/oss/taxonomy/term/231/all en /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/mindfulness-meditation-often-fails-scientific-test <p>Mindfulness meditation is primed to save all of us from anxiety and depression, it would seem. It’s also big business: in 2015, this growing industry made <a href="https://fortune.com/2016/03/12/meditation-mindfulness-apps/">nearly USD 1 billion</a>. The money comes from speaking engagements, workshops, books, as well as apps meant to guide you through the process. The popular Headspace app claims <a href="https://www.headspace.com/">70 million downloads</a>; the #1 meditation app, Calm, <a href="https://www.calm.com/blog/about">over 150 million</a>!</p> Fri, 19 Jan 2024 14:38:41 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9808 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-general-science/stress-can-change-shade-your-strands <p>My first gray hair appeared when I was the age of twenty-three, within two months of my mom passing away. Of course, this is anecdotal evidence and should not be taken as proof that stress causes hair to go gray. However, as it turns out, science agrees with my anecdote, and research has repeatedly shown that hair (or fur in non-human animals) can turn gray due to high stress levels.</p> Fri, 25 Aug 2023 16:00:52 +0000 Ada McVean M.Sc. 9604 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking/loopy-science-stressed-rats-and-froot-loops <p>If you are a male rat and have to spend two hours every day in a polypropylene tube in which you cannot move, and want to preserve the integrity of your penis, you better stay away from eating Froot Loops. That would be the takeaway from a study published by Brazilian researchers in the peer-reviewed journal Heliyon. But if you are a man, I think this paper provides no useful information other than insinuating that Froot Loops do not exactly belong in the “health food” category, which would seem to be a self-evident truth.</p><p> </p> Wed, 12 Jul 2023 15:34:35 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9565 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/why-did-denmark-ban-ashwagandha <p>Over the past couple of years, there’s been a lot of buzz about ashwagandha. This herb, estimated to have an annual market value of $42 million USD is available in health food stores and on Amazon, can be added to your smoothie, and is <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2023/03/10/what-to-know-about-ashwagandha-the-herbal-supplement-blows-up-on-tiktok-without-much-medical-research-support/?sh=71c71d4638ad">trending on TikTok</a>.</p> Fri, 02 Jun 2023 10:00:00 +0000 Maya McKeown, B.Sc. 9531 at /oss /oss/article/medical-health-and-nutrition-pseudoscience/neuro-emotional-technique-bizarre-hybrid-chiropractic-acupuncture-and-applied-kinesiology <p>In April of 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a <a href="https://youtu.be/ahU2FP_b9OQ">documentary film</a> premiered on YouTube and its title could not have been more relevant: <i>Stressed</i>.</p> Fri, 16 Sep 2022 10:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9231 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-critical-thinking/problems-adaptogens <p>Mark my words: long COVID will be a magnet for quacks.</p> Thu, 09 Jun 2022 15:59:24 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc 9131 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition/lets-not-pretend-alcohol-good-us-it-isnt <hr /> <p><em>This article was originally posted in the <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-lets-not-pretend-alcohol-is-good-for-us-it-isnt">Montreal Gazette</a>.</em></p> <hr /> <p>Many people turn to alcohol to deal with life’s daily stressors. Unfortunately, that has happened quite a bit in the past two years, with some very negative consequences.</p> <p>We sometimes forget that alcohol is not good for us.</p> Tue, 22 Mar 2022 18:57:07 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 9061 at /oss /oss/article/health-technology-general-science/emerging-science-careful-whispers <p>Some people crave whispers. As a way to relax before going to sleep, these whisper connoisseurs go to YouTube, type in four letters, and let their brain be transfixed by the murmurs of intimacy surrogates.</p> Fri, 11 Jun 2021 21:10:43 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8760 at /oss /oss/article/health-pseudoscience/reflexology-research-doesnt-put-its-best-foot-forward <p>Imagine you have appendicitis. You are rushed to the hospital where a surgeon needs to operate on you to remove your appendix which is full of bacteria and ready to burst. Only, instead of a classically trained surgeon, you are operated on by a doctor who studied the Morrell method of surgery, where they were taught the appendix is in the right thigh. Meanwhile, at a hospital across town, a different surgeon uses the Vaxuflex method of surgery, which uses a map of the body where the appendix is underneath the clavicles. One thing both surgeons agree on: they can help you.</p> Fri, 07 May 2021 22:04:48 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8724 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-student-contributors-health/giving-worried-sick-whole-new-meaning <p>Everybody experiences stress differently, from the circumstances that cause it, to the ways that we cope with it. What doesn’t differ is that we all experience it, one way or another. There are a multitude of reasons why we get stressed: academic deadlines, social pressures and work-related responsibilities.</p> Fri, 09 Apr 2021 19:44:07 +0000 Cat Wang 8694 at /oss /oss/article/health/stressing-about-stress-relief <p>As far as COVID-19 goes, there may be different opinions about masks, gatherings, and modes of transmission, but there is universal agreement that it causes stress. Although we all recognize it when we encounter it, defining stress is difficult. Here is my definition. Stress is the mind’s reaction to a situation one does not want to be in and results in some form of altered biochemical activity. You go to the doctor, she suspects you have a problem and immediately sends you for a test. Your heart begins to beat faster, you feel jittery and you may even sweat a little. What has happened?</p> Fri, 06 Nov 2020 17:00:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8475 at /oss /oss/article/health/studies-about-safety-exercise-are-reassuring <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-studies-about-safety-of-exercise-are-reassuring">The Montreal Gazette<span>.</span></a></p> <hr /> <p><span>Is it safe to exercise?</span></p> <p>There can be very little doubt that exercise is good for you. In the constant back and forth of which foods are good for you and which foods are bad for you (if you’ve been keeping track, eggs are bad for you again), exercise is the one thing that seems to survive unscathed.</p> Wed, 20 Mar 2019 20:03:47 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 7658 at /oss /oss/article/health/squeezing-science-out-squishies <p>Originally squeezing balls made of polyurethane foam was supposed to counter stress. Feeling anxious? For relief, just compress a “stress ball” and then watch it slowly expand back to its original size. At least so went the ads. But now for some parents, squeezing polyurethane foam is creating stress. Their kids are collecting and squeezing “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Slow-Rising-Jumbo-SQUISHIES-Pack/dp/B079NCBCP4">squishies</a>,” the latest and hottest toy.</p> Fri, 18 Jan 2019 18:02:53 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7546 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/medical-benefits-massage <p>A<a href="http://www.anatomyfacts.com/Research/Massage%20Journal%20Club/January07/Moyer.pdf"> 2004 paper</a> reviewed the research on massage therapy available at the time and found some interesting things. After one massage session, massage clients show reduced heart rates, blood pressures, cortisol levels (the main stress hormone) and anxiety, and after several sessions, clients showed remarkable drops in depression levels, on par with the positive effects of psychotherapy.</p> Tue, 26 Sep 2017 19:36:34 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 2646 at /oss /oss/article/health-general-science/exam-stress-and-genetics <p>I don’t know about you, but I just cannot stand exams. <span>Give me research projects, essays, even practical lab examinations, and I excel.</span></p> <p>But something about sitting at a desk, staring at a scantron and being expected to pour knowledge out of my head just makes me freeze up and score, well, let’s just say I sometimes ride the bell curve. <span>Luckily, it seems like I’m not alone.</span></p> Mon, 17 Jul 2017 16:57:08 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 2575 at /oss