privilege?”</p> <p dir="ltr">"If I was mistaken, I was mistaken, you've got the text messages right there," Jones said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite his long-held position that the shooting was fake, Jones acknowledged that it was “100 percent real” in court.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I unintentionally took part in things that did hurt these people’s feelings, and I’m sorry for that,” Jones said.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, the radio host has continued to use his media platform to claim the case was rigged against him, with his InfoWars depicting a judge being consumed by flames.</p> <p dir="ltr">During his brief appearance in court, Jones was rebuked several times by the judge for lying under oath, including one moment where he was told: “This is not your show.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The trial is one of three brought against Jones by family members of the Sandy Hook victims, and comes after he has lost a series of defamation cases filed by parents by default after he failed to produce documents or testimony.</p> <p dir="ltr">But, this is the first trial where a jury agreed to award financial damages.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-71a17443-7fff-4a6b-001a-e0fe0b49116b"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Money & Banking

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Marilyn Monroe dress allegedly damaged after Met Gala appearance

<p dir="ltr">After sparking ire among fashion and history experts for <a href="https://oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/beauty-style/marilyn-monroe-dress-designer-weighs-in-on-kim-kardashian-s-met-gala-outfit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wearing Marilyn Monroe’s iconic <em>Happy Birthday Mr President</em> gown</a> at the Met Gala, images have emerged suggesting that Kim Kardashian may have damaged the 60-year-old garment.</p> <p dir="ltr">Its current owner, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum, has said that the dress was returned undamaged after Kardashian wore it.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-5d66cbfb-7fff-8e92-b1f7-6ad8b77775a7">Amanda Joiner, a vice president of licensing and publishing at Ripley’s, told the Daily Beast that “a lot of requirements” were put in place while it was handled.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">And this is why every historical garment archivist and textile expert about had a coronary seeing Kim Kardashian in Marilyn Monroe's dress. <a href="https://t.co/XIs9MOeEiK">https://t.co/XIs9MOeEiK</a></p> <p>— Kathryn #GoBolts⛈️ Brightbill (@KEBrightbill) <a href="https://twitter.com/KEBrightbill/status/1536452582352224262?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“The dress was never with Kim alone. It was always with a Ripley’s representative. We always ensured that at any time we felt that the dress was in danger of ripping or we felt uncomfortable about anything, we always had the ability to say we were not going to continue with this,” Joiner said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We did two different fittings with her. The first one was in L.A. in April and then the second one later in April to see whether or not the dress would fit. The biggest challenge that we had is that we really wanted to make sure that we kept the integrity of the dress and the preservation, because it’s 60 years old, and we feel that it’s such an iconic piece of fashion, both from a historical perspective, but also from a pop culture perspective.”</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-56f5cbf4-7fff-ace1-dfe3-93a69841619e"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">However, <em><a href="https://twitter.com/PopCrave/status/1536415873421914112" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pop Culture</a></em> posted side-by-side photos of the gown allegedly from before and after Kardashian wore it, with the ‘after’ image showing signs of stretched fabric around one of the snaps and missing crystals around the back closure.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">the quotes are so damn ignorant, it's not about the actual dress. it's about the meaning. marilyn was used all her life, she hardly had anything that was truly her own. This dress, it was hers. it was designed specifically and ONLY for her. now it's ruined. <a href="https://t.co/4MO4jDHFcR">https://t.co/4MO4jDHFcR</a></p> <p>— ✨ (@shipsandshows) <a href="https://twitter.com/shipsandshows/status/1536425419116883969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Fans were quick to weigh in with their thoughts, blaming Kardashian for the damage and pointing out the importance of conserving historical items.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Kim should’ve never worn that dress to begin with. I mean yes it’s nice to pay homage to Marilyn but she could’ve had a new dress made and replicated. This was a timeless and iconic artefact that’s been ruined,” one person commented.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Leave it to Kim to destroy a historical piece of art,” another said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Congratulations to the Met Gala for showcasing a real-life example of why a conservation department like the Costume Institute is necessary for historically significant garments,” a third added.</p> <p dir="ltr">Collector Scott Fortner, who also shared images of the dress’ alleged damage online, told <em><a href="https://news.sky.com/story/lending-marilyn-monroe-dress-to-kim-kardashian-was-irresponsible-collector-says-12633589" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sky News</a></em> it was “irresponsible” for the museum to loan the gown to Kardashian.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I think the disappointment that I'm experiencing is Ripley has made multiple statements that they were doing everything that they could to protect and preserve the gown," he told the outlet.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I do feel that it (was) irresponsible, this is not just a dress.</p> <p dir="ltr">"This is a cultural icon. It's a political icon. It's a Hollywood icon.</p> <p dir="ltr">"It's part of American history from an event that happened 60 years ago and…it should have been archived and preserved and taken care of."</p> <p dir="ltr">The gown was made using 6,000 crystals and was hand-sewn by costumier Jean Lewis.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: @lmorrisette (Twitter) / Getty Images</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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Toddler suffers brain damage after Easter egg hunt

