/oss/taxonomy/term/1294/all en /oss/article/critical-thinking-pseudoscience/what-media-gets-wrong-about-cam <p>There must be a template for this.</p> <p>Time and time again, I have seen journalists cover so-called complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in a way that is so similar, it’s making me think they must teach that template in journalism school.</p> <p>It’s a story structure that sounds good at first. It aims to be balanced in giving voice to both patients and practitioners, as well as proponents and skeptics. It uses storytelling to grab the reader’s attention. All the ingredients are seemingly there to cover the topic responsibly.</p> Thu, 12 Sep 2024 18:17:51 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 10076 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/no-traditional-chinese-medicine-has-not-been-vindicated-science <p>People love to show that skeptics were wrong about something, especially when national pride hangs in the balance.</p> Fri, 10 Nov 2023 16:08:05 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9718 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-pseudoscience/world-health-organization-has-pseudoscience-problem <p>The World Health Organization has a definition of the soul.</p> <p>It is not technically theirs, but it appears in the glossary of one of their many official documents. The soul, according to the WHO, is derived from the astral organization, which is another term they have had to define. The astral organization, you see, is distinct from the etheric organization. That same document, coming out of the world’s foremost authority on global health, mentions such esoteric concepts as rhythmical embrocation, a type of energy healing that involves rhythmic strokes on the body.</p> Fri, 28 Apr 2023 14:00:51 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9496 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-technology/can-you-turn-nausea-wrist <p>A few years ago, I found myself on a small boat in the Pacific Ocean. The weather conditions were dodgy, but our skipper decided to go ahead with the whale watching expedition. The first couple of big waves were actually fun, but very quickly my brain and my gut decided that they weren’t fun anymore. A boat, they concluded, is supposed to move horizontally on a body of water, not vertically. Thus began one of the worst days of my life. I vomited not just once but twice and spent hours on the deck of the boat, getting thoroughly soaked and feeling like I just needed to get off.</p> Fri, 06 Aug 2021 20:22:23 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8798 at /oss /oss/article/history/under-microscope-rose-petals <p>Nowadays roses are mostly used for Bachelorette ceremonies and hipster lattes, but once upon a time roses, and their fruit, rose hips, were widely used as medicines.<br /> Diarrhodon is the name given to herbal treatments containing roses, and there are lots of them, said to treat everything from liver problems to heart problems to digestion issues. Traditional Chinese medicine made use of the China rose for regulating menstruation, pain relief, thyroid problems and diarrhea.<br /></p> Mon, 06 May 2019 17:58:23 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7746 at /oss /oss/article/cosmetics-health-history-quirky-science-toxicity-you-asked/cave-paintings-mms <p>Studies have shown that red is the colour that attracts attention. Its uses are timeless and endless. Since ancient times, the colour red has been involved in fashion, art, food and cosmetics. But how was the colour red extracted or manufactured? Interestingly, throughout the ages, humans have resorted to different minerals and chemicals to successfully produce various shades of red.</p> Fri, 22 Nov 2013 00:21:45 +0000 Alexandra Pires-Ménard, OSS Intern 2035 at /oss