Among the more practical advice that can be offered to international travelers is wisdom of the toilet. I do not mean those squats (下蹲) you see at the gym. No, strong glutes (臀肌) will not save you here. I mean the deep squat. This position is so stable that people in China can hold it for minutes and perhaps even hours…

Of course, squat toilet is not unique to Asia, nor is the deep-squatting position. But so common is the position in Asia and so rare it is in the West that it’s been nicknamed the “Asian squat”. Bryan Ausinheiler, a physician in California said, “The squat is a great model for a multi-segmental movement pattern. You have to fold everything up underneath you.” There’s a lot going on.

But the key factor seems to be ankle flexibility. This is also in part. Ausinheiler says, why kids have no problem squatting. “I measured my daughter’s ankle flexibility when she was one day old,” says Ausinheiler. “She has 70 degrees of ankle dorsiflexion (背屈)! Normal in the West is like 30.” So humans are born squatters; some of us lose it when we stop trying. Body shape also seems to play a role. People with the longest legs have the worst squat.

Believe it or not, no one appears to have actually studied born ability in deep squatting across ethnic groups. “You would have to take kids from the time they’re born in China and never let them do any squats to be a control group, and it’ll never happen,” says Matt Hundson, a physiologist at the University of Delaware, humorously. And finally, it may not matter. Practice and training make the bigger difference.

Some believe America’s squat problems can be blamed on toilet seats. Yet this ability that comes so naturally has been lost ----- and it’s not so easy to get it back. But the position, while doable, is not very comfortable for me.

Hair loss is no longer the exclusive affliction of the middle-aged. Many young people are facing a “hair loss crisis” and filling their shopping carts with anti-loss shampoo. So how should you take care of your hair? How to make your hair grow faster? 【小题1】

A healthy scalp for healthy hair?

【小题2】 As such, looking after your scalp is essential if you want to grow your hair long and strong. Regular cleansing provides an essential foundation for a solid daily regimen. As time-absorbing as it is, shampooing your hair on alternating days during the week helps enormously in preventing dandruff—things that actually make it easier for hair to fall out.

【小题3】?

That hair will not grow past a certain length if it is fragile and prone to breakage seems an obvious truth but one worth repeating. Simple steps like showering in warm rather than hot water, opting for looser hairdos or letting your hair air-dry rather than blow-dry, are easy changes you can make to help strengthen your hair. If you do find yourself using heated tools like a straightener or a curling iron, 【小题4】. Sometimes, all your hair needs is a breather.

What foods should you be eating?

Like the rest of your body, the health of your hair depends on your diet. “Protein and complex carbohydrates are key to maintaining a good hair growth cycle, 【小题5】.” says an expert. “These are the most important meals of the day for your hair as that is when energy expenditure is greatest.”

When I was 3 years old, I was found to be deaf in my left ear and have a small problem in my right. Being hard of hearing has been difficult, but I've never lived in a state of self-hating sorrow.

Imagine being able to shut out all sounds as you lay your head down to sleep by simply rolling over onto one side. That's my reality when I sleep on my "good ear", and it even makes me feel like a superhero sometimes

People call my deaf side my "bad ear", but when I wear my hearing aid, I have access to a range of features that some other deaf people don't

In cinemas, for example, with one click of a button I can enjoy a whole film as though it were whispered to me from the mouths of the actors.

Having a hearing aid hasn't always felt good, however.

On the first day I got my aid, when I was 8, I took it to school for show-and-tell. As I explained how it worked to my classmates, a boy yelled out, "Aren't those for old men?"

At that moment, I felt different. It took a long time for me to get over that sense of being so unlike my peers.

But it's not just those kids who can make us deaf and hard-of-hearing people feel like burdens.

Every video on social media that lacks subtitles, for example, means an entire community of deaf people is unable to enjoy it.

Completely deaf people are excluded from enjoying many movies too, as subtitles in cinemas are almost impossible to find.

And with hearing aids costing around $2,500 each, it can be hard for many people to afford to be able to listen to the things that others take for granted.

As for me, I can listen to music, enjoy films, and catch conversations—I'm lucky.

I'm deaf, but I can still hear everything. I've been blessed with wonderful life experiences.