/oss/taxonomy/term/1069/all en /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/false-reassurance-dietary-supplement-regulation <p>If you are Canadian, you may have seen the letters “NPN” followed by a series of numbers on the packaging of a health product you picked up at the pharmacy, things like vitamin supplements, echinacea, and probiotics. You may even know that this number is given by our regulatory agency, Health Canada, and you may feel relief that these products are being licensed only after their safety and effectiveness have been evaluated.</p> <p>If you are American, you may prefer the borderline unrestricted market you have, where dietary supplements are barely regulated at all.</p> Fri, 06 Oct 2023 16:37:06 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9681 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-did-you-know/report-card-your-diet <p>On my last day travelling in the Netherlands, I stepped into a corner store to pick up a smoothie, when I stopped to examine the 5-colour scale on the front of the package.</p> Fri, 09 Jun 2023 10:00:00 +0000 Cat Wang, B.Sc. 9540 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-pseudoscience/here-be-homeopathic-chameleons <p>In the fight against pseudoscience, the idea that simply providing more information works every time has been questioned these last decades. The thinking used to be simplistic: when non-experts disagree with scientists, it must be because they lack the correct information. But as we have seen in the growing struggle against the anti-vaccination movement, feelings don’t care about facts. When your identity is shaped by pseudoscientific beliefs, you have made your brain more or less impervious to facts.</p> Sat, 27 Nov 2021 09:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8933 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-health/lack-fda-covid-vaccine-approval-doesnt-matter <hr /> <p>This article was originally published in the <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-lack-of-fda-covid-vaccine-approval-doesnt-matter">Montreal Gazette</a></p> Fri, 28 May 2021 19:38:15 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 8747 at /oss /oss/article/health-pseudoscience/product-will-not-cure-your-cancer-consumer-watchdog-raises-alarm-illegal-claims-made-natural-health <p>The Canadian market is awash with claims that some natural health products (NHPs) can treat or cure cancer even though these claims are illegal, a <a href="https://badsciencewatch.ca/natural-health-product-retailers-sell-cancer-cures/">new study</a> from the consumer protection organization Bad Science Watch reveals. Twenty percent of the NHPs surveyed by the group made direct claims (such as “anti-cancerous” or “important in the treatment of breast and colon cancer”), while 30% of the products evaluated made similar but indirect claims (e.g.</p> Thu, 27 Feb 2020 17:06:50 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8158 at /oss /oss/article/quackery/quebec-pharmacies-show-signs-progress-homeopathy <p>If you walk into a Quebec pharmacy and reach the “cold and flu” section, you may see a sign you’ve never seen before. The green-blue notice will tell you, “dear customer”, that there is “generally” no scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of homeopathic products. In one store (perhaps in an act of quiet vindication), the pharmacy staff slapped the notice over a pull-out display meant to help you figure out which homeopathic product may be right for you. The notice essentially answers, “None.”</p> Fri, 17 May 2019 01:15:39 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 7767 at /oss /oss/article/quackery/i-went-stem-cell-sales-pitch-seminar-and-i-feel-buying-time-share <p>It’s not everyday that a testimonial for a medical intervention ends with a pirouette. Yet there she was, one of two speakers at a stem cell sales pitch meeting, having completed her story of how tired she used to be and delivering an awkward pirouette while shouting with joy. Then she told us how Health Canada had stolen twenty years from her by keeping her away from stem cell treatments.</p> Thu, 21 Feb 2019 18:39:13 +0000 Jonathan Jarry, MSc 7602 at /oss /oss/article/quackery/homeopathic-dilutions-amount-concentrated-nonsense <p><span>The story about how Anke Zimmerman, a naturopath in Victoria B.C. treated a young boy’s behavioural problems with a homeopathic remedy concocted from the saliva of a rabid dog has “gone viral.” A deluge of comments have expressed outrage about this nonsensical treatment, mostly focusing on the crazy use of the saliva of a rabid dog. There should be outrage for sure, but it should be redirected.</span></p> Fri, 20 Apr 2018 03:19:56 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7027 at /oss /oss/article/health-nutrition-quackery/natural-health-product-issues <p>“Natural Health Products” encompass a large variety of substances, ranging from vitamins and herbal supplements to homeopathic “remedies.” Because there is much confusion about how these products are regulated, and about the claims that are made on their behalf, Health Canada is holding consultation sessions across the country with a view towards updating the rules that apply to marketing “Natural Health Products.” Along with colleagues, I attended the event in Montreal and had a chance to make a couple of comments.</p> Tue, 25 Apr 2017 17:16:21 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2409 at /oss /oss/article/science-science-everywhere/fluoride-and-iq <p>One thing everyone agrees on when it comes to the addition of fluoride to drinking water is that the issue stirs up emotions, both pro and con. But the question should not be based on emotion, it should be based on relevant science. Whether fluoride can be used as a rat poison, which in high doses it can, or whether it is produced as a byproduct of the fertilizer industry has nothing to do with its efficacy in reducing tooth decay or with its safety.</p> Fri, 05 Aug 2011 17:12:13 +0000 Joe Schwarcz 1574 at /oss