/oss/articles/rss en /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/skeletons-alcohol-cabinet-should-make-everyone-think-twice-about-drinking <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in聽<a href="https://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/article833624.html">The Montreal Gazette</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>鈥淢oderation in everything鈥� is a popular slogan. It seems to go hand in hand with the cornerstone of toxicology, namely Paracelsus鈥檚 famous dictum that 鈥渙nly the dose makes the poison.鈥�</p> <p>We use it justify eating just a few potato chips instead of the whole bag, a spoonful of ice cream instead of the whole container, and a glass of wine instead of half a bottle.</p> Fri, 28 Mar 2025 23:52:37 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10605 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/calming-chews-dogs-dogs-breakfast-evidence <p>Calming chews are all the rage these days. Dogs get anxious, whether it be because of lightning strikes, strangers, or simply being left alone. What if a supplement could teach an old dog new tricks and get them to calm down?</p> <p>Looking into this question provides a fantastic example of why we can鈥檛 simply say, 鈥渢here鈥檚 a study behind this, therefore it must work.鈥� Studies have flaws, and bad studies can be propped up to sell you a product that will only separate you from your money.</p> Fri, 28 Mar 2025 19:13:33 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 10604 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-pseudoscience-did-you-know/kiers-four-tempers-psychological-fact-or-fiction <p>With the finale of the second season of Apple TV鈥檚 most popular show, Severance, being on everyone鈥檚 mind, here is a look into some of the (pseudo)science that inspired core concepts explored in this psychological thriller, starting with Kier鈥檚 four tempers.</p> <p>*Cue the Severance theme song*</p> Fri, 28 Mar 2025 18:52:17 +0000 Simran Dhir BSc 10603 at /oss /oss/article/medical-did-you-know/sticky-story <p>The 1995 season of Seinfeld ended with the death of George鈥檚 fianc茅e. Poor Susan was poisoned. And it was all George鈥檚 fault. It seems the prospective groom had purchased the cheapest envelopes for wedding invitations and Susan was done in by licking hundreds of envelopes. The implication was that the glue was toxic and furthermore that the tragedy could have been avoided had George not been so tight. Apparently, more expensive envelopes would have been less toxic. Could this episode have been based on some real life event? Hardly.</p> Wed, 26 Mar 2025 15:59:24 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10597 at /oss /oss/article/medical-health-and-nutrition/there-are-more-bacterial-cells-your-body-you-think <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in聽<a href="https://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/article819926.html">The Montreal Gazette</a></em></p> Fri, 21 Mar 2025 18:20:56 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10591 at /oss /oss/article/does-previous-overdose-make-it-harder-be-put-under <p>Anesthesia was my first clinical rotation in medical school and my introduction to pharmacology. One of my initial tasks was to administer a small dose of remifentanil, a fast-acting type of fentanyl, through a patient鈥檚 IV. As my mind raced with first-day nerves, one thought stood out: Isn鈥檛 fentanyl the same drug responsible for so many overdose deaths across Canada?</p> Fri, 21 Mar 2025 17:47:47 +0000 Maya McKeown, B.Sc. 10590 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-pseudoscience-you-asked/rub-vicks-vaporub <p>I was forwarded a short video with the alluring title, 鈥淢iracles Happen When You Apply Vicks VapoRub to Your Feet.鈥� The speaker tells us in a compelling tone that the miracle is about inducing sleep and calmness, especially when suffering from a cold, by applying Vicks VapoRub to the soles of our foot and then donning socks. The speaker turns out to be a chiropractor and that already starts the alarm bells tingling.</p> Fri, 21 Mar 2025 17:19:51 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10589 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition-pseudoscience/exclusive-videos-show-dr-joe-mercolas-dangerous-ideas-whipped-alleged-medium <hr /> <p><em>A video produced by our Office is included at the bottom of this article, which includes clips from these exclusive video sessions.</em></p> Tue, 18 Mar 2025 16:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 10530 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-history-did-you-know/dipping-science-olive-oil <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in聽<a href="https://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/article804003.html">The Montreal Gazette</a></em></p> Fri, 14 Mar 2025 21:21:10 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10529 at /oss /oss/article/technology-did-you-know-general-science/recco-reflectors-echo-safety-signals <p>A goal of mine in 2025 was to tackle a new outdoor sport: backcountry skiing. With the promise of untracked snow and uncrowded runs, venturing off-piste was enticing. But with that also came the need to ensure safety 鈥� I geared up with an avalanche kit, most of which was intuitive: Shovel? Check. GPS? Check. But one thing that kept coming up was the RECCO tag on all sorts of gear. As I read the logo time and time again, I wondered 鈥� what was this technology?</p> Fri, 14 Mar 2025 20:56:48 +0000 Cat Wang, B.Sc. 10528 at /oss