/oss/taxonomy/term/325/all en /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-history/dmso-not-cure-all-fdas-panic-over-it-birthed-myth <p>Imagine a drug so powerful, your government didn’t want you to have it. Now, add the claim that this drug is all natural (it’s not) and that people report it cured them of any ailment you can think of, and you have the recipe for a good old-fashioned conspiracy theory.</p> Fri, 17 Nov 2023 15:37:28 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9731 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/false-reassurance-dietary-supplement-regulation <p>If you are Canadian, you may have seen the letters “NPN” followed by a series of numbers on the packaging of a health product you picked up at the pharmacy, things like vitamin supplements, echinacea, and probiotics. You may even know that this number is given by our regulatory agency, Health Canada, and you may feel relief that these products are being licensed only after their safety and effectiveness have been evaluated.</p> <p>If you are American, you may prefer the borderline unrestricted market you have, where dietary supplements are barely regulated at all.</p> Fri, 06 Oct 2023 16:37:06 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9681 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/general-science/when-living-things-make-our-drugs-us <p>Could you recreate your favourite restaurant meal at home? Imagine the challenge of getting that meal to go and receiving no recipe, no ingredient list; just the final dish that you get to taste, study, and reverse-engineer. What are its ingredients? How do you cook them? What’s in the sauce? Which fat did they use? Is there MSG in there to enhance the umami flavour?</p> Thu, 21 Apr 2022 18:36:41 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9091 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-health/lack-fda-covid-vaccine-approval-doesnt-matter <hr /> <p>This article was originally published in the <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-lack-of-fda-covid-vaccine-approval-doesnt-matter">Montreal Gazette</a></p> Fri, 28 May 2021 19:38:15 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 8747 at /oss /oss/article/not-all-viruses-are-villains <p></p><p></p> Mon, 16 Nov 2020 18:53:35 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8489 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-health/testing-covid-19 <p>Until there is an effective treatment or vaccine, the best strategy to win the war against COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) is to stop its spread through the population. This requires extensive tracking of infected individuals and those with whom they may have come in contact. Tracking and tracing is a major undertaking, fraught with problems and uncertainties. Being able to definitively determine whether an individual is infected or not is crucial for gaining insight into the spread of the infection and can form the basis of effective risk mitigation approaches.</p> Fri, 17 Apr 2020 16:00:00 +0000 Alaka Mullick PhD 8217 at /oss /oss/article/health-history/drugs-need-be-properly-tested-being-put-use <p>The Food and Drug Administration in the U.S. is under pressure to fast track drugs that may be helpful in the treatment of COVID-19. Remdesivir, originally approved for Ebola, may be helpful, as may the anti-malaria drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine. However, the safety/efficacy profile of these medications has to be clarified before they are used on a large scale to treat a disease for which they have not been studied. It is instructive at this time to reflect on the situation that gave the FDA the power to regulate drugs.</p> Fri, 20 Mar 2020 18:53:05 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8188 at /oss /oss/article/general-science/happy-birthday-viagra <p>Twenty years ago last month, a medication called sildenafil was approved by the FDA. It is perhaps better known by its brand name of Viagra. Very few medications have enjoyed such widespread pop-culture attention. Sildenafil was mentioned in numerous TV shows, <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/1998/dec/12/business/fi-53139">was endorsed by actors and politicians like Bob Dole</a>, and was the subject of a huge marketing campaign. In the early 2000’s it was almost impossible to watch TV without seeing a Viagra ad.</p> Thu, 05 Apr 2018 19:30:30 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 6990 at /oss /oss/article/general-science/coumarin-illegal-chemical-causing-americans-miss-out-sweet-treat <div></div> Tue, 04 Jul 2017 19:31:30 +0000 Cassandra Lee – OSS Intern 2565 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-environment-food-health-toxicity-you-asked/plastic-chemical-our-bread-so-what <p style="text-align:justify"> </p> <div> </div> Thu, 06 Feb 2014 07:55:29 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2089 at /oss /oss/article/aging-controversial-science-cosmetics-health-quackery-supplements/phytoceramides <p>“As seen on the Dr. Oz Show” is a claim that is guaranteed to boost sales for any product. Like the “phytoceramides” glorified by a couple of plastic surgeons on the show. Incorporated into dietary supplements, these plant derived chemicals are supposed to rejuvenate the skin. There’s no magic pill, Dr. Leif Rogers commented, but “this is pretty close.” And after Dr. Oz wondered “why we haven’t used this earlier,” marketers went to work and quickly filled websites with advertisements about how you can “fake a facelift” with phytoceramides.</p> Mon, 30 Jun 2014 01:10:10 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2163 at /oss /oss/article/science-science-everywhere/food-and-drug-administration-issues-warning-about-zicam-nasal-gel-and-nasal-swabs <p>In June the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning about some Zicam products based on having received over 130 reports of a decreased sense of smell, often after single use of one of these products. The FDA's action against a homeopathic drug presents a bizarre situation. Homeopathic drugs, according to the tenets of this curious practice, derive their effect (an illusionary one if we abide by the laws of science) from extreme dilution.</p> Sat, 15 Oct 2011 19:13:10 +0000 Joe Schwarcz 1617 at /oss /oss/article/food-health/risk-caramel-colouring <p style="text-align:justify"><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/?p=3868" rel="attachment wp-att-3870"><img alt="" height="150" src="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/files/2012/12/caramel-150x150.jpg" width="150" /></a>Colas derive their colour from caramel, which basically is a complex mixture of compounds produced when various carbohydrates such as sucrose, fructose, glucose or starches are heated to a high temperature. Put some sugar or starch in a pan, heat it, and soon you’ll have caramel. And of course a mess to clean up. Chemically, caramelization is a very complex process resulting in the formation of hundreds of compounds. To complicate things further, there are several types of commercial caramelization processes, depending on what other reagents are added to the carbohydrate source as it is being pyrolyzed. Adding acids or alkalis to promote caramelization is common, but it is also possible to add sulphites such as sodium sulphite or ammonia compounds such as ammonium carbonate to achieve specific shades of brown.</p> <p style="text-align:justify">Caramelization also occurs commonly in cooking and produces basically the same set of compounds as a commercial process except for when ammonium compounds are added. Any complex mixture like this will contain some compounds that when isolated and carefully investigated will produce some adverse effects in cell cultures or laboratory animals. When ammonium compounds are used, some of the breakdown products fall into the imidazole family, a couple of which, namely 4-methylimidazole and 2-methylimidazole have been shown to cause cancer in rats and mice. This can provide some gristle for the alarmist mill. And it has.</p> <p><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/2012/12/24/the-“risk”-of-caramel-colouring/">Read more</a></p> Tue, 25 Dec 2012 03:36:12 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1847 at /oss /oss/article/uncategorized/alloxan <p style="text-align:justify">Listen to the following remarkable commentary I came across on the web. Here goes: “I was just utterly shocked to have recently discovered another FDA first degree murder! When I studied chemistry forty plus years ago, they were using a fairly benign bleaching agent to bleach white flour. Now it comes out they have started using alloxan! Alloxan is a poison, the most famous spinner up of super oxide free radicals known to science!</p> Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:59:28 +0000 Joe Schwarcz 1565 at /oss