/oss/taxonomy/term/1786/all en /oss/article/you-asked/does-wearing-bra-make-your-breasts-sag <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in</em> <a href="https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/the-facts-and-fiction-of-physiological-phenomena-volume-ii/"><em>The Skeptical Inquirer.</em></a></p> Fri, 22 Sep 2023 17:31:09 +0000 Ada McVean M.Sc. 9650 at /oss /oss/article/medical/what-not-expect-when-youre-expecting <p>There’s a special type of excitement surrounding a pregnancy announcement. Congratulations, gifts, and celebrations are in order. From “we’re pregnant” and “we’re expecting” to elaborate announcements that a baby is on the way, there are countless ways that people have decided to share the news. The very first pregnancy announcement I heard was something along the lines of “mommy has a baby in her stomach.”</p> Fri, 20 Jan 2023 11:00:00 +0000 Cat Wang, B.Sc. 9353 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-did-you-know/red-licorice-beets-and-piss-prophets <p>It sure is a colorful life. I recall vividly a scary episode almost forty-five years ago when my wife came running to me brandishing our infant daughter's diaper in her hands. It looked pretty scary, filled with bright red stuff. There were a few moments of panic until we took a closer look and realized that earlier in the day the young lady had been introduced to the delights of red licorice! The red dye was making a triumphant exit.</p> Wed, 09 Nov 2022 17:13:37 +0000 Joe Schwarcz Phd 9289 at /oss /oss/article/history-general-science/want-cuddle-personality-likely-get-you-further-oxytocin <p>Why do people cuddle? According to a slew of media reports, that answer lies in oxytocin, dubbed either the “cuddle chemical” or the “love hormone.” English pharmacologist and neurophysiologist Sir Henry Hallett Dale was the first to isolate oxytocin from pituitary extract in 1921, eventually receiving the 1936 Nobel Prize in medicine and physiology for the discovery. Dale’s work on oxytocin was prompted by his interest in the ergot fungus, extracts of which had a long history of use for stimulating the contractions of the pregnant uterus. The question was why.</p> Fri, 10 Dec 2021 21:34:54 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8948 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/covid-19-health/what-expect-covid-19-vaccine-when-youre-expecting-or-breastfeeding <p>What should public health bodies do in the absence of data? And, even more importantly, what should the people left to make an important health decision do when no data is available?</p> <p>I have seen a lot of anxiety over the question of whether or not people who are pregnant or breastfeeding should get the COVID-19 vaccine. These very same people were prevented from participating in the large clinical trials in which these vaccines were put to the test. Therefore, we don’t have trial data on these groups of people, but they must now make a decision based on seemingly no data at all.</p> Fri, 28 May 2021 20:21:06 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8750 at /oss /oss/article/health/its-best-avoid-cannabis-during-pregnancy <hr /> <p><em>​</em><em>This article was first published in</em><span> </span><a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-its-best-to-avoid-cannabis-during-pregnancy">The Montreal Gazette<span>.</span></a></p> Fri, 23 Aug 2019 16:05:50 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 7881 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/rabbits-reproduction-and-making-mochi-moon <p><span>Rabbits have an undoubtedly important association with Easter, but they’ve played important roles in many societies through the ages. </span></p> Sun, 01 Apr 2018 15:56:09 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 6986 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/viagra-condom <p>Condoms are not used often enough, leading to more cases of STIs and unplanned pregnancies. But now a revolutionary new design may be able to encourage safer sex. A British biotechnology firm has developed an innovative product popularly known as the “Viagra Condom,” named after the drug with which it has no association. Known clinically as CSD500, the condom is lined with a vasodilating gel to increase blood flow and help maintain erections. The Viagra Condom isn’t meant for people with erectile dysfunction; its real purpose is to encourage men to use condoms more often.</p> Wed, 31 May 2017 14:34:41 +0000 OSS 2511 at /oss