<p dir="ltr">A young boy who suffered brain damage after a fun weekend may lose his toes and fingers after contracting a life threatening disease.</p> <p dir="ltr">Teddie was “bouncing around” with his siblings during an exciting Easter egg hunt on Good Friday but it was two days later when he woke up with a temperature.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mother Zoe Stewart noticed a pink looking bruise on his forehead which had then spread all over his stomach. </p> <p dir="ltr">Teddie’s condition began to rapidly deteriorate and he was rushed to hospital where he was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis and septicaemia.</p> <p dir="ltr">The doctors said it was too late to wait for the painkillers to kick in and they had to drill into Teddie’s shin bones.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He was starting to bleed from his mouth and his nose, it was just terrifying,” Zoe told The Mirror.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We were told what all parents never want to hear, that we needed to understand there was a chance Teddie may not make it as he has a life-threatening infection.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Teddie was transferred to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital where he spent two weeks in the ICU - all while his parents feared the worst.</p> <p dir="ltr">Eventually he was taken off life support and began breathing on his own, however, he has suffered some brain damage of which the long term effects are still unknown. </p> <p dir="ltr">A <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/please-help-little-teddies-parents?qid=ac29c369ef749c5c5d13b40672d8bdf7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GoFundMe</a> page has been created to help the family. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: GoFundMe</em></p>

Caring

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Space travel may prompt cartilage damage

<p>Space travel may be bad for your joints, research indicates.</p> <p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mice that spent a month aboard a Russian spacecraft showed early signs of cartilage breakdown, suggesting that the reduced biomechanical forces in space impact on the musculoskeletal system.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: inherit;">And while it’s too early to translate their finding to humans, researchers from the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, US, say the evidence was “clear-cut”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: inherit;">“We believe this degradation is due to joint unloading caused by the near lack of gravity in space,” says lead author Jamie Fitzgerald, the hospital’s head of musculoskeletal genetics. “If this were to happen to humans, given enough time, it would lead to major joint problems.” </span></p> <p><span style="font-family: inherit;">With funding from NASA, Fitzgerald and colleagues analysed molecular changes in the cartilage of mice that spent 30 days in animal research enclosures aboard an unmanned Russian Bion-M1 spacecraft in 2013. This included performing tissue stains and gene expression studies on the cartilage. The results were compared to mice observed on Earth during the same period.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Video footage shows the mice floating around in their enclosure during the day, then at night struggling to climb over each other and hang onto the grate inside the enclosure. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fitzgerald says the resultant cartilage breakdown was consistent with changes associated with osteoarthritis. In comparison, the mice on Earth showed no discernible cartilage degradation.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: inherit;">“When there’s no gravity pulling down on the cartilage, it’s not able to maintain its structure, its integrity,” he says. “On Earth, every time you take a step to walk, you’re loading that cartilage. In space, there’s very little of that.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: inherit;">With plans to send humans to Mars, NASA is obviously interested to know what precautions it may need to take to protect human knees. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family: inherit;">“You may have some payload specialists and experienced pilots who already have some degree of pre-symptomatic cartilage damage at the time of their flight,” Fitzgerald says. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Because cartilage in humans doesn’t readily repair, the return to Earth could potentially bring long-term health problems.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41526-019-0063-6" target="_blank">study</a> is published in the journal npg Microgravity. </span></p> <div class="newsletter-box"> <div id="wpcf7-f6-p25312-o1" class="wpcf7"> <p style="display: none !important;"> </p> <p><!-- Chimpmail extension by Renzo Johnson --></p> </div> </div> <p><!-- Start of tracking content syndication. Please do not remove this section as it allows us to keep track of republished articles --></p> <p><img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=25312&amp;title=Space+travel+may+prompt+cartilage+damage" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><!-- End of tracking content syndication --></p> <div id="contributors"> <p><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/space-travel-may-prompt-cartilage-damage-study-shows/" target="_blank">This article</a> was originally published on <a rel="noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a rel="noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/nick-carne" target="_blank">Nick Carne</a>. Nick Carne is the editor of Cosmos Online and editorial manager for The Royal Institution of Australia.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p> </div>

Travel Trouble

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Mum's desperate plea after deodorant leaves daughter with brain damage

