In a trial of 40 adults, an ice bath after hard exercise left muscles weaker and a damage marker higher than plain rest after 72 hours

The stories

22 on this beat today.

Every story told the same way: what happened, who is involved, why it matters, how it works, the truth and the good news.

1. 01

   In a trial of 40 adults, an ice bath after hard exercise left muscles weaker and a damage marker higher than plain rest after 72 hours

   89% vs 82%

   of full strength back after 72 hours, plain rest against an ice bath

   hot baths and warm air did about as well as rest [1]

   25%

   above normal: the ice-bath group's muscle-damage marker at 72 hours

   creatine kinase leaks from damaged muscle into the blood [1]

   36%

   of thigh strength lost straight after the hard exercise

   all 40 volunteers regularly lift weights [1]

   What happened

   • 40 adults who lift weights did a hard leg exercise, then had one of four kinds of recovery. [1]
   • Those given a 15-minute ice bath got back less strength after 72 hours than those who just rested. [1]
   • The resting group regained about 89% of full strength, and the ice-bath group about 82%. [1] The hot-bath and warm-air groups also reached about 89%. [1]
   • Freya Bayne's team at the University of East London ran the trial. [1] It was published in the Journal of Thermal Biology. [1]
   • Each volunteer pushed one leg hard against a machine that bent the knee back. [1]
   • That stretches the thigh muscle while it works, as running downhill or lowering into a squat does. [1]
   • Soreness from such tears usually peaks between 24 and 72 hours, then fades after about a week. [1]
   • Doctors call it delayed onset muscle soreness. [7] It fades as the muscle heals and rebuilds itself. [7]
   • Straight after the exercise, their thigh muscles had lost 36% of their strength on average. [1]
   • Chance then decided each person's recovery. [1] The four choices were an ice bath, a hot bath, warm air or rest. [1]
   • The ice bath was 9C for 15 minutes. [1] The hot bath was 42C for 30 minutes. [1]
   • Blood tests tracked creatine kinase, a muscle chemical that leaks into the blood when fibres are damaged. [1]
   • In the ice-bath group it was still 25% above normal after 72 hours. [1]
   • It returned to normal fastest in the hot-bath group. [1]
   • The ice-bath group reported less pain at 24 hours than the other groups. [1]
   • By 48 hours their pain had risen again, so the cold seems only to have hidden it for a while. [1]
   • None of the four groups reported less soreness by 72 hours. [1]
   • Earlier studies suggest cold slows the building of new muscle protein by cutting blood flow to the muscle. [1]
   • Cold narrows blood vessels, which is also why it briefly eases swelling, Cleveland Clinic explains. [5]
   • A recent review finds ice baths cut soreness within 24 to 72 hours. [3] They also speed the body's calming response after exercise. [3]
   • The same review finds repeated ice baths after weight training reduce muscle growth and slightly reduce strength gains. [3]
   • A separate 5-week trial found ice baths after interval running did not change muscle markers or endurance. [4]
   • That trial was small: 16 healthy men, 9 of them given the baths. [4]
   • Evidence that cold lifts mood is promising but unproven, a 2026 review in Molecular Psychiatry concludes. [6]
   • Claims by Wim Hof that ice baths boost performance and immunity lack good evidence, New Scientist reports. [1]

   % of full strength at 72 hours

   Plain rest89

   Ice bath82

   Who is involved

   • Freya Bayne a researcher at the University of East London; she and her colleagues ran the ice-bath trial
   • Ken Nosaka a researcher at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia; he says much of the evidence for cold therapy is anecdotal
   • Mike Tipton a researcher at the University of Portsmouth in the UK; he says ice baths may still help in multi-day events

   How it unfolded

   1. 24 hours soreness builds
   2. 72 hours soreness at its peak or easing
   3. 24 hours the ice-bath group reports less pain [1]
   4. 48 hours their pain has risen again [1]
   5. Straight after thigh strength down 36% on average [1]
   6. 72 hours ice-bath group back to 82% of full strength, rest group 89% [1]

   Why it matters

   Ice baths have become popular with ordinary gym-goers through social media and professional sport. [2]

   The review says ice baths suit times when fast recovery between sessions matters most. [3] It says to hold them back after weight training when building muscle is the goal. [3]

   Mike Tipton of the University of Portsmouth says ice baths may still help in multi-day events needing fast recovery. [1]

   How it works

   Physiologists call blood flow through a tissue perfusion, and cold water cuts it by narrowing the vessels.

