/oss/taxonomy/term/4901/all en /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/are-sex-and-pickleball-keys-longevity <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/article745632.html">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>Want to lead a long life? Play pickleball and have sex. Who says so? Dan Buettner, a guy who knows something about longevity. After all, he is responsible for popularizing the concept of “blue zones,” regions of the world where people apparently have exceptionally long lives. And therein lies an interesting and somewhat controversial story.</p> Fri, 14 Feb 2025 22:44:36 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10262 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/mitochondrial-dysfunction-bit-fad <p>There is a shell game at the heart of Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s <u><a href="/oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition-pseudoscience/kennedys-coalition-quacks-wants-feed-america-diet-lies" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="/oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition-pseudoscience/kennedys-coalition-quacks-wants-feed-america-diet-lies">Make America Healthy Again campaign</a></u>, and it has to do with the mitochondrion.</p> Fri, 14 Feb 2025 22:06:49 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 10260 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition-did-you-know/ode-chocolate <p>I have always liked chocolate. I grew up on it. Every morning my mother blended a heaping spoonful of cocoa powder with a little milk, some sugar and a touch of salt (to decrease the bitterness). She then stirred the mix into gently boiling milk. This was my breakfast beverage. I was told it was “good for me.” I never questioned that fact. Why should I? It tasted great. I really didn’t see the need to put up a fuss, like say, for spinach. As I got older, the love of hot chocolate naturally paved the way towards chocolate bars. Mostly Lindt and Suchard.</p> Wed, 12 Feb 2025 17:45:15 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10254 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition-did-you-know/dark-chocolate-reduces-risk-diabetes-dont-count-it <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/article727996.html">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>Valentine’s Day is rolling around and we can expect a flood of articles about chocolate. Some will trot out the tired old trope about phenylethylamine in chocolate stimulating amorous adventures by enhancing the release of dopamine, the “feel good chemical” in the brain. Don’t bank on it! While chocolate does contain phenylethylamine, it is metabolized before it can reach the brain.</p> Fri, 07 Feb 2025 21:12:38 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10251 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking/square-one-fallacy <p>I recently had the chance to speak to an anti-vaxxer in person. Of course, he did not identify as such: they never do. He didn’t want to be pinned down and was just asking questions about vaccine safety.</p> <p>He told me that he wasn’t opposed to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. being confirmed as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services in the United States. After all, Kennedy wanted to see studies done on vaccine safety. Was I against that? Shouldn’t we know if all these vaccines are safe?</p> Fri, 07 Feb 2025 20:37:51 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 10250 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition-pseudoscience/medicinal-garden-kit-will-probably-not-save-you <p>The ad is quite confrontational. “The Plants That Will Disappear First in a Crisis.” Given the disaster that is unfolding in the United States right now, it caught my attention. In a crisis, the ad continues, people will turn to plants to nourish and heal themselves, as their ancestors used to do. With this Medicinal Garden Kit, you can grow a whole pharmacy in your backyard and be self-sufficient in an emergency.</p> Fri, 07 Feb 2025 18:58:10 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 10249 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-history/rhinoceros-horn-ginseng-or-spanish-fly-boost-romance-hardly <p>Named after Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and passion, these substances are meant to specifically stimulate the libido and represent the Holy Grail for people who in some way feel unfulfilled.</p> Wed, 05 Feb 2025 21:42:39 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10246 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/red-dye-3-isnt-felon-lurking-food-supply <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/article690801.html">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>In the late 19th century, Germany was at the forefront of chemical research and it was an ideal place for Purdue University chemistry professor Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley to spend a sabbatical to broaden his horizons.</p> Fri, 24 Jan 2025 22:13:58 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10238 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-student-contributors/oil-pulling-just-clutching-straws <p>Maintaining good oral hygiene is critical in order to maintain overall health. Many people only realize the impact that dental health has on the rest of the body when they are reading the posters in the dentist’s waiting room. Typically, we are all very concerned with the whiteness of our smile and the smell of our breath and will strive to achieve oral perfection.</p> Fri, 24 Jan 2025 21:50:41 +0000 Angelina Lapalme 10237 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/benefits-backward-walking-are-not-solid-ground <p>According to <u><a href="https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fweb.archive.org%2Fweb%2F20241217121253%2Fhttps%3A%2Ftime.com%2F6975058%2Fbackward-walking-health-benefits%2F&data=05%7C02%7Chaleh.cohn%40mail.mcgill.ca%7C402414f0782d42d1230508dd3bd5425a%7Ccd31967152e74a68afa9fcf8f89f09ea%7C0%7C0%7C638732509326710509%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=s1d170iRSFJhJR1TrdE9E%2BVKrfb%2BGpygNLtOEX4wGPo%3D&reserved=0" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" ti=""></a></u></p> Fri, 24 Jan 2025 06:38:51 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 10234 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking/case-drug-mule-who-went-undetected-abdominal-x-ray <p>Human drug couriers, colloquially known as “drug mules,” are people who smuggle drugs across a national border by hiding the drugs in the lining of their luggage, in clothes, by strapping the goods onto their bodies, or even by using their bodies as containers. The latter category of drug mules have been the focus of much media attention, and have been the subjects of numerous movies and television shows.</p> Thu, 16 Jan 2025 19:47:29 +0000 Melody Ko MD 10231 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/can-glass-milk-day-reduce-risk-colon-cancer <p>The dairy industry is smiling because a study published in the prestigious journal, Nature, concluded that “dairy products help protect against colorectal cancer, and that this is driven largely or wholly by the calcium they contain.” The study triggered headlines about how drinking a glass of milk a day can reduce the risk of colon cancer by 17%. That isn’t quite correct. It may be true for women who consume less than the recommended 1000 mg of calcium a day, but may not apply to those who already consume the recommended amount.</p> Wed, 15 Jan 2025 17:08:49 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10230 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking/we-can-survive-without-food-about-70-days-only-5-days-without-water <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/article657433.html">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> Fri, 10 Jan 2025 20:26:58 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10227 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/evidence-mounts-against-ultra-processed-foods <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/article647194.html">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> Fri, 10 Jan 2025 19:13:55 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10225 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition-pseudoscience/magnesium-necessary-nutrient-it-does-not-perform-miracles <p>The year was 1618, the place, Epsom, England. The farmer had just dug a well for his cows but the animals refused to drink the water. On tasting the water, he quickly discovered why. It was bitter! The water was undrinkable, but it would do for washing, he figured. That’s when he discovered that rubbing his body with the bitter water had a therapeutic effect. A skin rash disappeared, and his aching muscles stopped aching. When the water evaporated, it left behind some white crystals.</p> Thu, 09 Jan 2025 01:10:31 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10221 at /oss