There tend to be more bugs around in winter making everyone snotty and uncomfortable.

But does this mean that cold weather causes colds? Well no, viruses cause the common cold.

But, as Norman and Tegan explain, winter does set the stage for those viruses to have more moments in the spotlight.

References:

• Understanding the symptoms of the common cold and influenza - PMC
• Cold temperature and low humidity are associated with increased occurrence of respiratory tract infections - ScienceDirect 
• Immune system of cold-exposed and cold-adapted humans | European Journal of Applied Physiology
• Immune changes in humans during cold exposure: effects of prior heating and exercise
• Cold exposure impairs extracellular vesicle swarm–mediated nasal antiviral immunity - Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 
• Airborne transmission efficiency of SARS-CoV-2 in Syrian hamsters is not influenced by environmental conditions | npj Viruses

If you enjoyed this episode, check these out!

• Norman tried an ice bath so you don't have to
• Is NAD+ a miracle anti-ageing supplement?

Organic fruits and vegetables are one thing, but the label is popping up on packaged foods too.

Are they healthier for us because they’re certified organic? How much harm are pesticides doing to our health?

Norman and Tegan dig into organic farming to find out whether they’re worth the extra price. 

References:

• Organic Certification Explained
• Pesticides | Food Standards Australia New Zealand 
• Pesticides impacts on human health and the environment with their mechanisms of action and possible countermeasures - ScienceDirect
• Global analysis shows how pesticides leach into the environment - The University of Sydney
• Ecological impacts and management strategies of pesticide pollution on aquatic life and human beings - ScienceDirect
• A Systematic Review of Organic Versus Conventional Food Consumption: Is There a Measurable Benefit on Human Health?
• Cellulose Surface Nanoengineering for Visualizing Food Safety
• Comparison of Different Home/Commercial Washing Strategies for Ten Typical Pesticide Residue Removal Effects in Kumquat, Spinach and Cucumber

If you enjoyed this episode, check these out!

• Should we all be vegetarian?
• Can you adapt to allergies or does the dog have to go?

What is silence, anyway? Well if you’ve got tinnitus silence can feel like a distant dream.

There are many causes of the ringing or buzzing that many people hear despite there being no external sound.

Norman and Tegan discuss some of the treatments – current and in the works – that could one day bring some peace and quiet.

References:

• Intrinsic network activity in tinnitus investigated using functional MRI
• Auditory Resting-State Network Connectivity in Tinnitus: A Functional MRI Study | PLOS One
• Targeting the Limbic System: Insights into Its Involvement in Tinnitus - PMC 
• Chronic tinnitus and the limbic system: Reappraising brain structural effects of distress and affective symptoms - PMC 
• Gray matter declines with age and hearing loss, but is partially maintained in tinnitus | Scientific Reports 
• Therapy and Treatment Options | American Tinnitus Association
• Effects of tinnitus retraining therapy on patients with tinnitus: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology
• Effect of Tinnitus Retraining Therapy vs Standard of Care on Tinnitus-Related Quality of Life: A Randomized Clinical Trial | Otolaryngology 
• Neuromodulation for Treatment of Tinnitus: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis - Wiley Online Library 

If you're a keen gym-goer you might've heard conflicting advice about optimising your workout.

Some people claim that doing both cardio (getting your heart pumping) and strength (getting those muscles pumping) on the same day might cancel out the benefits.

Norman and Tegan unpack what concurrent training is, and what the evidence tells us about its effects.

References

• A Brief Review on Concurrent Training: From Laboratory to the Field - PMC
• Concurrent Training: A Meta-Analysis Examining Interference of Aerobic and Resistance Exercises
• Compatibility of Concurrent Aerobic and Strength Training for Skeletal Muscle Size and Function: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis | Sports Medicine
• Concurrent Strength and Endurance Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Impact of Sex and Training Status | Sports Medicine
• Concurrent training in team sports: A systematic review
• Specific Training Effects of Concurrent Aerobic and Strength Exercises Depend on Recovery Duration
• Concurrent aerobic plus resistance exercise versus aerobic exercise alone to improve health outcomes in paediatric obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis
• The Effects of 12 Weeks of Concurrent and Combined Training on Inflammatory Markers, Muscular Performance, and Body Composition in Middle-Aged Overweight and Obese Males

Are you constantly getting scolded for pressing your cold feet against your partner in bed? Or told your hands are icy cold?