   Emerging studies suggest the cold cuts blood flow, so fewer nutrients reach a damaged muscle. [1] That slows the building of new muscle protein. [1]

   Seen it before

   A shop that closes its delivery door gets fewer boxes, so its empty shelves fill more slowly.

   The truth

   • What is really going on A University of East London trial of 40 weightlifters found an ice bath eased pain for a day, then left muscles weaker than plain rest three days later. [1]
   • Ken Nosaka of Edith Cowan University says much of the evidence for cold therapy is anecdotal. [1] He adds that "none of them had negative effects". [1]
   • In mouse muscle cells cooled in a dish, protein building slowed with no blood supply at all. [8]
   • Who pays People who take ice baths after weight training — Used again and again, the cold can mean less muscle growth and slightly smaller strength gains, a review finds. [3]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether repeated ice baths, or cooling only the sore muscle, would change the trial's result.

     The trial tested one 15-minute bath after one kind of exercise, and Bayne says other set-ups might give a different answer. [1]

   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether less blood flow is really why the ice bath slowed recovery.

     The trial did not measure blood flow, and in cooled mouse cells protein building slowed with no blood supply at all. [1][8]

   What comes next

   Bayne says repeating the baths, or cooling only the sore muscle, might change the result. [1]

1. 02

   Medicaid work rules trip up the sick in Nebraska

   What happened

   • Nebraska began making many adults on Medicaid prove they work on 1 May, eight months before most US states. [9]
   • About 70,000 adults there must show 80 hours a month of work or similar, unless exempt. [9]
   • Most work-rule denials for applicants up to early July were for paperwork never sent in, state records show. [9]
   • Help-line waits nearly doubled, from about 13 to 26 minutes, between May and July. [9]
   • Lawyers say his addiction treatment and illnesses should have exempted him. [9]

   Who is involved

   Medicaid is the US government health cover for people with low incomes or disabilities. [9]

   Eli McCreary, 64, lost cover soon after a kidney cancer diagnosis, and cancelled a scan. [9]

   • Eli McCreary lost cover after a cancer diagnosis

   How it unfolded

   1. 1 May Nebraska starts the work rule
   2. January Democrats plan to try a repeal

   Why it matters

   Next year the rule reaches millions of adults in more than 40 states. [9]

   US budget analysts estimate the policy will leave 5.3 million more people uninsured by 2034. [9]

   How it works

   Behavioural scientists call what happens when nobody acts the default.

   In Nebraska the default is losing cover, so a missed form can end care for someone exempt. [9]

   Seen it before

   A club that drops members who forget to renew loses some who still wanted to stay.

   The truth

   • What is really going on Elsewhere, sick people lost care to unreturned paperwork in Nebraska and to full corridors in Glasgow. [9][10]
   • The state says 86% of affected applicants met the rule or were excused, and 93% of enrollees kept cover. [9]
   • Who gains Contractors running Nebraska's Medicaid checks — The state budgeted $8.2 million over two years for firms that staff the new checks. [9]
   • Who pays Nebraskans like Eli McCreary — Losing cover can mean cancelled scans and missed cancer appointments while the paperwork is sorted out. [9]
   • Nobody knows yet

     How many eligible Nebraskans have lost Medicaid over paperwork.

     The state says 93% of enrollees kept cover, while advocates describe people like Eli McCreary whom the official data may not catch. [9]

   What comes next

   Democrats, newly in the majority in the US Congress, plan to repeal the changes in January. [9]

2. 03

   Glasgow A&E doctors warn of harm from delays

   What happened

   • Senior emergency doctors at Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital warned Scotland's health watchdog that delays were harming patients. [10]
   • It is Scotland's biggest hospital, and the doctors wrote in July. [10]
   • Staff were moving patients out of resuscitation areas and into corridors because the department was full. [10]
   • The doctors wrote that evidence now links overcrowded emergency departments to higher death rates. [10]

   Who is involved

   The watchdog is Healthcare Improvement Scotland, which oversees the quality of health care there. [10]

   • Healthcare Improvement Scotland Scotland's health care watchdog

   How it unfolded

   A review in 2024 had found poor relations between managers and consultants there. [10]

   1. 2024 review finds poor relations
   2. July doctors write again
   3. July the doctors' letter
   4. November watchdog follow-up visit

   Why it matters

   Scotland's health secretary, Angela Constance, agreed the current waiting times were not acceptable. [10]

   How it works

   Hospital managers call this exit block: emergency patients cannot leave because no ward bed is free.

