/oss/taxonomy/term/25/all en /oss/article/health-nutrition-quackery/cracked-science-05-who-created-cancer-good-thing-montrealhealthygirl <p></p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-1"></div> Thu, 10 May 2018 18:21:39 +0000 Jonathan Jarry, MSc 7078 at /oss /oss/article/health-general-science/cancer-what-scientists-know-versus-what-public-believes <p><span>Horror writer H.P. Lovecraft wrote in Supernatural Horror in Literature that “the oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown”. I would argue that nowhere is this more visible in modern medicine than where the “C” word is uttered.</span></p> <p>Cancer.</p> Thu, 03 May 2018 14:40:54 +0000 Jonathan Jarry, MSc 7050 at /oss /oss/article/you-asked/why-does-california-want-put-cancer-warning-coffee <p>I’ve commented many times on what I think is a ludicrous piece of legislation in California known as Proposition 65. This requires that the public be informed by signs, as is the case on entering Disneyland, or on product labels, about any possible exposure to a chemical “that is known to the State of California to cause reproductive harm or cancer.” And there are over 900 of these that are accused of being an affront to health! So what’s wrong with Prop 65 warning against dangerous substances? Sounds like motherhood and apple pie.</p> Thu, 05 Apr 2018 19:30:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 6991 at /oss /oss/article/quackery/oprah-president <p><span>The U.S. is abuzz with chatter about Oprah for President. She makes a thoughtful, rousing, captivating speech at the Golden Globe Awards and people are ready to usher her into the Oval Office. But let’s not fling that door open quite yet, not before taking a look at the candidate’s ability to exercise sound judgement. Although there are several instances I could point out where Oprah’s judgement was suspect, her having devoted a program to the antics of “John of God” is particularly troublesome.</span></p> Thu, 11 Jan 2018 18:48:08 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 6880 at /oss /oss/article/quackery/cure-all-cancers-maybe-not <p>The freedom of speech.  One of our most sacred rights.  Men and women are willing to die for it.  Unfortunately, they also die because of it.  Let me elaborate.</p> <p>Our word cancer derives from the Latin word for crab.  This is understandable, as many tumors bear an actual physical resemblance to the creature.  In medieval Europe this similarity was used in the most unusual fashion for the treatment of the dreaded disease.  A live crab would be placed on the body at a site close to the tumor, left there for a while, and then the animal would be removed and killed. </p> Thu, 30 Nov 2017 15:57:13 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 6839 at /oss /oss/article/history/dr-ralph-steinman-nobel-prize-winning-scientist-who-became-his-own-patient <p><span>For over 100 years the Nobel Foundation has recognized outstanding individuals for contributions to their respective fields. The rules, however, stipulate that prizes cannot be awarded posthumously. But in October 2011, an exception was made for an exceptional individual: Dr. Ralph Steinman was awarded the joint Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine three days after he died of pancreatic cancer. At the time of the announcement, the news of his death had not yet reached the Nobel committee. So they decided that his wife and children would be able to accept his prize on his behalf.</span></p> Wed, 27 Sep 2017 16:07:56 +0000 Cassandra Lee, OSS Intern 2647 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/fingerprints <p>Fingerprints have been used since ancient times as a method to confirm identities. Although individuals are born with a unique set of fingerprints, these unique fingerprints can disappear. The disappearance of fingerprints can occur in cancer patients who undergo chemotherapy and are administered chemotherapy drugs such as capecitabine (Xeloda), 5-Flurouracil (5FU) and doxorubicin liposomal (Doxil). Small amounts of the chemotherapy drugs can leak out of the capillaries causing redness and desquamation on the hands and feet.</p> Fri, 02 Jun 2017 16:28:08 +0000 OSS 2528 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-history/breast-cancer <p>The first scientific observation about breast cancer was made in 1896 when it was noted that the disease sometimes regressed if the ovaries were removed.  Eventually this connection was understood in terms of estrogen, the female hormone produced by the ovaries.  Some types of breast cancer cells are stimulated to divide by estrogen and therefore blocking this effect constitutes a form of treatment.  Many anti-estrogen drugs have been tried with various degrees of effectiveness.  Tamoxifen is perhaps the best known of these medications.