Adult wrapping – The Japanese therapy craze that recreates the comforting feeling of a womb 風靡日本的成人裹布療法

Otona Maki, or 'adult wrapping', is a Japanese therapeutic method of correcting posture and alleviating body stiffness by wrapping the human body in a large piece of cloth that emulates the comfortable feel of a mother's womb. Otona Maki又稱"成人裹布法"，是正在日本流行的一種矯正身姿、緩解身體僵硬的療法。其訣竅在於，用一大塊布把人體包裹起來，以模仿出胎兒在子宮的舒適感覺。

Well-known for their long work hours, many Japanese people develop posture problems and body stiffness. For a long time, getting massages and stretching have been the most popular ways of dealing with these issues, but now someone claims to have come up with an even better solution. Otona Maki is a new and intriguing way of improving posture and making your body more flexible than ever, while at the same time helping practitioners relax by recreating the comfortable feel of a mother's womb.日本人是出了名的工作狂，但長時間工作卻導致許多民眾姿勢不良以及身體僵硬。長期以來，按摩和拉伸都是緩解病症的不二之選，但現在卻有人想出了更好的解決辦法。新出爐的成人裹布法看似新奇卻也有奇效，它既能矯正姿勢、提高身體柔韌性，也能通過營造胎兒在子宮裡的舒適感覺來幫助練習者放鬆身體。

Otona Maki is not a mainstream practice in Japan, but after recently being featured on a popular television program, more and more people are talking about it and giving it a try. The idea behind this bizarre looking therapeutic practice is to tightly wrap the human body (in various poses) in a large piece of breathable cloth for about 15 – 20 minutes per session. Babies are often wrapped the same way to correct minor physical defects and give them a feeling of security, and otona maki aims to do the same for adults.成人裹布法在日本並非主流療法，但日前經某熱門電視節目報導後，引來了眾多民眾的熱議和嘗試。這一看似奇葩的理療方法是用一塊巨大的透氣布（以多種姿勢）將人體緊緊包裹，每次持續15-20分鐘。人們通常會用同樣的方法將嬰兒包裹起來，以矯正輕微身體缺陷，並為其營造一種安全感。裹布法也如法炮製，以期給成年人帶來同樣效果。

I'll be the first to admit that it looks pretty weird, but according to Yayoi Katayama of Japanese blog Vienna-Juku, there are real benefits to practicing adult wrapping. As we all know, babies and young children have very flexible spines, but as we grow up, most of us lose that flexibility. After going through several sessions with your body fixed in a certain position for a short amount of time, you can regain that natural flexibility and improve posture. Yayoi calls the practice a way to reset your body, and claims that after taking part in a session, she also felt relaxed and rejuvenated.日本博客網站Vienna-Juku上的一名博主Yayoi Katayama說，她覺得這個療法看起來十分奇怪，但不得不承認確實有實際效果。眾所周知，嬰幼兒的脊髓十分柔韌，但隨著我們慢慢長大，大部分人都喪失了這種靈活性。當有過幾次短時間內以固定姿勢被包裹起來的體驗後，你就能找回那種天生的柔韌性，形體也能得到矯正。Yayoi將這種療法稱作"重置人體"的一種方式，聲稱在體驗了一次治療之後，自己感到全身放鬆，恢復了活力。

But despite Japan's appetite for the bizarre, otona maki seems a bit too weird even for them. According to Kotaku, there is a lot of skepticism regarding the practice, at least on Japanese social media, with people comparing it to a mummification technique, or making references to Japanese horror films.即便日本是個品味奇特的國家，但成人裹布法在他們眼裡也稍顯奇葩。據日本著名遊戲網站Kotaku稱，社會上如今出現了許多對這種療法的質疑聲，尤其在日本社交媒體上，人們戲謔地將其比作木乃伊製作法，或與日本恐怖電影相提並論。

Otona Maki was apparently developed by Professor Nobuko Watanabe, known for creating the Toco Chan maternity belt, a very popular product in Japan. A 30-minute adult wrapping session costs 3240 yen ($28), while 50 minutes inside the cloth womb costs 6480 ($56).成人裹布法由Nobuko Watanabe教授開創，在日本非常流行的孕婦骨盆矯正帶（Toco Chan maternity belt）正是出自他手。30分鐘一次的成人裹布療程售價為3240日元（28美元），50分鐘一次的布子宮體驗療程為6380日元（56美元）。

Taking fish oil during pregnancy could lower child’s asthma risk 懷孕時攝取魚油可降低孩童罹患氣喘風險

TODAY’S WORDS
今日單字

1. asthma n. 氣喘 

2. placebo n. 安慰劑 

3. wheeze v. 喘鳴 

4. incidence [of a disease] n.發病率 

5. inflammation n.發炎 

Women who took fish oil during the last three months of pregnancy significantly lowered the risk that their children would develop asthma, a study in Denmark has found.

Among children whose mothers took fish-oil capsules, 16.9 percent had asthma by age three, compared with 23.7 percent whose mothers were given placebos. The difference, nearly 7 percentage points, translates to a risk reduction of about 31 percent.