   The hospital board says patients wait too long when people ready to go home cannot be discharged. [10]

   Seen it before

   A car park with a blocked exit fills up, even when no extra cars arrive.

   The truth

   • The watchdog would not comment on the letter while its own follow-up work continues. [10]
   • Who pays Patients waiting in Glasgow's emergency department — With no ward beds free, they wait in places that were not built for their care. [10]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether the delays at Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital have cost lives.

     The doctors cite evidence tying crowding to higher death rates, and the watchdog will not comment before its November review. [10]

   What comes next

   Watchdog staff will meet frontline staff and review progress during November. [10]

3. 04

   Peer groups held off psychosis in South Africa

   What happened

   • In a South African study, 2% of people with psychosis in peer-led groups relapsed, against 17% on medicine alone. [11]
   • The Prize study ran groups for 92 people in 7 places in Nelson Mandela Bay, from 2022 to 2023. [11]
   • A social worker led each group for the first 2 months, then a peer with the illness for 3 more. [11]
   • Members in work took about 1.5 days off a month, against 8 days for those on medicine only. [11]
   • Snacks at each meeting let some take pills with food they lacked at home. [11] The last group stopped meeting in September. [11]

   Who is involved

   Psychosis means hallucinations and delusions, such as seeing things that are not there. [11]

   How it unfolded

   1. First 2 months a social worker leads
   2. Next 3 months a peer leads

   Why it matters

   More than 80% of South Africa's mental health budget goes on hospital care, advocate Bharti Patel says. [11]

   How it works

   Mental health researchers call this the recovery model: people living with an illness help lead their own care.

   Members checked in at each session as green, orange or red, so they could spot a slide before reaching red. [11]

   Seen it before

   A team-mate who has played your position can warn you of trouble before the coach notices.

   The truth

   • The relapse figures come from 92 people in one city, over less than a year. [11]
   • Who pays South African families caring for relatives with psychosis — With little support outside hospital, the daily care falls on them, from bathing to getting to the clinic. [11]

   Good news

   • In South Africa's Nelson Mandela Bay, 2% of people with psychosis who joined peer-led recovery groups relapsed during the study, against 17% of those on medicine alone.
4. 05

   Lockdown stress showed in teenagers' DNA

   What happened

   • Saliva from over 1,000 people in Germany showed faster biological ageing after the pandemic lockdowns, a study in PNAS found. [12]
   • Samples were taken before Germany's first lockdown in March 2020, then again in 2021 to 2022. [12]
   • Three of the four clocks found faster ageing than before the pandemic. [12]
   • Only teenagers aged 14 to 16 showed a link between how stressed they felt and faster ageing. [12]
   • Teens who felt most cut off from important people showed the strongest signs. [12]

   Who is involved

   Biological age is read from chemical tags on DNA, using tools called epigenetic clocks. [12]

   How it unfolded

   1. Before March 2020 first saliva samples
   2. 2021 to 2022 samples taken again

   Why it matters

   Teenagers may be especially sensitive to stress, perhaps because of puberty, lead author Alicia Schowe says. [12]

   How it works

   The researchers call the pandemic a natural experiment: a shock that struck between two sets of samples. [12]

   Because the first samples came before the pandemic, the team compared each person with their own earlier self. [12]

   Seen it before

   Measuring your height before and after the summer holiday shows how much you grew over it.

   The truth

   • Across all ages, the strongest links were with body weight and smoking, not with stress. [12]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether the faster ageing seen in lockdown teenagers lasts or harms their health.

     The researchers say long-term follow-up is needed to find out. [12]

   What comes next

   Long-term follow-up is needed to see whether the changes last, the researchers write. [12]

1. 06

   A vibrating bed nudged waste out of the brain

   What happened

   • 29 volunteers took a blood pressure pill and lay on a vibrating mattress for just over half an hour. [13]
   • Afterwards, more of two Alzheimer's-linked proteins, amyloid beta and GFAP, showed up in their blood. [13]
   • Tau, another protein tied to Alzheimer's, did not change. [13]
   • The effect was bigger in older people and in those whose blood pressure fell further. [13]

   Who is involved

   That suggests the proteins were cleared out of the brain, the University of Oulu team in Finland says. [13]

   • University of Oulu ran the study, in Finland

   How it unfolded

   The brain clears waste mainly at night, when pressure in it drops and slow pulses wash it out. [13]

   Why it matters

   Neuroradiologist Vesa Kiviniemi says boosting this clearance in healthy people might one day help prevent dementia. [13]

   How it works

   Neuroscientists call the brain's own waste-clearing system the glymphatic system.