<p>A Queensland mother has shared a desperate plea for parents to discuss the dangers of solvent abuse with their kids.</p> <p>The emotional appeal comes after Sarah Nevins found her 16-year-old daughter Chloe lying in bushland without a pulse. </p> <p>Chloe has been inhaling toxic fumes from a deodorant aerosol can with her boyfriend on June 1st when she went into cardiac arrest, cutting off the oxygen supply from her brain. </p> <p>The concerned mum told The Courier Mail that her daughter was taken to <span>the Royal Brisbane and Women’s hospital with a hypoxic brain injury, and remains confined to her hospital bed over a month later. </span></p> <p><span>Sarah said, “I had no idea she was chroming, I didn’t even know that people did that.”</span></p> <p><span>Chroming, more commonly known as solvent abuse, is when people try to get high by inhaling chemicals like paint, glue, petrol or other solvents. </span></p> <p><span>Sarah said that paramedics performed CPR on Chloe for almost 30 minutes before she was admitted to the Brisbane hospital. </span></p> <p><span>The mum posted a series of photos and videos of her unconscious child with a tracheostomy tube in her neck fighting for life.</span></p> <p>“It’s upsetting because you’re looking at a wasted life,” she told The Courier Mail.</p> <p>“Her quality of life is going to be severely impacted for the rest of her life.”</p> <p>Sarah is hoping the shocking images of her daughter will prompt parents to <span>their children about the dangers of chroming. </span></p> <p><span>She is also campaigning for manufacturers to remove toxic ingredients from their aerosol products to prevent further issues of solvent abuse. </span></p> <p><em>Image credits: Facebook</em></p>

Caring

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Sore jaw or damaged teeth? You might be suffering from bruxism

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you’re feeling stressed, you might notice you’re snappier with people or having trouble getting enough sleep. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But, one area of the body that is greatly affected but seldom talked about when it comes to stress can be found in your mouth.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Teeth grinding - also known as bruxism - can occur in almost anyone and result in broken fillings and cracked teeth.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Before you get too worried about your oral health, you should know that everyone grinds their teeth at least a little bit.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Everybody grinds their teeth a little bit at night, it’s normal and we do it subconsciously - usually during dream sleep,” Dr Tami Yap, a lecturer in oral medicine at Melbourne University, told </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Age</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“If sleep is fragmented, you’re not getting solid sleep cycles, or you have a period of stress where you mood is impacted into the night-time, you will probably grind more.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The problems arise when grinding causes the teeth to become worn down or break, or if it causes the muscles in your face to ache.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Additional symptoms can vary, from temperature sensitivity or a sore jaw to tension headaches or pieces of your teeth breaking off in your mouth.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though there isn’t a simple way to “switch off” tooth grinding, Yap explained, there are some things you can do to manage it.</span></p> <p><strong>What makes us grind our teeth?</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to Dr Elizabeth Milford, a dentist and scientific relations consultant for Oral-B, tooth grinding can be triggered by increased anxiety, not getting enough exercise, and poor sleep habits.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Other habits can also exacerbate night-time tooth grinding, such as smoking, drinking large amounts of alcohol, and taking recreational drugs. But these habits are more influential on how much we grind our teeth during the day.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Daytime tooth grinding is often triggered by our mood, habits, and stress levels.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“When we are worried or highly stressed, we are physiologically perceiving a low-grade threat,” Yap explained. “And when this happens, stress hormones run around the body and the sympathetic system is engaged because the body is prioritising you to fight or flight.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With this comes extra tension in your muscles, with people often holding their teeth together like you would clench your fist.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“And if you were clenching your fist, it would be very clear you shouldn’t be doing that. Similarly, if you’re touching your teeth together at times other than eating, you’re going to be loading your teeth more, and you’re going to get cracks, and possibly muscle pain.” </span></p> <p><strong>What can you do about it?</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Minimising tooth grinding requires a holistic approach. Consciously choosing the position of your mouth and jaw and thinking about what our facial muscles are doing can help reduce it.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Teeth should only be touching when you’re eating, maybe when you phonate certain words and sometimes when you swallow,” Dr Yap said. “That amounts to a few minutes a day, the rest of the time the teeth should actually be apart.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dr Yap recommends focusing on breathing, since this helps you become “more aware of how your mood and your stress is impacting changes on your body”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Treatment can also include jaw exercises, relaxation techniques, and custom-made dental appliances that reduce pressure on teeth.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dentists often recommend night guards, but becoming more aware of how we’re feeling and how our body is reacting will pay off in the long run.</span></p>

Body

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ALDI shopper causes $180k in damages after smashing alcohol