</p> Tue, 30 May 2017 16:52:59 +0000 OSS 2496 at /oss /oss/article/quackery/hoxsey-hoax <p>Gently holding the hand of five year old Kathy Allison, John Haluska walked to the podium in the Pennsylvania State Senate. “Here is a little angel,” he told his colleagues, “who according to medical science had to meet the angels soon. But after receiving the Hoxsey treatment in Dallas, she is going to school and is cancer free. And they still call Harry Hoxsey a quack.” </p> Mon, 10 Apr 2017 15:47:39 +0000 Joe Schwarcz 2397 at /oss /oss/article/news-quackery/only-magic-out-there-stage <p style="text-align:justify">Magical Mystery Cures" with Bob McDonald on "Doc Zone," the excellent CBC program looked at the 'anti-aging" industry. We were treated to a spectacular array of quacks outdoing each other with nonsense piled on nonsense. Bob did an excellent job going to anti-aging trade shows, exposing the various types of snake oil they peddle although he should have been more confrontational with the quacks.</p> <p style="text-align:justify">One promoter of Kangen water, dressed in a white lab coat bearing a symbol very similar to the symbol of snakes wrapped around a staff used by the medical profession, had the gall to state that the water cures cancer. His gibberish filled spiel about fractured water clusters was absurd beyond belief. He was matched by the quack who was peddling an "ionic" foot bath, described below, claiming that the rust generated by the hidden electrodes were toxins being removed from the liver, and the clumps of brown guck were pesticide residues being eliminated. Bob did the right thing and showed that the same thing happens without feet being placed in the water, but unfortunately he didn't do it in front of the quack. Would have loved to see the charlatan's face and hear what explanation he would have come up with.</p> <p style="text-align:justify">And then there was the woman who had some crystals attached to a laptop and muttered incomprehensible claptrap about quantum physics and had the nerve (or mental deficiency) to refer to Superman's success with crystals. Bob properly castigated the quacks with their lotions, potions and useless electronic gizmos and concluded that the only real anti-aging regimes were exercise, eating right and selecting one's parents properly. He should have added that the charlatans taking advantage of people who lack the scientific knowledge to see through their absurd schemes should be jailed like the thieves that they are.</p> <p style="text-align:justify">Let's elaborate on the foot bath scheme  mentioned above. The victim of this scheme is told that the special electrically-powered footbath can remove toxins from the body and improve health. And there is proof. As the subject sits with his or her feet in the bath, a rust colored scum forms, supposedly the accumulated toxins being released from the body.</p> <p><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/2013/11/12/the-only-magic-out-there-is-on-a-stage">Read more</a></p> Tue, 12 Nov 2013 19:15:21 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2033 at /oss /oss/article/cancer-controversial-science-food-health-toxicity/hot-potato <div> <p style="text-align:justify"><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/?p=6930"><img alt="fries" height="150" src="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/files/2014/11/Screen-Shot-2014-11-22-at-8.50.54-PM-150x150.png" width="150" /></a>The poor potato is being mashed by criticism.Too high a glycemic index, critics say, which means more sugar in the bloodstream for anyone concerned about diabetes. Forget about eating potatoes, say the proponents of low carb diets. French fries? Forget it. Loaded with fat. And supporters of California’s Proposition 65, which stipulates that any substance that has been linked to cancer must be clearly identified, clamor for potato chips to sport a label stating that they contain acrylamide, which is “known to the State of California to cause cancer.” Acrylamide forms when heat causes asparagine, an amino acid present in numerous foods, to react with starch. Potatoes have asparagine and starch, and when it comes to baking or frying, can indeed form acrylamide.</p> </div> <div> <p style="text-align:justify">Technically this is a carcinogen because it can cause cancer in animals albeit only when they are treated with doses far greater than human exposure. No epidemiological studies have demonstrated that the traces of acrylamide to which we may be exposed in baked goods, coffee, cereals or potatoes play a role in human cancer. But California politicians argue that less exposure to a carcinogen is always better, and that people should know where such substances are found so they can take appropriate measures. This argument does not fly with most toxicologists who maintain that even with carcinogens there is a threshold effect below which there is no risk.</p> <p style="text-align:justify">No matter whether the risk is real or not, reducing the possibility of acrylamide formation can be an effective marketing tool. So along comes the “Innate” potato, developed by the J.R. Simplot Company in the U.S. With its reduced asparagine content it will have less acrylamide when baked or fried. But there is an issue here that may not play so well in the marketplace. The new-fangled potato is a product of genetic engineering. The gene that codes for the production of asparagine, as well as one responsible for the browning of potatoes, has been silenced through a process known as “RNA interference.” This does involve the incorporation of novel genes into the Innate potato, but those genes come from other varieties of cultivated and wild potatoes. No genes from any other species are introduced.