   Lower pressure plus gentle pulses mimicked sleep, and the clear-out ran through veins at the back of the brain. [13]

   Seen it before

   Rinsing a pan while gently shaking it lifts more grime than rinsing alone.

   Why a cold bath can slow the repair in a sore muscle

   Physiologists call blood flow through a tissue perfusion: cold water narrows the vessels, so less blood reaches a muscle that is rebuilding.

   The twist

   An ice bath can make a sore leg feel better on day one and still leave it weaker on day three.

   The picture

   % of full strength at 72 hours

   Plain rest89

   Hot bath89

   Warm air89

   Ice bath82

   Step by step

   1. 1 A hard workout tears muscle fibres
   2. 2 Repair needs supplies carried in the blood
   3. 3 Cold water narrows the blood vessels
   4. 4 Less blood reaches the damaged muscle
   5. 5 The repair can run slower

   The same force, elsewhere today

   Where this chain is also running, in today's other stories.

   • The vibrating mattress trial

     lowering blood pressure and adding gentle pulses moved more waste protein out of the brain and into the blood

   • The toothache that reached the heart

     germs from the mouth were carried in the blood and settled on a heart valve, far from where the pain began

   Where you've seen this

   Frostbite

   in hard cold the body narrows vessels in fingers and toes to keep its core warm, and tissue starved of blood can die

   Slow-healing foot wounds

   damaged small blood vessels bring less blood to the feet, so cuts there heal slowly

   The catch

   Blood flow may not be the whole story: the trial never measured it, and cooled mouse cells built less protein with no blood supply at all.

   And the whole of it

   Athletes, coaches and weekend runners all choose a recovery by how the body feels the next morning. The repair runs on blood over several days, and nobody sitting in the bath can feel it happen.

   The truth

   • The volunteers were healthy, aged 27 to 61, and nobody measured protein levels inside their brains. [13]
   • The rise in the blood could also mean the brain's protective barrier loosened for a while, the researchers say. [13]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether the vibrating mattress clears proteins from inside the brain.

     Brain levels were never measured, and the rise in the blood could mean the brain's barrier loosened instead. [13]

   What comes next

   The team plans studies in people with early memory problems. [13]

1. 07

   A gene on the X may shield girls from autism

   What happened

   • A gene on the X chromosome, ZFX, may help explain why fewer girls than boys are autistic. [14]
   • Girls have 2 X chromosomes and boys have 1. [14] Girls use both copies of ZFX, which is unusual for X genes. [14]
   • Autism is diagnosed up to 4 times as often in males, though that figure is contested. [14]
   • Rebecca Andersen's team at Boston Children's Hospital turned down 20 autism genes, one at a time, in lab-grown nerve cells. [14]
   • Lowering any one of them lowered most of the others too. [14]

   How it unfolded

   Girls often mask autistic traits, so many are diagnosed late or never. [14]

   Why it matters

   Women diagnosed with autism tend to carry more autism-linked mutations than men, which this could help explain. [14]

   How it works

   Geneticists call it the female protective effect: girls seem to need more risk genes before autism shows. [14]

   ZFX can keep autism-linked genes switched on, so a girl's second copy may offset harmful mutations. [14]

   Seen it before

   A spare battery keeps a torch shining when the first one runs low.

   The truth

   • Louise Gallagher, who was not involved, notes the paper does not show that more ZFX undoes the mutations. [14]
   • She says one gene is unlikely to explain something as complex as the female protective effect. [14]
   • Nobody knows yet

     Whether ZFX really protects girls from autism.

     The paper does not show that raising ZFX undoes the mutations' effects, Louise Gallagher says. [14]

2. 08

   Why bitter coffee comes to taste good

   What happened

   • A slow dopamine signal from the gut may teach the brain to like bitter coffee, a study in Nature suggests. [15]
   • Zachary Knight's team at UC San Francisco put nutrients straight into mice's stomachs, skipping taste. [15]
   • That set off a dopamine rise lasting several minutes in the amygdala, a brain area that links events to outcomes. [15]
   • Switching on that pathway made mice prefer a flavour that had no calories at all. [15]
   • Scans in 13 men and 38 adults found a similar response, strongest on the brain's left side. [15]

   Who is involved

   Dopamine is a brain messenger involved in reward and learning. [15]

   • Zachary Knight UC San Francisco

   Why it matters

   It may explain how people come to enjoy foods that first taste unpleasant, once the body feels their effect. [15]

   How it works

   Psychologists call this flavour-nutrient learning: a taste is liked more once the gut reports a reward.

