/oss/taxonomy/term/3285/all en /oss/article/critical-thinking-student-contributors-health-and-nutrition/taste-bitter-melon <p>Bitter melon, also known as Momordica charantia, is a peculiar-looking vegetable that has piqued the interest of many for its potential health benefits, particularly in managing diabetes. Native to Asia, East Africa, India, and South America, this plant has various other names such as bitter gourd, balsam pear, and karela, depending on the region. The name Momordica, derived from the Latin word meaning "to bite," refers to the jagged edges of its leaves, which look as though they've been nibbled.</p> Fri, 28 Jun 2024 01:41:06 +0000 Hosna Akhgary 9990 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/twisting-facts-about-cancer <p>Let’s start with some facts. Antiperspirants, cell phones, root canals or wired bras do not cause cancer. Sugar or dairy products do not “feed” the disease. You cannot cure cancer with an alkaline diet, crystals, juices, shark cartilage, apricot pits, magnets, mistletoe, soursop, chlorella, black walnuts, coconut oil, cesium chloride, reiki, psychic surgery, baking soda, antineoplastons, bioresonance machines, orgone accumulators, Rife frequency generators or coffee enemas.</p> Wed, 08 May 2024 19:16:23 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9940 at /oss /oss/article/medical-technology/springtime-montreal-means-scent-asphalt-air <p>So, what is asphalt and where does it come from? The source is petroleum, that dark viscous liquid found deep within the Earth, the product of once living organisms subjected to millennia of intense pressure and heat. It is not an understatement to say that petroleum is vital to modern life. It is of course used to produce the fuel that our cars, trucks, buses, ships and airplanes run on, but petroleum also furnishes the raw materials used to make our plastics, synthetic fibres, medications, agrochemicals and personal care products.</p> Wed, 24 Apr 2024 10:00:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9923 at /oss /oss/article/medical-contributors/dr-ralph-steinman-nobel-prize-winning-scientist-who-became-own-patient <p>For over 100 years the Nobel foundation has recognized outstanding individuals for contributions to their respective fields; however, the rules 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.</p> Fri, 09 Feb 2024 20:14:10 +0000 Cassandra Lee, OSS Contributor 9829 at /oss /oss/article/medical-student-contributors-technology/nanogold-ruby-red-glass-possible-cancer-treatment <p>Though aesthetically pleasing, gold is scientifically quite boring. It is chemically inert, meaning it doesn’t easily react with other chemicals and remains shiny for long periods which is why it is prized in jewelry. But when it comes to tiny pieces of gold, only nanometers long, the science becomes far more interesting. These mini metal flecks of gold nanoparticles have potentially far-reaching applications.</p> Fri, 04 Aug 2023 15:53:48 +0000 Maya McKeown, B.Sc. 9594 at /oss /oss/article/medical-health-and-nutrition/tale-two-twins-meets-tale-two-cities <p>Let’s start with the twins. Aimee and Nancy are identical twins who agreed to take part in an experiment organized by Panorama, an excellent British television documentary that often deals with scientific issues. In this case, the focus was on the impact of ultra-processed foods on health. For two weeks, Aimee consumed only ultra-processed food, while Nancy followed a diet of fresh fruits, vegetables and home-cooked meals. The meals were matched for calories, fat, sugar and fiber so that the only difference was processing.   </p> Thu, 20 Jul 2023 14:34:08 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9570 at /oss /oss/article/medical-you-asked/how-soon-too-soon-breast-cancer-screening <hr /> <p><em>This article was originally posted in the</em> <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-how-soon-is-too-soon-for-breast-cancer-screening"><em>Montreal Gazette.</em></a></p> Fri, 19 May 2023 10:00:00 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 9510 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition/toxic-earphones-washing-machines-sex-toys-and-wolves-door <p>Over the years I have answered, or at least tried to have answered, a staggering variety of questions. “Is it true that KFC is made from mutant laboratory chickens and not real chickens?” No. “Can you get cancer by riding your bike on a street where there are power lines?” No evidence for that. “Instead of buying a water alkalizer for $3000, can I make alkaline water using baking soda?” Yes, but it is irrelevant because the claims made for alkaline water hold no water. How do you open a cremation urn with a stuck lid? With great difficulty.