Do you have your water bottle beside you right now? How close are you to reaching your daily water goal?

It can feel like a slog sometimes to meet the recommended two lites of water a day.

Norman and Tegan pour over the evidence to find out whether it's REALLY necessary to drink that much.

References:

• Food and macronutrient intake of elite Ethiopian distance runners
• Statement of the 3rd International Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia Consensus Development Conference

As the weather cools down, you may be noticing more people around you are dropping from cold or flu.

And with COVID-19 also in the mix, it’s understandable that many are wondering how they can boost their immunity to avoid getting sick so often.

Norman and Tegan take us through some of the approaches that have the evidence to back them up (and the ones that don’t).

References:

• Nutrition and Athlete Immune Health: New Perspectives on an Old Paradigm
• Effect of air pollution on the human immune system
• Current Directions in Stress and Human Immune Function

It can sometimes be tough to summon the motivation and energy to go to exercise. 

Well, there’s a product for that and it’s gaining popularity.

Pre-workout mixtures come in powders, pills, drinks, gummies — you name it, they’ve got it.

Norman and Tegan run through what they actually contain, and what the evidence says about their effectiveness…

Got a health question? Shoot us a line @ABCHealth on Instagram, or send a voice memo to [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you!

References: 

• Multi-ingredient pre-workout supplements, safety implications, and performance outcomes: a brief review
• Effects of Beta-Alanine on Muscle Carnosine and Exercise Performance:A Review of the Current Literature
• Creatine Supplementation for Muscle Growth: A Scoping Review of Randomized Clinical Trials from 2012 to 2021

When you get a headache, what do you reach for? Ibuprofen, aspirin or paracetamol?

Over-the-counter painkillers can be difficult to differentiate, but they do vary, not only in their effectiveness but also in their side effects.

Norman and Tegan talk us through how these drugs work, and which one might be best depending on your situation.

References: 

• Paracetamol versus ibuprofen – which works best and when?
• Is paracetamol effective for low back pain?
• The dangers of NSAIDs: Look both ways

Restless Legs Syndrome is a common condition with somewhat mysterious underpinnings…

While it can be a side effect on an underlying condition, many people suffer for no known reason.

Norman and Tegan take us through what we know, what we suspect and some of the treatments for those jittery legs…

References:

• Iron and restless legs syndrome: Treatment, genetics and pathophysiology
• Iron-deficiency and dopaminergic treatment effects on RLS-Like behaviors of an animal model with the brain iron deficiency pattern of the restless legs syndrome
• The Management of Restless Legs Syndrome:An Updated Algorithm

Got a health question? Shoot us a line @ABCHealth on Instagram, or send a voice memo to [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you!

Kate Middleton announced via a video message that she is undergoing treatment for cancer. 

The Princess of Wales has been out of the public eye since Christmas. This is the first official announcement about her condition since she revealed she would be undergoing planned abdominal surgery in January. 

So what What do we know about Kate's cancer diagnosis? What is the likely treatment? And, given she is relatively young, what's the message for people who do have unexpected new symptoms?

What is preventative chemotherapy? What could treatment look like? What are some of the side effects of chemotherapy? How long does it take to recover from? We're answering the health questions everyone's asking on What's That Rash?

Did you know that we're evolutionarily predisposed to seek out sweet treats?

Simple carbs were harder to come by in caveman times than they are today. Now, the consensus is we all need to cut down our sugar intake.

One way people are doing that is by replacing their sucrose with non-sugar sweeteners.

Norman and Tegan explore whether this is actually a healthy alternative.

References:

• Sweetness and food preference
• Health effects of the use of non-sugar sweeteners: a systematic review and meta-analysis
• The World Health Organisation on aspartame, and dietary guidelines

Although it’s often thought of as an adolescent affliction, acne can affect people well into adulthood.

But some people seem to be immune to pimples. Why?

Norman and Tegan investigate why some people are more prone to pimples than others, and what you might be able to do about it.

Got a health question? Shoot us a line @ABCHealth on Instagram, or send a voice memo to [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you!

Looking for COVID-19 updates? Don't panic, they've moved over to The Health Report

References:

• Racial Differences in Clinical Characteristics, Perceptions and Behaviors, and Psychosocial Impact of Adult Female Acne
• The association between stress and acne among female medical students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
• Seasonal aggravation of acne in summers and the effect of temperature and humidity in a study in a tropical setting
• Enjoyment of watching pimple popping videos: An fMRI investigation

Some people are mosquito magnets. The blood suckers do, in fact, have their favourites. 

And this could pose a major health risk. After all, mosquitoes are the deadliest creatures on earth. 

Norman and Tegan take us through the science of why some people attract more mozzies than others. 

Got a health question? Shoot us a line @ABCHealth on Instagram, or send a voice memo to [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you!

Looking for COVID-19 updates? Don't panic, they've moved over to The Health Report

References:

• Mosquitoes use vision to associate odor plumes with thermal targets
• Olfactory responses and field attraction of mosquitoes to volatiles from Limburger cheese and human foot odor
• Composition of Human Skin Microbiota Affects Attractiveness to Malaria Mosquitoes

What's That Rash? is coming to the World Science Festival Brisbane!

Bring yourself (and your non-communicable rash) to a live podcast recording with Dr Norman Swan and Tegan Taylor. 

We've got two double passes to give away to the Social Science event on March 22 for those who'll be in Brisbane.

Send us your questions for a chance to win. AND it's an adults-only event with mature content and coarse language, so go wild —  [email protected]

We're not the only ones attending. All in the Mind will also be doing a live show, and Dr Karl will be there for some Great Moments in Science!

Have you ever been told to 'listen to your body' when it comes to fitness?

It makes sense. You shouldn't push through injury, or past the point of exhaustion.

But how far is too far? There are now dozens of apps and hundreds of advice columns on how best to 'listen to your body'.

One strategy that's rising in the ranks is adjusting your workout routine to work alongside your menstrual cycle.

Norman and Tegan explore whether this kind of tech is advancing faster than the research.

References:

• Effects of the Menstrual Cycle on Exercise Performance
• The Efects of Menstrual Cycle Phase on Exercise Performance in Eumenorrheic Women: A Systematic Review and Meta‑Analysis
• Bidirectional Interactions between the Menstrual Cycle, Exercise Training, and Macronutrient Intake in Women: A Review