How much time does your oral hygiene routine take? You brush, floss, interdent, maybe even use a tongue scraper.

Is using a mouthwash going to give you any additional benefit? Or could you be doing some harm?

Norman and Tegan answer questions about the effectiveness of mouthwash, what it does to your oral microbiome and why there might be a link to blood pressure.

References:

• Oral microbiome: Unveiling the fundamentals
• Effectiveness of Mouthwashes in Managing Oral Diseases and Conditions: Do They Have a Role?
• Effect of Adjunctive Use of Commercial Daily Mouthwashes on Periodontal Health: An Umbrella Review
• Effect of post-brushing mouthrinse solutions on salivary fluoride retention
• Mouthwash Effects on the Oral Microbiome: Are They Good, Bad, or Balanced?
• Effects of chlorhexidine and a polyherbal mouthwash on the oral microbiome and user satisfaction: a randomized controlled trial
• The Effects of Antimicrobial Mouthwashes on Systemic Disease: What Is the Evidence?
• Oral hygiene, mouthwash usage and cardiovascular mortality during 18.8 years of follow-up
• Does Mouthwash Use Affect Oral Cancer Risk? A Comprehensive Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
• An update on mouthwashes: advice for dental practitioners 

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• Can flossing benefit more than your teeth?
• How risky is sharing a toothbrush?
• Should you opt for aluminium-free deodorant?

Continuous glucose monitors, or CGMs, have transformed how people with diabetes manage their blood sugar.

But in wellness circles, more and more people without diabetes are being encouraged to try these devices.

Norman and Tegan get to the bottom of what these devices can actually tell you, and the potential harms.

References:

• The wellness inspired rise of continuous glucose monitors for people without diabetes, including those with metabolic disorders – BMJ features
• Continuous glucose monitoring in non-diabetic populations: a systematic review of observational and interventional studies with meta-analysis 
• Blood glucose monitoring devices: current consideration – Australian Prescriber
• The Use of Continuous Glucose Monitoring to Diagnose Stage 2 Type 1 Diabetes
• Associations of continuous glucose monitor derived time in range and glycaemic variability with diet lifestyle and demographics
• Different Glucose Variability in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome With and Without Insulin Resistance: A Pilot Study
• Understanding the benefits and psychological burdens of using continuous glucose monitoring for lifestyle change: A mixed-methods cross-sectional study
• Unintended Consequences: The Intersection of Diabetes Technology and Disordered Eating Risk 

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• Should we all be taking fish oil?
• Tonsils, appendix, gallbladder: is anything actually useless?
• Should you wait to swim after eating?

Not many people would argue that rest isn’t important, but how would you define a rest day?

For an elite athlete a rest day could be going for a long walk. For your average person it could mean sitting on the couch.

Norman and Tegan ask – why is rest important, and do you need it to make progress in the gym?

References:

• 'No pain, no gain' debunked: Why post-exercise soreness is not essential for building muscle
• Skeletal muscle and resistance exercise training; the role of protein synthesis in recovery and remodeling
• Effects of Different Between Test Rest Intervals in Reproducibility of the 10-Repetition Maximum Load Test: A Pilot Study with Recreationally Resistance Trained Men
• The time course for elevated muscle protein synthesis following heavy resistance exercise
• Recovery and Performance in Sport: Consensus Statement
• Effects of Consecutive Versus Non-consecutive Days of Resistance Training on Strength, Body Composition, and Red Blood Cells
• Nonconsecutive versus consecutive-day resistance training in recreationally trained subjects
• Fatigue, pain, and the recovery of neuromuscular function after consecutive days of full-body resistance exercise in trained men
• Effects of Consecutive Days of Exercise and Recovery on Muscle Mechanical Function
• How much is too much? (Part 1) International Olympic Committee consensus statement on load in sport and risk of injury 
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• Is retirement bad for you?
• Do the benefits of creatine go beyond the gym?
• Diet vs exercise: which is more important?