</p> Wed, 03 May 2023 18:38:31 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9500 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-pseudoscience/quack-clinics-mexico-bet-big-experimental-immunotherapy <p>Despair is a powerful motivator. While some people travel to Mexico for pleasure and relaxation, others are prompted by despair. If you have been diagnosed with stage IV cancer and your doctors have run out of solutions, but you hear that a state-of-the-art clinic in Mexico can help where conventional treatments have failed you, why wouldn’t you pay for the trip? After all, what do you have to lose?</p> Fri, 14 Apr 2023 16:09:16 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9478 at /oss /oss/article/medical-health-and-nutrition/awash-carcinogens <p>Sir Percival Pott took an interest in the scrota of men. Particularly chimney sweeps. Pott was an eminent surgeon who in 1775 published a seminal paper that for the first time identified an environmental factor as a cancer-causing agent. He had observed an unusually high incidence of scrotal cancer in chimney sweeps and noted that soot was commonly embedded in the lesions. This led Dr. Pott to conclude that exposure to soot was a risk factor for cancer. He was correct! Soot contains a number of chemicals that have been identified as carcinogens.</p> Wed, 12 Apr 2023 16:56:17 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9476 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-history/vinyl-chloride-and-ohio-train-derailment <p>The recent Ohio train derailment and subsequent fire that released vinyl chloride into the environment has been a terrifying experience for the nearby population. The accident rekindles memories of the 1979 train accident in Mississauga, Ontario, when over 200,000 people had to be evacuated after a wheel bearing overheated and caused a propane tanker to burst into flames. The fear was that a car close to the fire and loaded with liquid chlorine would overheat, vapourize the chlorine and cause an explosion.</p> Thu, 16 Feb 2023 17:01:18 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9395 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking/hype-around-photobiomodulation <p>A healthy skepticism in the face of the marketing fanfare is always a good way to protect ourselves from getting conned, even when the latest product getting hyped looks fairly scientific. Skepticism means steering clear of gullibility. That being said, it doesn’t mean denying good science, nor should it invite cynicism. It is a balancing act, in constant need of adjustments, and one that can be informed by a better understanding of the realities of scientific research. When we recognize what science can actually deliver, we can adjust our expectations.</p> Fri, 20 Jan 2023 11:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9366 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-history/coffee-drink-or-not-drink-question <p>Coffee first appeared in Canadian cups about two hundred years ago, some three hundred years after people in Africa and the Middle East were regularly consuming the beverage. The most popular legend about the origin of coffee consumption takes us back to Ethiopia in the ninth century. Kaldi, a young shepherd noted that his goats became particularly frisky after nibbling on the red berries of a certain bush. Intrigued, he tried the berries himself but found the taste very bitter. But there was something else. He felt full of energy and had trouble sleeping!</p> Wed, 07 Sep 2022 18:05:06 +0000 Joe Schwarcz Phd 9226 at /oss /oss/article/technology/paging-dr-ultrasound <p>If I asked you what was John Grisham’s most important book, which would you pick? <i>The Firm? The Client? </i>According to him, it’s a thin book you’ve never heard of. It’s called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tumor"><i>The Tumor: A Non-Legal Thriller</i></a>.</p> Thu, 05 May 2022 19:42:03 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9106 at /oss /oss/article/history-general-science/bunnies-and-cancer <p>Dr. Katsusaburo Yamagiwa, a Japanese pathologist at Imperial Tokyo University, and his research assistant, Dr. Koichi Ichikawa, carried out an experiment in which they repeatedly painted the inner side of 101 rabbit ears with coal-tar for 150 days. This led to some interesting discoveries. On day 35, some rabbits began to show the initial signs of cancer, 12 days later some rabbits developed full-blown cancer, and by day 150, cancer was evident in all the rabbits. The cancer turned out to be squamous cell carcinoma, the same type that tends to appear in sun-exposed areas of the body.</p> Tue, 12 Apr 2022 16:37:13 +0000 Nancy Liu-Sullivan, PhD 9080 at /oss