/oss/taxonomy/term/4901/all en /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition-pseudoscience/kennedys-coalition-quacks-wants-feed-america-diet-lies <p>When America sneezes, the world catches a cold. Donald Trump’s renewed tenancy in the White House, with anti-vaxxer-in-chief Robert F. Kennedy Jr whispering in his ear, promises more than just sneezes. It heralds the return of vaccine-preventable illnesses, which do not stop at the border.</p> Fri, 15 Nov 2024 06:40:39 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 10162 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking/ballistic-bomb-fizzes-out <p>The advertising is pretty bold. “Feel Good in the Southern Hemisphere! Try a Ballistic Bomb.” They’re not talking about hitching a ride aboard a missile to Australia. They’re talking about the Southern Hemisphere of the body. The part that is immersed in the water in a bath. The Ballistic Bomb is a hardened cake of chemicals that is designed to be dropped into the bath water. It produces vigorous fizzing, supposedly the cause of pleasure in the “Southern Hemisphere,” while releasing a plethora of scents which claim to relax the bather and put a smile on his or her face. </p> Wed, 13 Nov 2024 14:47:11 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10160 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/linoleic-acid-neither-villain-nor-superhero <p>Are you familiar with linoleic acid? If you’ve heard about it from Dr.</p> Fri, 08 Nov 2024 16:23:16 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 10153 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-history/what-if-dr-kellogg-had-watched-seinfeld <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/the-right-chemistry-what-if-dr-kellogg-had-watched-seinfeld">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>Dr. John Harvey Kellogg would have enjoyed The Contest and The Abstinence, two classic Seinfeld episodes.</p> <p>In The Contest, Jerry, George, Kramer and Elaine wager on who can remain master of their domain for the longest time. In The Abstinence, George and Elaine experience the consequences of temporary celibacy.</p> Fri, 01 Nov 2024 21:51:44 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10139 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition-pseudoscience/are-fums-essential-oils-safe-inhale <p>“It’s like some… like a wooden cigarette that gives you flavours, but it’s not even a cigarette, you don’t even light it.”</p> Fri, 01 Nov 2024 06:09:08 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 10138 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-student-contributors-health-and-nutrition/instant-coffee-and-acrylamide-should-you-be-worried <p>Coffee is a staple beverage for millions of people worldwide, consumed in endless scenarios: catching up with a friend, powering through an intense study session, or simply kickstarting the day.</p> <p>From the classic drip coffee and trendy cold brew to the precision of the French press and the intensity of espresso, there are countless ways to make the perfect cup of joe. The key difference between each brewing method is how the water interacts with the coffee grounds and the time it takes to brew.</p> Fri, 25 Oct 2024 16:24:27 +0000 Hosna Akhgary 10126 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking/lets-put-water-fluoridation-myths-rest <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-lets-put-water-fluoridation-myths-to-rest">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> Fri, 25 Oct 2024 15:39:28 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 10125 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-student-contributors/well-established-balancing-act <p>Some things can be classified with high acidity, like lemon juice, or low acidity, like bicarbonate. Acidity is often measured on a pH scale. This is because Danish chemist <a href="https://www.sciencehistory.org/education/scientific-biographies/soren-sorensen/">Søren Peter Lauritz Sørensen</a> invented the concept of pH as a convenient method for expressing acidity. Acidic things have a low pH whereas alkaline things have a high pH.</p> Thu, 17 Oct 2024 22:09:08 +0000 Daniela Padres 10119 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-general-science-climate-change/windmills-donald-trumps-mind <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/the-right-chemistry-theyre-not-windmills-donald-theyre-wind-turbines">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>The mind works in mysterious ways.</p> Fri, 11 Oct 2024 17:27:45 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10111 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/processing-information-about-processed-meat <p>The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an arm of the World Health Organization lists processed meats in its “Category 1,” reserved for substances known to cause cancer in humans. There is really nothing all that noteworthy here except for the official classification. Unofficial advice about minimizing processed meat has been dispensed by nutritional scientists for a long time. And for good reason.</p> Tue, 08 Oct 2024 22:06:53 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10104 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition-environment/we-are-exposed-thousands-and-thousands-chemicals <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/the-right-chemistry-we-are-exposed-to-thousands-and-thousands-of-chemicals">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>“Three thousand six hundred food packaging chemicals detected in human bodies: How reheating food is killing us.”</p> Fri, 04 Oct 2024 20:53:47 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10102 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/hyperbaric-oxygen-therapy-may-just-be-hot-air-many <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-hyperbaric-oxygen-therapy-may-just-be-hot-air-for-many">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> Fri, 27 Sep 2024 23:03:19 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 10098 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-critical-thinking/bret-weinstein-would-be-galileo <p>Galileo has many heirs. I don’t mean biological descendants; rather, some intellectuals see Galileo’s face in the mirror staring back at them. Freed from the shackles of academia (or simply kicked out of their university), they find a lucrative niche for themselves, telling their enraptured fans that, just like Galileo, they have an Earth-shattering theory… and a mysterious “they”<i> </i>don’t want you to know about it.</p> Fri, 27 Sep 2024 05:56:13 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 10096 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-pseudoscience/your-hairdresser-will-heal-you-now <p>My hairdresser brings me to an isolated room. On the sparsely decorated walls, a framed drawing of the head meridians and a yin-yang symbol representing the Chinese body clock, in which different organs are claimed to be at their peak activity at different times of the day.</p> Thu, 19 Sep 2024 14:56:29 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 10082 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-student-contributors-health-and-nutrition/real-gold-or-fools-gold-controversies-bee-pollen <p>The <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10045447/">earliest evidence</a> of human consumption of bee products can be traced back to a painting from between 8000-5000 B.C. in Spain. The Greeks considered pollen to be the food of kings. There is a reference to bee pollen in the Bible. Ancient philosophers such as Hippocrates, Pliny the Elder, and Pythagoras believed in the therapeutic potential of bee pollen. So, it seems only natural that we, in the present day, would take a fascination with bee pollen.</p> Thu, 19 Sep 2024 15:03:05 +0000 Daniela Padres 10083 at /oss