Have you ever spritzed your pillow with lavender and wondered, is this actually doing anything?

There are some surprising ways that smells can affect sleep, and it might have something to do with how our brains work.

Norman and Tegan discuss how smells, good and bad, could affect your nightly snooze.

References:

• From antiquity to modern hygiene: the archaeological and medicinal legacy of lavender as a promising antimicrobial agent
• Lavender and sleep: A systematic review of the evidence
• How Smell Affects Your Sleep – Sleep Foundation
• Reciprocal relationships between sleep and smell
• Subjectively intense odor does not affect dream emotions during rapid eye movement sleep
• Nocturnal exposure to a preferred ambient scent does not affect dream emotionality or post-sleep core affect valence in young adults
• Olfactory Aversive Conditioning during Sleep Reduces Cigarette-Smoking Behavior

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• Is farting a sign your gut microbiome is happy?
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• Is a vibration plate worth the cost?

Do you feel better after a good cry, or do you feel worse than ever?

There can be a lot to cry about, good or bad: a break-up, a milestone, a tragedy, a sappy movie.

Norman and Tegan discuss why we evolved to cry, and the purpose it serves as we get older.

References:

• The Riddle of Human Emotional Crying: A Challenge for Emotion Researchers
• The neurobiology of human crying
• Emotional expression in human and non-human great apes
• Ultra-processed food intake, cognitive function, and dementia risk: A cross-sectional study of middle-aged and older Australian adults

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• Butter vs margarine: what's better for you?
• How much protein do you REALLY need?
• Why is yawning contagious?

You might be hearing a lot about ultra-processed foods, or UPFs, and how we should all be avoiding them.

But you might be struggling with figuring out what exactly IS an ultra-processed food. Sweetened drinks, sure. What about bread? Yoghurt?

Norman and Tegan unpack why it isn’t a simple question, and where the evidence stands on the health consequences.

*A previous version of this episode may have implied that the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) board is comprised of current food industry representatives that are directly involved in setting food policy. This was edited on 12/08/2026. 

References:

• Ultra-Processed Foods and Human Health - The Lancet series
• Diet quality and processed foods – Food Standards Australia and New Zealand
• Most of the Foods We Eat Are Ultra-Processed. Are They All Unhealthy? - Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
• Trends of obesity and underweight in older children and adolescents in the United States, Brazil, China, and Russia
• Ultra-processed products are becoming dominant in the global food system
• The UN Decade of Nutrition, the NOVA food classification and the trouble with ultra-processing
• Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses
• Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake
• The collapse of the food matrix: how ultra-processed foods impact satiety and metabolism by altering physical structure beyond nutrient composition 

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• Is gluten really the enemy?
• Why is everyone suddenly talking about seed oils?
• Why Norman won't shut up about the Mediterranean diet

The modification and removal of body hair has been going on for centuries, but our reasons for it have evolved.

Some believe it’s more hygienic to remove, others argue it’s against our nature to be so hairless.

Norman and Tegan trim the evidence on body hair: leg, armpit, pubic and even inside your nose.

References:

• Trends in body hair removal as depicted through art
• Getting plucked: the history of hair removal - ABC
• Effects of pubic hair grooming on women’s sexual health: a systematic review and meta-analysis
• Bare necessity? Public health implications of removing pubic hair
• Effect of Physical and Chemical Hair Removal Methods on Skin Barrier Function in vitro: Consequences for a Hydrophilic Model Permeant
• Using the Hair Removal Laser in the Axillary Region and its Effect on Normal Microbial Flora
• Shaving of axillary hair has only a transient effect on perceived body odor pleasantness
• Cadaver research leads to prestigious science award - the Science Show
• Does nasal hair (vibrissae) density affect the risk of developing asthma in patients with seasonal rhinitis?
• 6 ways to remove unwanted hair - American Association of Dermatology

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• Do the benefits of creatine go beyond the gym?
• Does magnesium work against muscle cramps?
• Which hair loss treatments actually work?