It’s well known that some people run cold and others run hot. But why does this happen, and does it say anything about your health?

Norman and Tegan unpack the physiology and get into some of the reasons we experience temperature differently.

References:

• Individual differences in normal body temperature: longitudinal big data analysis of patient records | The BMJ
• Gender Matters! Thermal Comfort and Individual Perception of Indoor Environmental Quality: A Literature Review | SpringerLink
• Sex differences and aging: Is there a role of brown adipose tissue? - ScienceDirect
• Cool Temperature Alters Human Fat and Metabolism | National Institutes of Health (NIH) 
• A Review of Cultural Background and Thermal Perceptions in Urban Environments
• Outdoor thermal perception and adaptation of immigrants from cold climates to hot arid climate - ScienceDirect
• Drivers of diversity in human thermal perception – A review for holistic comfort models - PMC

You might've heard a friend complaining about their latest break-out and swearing off dairy products as a result. Or that friend might be you.

It’s a common complaint, but does it have any scientific merit?

Norman and Tegan explore whether consuming dairy can cause acne, and if so, how a glass of milk might lead to pimples.

References:

• The Influence of Genetics and Environmental Factors in the Pathogenesis of Acne: A Twin Study of Acne in Women
• Patient Perceptions About Acne, Nutrition, and a Dietary Information Gap 
• Diet and acne: A systematic review
• Can the right diet get rid of acne? - American Academy of Dermatology Association 
• High school dietary dairy intake and teenage acne
• Effect of Chocolate on Acne Vulgaris - 1969
• Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study Assessing the Effect of Chocolate Consumption in Subjects with a History of Acne Vulgaris

You might’ve been told by parents, teachers, colleagues, friends of friends to stop cracking your knuckles because it will give you arthritis.

There’s a surprising amount of science going on when you crack a joint, and it suggests there’s very little risk of harming your bones.

But as Norman and Tegan explain, there is one major risk – you could irritate everybody around you.

References:

• Mathematical Model for the Sounds Produced by Knuckle Cracking | Scientific Reports
• Does knuckle cracking lead to arthritis of the fingers?
• The Consequences of Habitual Knuckle Cracking
• Effect of habitual knuckle cracking on hand function
• There might not be anything wrong with your creaky joints - the Health Report
• Misophonia: When sounds really do make you "crazy" - Harvard Health

When weighing up the health risks of getting a tattoo, most people are concerned about the risk infection.

But recently the ingredients in tattoo ink have come under the microscope, with some being identified as potential carcinogens.

Norman and Tegan take a look at the many substances used to create permanent art, and whether they carry any real harm to humans.

References:

• Why Tattoos Stay Put | UCSF Synapse
• What's in my ink: an analysis of commercial tattoo ink on the US market - PMC
• Much ‘tattoo’ about nothing; Tattoo pigment mimicking breast microcalcifications on mammography
• Tattoo ink exposure is associated with lymphoma and skin cancers – a Danish study of twins | BMC Public Health
• Melanoma Arising in Tattoos: A Case Series and Scoping Review of the Literature
• Does tattoo ink give you cancer? - Cancer Council Australia
• 2016 report from the Australian Government’s Department of Health, National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme

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 Self-Reported Health Status among 2029 Adults Consuming a “Carnivore Diet” - Current Developments in Nutrition
• Limitations of Self-reported Health Status and Metabolic Markers among Adults Consuming a “Carnivore Diet” - Current Developments in Nutrition
• Assessing the Nutrient Composition of a Carnivore Diet: A Case Study Model
• Yellowish Nodules on a Man Consuming a Carnivore Diet | Lifestyle Behaviors | JAMA Cardiology

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 this stage of life. No sweat!

Essential listening if you're going through perimenopause right now, or for those wanting to know what's over the hormonal horizon.