What's That Rash?

The carnivore diet asks people to eat entirely animal-based, and the most extreme followers restrict themselves to only meat.

Many carnivores claims they feel great — better than they ever have. They have more energy and lose weight.

Norman and Tegan tuck into the reasons why carnivores feel better in the short-term, and the dangers they're inviting in the long-term.

References: 

• Behavioral Characteristics and Sel...

Hot flashes. Night sweats. Aching joints. Sore boobs. Welcome to your body in perimenopause!

In episode one of this four-part series, Yumi Stynes speaks to women in the thick of perimenopause and battling physical symptoms. 

She also sits down with Dr Susan Davis, endocrinologist and world-leading expert on sex hormones and ageing to learn the best treatments for bothersome symptoms and how look after yourself in th...

Do you find yourself complaining that you've got a small bladder, as you run to the toilet for the third time in an hour?

There are many reasons a person might pee more than others, including some scary medical conditions. 

But as Norman and Tegan explain, in most cases your bladder is just deconditioned and you need to get your urinary tract into shape. 

References:

• Bladder control: Lifestyle strategies ease prob...

Microplastics are everywhere – they’re in the air, in the water and in our bodies.

There’s plenty of evidence for that, but it’s still unclear what effects these microplastics are having on our health.

Norman and Tegan unpack what we do and don’t know about these tiny specs of plastic, and what you might be able to do about them.

References:

• Ingested microplastics: Do humans eat one credit card per week?
• A review o...

This week parts of Australia are preparing to wind back their clocks to mark the ending of daylight saving time.

For a long time the country has been divided about the positives and the negatives of changing the clocks twice a year.

Norman and Tegan look into the health effects of this shift – from the impact on sleep to medical procedures and road accidents.

References:

• Basic concepts and unique features of human...

If you're short-sighted or long-sighted, have astigmatism or double vision, you now live in a world where glasses can help you out.

But there's a misconception hanging around that wearing spectacles weakens your eyes over time, and so some people avoid getting their vision checked.

Norman and Tegan focus in on how glasses work and the long term impacts of wearing them.

References:

• When time outside doesn't slow sh...

We haven’t always suppressed our sweat or our natural body odour, but in many cultures now it’s expected we’ll all try to smell our best.

You might be seeing more ads for ‘natural’ deodorants that promise to keep you fresh without any harmful ingredients.

Norman and Tegan talk through those ingredients, and whether they carry any risks.

References:

• The specific biochemistry of human axilla odour formation viewed i...

Protein is having its moment — walk any supermarket aisle and you'll find product after product boasting its protein content. 

Do you need to be loading up on protein through powders or processed foods, or can you meet your goals with whole foods?

Norman and Tegan unpack why protein is important and how much you need each day. 

References:

• Protein - Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand
• Tips to bo...

Long-time listeners would have heard Norman decrying fine particulate air pollution and its negative effects on health.

But when it’s all around us – on our worksites, in our offices and on our motorways – how are you supposed to protect yourself?

Norman and Tegan explain what fine particulate air pollution is, and what it does to the body once it’s breathed in.

References:

• Estimates of global mortality burden ass...

Cramping muscles are common, whether they’re associated with exercise or not.

Knowing what causes them can help people avoid them or treat them, but for many people it's not a simple story.

Norman and Tegan talk through some of the theories behind this painful phenomenon, and why magnesium might not be the answer.

References:

• Muscle cramps: A comparison of the two-leading hypothesis
• Influence of Hydration and Elect...

Hair loss is common, but there are many different causes and potentially many different treatments.

From topical ointments to light therapy, to scalp massage routines. What works to slow, or even reverse, hair loss?

Norman and Tegan comb through the evidence for approved treatments and too-good-to-be-true snake oil.

References: 

• Male pattern baldness - Healthdirect
• Male Androgenetic Alopecia with an overview of tre...

The use of mushrooms in medicine goes back centuries, but there’s still a lot to learn about the bioactive compounds in fungi.

There are many claims surrounding 'functional mushrooms' – types of mushrooms thought to have medicinal properties beyond simple nutrition.

These include lion’s mane, reishi, cordyceps, shiitake and turkey tail.

Norman and Tegan forage through the evidence for using mushrooms against cancer, ...

Depending on your corner of the internet, you might have seen people swearing by this new sleep hack, mouth taping.

People claim they’re better rested, have better breath and stronger jawlines – all because they force themselves to breathe through their noses overnight.

Norman and Tegan tackle this taping trend with an N=1 experiment, and a look at the relevant research.

References:

• Mouth taping: a little less con...

Unfortunately many more people have heard about brain fog because of the pandemic and long COVID.

But the symptom was first mentioned centuries ago, and has been associated with dozens of conditions.

Norman and Tegan try to define brain fog, and explain why it can be difficult to treat.

References:

• What is brain fog? - BMJ neuropsychiatry
• Subjective brain fog: a four-dimensional characterization in 25,796 participa...

It can be hard to keep up with food fads and diet trends (and spoiler: you don’t need to).

But an intriguing assumption that has gained traction recently is that seed oils – think canola, sunflower, grapeseed – are terrible for you.

Norman and Tegan unpack how that assumption has spread, and whether there’s any solid evidence to back it up.

References:

• Biomarkers of Dietary Omega-6 Fatty Acids and Incident Cardiov...

January is an especially sweaty time in Australia, so maybe park this life change until the weather cools down…

But is it necessary to bathe every day?

As we learn more about the microbiome on our skin, more and more people are questioning their hygiene routine.

Norman and Tegan sniff out the evidence for and against regular washing. 

References:

• A natural history of hygiene
• The Cutaneous Microbiome and Aspects of S...

You might've heard of the blood type diet popularised in the 90s off the back of a best-selling book.

It’s based on the theory that blood types emerged at different times in history, when our ancestors had very different diets.

So does that mean certain foods are better for an A-, an AB+ or even an O-?As Norman and Tegan explain, it’s a complicated story.

References:

• Blood type diets lack supporting evidence: a sy...

There are MANY books out there on habit formation. Are they all saying the same thing?

Some habits are more complicated than others. Some habits require us to untangle one automatic set of behaviours and replace them with another.

It can be a long process — much longer than the 21 days that's often promised.  

Norman and Tegan tell us how to form a new habit, in far less than 300 pages, so you can get started. 

Refere...