What's That Rash?

If you’re into skincare, you’ve probably been advertised light therapy face masks.
These high-tech hockey masks promise to plump up or heal your skin through light – often red, but sometimes yellow, green, blue or even purple.
Norman and Tegan go through the rainbow to assess where there's evidence, and where there's not.
References:
Sweaty sauna bathing for better health - What's That Rash?
Near Infrared Photoimmunotherapy: A Review of Recent Progress and Their Target Molecules for Cancer Therapy
Effect of NASA Light-Emitting Diode Irradiation on Wound Healing
Visible Red Light Emitting Diode Photobiomodulation for Skin Fibrosis: Key Molecular Pathways
Utilization of light-emitting diodes for skin therapy: Systematic review and meta-analysis
Photodynamic Therapy Using HMME for Port-Wine Stains: Clinical Effectiveness and Sonographic Appearance
Effect of Blue Light on Acne Vulgaris: A Systematic Review
The efficacy of violet light in the treatment of acne
Featured review: What are the benefits and risks of light therapy for treating atopic eczema?
Light therapy for preventing seasonal affective disorder
This episode first aired on December 18, 2024.

What determines whether you’re right or left handed? Is there really such a thing as being ambidextrous?
It’s a surprisingly complicated story, and culture comes into play – some people are forced to go against their dominant hand.
Norman and Tegan parse through the history of handedness in this live recording at the World Science Festival Brisbane.
References:
A large-scale population study of early life factors influencing left-handedness 
The handedness of Kerrs and Carrs
The association between switching hand preference and the declining prevalence of left-handedness with age
Stuttering and “Retraining” Left-Handed Children in Mid-Century U.S. 
Can training to become ambidextrous improve brain function?  
Brain Size Associated with Foot Preferences in Australian Parrots 
The Influence of Handedness on the Clinical Presentation and Neuropsychology of Alzheimer Disease
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Headaches are common, but the causes are wide and varied, and some are more serious than others. 
Why do we get headaches? What's the difference between a headache and a migraine?
Norman and Tegan talk through some basics about headaches, and why a round of squats might help...
References:
The Science Behind Headaches: What's Really Happening In Your Skull 
The vascular theory of migraine—a great story wrecked by the facts
Twelve-month efficacy of CGRP monoclonal antibodies and predictive value of short-term response: results of an Australian multicentre study 
Trial of Galcanezumab in Prevention of Episodic Cluster Headache
Erenumab for Chronic Cluster Headache: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Effect of Exercise on Chronic Tension-Type Headache and Chronic Migraine: A Systematic Review
The effect of different exercise types on migraine frequency in individuals with migraine: A pilot study
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There's a lot of fog around brain fog

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 
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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
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