/oss/taxonomy/term/193/all en /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/human-lab-rats-injecting-themselves-peptides <p>When the Liver King fell from grace, the leaked list of the drugs he was on raised many eyebrows. The Liver King, <i>né</i> Brian Johnson, is a buff social media influencer who pressed his followers to adopt an <a href="/oss/article/health-and-nutrition-pseudoscience/liver-king-wants-you-dominate-your-health-caveman">“ancestral lifestyle”</a> and stay away from chemicals, Wi-Fi signals, and modern bedding.</p> Fri, 03 Nov 2023 20:53:11 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9711 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking/you-wont-die-touching-fentanyl <p>On the fictional cop show <i>Blue Bloods, </i>in the appropriately titled episode “Pain Killers,” detective Maria Baez picks up a tray containing drug paraphernalia and a white powder and is soon <a href="https://youtu.be/RMpCGD7b_H4?si=fEWBmiHBd8s7nC8w&t=374">seen on a gurney</a>, fighting for her life, as a healthcare worker proclaims, “Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine.</p> Fri, 13 Oct 2023 10:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9694 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking/fake-drugs-real-problems <p>We are drowning in fraud. Simply defined, fraud is intentional deception, usually for monetary gain. We have become used to robo-calls telling us that we have been subjected to a tax audit and had better call the given number to clear things up. We have learned to dismiss messages from some unfortunate soul supposedly stuck in a foreign country who is in in need of funds to get home. Such scams are annoying, but at least not life threatening. The same cannot be said for counterfeit medications, an immense problem with an estimated global annual worth in excess of $100 billion!</p><p> </p> Wed, 31 May 2023 20:00:08 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9527 at /oss /oss/article/medical/generic-drugs-and-ambivalent-attitudes <p>Generic drugs offer low-cost alternatives to brand-name drugs and account for <a href="http://www.pmprb-cepmb.gc.ca/view.asp?ccid=1468">over ¾</a> of the prescriptions filled in Canada. Despite this, many people have lingering doubts, fears or negative perceptions of generic equivalents. Why?</p> Fri, 31 Mar 2023 20:11:47 +0000 Ada McVean M.Sc. 9461 at /oss /oss/article/anti-drug-pamphlet-has-hidden-motive <p>It was inside a tiny restaurant on Clerk Street in Edinburgh, Scotland, that I spotted the pamphlets. I was waiting for my meal, sitting in front of a narrow ledge that served as both a table and an area to drop off promotional items for local businesses. Near my placemat was a pile of these pamphlets and they boldly declared, “The Truth About Drugs.”</p> Fri, 18 Nov 2022 11:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9300 at /oss /oss/article/medical/what-hbos-euphoria-teaches-us-about-opioid-use <p>When season two of HBO’s <a href="https://www.hbo.com/euphoria"><i>Euphoria</i></a> came out earlier this year, it painted a vivid picture of the chaotic lives of a group of high school students. From relationships, social media, to drug use and abuse, the show covers it all. The audience witnesses the main character, Rue, taking a number of drugs that drive her opioid addiction. While some have criticized the show for glorifying drug use in adolescents, what it does get right is that substance use is a reality for millions of teenagers in North America.</p> Fri, 11 Nov 2022 16:42:44 +0000 Cat Wang, B.Sc. 9292 at /oss /oss/article/you-asked-general-science/there-legitimate-medical-use-camphor <p>It wasn't so long ago that mothers would treat their children's colds by hanging little bags of camphor around their necks. The strong medicinal smell probably had some effect in opening up congested nasal passages, but the real value of the treatment undoubtedly was in stopping the spread of the cold by keeping friends at a distance. Camphor can be isolated from the camphor tree which grows in the Orient by a process known as steam distillation.