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 treatments - NIH
• Female pattern hair loss - Healthdirect
• What is minoxidil, the anti-balding hair growth treatment? Here's what the science says - ABC News
• Low-Level Laser (Light) Therapy (LLLT) for Treatment of Hair Loss
• Autologous platelet-rich plasma therapy for pattern hair loss: A systematic review

What's That Rash? is returning to the World Science Festival Brisbane for another year. 

Norman and Tegan will be answering the health questions everyone (at WSFB) is asking, 10am on March 30 at Queensland Museum Theatre. 

Check out the event here and send in your questions to [email protected]

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, to boost the immune system and to amplify cognition.

We're doing a live show! Catch What's That Rash? at the World Science Festival Brisbane on March 30th. 

References:

• Aboriginal use of fungi
• Medicinal Mushroom Supplements in Cancer: A Systematic Review of Clinical Studies
• Fungal beta-glucans as adjuvants for treating cancer patients – A systematic review of clinical trials
• A review of the effects of mushrooms on mood and neurocognitive health across the lifespan
• Mushrooms magnify memory by boosting nerve growth - University of Queensland

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 conversation, a little more action, please!
• Effect of mouth taping at night on asthma control--a randomised single-blind crossover study
• The Impact of Mouth-Taping in Mouth-Breathers with Mild Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Preliminary Study
• The Role of the Nose in Sleep-disordered Breathing
• Acute nasal breathing lowers diastolic blood pressure and increases parasympathetic contributions to heart rate variability in young adults
• Nocturnal mouth-taping and social media: A scoping review of the evidence

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 participants
• Comprehensive Clinical Characterisation of Brain Fog in Adults Reporting Long COVID Symptoms
• Understanding the Experience and Impacts of Brain Fog in Chronic Pain: A Scoping Review
• Low-dose naltrexone use for the management of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19
• ‘Brain fag’: a syndrome associated with ‘overstudy’ and mental exhaustion in 19th century Britain

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 Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality
• Serum n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and risk of death: the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study
• Omega-6 fats to prevent and treat heart and circulatory diseases
• Polyunsaturated fatty acids intake and risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, mental health, and type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies
• Perspective on the health effects of unsaturated fatty acids and commonly consumed plant oils high in unsaturated fat
• If you’re worried about inflammation, stop stressing about seed oils and focus on the basics

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 Skin Antimicrobial Defense System Resist Acute Treatment with Topical Skin Cleansers
• The Role of Every-Day Cosmetics in Altering the Skin Microbiome: A Study Using Biodiversity
• How Often People in Various Countries Shower - The Atlantic
• What Happens When You Don’t Shower For Five Years - Science Friday

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 systematic review
• Blood Type Is Not Associated with Changes in Cardiometabolic Outcomes in Response to a Plant-Based Dietary Intervention
• Genetically Determined ABO Blood Group and its Associations With Health and Disease

• The Role of ABO Blood Type in Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Systematic Review

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. 

References

• Neurobiology of habit formation
• How the brain controls our habits - MIT
• Bridging the gap between striatal plasticity and learning
• Basal ganglia and beyond: The interplay between motor and cognitive aspects in Parkinson’s disease rehabilitation
• You are what you repeatedly do: Links between personality and habit
• How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world
• How does habit form? Guidelines for tracking real-world habit formation
• The role of habit in compulsivity
• Goal-Directed and Habitual Control in Human Substance Use: State of the Art and Future Directions

'Tis the season to indulge. 

As you sit down with family and friends, an age-old debate might arise: does drinking a single glass of red wine make you healthier?

In this episode first published May 1, 2024, Norman and Tegan try to find out the answer once and for all. 

References: 

• The French paradox: Lessons for other countries
• Moderate Wine Consumption and Health: A Narrative Review
• Health Effects of Red Wine Consumption: A Narrative Review of an Issue That Still Deserves Debate