But in the study released on Dec. 28 last year, the researchers say they are not ready to recommend that pregnant women routinely take fish oil.

Before doctors can make any recommendations, the study should be replicated, and fish oil should be tested earlier in pregnancy and at different doses.

Doctors are eager to find ways to prevent asthma, a chronic disease that causes wheezing, coughing and breathing trouble, and that sends many families to the emergency room again and again.

The incidence has more than doubled in developed countries in recent decades.

Previous research had suggested that fish oil might help prevent asthma. The idea is plausible, because inflammation in the airways and lungs plays a major role in asthma, and fatty acids in fish oil are thought to prevent inflammation. The richest sources in food include fish like herring, sardines, mackerel, eel and salmon.

■ This article is an edited version of a piece that originally appeared in the New York Times

(New York Times / Denise Grady)

一項丹麥的研究發現，婦女在懷孕後期三個月攝取魚油可顯著降低孩童未來罹患氣喘之風險。

母親懷孕時服用魚油膠囊的孩童有百分之十六點九在三歲前罹患氣喘；而對照組母親懷孕時服用安慰劑的孩童，罹患氣喘的機率則為百分之二十三點七。其近七個百分點的差異，可換算出服用魚油將使罹患氣喘之風險減少約百分之三十一。

但在這份去年十二月二十八日發表的報告中，研究人員說他們尚不會建議懷孕婦女定期攝取魚油。

在醫師做出任何建議之前，研究應再經多次實驗驗證，並且應就懷孕較早期和不同劑量的變數再做測試。醫師亟欲找出預防氣喘之道。氣喘是一種會造成喘鳴、咳嗽和呼吸困難的慢性疾病，並造成許多家庭不斷出入急診室。

在近幾十年中氣喘在已開發國家的發病率已增加了一倍以上。

先前已有研究顯示魚油可能有助於預防氣喘，這看來是很合理的，因為氣管及肺部的發炎是造成氣喘的主要原因，而魚油中的脂肪酸則可預防發炎。最富含魚油的攝取來源包括鯡魚、沙丁、鯖魚、鰻魚、鮭魚等魚類。

■ 本文為編輯後的版本，原文已於紐約時報刊登。

（台北時報編譯林俐凱譯）

Are smartphones making young people emotionally stunted? 智慧手機使年輕人 情緒感受遲鈍嗎？

A visitor tests a smartphone on display at the IFA Consumer Electronics Show in Berlin, Germany on Sept. 5.
一名訪客九月五日在德國柏林消費電子展上試用一台智慧型手機。

Photo: Bloomberg
照片：彭博社

It is the generation that can understand exactly how you are feeling through a few simple emoticons.

But now researchers claim that children are so engrossed in their phones, they are unable to accurately read how people are feeling in real life.

This is the result of less face-to-face time interaction, according to the study, which found young kids are glued to electronic devices for nearly five hours each day.

The finding was made after testing the ability of 11 to 12-year-olds to recognize the emotions of people pictured in photos.

“Many people are looking at the benefits of digital media in education, and not many are looking at the costs,” said study author Patricia Greenfield, professor of psychology at the Children’s Digital Media Center, part of the University of California, Los Angeles.

“Decreased sensitivity to emotional cues — losing the ability to understand the emotions of other people — is one of the costs.”

Lead author Yalda Uhls said that emoticons are a poor substitute for face-to-face communication: “We are social creatures. We need device-free time.”

(Courtesy of Liberty Times)

這是個只要透過幾個簡單的表情符號就能了解你感受如何的世代。

但是現在研究人員宣稱，現在孩子花太多時間在他們的手機上，以至於無法精準解讀真實世界中人們的感受。

根據這份研究，這是較少面對面互動的結果。這項研究發現孩童每天有將近五小時的時間3C設備不離手。

這項發現是經測試十一到十二歲者辨識照片中人們情緒的能力所得出。

「許多人看的是數位媒體在教育中的好處，審視必須為此付出何種代價的人不多，」研究報告作者洛杉磯加州大學兒童數位媒體中心心理學教授派翠希亞．葛林菲爾說。

「對情緒訊號的敏感度降低，即失去理解他人情緒的能力，就是其中的代價之一。」

報告第一作者亞爾達．烏爾斯說，表情符號不能取代面對面的溝通，「我們是社交動物。我們需要有拋開電子器材的時間。」

（自由時報提供／翻譯：管淑平）

TODAY’S WORDS
今日單字

1. stunted adj. 遲鈍的；發育不良的 

(例: The poor diet resulted in stunted brain development.

(飲食不均衡導致腦部發育遲緩。)

2. engross v. 使全神貫注 

例: Benny is engrossed in his Internet business.

(班尼全心投入他的網路事業。)

3. cue n. 暗示；提示；訊號 

例: The bus bombing was the cue for a more wider terrorist attack.

(這起巴士爆炸案表示一場更大規模的恐怖攻擊開始了。)