Ashwagandha supplements are rising in popularity, but the herb has been used for hundreds of years in Ayurvedic medicine.

The supposed benefits are broad – from stress to sleep, athletic performance and boosting testosterone.

Norman and Tegan explore where the evidence stands, and uncertainties about potential risks.

References:

• An Overview on Ashwagandha: A Rasayana (Rejuvenator) of Ayurveda
• Chemical composition, cytotoxic and pro-inflammatory enzyme inhibitory properties of Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal root extracts
• Chemical Composition, Biological Activity, and Health-Promoting Effects of Withania somnifera for Pharma-Food Industry Applications
• Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury
• Ashwagandha: Is it helpful for stress, anxiety, or sleep?
• Exploring the efficacy and safety of a novel standardized ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) root extract in adults experiencing high stress and fatigue in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
• A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Study Examining the Hormonal and Vitality Effects of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) in Aging, Overweight Males

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• Vitamin C: can it cure colds and cancer?
• No-poo: why do we shampoo our hair?
• Do healthy people need lymphatic treatments?

When you're going through a stressful time it can have knock-on effects on your routine.

Sleep, diet, exercise routines can be thrown out of whack. And when that stress goes for weeks or months, it can have a serious impact.

Norman and Tegan unpack the various forms of chronic stress, like burnout, and how they can disrupt your health.

References:

• Chronic Stress - ScienceDirect
• Physiology, Stress Reaction
• The impact of stress on body function: A review
• Stressor-Specific Microbiota Intervention
• Stress and the gastrointestinal tract
• B cells and the stressed brain: emerging evidence of neuroimmune interactions in the context of psychosocial stress and major depression
• Stress, depression, the immune system, and cancer
• The effect of multiple adverse childhood experiences on health: a systematic review and meta-analysis
• 11 healthy ways to handle life’s stressors - American Psychological Association
• Stress-related conditions such as adjustment disorder and clinical burnout can be effectively treated with a 12-week cognitive behavioural programme, both when delivered as a face-to-face treatment and when delivered via the internet 

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• Why is the internet telling me to lower my cortisol?
• Are office jobs ruining our bodies?

Sea sickness, car sickness, space sickness – when it comes down to it, it’s all the same.

But not everybody suffers the same. Some people are even lucky enough to grow out of motion sickness.

Norman and Tegan talk about what’s going on when the world goes topsy-turvy, and what you can do about it.

References:

• Motion Sickness
• Validating sensory conflict theory and mitigating motion sickness in humans with galvanic vestibular stimulation - Nature
• Are evolutionary hypotheses for motion sickness "just-so" stories?
• Three studies of motion sickness susceptibility – Federal Aviation Authority
• Genetic variants associated with motion sickness point to roles for inner ear development, neurological processes and glucose homeostasis
• Motion sickness diagnostic criteria: Consensus Document of the Classification Committee of the Bárány Society 
• Survey of motion sickness susceptibility in children and adolescents aged 3 months to 18 years
• Hopkins History Moments: Neil A. Grauer explains how Hopkins expertise helped prevent seasickness
• Remedies for motion sickness: What works? - Harvard Health 

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Lately there have been lots of scary headlines about cancer rates rising in younger adults.

What can you do to drive down your cancer risk?

Norman and Tegan offer some practical tips, and discuss what's in your control versus what isn't.

References:

• Overview of cancer in Australia, 2025 - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
• Effects of diets on risks of cancer and the mediating role of metabolites
• Be physically active – Cancer Council
• Exercise packs a punch in fending off cancer – the Health Report
• “You do not get cancer by chance”: Communicating the role of environmental causes in cancer diseases and the risk of a “guilt rhetoric”  

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• How worried should you be about microplastics?
• Is your (artificial) sweet tooth killing you?
• What's so bad about fine particulate air pollution?