   Knight says that once the brain links coffee's taste with caffeine's lift, the coffee starts to taste better. [15]

   Seen it before

   A song you disliked at first can grow on you after it plays at every happy party.

   The truth

   • The team did not test GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, so any link to them is unknown. [15]
3. 09

   Smartwatch heart checks split by brand

   What happened

   • An AI read smartwatch heart traces from 2,211 adults in South Korea to spot a weak heart pump. [16]
   • For 9% of people, an Apple Watch and a Samsung watch gave opposite results. [16]
   • 108 home users recorded for 5 days or more. [16] Needing 2 positive days in 3 cut false alarms from 18 to 9. [16]
   • That stricter rule also missed 2 more people who did have the condition. [16]

   False alarms among 70 people

   One positive day18

   2 days out of 39

   Who is involved

   A weak pump means the heart's main chamber pushes out 40% or less of its blood each beat. [16]

   How it unfolded

   It can cause no symptoms, and untreated it can lead to heart failure. [16]

   Why it matters

   Such checks could pick out people who need a proper heart scan, the American Heart Association says. [16]

   How it works

   Screening specialists weigh false alarms against missed cases: making a test stricter trades one for the other.

   Here, asking for 2 positive days in 3 halved false alarms but let 2 more real cases slip through. [16]

   Seen it before

   A smoke alarm set less sensitive wakes you less for burnt toast, but may sleep through a small fire.

   The truth

   • The AI was made by Medical AI, and the study author Hak Seung Lee is its chief medical officer. [16]
   • The results are a conference abstract, not yet checked by outside reviewers. [16]
4. 10

   AI drafts heart-scan reports in half the time

   What happened

   • Cardiologists finished heart-scan reports in 4.6 minutes with an AI first draft, against 8.5 minutes before. [17]
   • An AI, a sonographer and a cardiologist each drafted reports for the same 1,200 scans. [17] A sonographer is the technician who takes the images. [17]
   • Cardiologists then finished each draft without knowing who wrote it. [17] The AI drafts proved comparable in accuracy. [17]
   • The AI reports were also more consistent with past clinical reports. [17]

   Who is involved

   An echocardiogram is an ultrasound scan of the heart, the most widely used kind of heart imaging. [17]

   Why it matters

   The researchers say AI drafts could make cardiology work more efficient. [17]

   How it works

   Researchers call hiding who did the work from the person judging it blinding.

   Here the reviewing cardiologists did not know whether a draft came from the AI, so they could not favour it. [17]

   Seen it before

   A teacher marking essays with the names covered cannot go easy on a favourite pupil.

   The truth

   • It is a conference abstract, not yet checked by outside reviewers. [17]
   • Who gains Cardiologists who read heart scans — An AI writes the first draft, so they check and correct it instead of starting from nothing. [17]

   Good news

   • With an AI first draft, cardiologists finished heart-scan reports in 4.6 minutes instead of 8.5, and the drafts were about as accurate.
5. 11

   Kent opens an intensive mental health unit for women

   What happened

   • Kent and Medway will open its first NHS psychiatric intensive care unit for women, with 10 beds. [18]
   • It cost 4.63 million pounds and sits at Littlestone Lodge in Dartford. [18]
   • It expects to give about 2,500 bed days of care a year, starting in late November. [18]
   • The trust already runs a 12-bed unit for men at Littlebrook Hospital. [18]

   Who is involved

   Such a unit gives short-term, intensive care to women with serious mental health needs. [18]

   How it unfolded

   Until now, women there who needed this care could not get it from the local trust. [18]

   Why it matters

   2 of the 10 beds can take women referred by other NHS trusts. [18]

   Its design takes account of sensory needs, including those of autistic women. [18]

   The truth

   • Who gains Women in a mental health crisis in Kent and Medway — They can now get intensive care close to home instead of going without it locally. [18]

   Good news

   • Women in a serious mental health crisis in Kent and Medway will have a 10-bed intensive care unit of their own from late November.
6. 12