</p> Tue, 29 Mar 2022 18:16:19 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9067 at /oss /oss/article/history/learning-movies <p>Both groups struggled with the same problem. How to extract and purify a chemical that is part of a complex mixture? For researchers led by Dr. Frederick Banting at the University of Toronto in 1921 that chemical was insulin, while in the late 1930s at Oxford University for Drs. Howard Florey and Ernst Chain the target was penicillin. Both teams eventually solved the problem, but the paths leading to success were anything but smooth, as can be seen by anyone willing to delve into the extensive popular and scientific literature describing the discoveries.</p> Fri, 18 Mar 2022 18:14:03 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9053 at /oss /oss/article/general-science/real-breaking-bad-story <p>As a chemistry professor, I find it particularly appalling when a member of the profession goes astray. That is just what Professor Bradley Allen Rowland did at Henderson State University in Arkansas. In a real-life version of the hit TV show "Breaking Bad” Rowland was caught making methamphetamine. And he was caught because it seems he was somewhat clumsy.  </p> Fri, 03 Dec 2021 23:07:39 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8941 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-health-and-nutrition/antivirals-are-coming <p>I continue to be amazed by science. The ability to predict to the second when an eclipse will occur at a specific location in the world, the know-how to build a jetliner that requires the cohesive working of over four million parts and the production of computers with all their marvellous functions are astounding examples of human ingenuity. To say nothing about reaching into your pocket for the smartphone that in a fraction of a second will provide an answer to almost any question you may have. Mind-boggling.</p> Fri, 12 Nov 2021 21:02:21 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8921 at /oss /oss/article/history/it-true-beatles-wrote-song-about-lsd <p>"Tangerine trees and marmalade skies" are to be found in the lyrics of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," one of the Beatles' greatest hits. Some have claimed that the first letters of Lucy, Sky and Diamonds supposedly refer to LSD, the famous hallucinogen that the Fab Four undoubtedly had some experience with. LSD, or lysergic acid diethylamide, does not occur in nature, but closely related compounds do.  </p> Fri, 15 Oct 2021 20:29:57 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8899 at /oss /oss/article/health-general-science/injections-follow-location-location-location-cliche <p>The fear of needles is a remarkably common phobia. According to<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4867871/"> different studies</a>, it is reported in 14 to 38% of adults and in 33 to 63% of children. Even those of us who simply dislike injections would love to live in a world where these needles are unnecessary in healthcare. But there are good reasons why injections are still needed and why that syringe gets aimed in different ways depending on the situation.</p> Thu, 28 Jan 2021 22:54:07 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8582 at /oss /oss/article/health/risks-mixing-driving-and-cannabis <p> </p> <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in</em><span> </span><a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-the-risks-of-mixing-driving-and-cannabis">The Montreal Gazette<span>.</span></a></p> Wed, 09 Dec 2020 18:17:03 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 8523 at /oss /oss/article/health-videos/right-chemistry-snakes-and-medicine <p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-1"> <iframe class="media-youtube-player" id="media-youtube-edhe6yrvdh8" width="640" height="390" title="Dr. Joe Schwarcz: Snakes and medicine" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/edhe6YRvdH8?wmode=opaque&controls=&enablejsapi=1&modestbranding=1&playerapiid=media-youtube-edhe6yrvdh8&origin=https%3A//www.mcgill.ca&rel=0" name="Dr. Joe Schwarcz: Snakes and medicine" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>Video of Dr. Joe Schwarcz: Snakes and medicine</iframe> </div> </p> Mon, 30 Nov 2020 16:36:12 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8498 at /oss /oss/article/history-did-you-know/head-baker-titanic-spent-two-hours-frigid-water-and-emerged-only-swollen-feet <p>In the early hours of April 15<sup>th</sup>, 1912, over the course of 2 hours and 40 minutes, the RMS <i>Titanic</i> sunk. It’s believed that upwards of 1500 people died in the accident, however, amongst the survivors was one Charles Joughin.</p> Fri, 03 Jul 2020 20:00:41 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 8328 at /oss