<p>Footage of a woman going rampant and causing severe damage to an ALDI store by smashing bottles of alcohol has caused great concern among customers. </p> <p>The video was recorded at a supermarket in Stevenage, UK, on Wednesday (local time) afternoon.</p> <p>Footage shows the woman wearing a hoodie and a backpack removing bottles of alcohol off the shelves with her arms.</p> <p>She then slips in the mess she created and falls to the ground.</p> <p>“Oh god, she’s not right,” a man is heard saying off-camera.</p> <p>The woman quickly gets back up and starts her tirade of breaking more bottles.</p> <p>The man off camera notices the woman has cut her hand and it’s covered in blood, while another person reveals the police won’t arrive for a while.</p> <p>“I’ve never seen anything like this,” someone is heard saying.</p> <p>A man who was waiting in the check-out line asked the woman to “calm down” and the woman threw a bottle of booze at his leg.</p> <p>The store manager estimated the damages to cost approximately $AUD180,270 when taking into account the loss of stock and revenue due to being forced to close the store to clean.</p> <p>According to The Comment, police officers arrived at the scene at around 2.30 pm and arrested the woman, who was taken to hospital and treated for her injuries.</p> <p>Image credit: <a rel="noopener" href="https://7news.com.au/entertainment/viral-weird/woman-smashes-500-bottles-of-alcohol-in-five-minutes-during-bizarre-aldi-rampage-c-1662545" target="_blank">7NEWS</a></p>

Food & Wine

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Man causes $45,000 in damages trying to "resurrect" dead grandmother

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>A man from Tennessee, USA has been arrested after causing $45,000 worth of damages to a cemetery after he wanted to "resurrect" his dead grandmother. </p> <p>Danny Frazier, 34, told police that he was a "ghost whisperer" and has since been accused of breaking headstones and digging holes during a failed seance.</p> <p>Police responded to reports of vandalism in the cemetery around 2:30 pm and found Frazier at the scene.</p> <p>It was here he admitted to causing the damage to bring his grandmother back to life.</p> <p>Online records show that his grandmother, Edna Ruth Frazier, died aged 70 in June 2012.</p> <p>Danny has since been charged with vandalism and criminal trespass. He is being held in jail with a bond for $20,000 and his first hearing is scheduled for October 19th. </p> </div> </div> </div>

Legal

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Family suing after routine surgery leaves daughter brain damaged

<p>A heartbroken family are suing a Melbourne hospital after their eight-year-old daughter suffered brain damage during a routine operation.</p> <p>Taylah Burns went into hospital for surgery in November 2019 after she was suffering from headaches and a cyst was found on her brain.</p> <p>The brain surgery was meant to drain the cyst but did not work.</p> <p>After attempting the surgery for a second time to insert a shunt, Taylah emerged a different child from the operation as she suffered irreparable brain damage.</p> <p>“She doesn’t talk anymore, she doesn’t interact - she just sort of lays in the bed,” Taylah’s mother Melanie Burns told<span> </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://7news.com.au/news/medicine/melbourne-family-sue-monash-childrens-hospital-over-daughter-taylahs-brain-surgery-c-1045403" target="_blank">7NEWS</a></em>.</p> <p>“There is very little recovery, we have been told. We’ll get some things back, but the things we’ll get back will be at a different level,” father Cameron said.</p> <p>The family are now suing Monash Children’s Hospital for negligence.</p> <p>“A full review involving an external expert will be established, and Safer Care Victoria has been advised,” Monash Health said in a statement.</p> <p>The family are also struggling with the financial strain after the injury as both their home and car will now need to be wheelchair accessible.</p> <p>They have launched a<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/fvu8ts-treatment-for-taylah" target="_blank">GoFundMe page</a><span> </span>for financial support, and at time of writing, have raised over $40,000 for the treatment she needs.</p> <p><em>Photo credits:<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://7news.com.au/news/medicine/melbourne-family-sue-monash-childrens-hospital-over-daughter-taylahs-brain-surgery-c-1045403" target="_blank">7News</a></em></p>

Caring

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“Unlimited damages”: Parents of toddler who fell to her death on cruise ship proceed with lawsuit