   Cancer survivor refused egg freezing after recovering

   What happened

   • Mollie Mulheron, 28, could not freeze her eggs before urgent chemotherapy for stage 4 blood cancer. [19]
   • She had about 800 hours of chemotherapy and recovered. [19]
   • Her local NHS board then said she no longer met its criteria for funded treatment. [19]
   • Her store of eggs has more than halved in a year, she says. [19]

   Who is involved

   • Mollie Mulheron 28, a blood cancer survivor

   How it unfolded

   Egg freezing can take up to 3 weeks, too long when cancer treatment must start at once. [19]

   Why it matters

   NICE, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, advises offering egg freezing before treatment that may cause infertility. [19]

   How it works

   She calls it "a postcode lottery": care that depends on which local board you live under. [19]

   Doctors in Leeds told her she could have treatment after chemotherapy, but her new board in Lancashire said no. [19]

   Seen it before

   Two schools in one town can set different homework rules from the same national guidance.

   The truth

   • The board says its decision is "in line with the current eligibility criteria", and it is reviewing them. [19]
   • Who pays Young cancer survivors in Lancashire — Getting better can end their right to funded egg freezing, as Mollie Mulheron found. [19]

   What comes next

   She has started a petition for better protection of young cancer survivors' fertility. [19]

7. 13

   A toothache that reached the heart

   What happened

   • Danny Ellis, 42, from Llanrwst in Wales, had toothache in April that kept returning despite antibiotics. [20]
   • By June he had red marks on his body and was losing strength. [20]
   • He was rushed to hospital in Bangor on 23 June. [20] Scans found a hole in his heart's mitral valve. [20]
   • He also had sepsis, a life-threatening reaction to an infection that can develop very quickly. [20]
   • A first operation on 6 July failed. [20] A second, days later, closed the hole and cleared the infection. [20]

   Who is involved

   He had endocarditis, an inflammation of the heart's inner lining usually caused by an infection. [20]

   • Danny Ellis 42, from Llanrwst in Wales

   How it unfolded

   1. April toothache begins
   2. 23 June rushed to hospital
   3. 6 July first operation fails
   4. Days later second operation works

   Why it matters

   Doctors told him his chance of survival had been 1%. [20]

   How it works

   Cardiologists call it infective endocarditis: germs carried in the blood settle on the heart's lining.

   The NHS says endocarditis usually starts when germs enter the blood through the mouth or skin. [20] That is why his first sign seemed to be toothache. [20]

   Seen it before

   Dirt washed into a stream far upstream can settle in a pond many miles away.

   germs from the mouth were carried in the blood and settled on a heart valve, far from where the pain began

   The idea, in story 06: Why a cold bath can slow the repair in a sore muscle →

   The truth

   • He says the cause is still a mystery, and he cleans his teeth twice a day. [20]

   Good news

   • He walked with his daughter Harriet for the first time in months, and left hospital on 19 August. [20]
8. 14

   Grieving women turn to rage rooms

   What happened

   • Ellie Goudie smashed her late brother Ryan's TV with a baseball bat in a Swindon rage room. [21]
   • Ryan died aged 23, and she could not bear anyone else having his things. [21]
   • About 70% of customers at the Swindon room are women, its owner Paul Bunney says. [21]
   • Ceri Crannis booked sessions for her family after her daughter was stillborn. [21]

   Who is involved

   A rage room is a paid space where people break old household items in a controlled setting. [21]

   • Ellie Goudie lost her brother, Ryan

   Why it matters

   Ceri Crannis says it gives a release that talking in therapy does not. [21]

   How it works

   Psychologists call letting out a strong feeling through action catharsis.

   Bristol psychologist Nilu Ahmed says a set time and a contained room make the release feel safe. [21]

   Seen it before

   Shouting into a pillow lets anger out without hurting anyone.

   The truth

   • Ahmed says it cannot replace therapy, and deep-rooted feelings will come up again. [21]
   • She says using a rage room can signal that a person has no safe place to talk. [21]
9. 15

   Supplement makers court weight-loss drug users

   What happened

   • Novonesis, a company exploring microbiome products, says supplements could be the next big winner from the weight-loss drug boom. [22]
   • It is testing a mix of pro-, pre- and post-biotics for people on Novo Nordisk's drugs. [22]
   • A PwC survey found 40% of UK users of these drugs spend more on vitamins and supplements. [22]
   • About 70% spend less on snacks. [22]
   • The world supplement market was put at $209.5bn in 2025 and forecast to reach $431.7bn by 2033. [22]

   Who is involved

   Its chief executive, Ester Baiget, told CNBC on Monday that supplements and the drugs could work together. [22]

   The microbiome is the mass of bacteria, fungi and viruses living in and on the body, mostly in the gut. [22]

   • Ester Baiget chief executive, Novonesis

   Why it matters

   The drugs are changing what people buy, from snacks to clothes, CNBC reports. [22]

   How it works

   Economists call goods bought alongside another product complements.

