What's That Rash?

We've all probably wished for a way to achieve our fitness goals without the strain and sweat that can come with exercise. So what if you could lose weight, gain muscle and improve circulation just by standing on a vibrating platform? Norman and Tegan buzz through the evidence for and against vibration plates and so called "passive exercise". References: Dr Gustav Zander’s Victorian-Era Exercise Machines Made the Bowflex Look Like Child’s Play The effects of whole body vibration therapy on reducing fat mass in the adult general population: A systematic review and meta-analyses  Whole-body vibration administered during a 3-week in-hospital multidisciplinary body weight reduction program increases resting energy expenditure in obese adolescents, a randomized clinical trial  Immediate effects of localized vibration on flexibility: A randomized crossover trial  Effects of whole body vibration with exercise therapy versus exercise therapy alone on flexibility, vertical jump height, agility and pain in athletes with patellofemoral pain: a randomized clinical trial  Whole Body Vibration as an Adjunct to Static Stretching Whole-Body Vibration Stimulates Microvascular Blood Flow in Skeletal Muscle  Whole body vibration training improves leg blood flow and adiposity in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus  Effects of Whole-Body Vibration Training on Lower Limb Blood Flow in Children with Myelomeningocele—A Randomized Trial  Effect of localised vibration on muscle strength in healthy adults: a systematic review  Whole-body vibration training improves muscle mass and strength in older adults through intra- and extra-muscular pathways  The effect of whole body vibration training on quadriceps voluntary activation level of people with age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia): a randomized pilot study  Hormonal responses to a single session of wholebody vibration exercise in older individuals Hormonal and Metabolic Responses to Whole Body Vibration in Healthy Adults  Low-frequency vibrotherapy considerably improves the effectiveness of manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) in patients with lipedema: A two-armed, randomized, controlled pragmatic trial  Efficacy of whole body vibration exercise in older people: a systematic review  If you enjoyed this episode, check these out! Can you zap yourself buff with electrical muscle stimulation? Do the benefits of creatine go beyond the gym? Do healthy people need lymphatic treatments?

Snail slime, or snail mucin, has become a popular product in skin care. Some claim it has anti-ageing properties, but if the early research shakes out, snail mucus could have even more significant uses. Norman and Tegan discuss why snail gunk has become a hero of cosmetics, and what else it might be capable of. References: Why Snail Mucin? Or, How This Ancient Practice Became a Skin Care Sensation Chemical composition, mineral profile, anti-bacterial, and wound healing properties of snail slime of Helix aspersa Müller  Extraction, structure, pharmacological activities and applications of polysaccharides and proteins isolated from snail mucus Antimicrobial Activities of Different Fractions from Mucus of the Garden Snail Cornu aspersum Antimicrobial efficacy of Egyptian Eremina desertorum and Helix aspersa snail mucus with a novel approach to their anti-inflammatory and wound healing potencies Reviewing The Potential of Snail Extract to Accelerate and Improve Burn Wound Healing: A Literature Review  HelixComplex snail mucus exhibits pro-survival, proliferative and pro-migration effects on mammalian fibroblasts The efficacy of Helix aspersa Müller extract in the healing of partial thickness burns: A novel treatment for open burn management protocols Helix aspersa maxima mucus exhibits antimelanogenic and antitumoral effects against melanoma cells 849 Snail mucus increases the anti-cancer activity of anti-PD-L1 antibody in melanoma  Snail Mucus Enhances Chemosensitivity of Triple-negative Breast Cancer Via Activation of the Fas Pathway Snails and Skin: A Systematic Review on the Effects of Snail-based Products on Skin Health From Nature to Nurture: The Science and Applications of Snail Slime in Health and Beauty Artificial Snail Mucus Could Advance Cancer Treatments – Johns Hopkins University If you enjoyed this episode, check these out! Does anti-ageing skincare actually work? Should you be avoiding perfumes and fragrances? What we do (and don't) know about tinnitus

Walking down the street, most people you pass will be wearing headphones or ear buds. Chances are you are too! But is this trend of noise-cancelling harming your ears or the way your brain processes sound? Norman and Tegan sound out the evidence on headphone use and hearing damage, and what you can do to protect your ears. References: Know Your Noise - National Acoustic Laboratories Pumping loud music is putting more than 1 billion young people at risk of hearing loss - University of Melbourne  A Partial History of Headphones - Smithsonian  Prevalence and global estimates of unsafe listening practices in adolescents and young adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis  Hearing thresholds, tinnitus, and headphone listening habits in nine-year-old children  Do Noise-Cancelling Headphones Help or Hurt Hearing? - University of Colorado Tips for safe listening using headphones and earbuds – Hearing Australia   If you enjoyed this episode, check these out! Is there such thing as TOO much sun protection? Is there a cure for jet lag? Don’t Die: Is Bryan Johnson going to live forever?

Many people believe that taking vitamin C supplements helps their immune system fight off colds. But there are even bigger claims attached to this supplement – that it not only boosts immunity, but fights cancer. Norman and Tegan introduce us to the Nobel laureate who pushed these theories decades ago, and whether there’s any truth to them. References: The Discovery of Vitamin C  Treatment for scurvy not discovered by Lind Linus Pauling’s Vitamin C Crusade Ascorbic Acid in Cancer Treatment: Let the Phoenix Fly A randomized trial of pharmacological ascorbate, gemcitabine, and nab-paclitaxel for metastatic pancreatic cancer The Role of Vitamin C in Cancer Prevention and Therapy: A Literature Review  High-dose vitamin C: A promising anti-tumor agent, insight from mechanisms, clinical research, and challenges  Vitamin C reduces the severity of common colds: a meta-analysis  Two Faces of Vitamin C—Antioxidative and Pro-Oxidative Agent  Vitamin C - Australian Institute of Sport Vitamin C – EatforHealth.gov.au  If you enjoyed this episode, check these out! Multivitamins: Are they a scam? Can consuming dairy really give you acne? Is sitting the new smoking?

Unless you're in certain corners of the internet, you won't be aware of the peptide craze promising to grow your muscles and slow ageing. That's because your average GP won't be printing a prescription for these injectable drugs, like BPC-157 or melanotan. Norman and Tegan discuss why there's so much fan fare over unproven peptides with some potentially nasty side effects. References: Effects of Topical Copper Tripeptide Complex on CO2 Laser–Resurfaced Skin  Don’t risk using tanning products containing melanotan - TGA Melanotan‐associated melanoma Melanotan II: a possible cause of renal infarction: review of the literature and case report Melanotan II: a possible cause of renal infarction: review of the literature and case report Melanotan-induced priapism: a hard-earned tan – BMJ case study BPC-157: Experimental peptide prohibited - US Anti-Doping Authority Effect of BPC-157 on Symptoms in Patients with Interstitial Cystitis: A Pilot Study Safety of Intravenous Infusion of BPC157 in Humans: A Pilot Study Intra-Articular Injection of BPC 157 for Multiple Types of Knee Pain General practitioner disqualified for inappropriately prescribing peptides If you enjoyed this episode, check these out! Can collagen supplements keep your skin supple? Should you be flexible enough to touch your toes? Can you zap yourself buff with electrical muscle stimulation?