<p>Royal Caribbean have failed to stop a multi-million dollar negligence suit that’s brought on by the parents of a toddler who fell 11 decks to her death, according to<span> </span><em><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7974255/Parents-toddler-fell-death-Royal-Caribbean-ship-proceed-lawsuit.html" target="_blank">The Daily Mail</a></em>.</p> <p>Royal Caribbean’s lawyers argued there was no case as Chloe Wiegand’s grandfather, Salvatore ‘Sam’ Anello, was solely to blame for dropping the girl onto the deck.</p> <p>However, US District Judge Donald L Graham denied Royal Caribbean’s motion to dismiss on Wednesday, ruling that the parents can proceed with their complaint.</p> <p>Alan and Kimberly Wiegand could claim “unlimited damages” for pain and mental suffering if their suit succeeds.</p> <p>However, the heartbroken couple say that their sole motivation is to force the cruise ship line to make their windows safer so that their daughter’s death is never repeated.</p> <p>The couple’s suit say that there were no signs or notices to warn Anello that the “wall of glass” around a child’s splash fool featured windows that could be opened by passengers.</p> <p>The suit also said that despite the ship’s windows having handles and a blue-green tint, that was useless to Anello as he is colourblind.</p> <p>In its motion to dismiss, Royal Caribbean denied breaching industry safety standards, saying that Anello “unquestionably” knew that the window was open and would only have to had used his “basic senses” to realise he was putting his grandchild in danger.</p> <p>“His actions, which no reasonable person could have foreseen, were reckless and irresponsible and the sole reason why Chloe is no longer with her parents,” the motion stated.</p> <p>Judge Graham determined in a seven-page ruling that the Wiegands’ suit had presented a factual and plausible case at face value. He also denied the motion to dismiss, explaining that Royal Caribbean had woven images and statements into their filing that “catapulted” the case into the discovery stage.</p> <p>Prosecutors in the US territory are still pressing charges against Anello, despite Chloe’s parents wanting them to stop.</p> <p>“We have never wanted charges filed against Sam because we know with all of our hearts that he would never put Chloe in harm's way,” they said last week, in a statement provided exclusively to DailyMail.com.</p> <p>“We will stand with Sam as long as it takes - but we cannot grieve as a family until the criminal charges are dropped.”</p> <p><em>Photo credits:<span> </span><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/family-chloe-wiegand-who-died-falling-cruise-ship-sues-royal-n1099576" target="_blank">NBC</a><span> </span><br /></em></p>

News

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Duchess Meghan’s friend warned to take down all “damaging photos” of royal

<p>Duchess Meghan’s friend that she’d made before she hit international fame and married into the royal family, has been ordered by Buckingham Palace to delete any photos of the Duchess that she is using to promote her business.</p> <p>California-based jewellery designer Jennifer Meyer, 42, has reportedly breached a nondisclosure agreement by posting pictures of the Duchess of Sussex wearing her jewellery, as reporting by<span> </span>The Mirror.</p> <p>The two allegedly became good friends while Duchess Meghan was still starring in American legal drama<span> </span>Suits, and has reportedly boasted that she “can’t get enough” of her royal friend wearing her necklaces, rings and earrings.</p> <p>An insider source told the Mirror: “Jennifer Meyer has been told to remove the images and in no uncertain terms how damaging this could be for Meghan and the royal family.”</p> <p>The official Instagram account for Jennifer Meyer Jewellery usually shares images of the Duchess wearing her designs immediately after she has been photographed in them and links to where customers could shop the pieces online.</p> <p>Up until Tuesday, the designer had a designated section of her website where shoppers could browse for the pieces the royal had worn – however this has now been completely wiped from the site.</p> <p>The Duchess of Sussex has worn a number of her designer-friend’s pieces, including in a highly publicised introduction of her and Prince Harry’s son to the world.</p> <p>The tiny tot met with Archbishop Desmond Tutu in South Africa.</p> <p>The royal was also spotted wearing as piece by Ms Meyer when she cheered on Serena Williams at the US Open.</p> <p>Scroll through the gallery to see some of the images that Jennifer Meyer may have posted of the Duchess of Sussex on her site.<span> </span></p>

Beauty & Style

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Researchers answer whether or not social media is damaging to children and teenagers

<p>If you have grandkids, chances are you’ve worried about their presence on social media.</p> <p>Who are they talking to? What are they posting? Are they being bullied? Do they spend too much time on it? Do they realise their friends’ lives aren’t as good as they look on Instagram?</p> <p>We asked five experts if social media is damaging to children and teens.</p> <h2>Four out of five experts said yes</h2> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/300424/original/file-20191106-88372-1gchds4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /> <span class="caption"></span></p> <p>The four experts who ultimately found social media is damaging said so for its negative effects on mental health, disturbances to sleep, cyberbullying, comparing themselves with others, privacy concerns, and body image.</p> <p>However, they also conceded it can have positive effects in connecting young people with others, and living without it might even be more ostracising.</p> <p>The dissident voice said it’s not social media itself that’s damaging, but how it’s used.</p> <p><strong><em>Here are their detailed responses:</em></strong></p> <p><iframe id="tc-infographic-447" class="tc-infographic" height="400px" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/infographics/447/481cdbb0db0264715f5a913360f033ab19a29f6e/site/index.html" width="100%" style="border: none;" frameborder="0"></iframe></p> <hr /> <p><em>If you have a “<strong>yes or no</strong>” health question you’d like posed to Five Experts, email your suggestion to: alexandra.hansen@theconversation.edu.au</em></p> <hr /> <p><em>Karyn Healy is a researcher affiliated with the Parenting and Family Support Centre at The University of Queensland and a psychologist working with schools and families to address bullying. Karyn is co-author of a family intervention for children bullied at school. Karyn is a member of the Queensland Anti-Cyberbullying Committee, but not a spokesperson for this committee; this article presents only her own professional views.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><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/126499/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: http://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></em></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/au/team#alexandra-hansen">Alexandra Hansen</a>, Chief of Staff, <a href="http://www.theconversation.com/">The Conversation</a></em></p> <p><em>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/is-social-media-damaging-to-children-and-teens-we-asked-five-experts-126499">original article</a>.</em></p>