   As drug users cut snacks and buy more vitamins, supplement makers see a market that follows the prescriptions. [22]

   Seen it before

   A phone shop sells more cases every time a new phone comes out.

   The truth

   • The company's claim rests on its own study with Novo Nordisk, which is still running. [22]
   • Who gains Supplement makers such as Novonesis — People on weight-loss drugs are buying more vitamins, so firms can sell them products sold as companions to the drugs. [22]
10. 16

    Sewage could track deadly fungi

    What happened

    • Fungal infections kill about 2.5 million people a year, more than tuberculosis and malaria combined. [23]
    • Researchers argue in a new review that sewage is one of the best places to look for them. [23]
    • UK labs have only had to report it since 2025. [23]
    • In southern Nevada it turned up in 79% of wastewater samples over 10 weeks. [23]

    How it unfolded

    Candida auris, a yeast that resists several drugs, was first found in Japan in 2009 and has spread worldwide. [23]

    1. 2009 first found, in Japan
    2. Now spread worldwide

    Why it matters

    Fungi mostly harm people with weak immune systems, such as after cancer treatment or an organ transplant. [23]

    How it works

    Epidemiologists call people who carry a germ without falling ill carriers.

    Many people carry Candida for months with no illness, so tests of the sick miss most of its spread. [23]

    Seen it before

    Counting only pupils sent home sick misses the many with a mild cold still in class.

    The truth

    • Sewage tests cannot yet predict outbreaks or say how many people are infected. [23]
    • A link between antifungal drugs in rivers and resistant strains is possible but not proven. [23]
11. 17

    Noise overwhelms veterans with mild brain injury

    What happened

    • More than 500,000 US service members have had a brain injury since 2000, and over 4 in 5 were mild. [24]
    • For some, a busy restaurant becomes intolerable, with rising tension and an urge to flee or fight. [24]
    • A Colorado neuroscientist says the injured brain may be flooded with more sound and sight than it can handle. [24]

    Who is involved

    A mild brain injury is what doctors also call a concussion. [24]

    How it unfolded

    Many recover within weeks, but for others symptoms last years or decades. [24]

    1. Weeks many recover
    2. Years or decades symptoms last for others

    Why it matters

    It may explain why even a mild injury can make the move to civilian life harder. [24]

    How it works

    Neuroscientists call the limit on how much the brain can take in at once its processing capacity.

    Overlapping talk, clinking plates and music all arrive together, so an injured brain runs out of room. [24]

    Seen it before

    A phone with too many apps open freezes, though each app alone runs fine.

    The truth

    • This is the author's view of their team's research, written as commentary, not a single new trial. [24]
12. 18

    A doctor's words can shape back pain

    What happened

    • How a doctor talks to someone with back pain may affect their recovery, researchers write in The Conversation. [25]
    • In one study of 182 people, a stronger early bond with their physiotherapist went with better results. [25] Results were checked at 8 weeks. [25]
    • In a lab study, positive expectations roughly doubled an opioid painkiller's effect on heat pain. [25]
    • Negative expectations wiped the effect out, though the drug was still being given. [25]

    Why it matters

    Calling a back 'worn out' can leave a patient picturing a fragile spine. [25]

    How it works

    Researchers call these surrounding influences contextual factors: expectations, past experience, the doctor's words and the setting. [25]

    Someone who expects bending to cause damage may avoid it, so never learns their back can cope. [25]

    Seen it before

    A child told a dog bites keeps away, so never finds out this dog is gentle.

