/oss/taxonomy/term/1269/all en /oss/article/health-and-nutrition/coffee-doesnt-stunt-your-growth <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/facts-and-fiction-of-physiological-phenomena-food-for-thought/">The Skeptical Inquirer.</a></em></p> Fri, 15 Mar 2024 10:00:00 +0000 Ada McVean M.Sc. 9858 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/kids-dont-feel-pain-growing <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in</em> <a href="https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/facts-and-fiction-of-physiological-phenomena-kids-edition/"><em>The Skeptical Inquirer.</em></a></p> Fri, 05 Jan 2024 11:00:00 +0000 Ada McVean M.Sc. 9770 at /oss /oss/article/medical/candy-cannabis-edibles-danger-children <hr /> <p><em>This article was originally posted in the <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-candy-like-cannabis-edibles-a-danger-to-children">Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>Regardless of whether you favour or oppose legalization of marijuana, one hopes that we can all agree that we don’t want children to accidentally overdose on cannabis products. And yet the issue is becoming an increasingly common one.</p> Fri, 02 Dec 2022 11:00:00 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 9308 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-medical-critical-thinking/claims-immunity-debt-children-owe-us-evidence <p>At the beginning of the fifth season of the television show <i>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</i>, we the audience are introduced to a character, Dawn, we have never seen before. Intriguingly, every character around her acts as if she has always existed. We know that something is amiss, but her friends and relatives don’t.</p> <p>I feel the same way about the concept of an “immunity debt.” It sprang out of nowhere, but so many people act as if this is an old chestnut in the field of immunology.</p> Fri, 11 Nov 2022 11:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9291 at /oss /oss/article/medical-you-asked/kids-colds-does-nasal-irrigation-help <hr /> <p><em>This article was originally posted in the <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-for-kids-with-colds-does-nasal-irrigation-help">Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>A friend of mine recently asked me if nasal irrigation was useful or effective for treating kids who get a cold. Apparently, the idea has become popular of late and there is much discussion about whether parents should try it when their kids get sick and whether the benefits of the procedure are worth the wrestling match with a squirming, unco-operative child.</p> Fri, 07 Oct 2022 10:00:00 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 9254 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-health-and-nutrition/masked-kids-are-alright <p>It is easy to raise the spectre of science to scare people. Talk about a new vaccine technology messing with your DNA and you’ve conjured up instant anxiety. It is an especially potent technique when the target of the sciency boogeyman is a child. Children are frequently at the center of moral panics, from video games to heavy metal music, from alleged Satanic ritual abuse to reactionary views on gender expression.</p> Fri, 25 Feb 2022 18:56:31 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9039 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-health-and-nutrition/why-children-shouldnt-just-be-left-get-covid <hr /> <p><em>This article was originally published in the <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-why-children-shouldnt-just-be-left-to-get-covid">Montreal Gazette</a></em></p> Sat, 12 Feb 2022 03:11:59 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 9024 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-history/sweet-and-sticky-science-sugar <p>Sugar is sweet and sticky.  That’s a fact.  In fact, during the reign of Edward the Confessor in the early eleventh century, "ale tasters" were employed to check on the work of brewers.  They would test the ale by spilling some on a wooden seat and sitting on the spill in their leather breeches.  If they had difficulty getting up after a short time because their breeches stuck to the seat, they knew that the ale had been sugared.  Today we don't have to worry about such adulteration of our ale, and I think in any case we would have a hard time finding leather breeches.  But the stickiness o</p> Fri, 03 Dec 2021 23:31:20 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8944 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19/why-its-important-vaccinate-children-against-covid <hr /> <p>This article was originally published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-why-its-important-to-vaccinate-children-against-covid">the Montreal Gazette</a></p> <hr /> <p>Now that Health Canada has approved the COVID-19 vaccine for children ages five to 11 years and appointments can be booked <a href="https://portal3.clicsante.ca/">on Clic-Santé,</a> with any luck most should be able to get at least one dose before the holidays.</p> <p>But some parents are still hesitant about vaccinating their children.</p> Fri, 26 Nov 2021 21:50:25 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 8935 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19/how-help-protect-under-12-crowd <hr /> <p>This article was originally published in the <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-how-to-help-protect-the-under-12-crowd">Montreal Gazette</a></p> Fri, 03 Sep 2021 23:08:19 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 8836 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-health/what-we-know-about-kids-and-masks <hr /> <p>This article was originally published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/christopher-labos-what-we-know-about-kids-and-masks">the Montreal Gazette</a></p> Fri, 23 Jul 2021 20:06:13 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 8791 at /oss /oss/article/health/there-cancer-risk-talcum-powder <p> </p> <hr /> <p><em>​</em><em>This article was first published in</em><span> </span><a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-is-there-a-cancer-risk-with-talcum-powder">The Montreal Gazette<span>.</span></a></p> Fri, 31 Jan 2020 18:56:31 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 8096 at /oss /oss/article/health/why-we-vaccinate-babies-against-hepatitis-b <p> </p> <hr /> <p><em>​</em><em>This article was first published in</em><span> </span><a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-why-we-vaccinate-babies-against-hepatitis-b">The Montreal Gazette</a><span>.</span></p> Thu, 13 Jun 2019 21:45:13 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 7798 at /oss /oss/article/technology/whats-story-e-books-bedtime <p> </p> <hr /> <p><em>​</em><em>This article was first published in</em><span> </span><a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-whats-the-story-with-ebooks-at-bedtime">The Montreal Gazette</a><span>.</span></p> <hr /> <p>If you have children, here’s what you have to do. You have to feed them. You have to clothe them. You have to love them. And if you can, you should try to read them a bedtime story.</p> Wed, 29 May 2019 02:54:36 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 7783 at /oss /oss/article/health-videos-technology/cracked-science-29-are-screens-bad-children <p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-1"> <iframe class="media-youtube-player" id="media-youtube-lnolwlvqyy" width="640" height="390" title="Are Screens Bad for Children? (CS29)" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/-lNolWLvqYY?wmode=opaque&controls=&enablejsapi=1&modestbranding=1&playerapiid=media-youtube-lnolwlvqyy&origin=https%3A//www.mcgill.ca&rel=0" name="Are Screens Bad for Children? (CS29)" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>Video of Are Screens Bad for Children? (CS29)</iframe> </div> </p> Sat, 16 Mar 2019 10:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry, MSc 7649 at /oss