Technology

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Why snacking could be damaging your health

<p>Only until relatively <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1365-2796.2003.01170.x">recently in human evolution</a> have we eaten three meals plus snacks every day.</p> <p>Breakfast simply didn’t exist for large parts of history. The Romans, for example, didn’t eat it – usually consuming only one meal around midday – <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20243692">breakfast was actively frowned upon</a>. Regular working hours following the industrial revolution brought <a href="https://academic.oup.com/past/article/239/1/71/4794719">structure to mealtimes to sustain labourers</a>. And by the late 18th century the pattern of eating three meals a day in towns and cities emerged.</p> <p>But these days, people are eating more frequently than they ever have before – and often outside of meal times. New smartphone app <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/pdf/S1550-4131(15)00462-3.pdf">data</a> shows that we now have erratic eating patterns. Many of us are continually snacking rather than eating at defined times – which means we spend <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4635036/">up to 16 hours a day in a “fed” state</a>.</p> <p><strong>The issue with inflammation</strong></p> <p>Your body has two metabolically different states: fasted (without food) and post-fed. The absorptive post-fed state is a metabolically active time for your body. But is also a time of immune system activity. When we eat, we do not just take in nutrients – we also trigger our immune system to produce a <a href="https://www.unibas.ch/en/News-Events/News/Uni-Research/Every-Meal-Triggers-Inflammation.html">transient inflammatory response</a>.</p> <p>Inflammation is a normal response of the body to infection and injury, which provides protection against stressors. This means that just the act of eating each meal imparts a degree of physiological stress on the immune system. And so for people snacking around the clock, their bodies can often end up in a near constant inflammatory state.</p> <p>For around four hours after each meal, gut microbes and their components leak into our bloodstream – silently triggering inflammation by the immune system. This process is driven largely by the activation of a critical immune sensor of nutrients called the “inflammasome”, which releases an <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ni.3659">inflammatory molecule known as “interleukin-1β”</a>.</p> <p>Inflammation is only ever meant to be a short-term protective assault by our immune system. But inflammation after eating – known as “postprandial inflammation” can be exacerbated by our modern lifestyles. This includes calorie dense meals, frequent eating, excessive <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22525431?dopt=Abstract">fructose</a> and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17991637">fatty foods</a> – particularly saturated fat.</p> <p>Persistent postprandial inflammation <a href="http://www.eurekaselect.com/93095/article">is a problem because it</a> inflicts recurrent collateral damage on our body that is extremely detrimental to our health over time. Chronic low-grade inflammation has emerged as an important link to many noninfectious lifestyle-related diseases including heart disease and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261561418301286?via%3Dihub#bib13">type 2 diabetes</a>.</p> <p><strong>Stop the snacking</strong></p> <p>We still don’t know the cumulative impact on disease risk of healthy adults who spend longer periods of time in a post-fed inflammatory state. But what is clear, is that low-grade inflammation is the most important driver of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4634197/">unhealthy ageing</a>.</p> <p>Reduced frequency of eating through <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23244540">intermittent fasting</a> or <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5388543/">time-restricted eating</a> also highlights the broadly beneficial effects that eating less has on human health. This includes aiding weight loss and lowering the risk of metabolic diseases, such as diabetes. On the basis of available data, the fact that such a fundamental aspect of our dietary habits – the number of meals we eat every day – has not yet been subject to rigorous scientific investigation is remarkable.</p> <p>But what we do know is that not only does snacking increase your likelihood of elevated <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4549297/">inflammatory markers</a>, but eating excessive calories also leads to weight gain. Eating late has also been linked to elevated cholesterol and glucose and can <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29486170">make you more insulin resistant</a>. This leave you feeling more hungry the following day.</p> <p>So it might be worth consolidating your food into fewer, more satisfying meals. You might also want to reduce your eating window to ten hours day or less, and aim to eat your last meal earlier in the day – your body will thank you for it.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><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/100978/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: http://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em>Written by <span>Jenna Macciochi, Lecturer in Immunology, University of Sussex</span>. Republished with permission of </em><a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/why-snacking-could-be-damaging-your-health-100978" target="_blank"><em>The Conversation</em></a><em>. </em></p>