    The truth

    • Short lab tests cannot say how much one real appointment changes long-term pain, the authors say. [25]
    • They add that a kind manner never justifies offering unproven treatments. [25]
13. 19

    US flu season starts early

    What happened

    • Flu reached the US west coast about two and a half months earlier than normal, says Michael Osterholm. [26]
    • The CDC, the US public health agency, counts 16,000 flu hospital stays so far. [26]
    • The main strain is an H1N1 flu virus with a change called G155E. [26]
    • People under 25 may have less immunity to it, says Amesh Adalja of Johns Hopkins. [26]
    • There is no evidence the change makes illness more severe, Adalja says. [26]

    Who is involved

    Osterholm directs the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. [26]

    • Michael Osterholm University of Minnesota
    • Amesh Adalja infectious disease specialist, Johns Hopkins

    Why it matters

    About 24,000 people in the US, 198 of them children, died of flu-related illness last season. [26]

    How it works

    Virologists call small changes that help a flu virus slip past old immunity antigenic drift.

    This strain resembles H1N1 viruses from before 2009, and under-25s seem less protected against it. [26]

    Seen it before

    A guard who knows your face can miss you if you turn up in a new hat.

    The truth

    • There is no complete explanation for why the season started so early, Adalja says. [26]
    • Who pays Americans under 25 this flu season — They seem less protected against this year's main H1N1 strain. [26]
    • Nobody knows yet

      Why the US flu season began about two and a half months early.

      Travel patterns may have played a part, but there is no complete explanation, Amesh Adalja says. [26]

14. 20

    Exercise lowers blood pressure in chronic illness

    What happened

    • A review pooling 48 studies found exercise lowered blood pressure and heart rate in people with chronic disease. [27]
    • It also raised fitness, measured as the most oxygen the body can use. [27]
    • It found no clear effect on body mass index, mental health or heart disease itself. [27]
    • The clearest gains were for people with high blood pressure and diabetes. [27]
    • Only aerobic exercise showed a clear pooled effect, though the exercise types did not differ significantly. [27]

    Who is involved

    • High blood pressure clear gains
    • Diabetes clear gains

    Why it matters

    The authors say it supports exercise programmes tailored to each region. [27]

    How it works

    Researchers call combining many studies into one estimate a meta-analysis. [27]

    It combined 93 results from 48 papers, so no single small trial decides the answer. [27]

    Seen it before

    Averaging ten friends' guesses of the sweets in a jar usually beats one friend's guess.

    The truth

    • Results varied hugely between studies, so the pooled numbers should be read with caution, the authors say. [27]
15. 21

    A cholesterol supplement eased psoriasis in a small trial

    What happened

    • Pantethine, a supplement made from vitamin B5, eased psoriasis in mice and in a small trial in people. [28]
    • The study, by teams in Beijing, appeared on 27 October in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. [28]
    • Half of 24 patients also took pantethine with their usual ointment, and they improved more over 12 weeks. [28]
    • The benefit was clearest in people with high blood cholesterol. [28]

    Who is involved

    Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease, driven by an overactive immune system. [28]

    Why it matters

    Pantethine is already sold as a supplement, often to lower blood cholesterol. [28]

    How it works

    Immunologists call the cells that direct an immune response dendritic cells.

    Too little pantethine inside these cells raises their cholesterol, which makes them over-active. [28]

    The truth

    • Only 24 people took part. [28] The lead researcher calls it proof it can be done, not proof of how it works. [28]
16. 22

    Health podcaster Huberman joins Hims' board

    What happened

    • Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist with one of the biggest health podcasts, is joining the board of Hims & Hers. [29]
    • His deals are worth about $5.9 million a year, a company filing to the US markets regulator shows. [29]
    • That includes $3.5 million a year in cash to advise Hims on science and brand marketing. [29]
    • A company he co-owns will also get $5 million a year for podcast adverts, for up to three years. [29]
    • Hims is expanding into weight loss, testosterone and peptides. [29] Huberman is one of the best-known voices on peptides. [29]

    Who is involved

    Hims & Hers is a US online clinic with nearly 3 million customers and its own pharmacy. [29]

    • Andrew Huberman neuroscientist and podcaster
    • Hims & Hers US online clinic

    Why it matters

    His YouTube channel has more than 8 million subscribers, and Hims can sell many of the treatments he discusses. [29]

    How it works

    Ethicists call it a conflict of interest when someone advising the public also profits from what they advise on.

    Huberman's podcast weighs up health treatments, and the company now paying him sells many of them. [29]

    Seen it before

    A referee paid by one team would struggle to convince fans that his calls are fair.

    The truth

    • Huberman told Business Insider: "We will never filter information differently because of a brand relationship." [29]
    • He did not say how each episode or clip will disclose his board seat and marketing deal. [29]