/oss/taxonomy/term/2190/all en /oss/article/health-videos/right-chemistry-polio-vaccine <p></p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-1"> <iframe class="media-youtube-player" id="media-youtube-x5-m8hsyegs" width="640" height="390" title="Dr Joe Schwarcz on the polio vaccine" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/X5_M8HSyeGs?wmode=opaque&controls=&enablejsapi=1&modestbranding=1&playerapiid=media-youtube-x5-m8hsyegs&origin=https%3A//www.mcgill.ca&rel=0" name="Dr Joe Schwarcz on the polio vaccine" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="">Video of Dr Joe Schwarcz on the polio vaccine</iframe> </div> Mon, 22 Mar 2021 18:22:12 +0000 OSS 8663 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-health/call-me-vaccine-pusher <p>"Avoid!" One of the most common bits of advice heard these days. Avoid tap water. Avoid bottled water. Avoid butter. Avoid margarine. Avoid the sun. Avoid sweeteners. Avoid genetically modified foods. Avoid plastic bags. Avoid paper bags. Avoid preservatives. Avoid dairy. Avoid meat. Avoid soy. Avoid..ahh..never mind. I could go on and on with a litany of such “avoids”. There are some valid points to be made with some of these, but there is one “avoid” that is particularly troublesome. That is the advice to avoid vaccination.</p> Fri, 12 Feb 2021 15:00:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8614 at /oss /oss/article/health-history/science-behind-spoonful-sugar <p><em>Mary Poppins</em>, starring Julie Andrews, was a big hit for Disney studios in 1964. The film was a musicalized version of the children’s books about a magical English nanny written between 1934 and 1988 by P.L. Travers. The movie featured a number of songs written by Robert and Richard Sherman including the catchy tune sung by Andrews with the line, “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.”</p> Fri, 20 Jan 2017 19:45:37 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1407 at /oss