Food & Wine

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Why your beauty routine could be damaging your eyes

<p>If eyes are the window to the soul, it is also true that they are one of our most sensitive organs. And women of all ages can be an unwitting victim of common beauty errors, from makeup mistakes to poor infection control.</p> <p>Eyes are particularly vulnerable to infection and some beauty procedures can even put your vision at risk.</p> <p>Optometry Australia’s resident optometrist, Luke Arundel, says that optometrists often see the results of mistakes that women make with common beauty treatments – all of which can be easily avoided.</p> <p><strong>Check expiry dates</strong></p> <p>One of the simplest mistakes you can make is to use makeup beyond its expiry date. Yes – makeup can go off! A common culprit is mascara and it can even cause eye infections if products are not replaced regularly.</p> <p>Generally, the use-by-date for liquid or gel eyeliner and mascara is three months. Pencil eyeliner lasts about two years.</p> <p>Arundel advises: “We have bacteria along the eyelid margin and basically when we are fluffing away with your mascara stick you are re-colonising your bacteria.”</p> <p>“They have expiry dates for a reason,” he says, stressing that this is particularly important for contact lens wearers. “The last thing they want is for them to be getting serious infections – and it is another source of infection at the end of the day.”</p> <p>Check a product’s official expiry date by running the batch code through an app such as <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.example.checkyourcosmetic&amp;hl=en">Check Your Cosmetics</a>. </p> <p>There’s even an <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/beauty-keeper-makeup-manager-beauty-organizer/id827915841?mt=8">app</a> that will send you reminders of the expiration dates on your beauty products.</p> <p><strong>Lashings of trouble</strong></p> <p>Eyelash extensions are a new fad and, according to Arundel, have caused no end of dramas and serious eye problems.</p> <p>“The problem I guess with some of these things – such as eyelash extensions – unlike the medical industry, there is no informed consent, there is no discussion of what could go wrong,” he says.</p> <p>“It’s such a very delicate thing to do, to glue a fake lash onto a real lash. There is a huge variety of different products out there and all we are trying to flag is to ask a few questions – do they have training, is there some formaldehyde in the glue and some basic stuff.”</p> <p>He suggested having a close look at the setup of any salon and make sure they have good cleanliness and well-trained staff before using their services</p> <p><strong>Makeup tips for contact lens wearers</strong></p> <p>Arundel says that contact lens wearers need to be extra careful when applying makeup – but most of it is simply common sense, such as washing hands first.</p> <p>Insert contact lenses before applying makeup. Stay away from the edge of the lid (to avoid blocking the oil glands which assist with tear production and reduce particles getting into the eye).</p> <p>He also suggests asking your optometrist about daily disposable lenses – a fresh pair each day and free of makeup contamination (or be diligent with cleaning).</p> <p>Go for creams over powders to avoid foreign bodies but be careful with oil based products around the eyes.<br /><br /><strong>Makeup removal</strong></p> <p>Remove eye makeup before washing your face. Optometrists don’t recommend using generic face wash for eye makeup removal. Use hypoallergenic makeup removal products and be gentle – no harsh rubbing or pressure and wipe downwards.</p> <p>There are many moisturising eye makeup removal wipes that are prepackaged or use clean soft cotton pads with your preferred product.</p> <p><strong>Get your eyes tested</strong></p> <p>Arundel stresses that it is important to get your eyes tested regularly and see a specialist if you have itchy and/or sore eyes. Untreated infections or problems can become serious if left untreated.</p> <p><em>Written by Lynne Testoni. Republished with permission of </em><a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/articles/health/why-your-beauty-routine-could-be-damaging-your-eyes.aspx"><em>Wyza</em></a><em>.</em></p>

Beauty & Style

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5 ways you could be damaging your hearing