</p> <p style="text-align:justify">Stll, there are critics who contend that RNA interference technology has not been studied well enough, and that asparagine may also play a role in defending the potato against disease causing organisms. And then there is the issue of implying that a “safer” potato has been engineered which can lead to less vigilance about eating fried potatoes. Realistically, the health concern about French fries is the amount of fat they harbour, not their acrylamide content. It is extremely unlikely that there is any health risk arising from consuming this genetically engineered potato, about as unlikely as there being any risk associated with the traces of acrylamide in foods we eat. Basically, though, this new potato is a solution to a problem that never existed.</p> <a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/2014/11/22/a-hot-potato">Read more</a></div> Sun, 23 Nov 2014 03:52:51 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2215 at /oss /oss/article/food-health/blackberries-and-blue-tortillas <p style="text-align:justify"><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/?p=5422"><img alt="blackberries" height="150" src="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/files/2013/06/blackberries-150x150.jpg" width="150" /></a>Chop up and boil some purple cabbage. Take some of the juice, and add a little vinegar. It turns a bright red. Now add some baking soda and watch the juice turn blue. What’s going on? The color of purple cabbage is due to compounds called anthocyanins. In this case, we are looking at anthocyanins that absorb wavelengths of light other than purple, which they reflect. The addition of an acid or a base to these molecules slightly alters their structure and changes their light absorption pattern. But the really neat thing about this experiment is that it can benefit more than your mind. It can benefit your health. All you have to do is eat the cabbage after you’re through ogling the color changes. Those anthocyanins not only absorb light, they also have antioxidant properties, meaning that they can neutralize some of the potentially health damaging free radicals that are a byproduct of inhaling oxygen. The deeper the colour of a fruit or vegetable, the more anthocyanins it contains. That’s why researchers are interested in berries, grapes and even blue corn. Blackberries, being particularly rich in anthocyanins and antioxidant activity, are excellent candidates for health benefits. Researchers at Ohio State University fed diets laced with freeze-dried blackberries to rats after injecting them with azoxymethane, a chemical that causes colon tumours. The results were impressive. The more berries a rat ate, the fewer tumours it had. <a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/2013/06/11/blackberries-and-blue-tortillas">Read more</a></p> Wed, 12 Jun 2013 01:01:01 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1957 at /oss /oss/article/cancer-controversial-science-diets-drugs-food-health-news-supplements/green-tea-extracts-and-liver-disease <p>I think we are safe in saying that green tea doesn’t make taste buds frolic. So why do people drink it? The same reason for which the Chinese have been consuming it for millennia. Its supposed health benefits. Green tea doesn’t contain the flavourful compounds that form when tea leaves are allowed to ferment. During fermentation enzymes are released that convert the naturally occurring polyphenols in the leaves to a host of tasty compounds. Instead of being fermented, green tea is made by steaming or drying fresh tea leaves in order to prevent oxidation of the polyphenols.</p> Sat, 23 Aug 2014 13:06:03 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2184 at /oss /oss/article/cancer-controversial-science-food-health-news-quackery-toxicity/walk-gingerly-declaring-ginger-cancer-cure <p>It is not at all unusual to find plant extracts that will kill cancer cells in vitro. There are hundreds of phytochemicals that will do this. Neither is it unusual to find an effect in mice that have implanted tumours. But this is a long way away from demonstrating a viable cancer treatment in humans. In comparison to the number of plant compounds that have shown anti-cancer activity in the lab, the number that have made it through human clinical trials to be adopted into practice have been extremely few.</p> Thu, 06 Mar 2014 14:24:23 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2110 at /oss /oss/article/cancer-health-quackery/serious-nonsense <p style="text-align:justify">“We've had more people reverse cancer than any institute in the history of health care, so when ƽ���岻�� fails, or Toronto hospitals fail, they come to us. It can be stage 4 cancer and we reverse it.” You can imagine why that quote caught my eye. Both ƽ���岻�� and University of Toronto have world-class cancer treatment centers, but unfortunately, when it comes to stage 4 cancers, which are the most deadly, the chance of successful treatment is low. So, who is it that claims success where the latest evidence-based treatments fail?</p> Mon, 09 May 2016 14:45:19 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2338 at /oss