<p>Hearing problems are often associated with the natural ageing process, but hearing loss isn’t inevitable and can be avoided if you act early. In fact, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), around one third of hearing loss in adults is preventable, such as that caused by overexposure to loud noises.</p> <p>While some damage is irreversible, early intervention can halt or delay hearing problems from progressing. Yet surprisingly, many adults ignore telltale signs of hearing difficulties, possibly due to busy lifestyles, fear and embarrassment, or not recognising the warning signs.</p> <p>However, recently released data shows that it’s an issue we can no longer ignore. A 2017 Deloitte Access Economics <a href="https://servedby.flashtalking.com/click/7/82556;2820475;369307;211;0/?ft_width=1&amp;ft_height=1&amp;url=16701460">report</a>, commissioned by the Hearing Care Industry Association, found that hearing loss in Australian adults is expected to more than double from 3.6 million to 7.8 million by 2060.</p> <p><strong>How loud noises cause hearing damage</strong><br />Loud noises can damage the inner part of the ear, known as the cochlea, in two ways. Mechanical destructionoccurs when hair cells lose their rigidity and the sensory cells are destroyed over time; or metabolic changes can occur when sensory cells are unable to cope with prolonged, intense sound, which causes raised levels of free radicals in the ear and eventually leads to cell death.</p> <p><strong>How loud is too loud?</strong><br />Well, this depends on the intensity and duration of sound exposure. According to another <a href="https://servedby.flashtalking.com/click/7/82556;2820477;369307;211;0/?ft_width=1&amp;ft_height=1&amp;url=16701462">WHO report</a>, the highest safe exposure level is 85 decibels (dB) for a maximum of eight hours — which is the equivalent of the sound of a lawnmower for an entire day. The US-based <a href="https://servedby.flashtalking.com/click/7/82556;2820478;369307;211;0/?ft_width=1&amp;ft_height=1&amp;url=16701463">CDC recommends</a>, on a daily basis, no longer than 15 minutes of exposure to sounds at 100 dB (hairdryers, subway trains, car horn at five metres), four minutes at 105 dB (music from headphones at maximum volume, chainsaw), and only 28 seconds per day at loud concerts (115 dB).</p> <p>The good news is that there are ways to halt or delay hearing loss from progressing regardless of age.</p> <p><strong>5 common mistakes and how to avoid them<br /><br />Ignoring warning signs<br /></strong>What may seem like a mild or isolated hearing issue can gradually worsen and sneak up on you before you know it. That’s why it’s important to learn how to recognise common warning signs and catch issues early on.<br /><br />Telltale signs include:</p> <ul> <li>Difficulty hearing a conversation in a crowded room</li> <li>Ringing in the ears, known as ‘tinnitus’</li> <li>Speech that sounds increasingly muffled</li> <li>Turning up the TV or radio more than usual, especially when those around you complain the volume is too high</li> <li>Hearing differences between men and women’s voices — if you find it easier to understand men’s voices it could signal a problem with the upper registers of your hearing</li> </ul> <p><strong>Not taking noise breaks or using earplugs</strong><br />Even if you can’t avoid certain noisy situations, small measures such as taking listening breaks or wearing earplugs can make all the difference when it comes to reducing your risk over time. For every hour exposed to loud noises, spend 10 minutes in a quieter environment.</p> <p>Other noise-reducing strategies include using noise-cancelling headphones or earbuds to avoid turning up your device to harmful levels, and limiting headphone use to one hour per day.</p> <p><strong>Staying too close to the noise source</strong><br />It may seem obvious but simply moving a few metres away from the source of noise can reduce the intensity of the sound and its effect on the cochlea. At a concert or noisy venue, move to the back, or take frequent breaks away from the loudspeaker or stage.</p> <p>In general, if someone standing at arm’s length or one metre away has to raise their voice to be heard, the sound is too loud.</p> <p><strong>Delaying medical advice</strong><br />If you notice changes in your hearing, don’t ignore the signs. Visit your GP, who can investigate any undiagnosed or underlying issues such as build up of earwax, infection, recent trauma or injury, or a side effect from some medications.</p> <p>For a full hearing assessment, make an appointment with an audiologist who will assess your hearing ability. You can also take a free <a href="https://www.blameysaunders.com.au/online-hearing-test?utm_source=wyza&amp;utm_medium=paykel&amp;utm_campaign=nov17">online hearing test</a>, available on the Blamey Saunders hears website.</p> <p><strong>Delaying treatment</strong><br />On average, it takes people seven to 10 years from the time they experience hearing loss to getting fitted with a hearing device. Untreated hearing loss can lead to a range of issues including:</p> <ul> <li>Fatigue and embarrassment</li> <li>Irritability and anger</li> <li>Isolation and loneliness</li> <li>Personal safety problems</li> <li>Impaired memory and learning ability</li> <li>Reduced psychological health</li> </ul> <p>Some research has also found a link between hearing loss and serious health conditions such as depression, dementia, and various mental health disorders.</p> <p>People with hearing loss also report higher levels of dissatisfaction when it comes to their financial situations, relationships with family and friends, and their sense of community. Is it time you had your hearing checked?</p> <p>When was the last time you had your hearing checked?</p> <p><em>Written by Mahsa Fratantoni. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/articles/health/5-ways-you-could-be-damaging-your-hearing.aspx">Wyza.com.au</a>.</em></p>

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