/oss/taxonomy/term/639/all en /oss/article/critical-thinking-pseudoscience/what-media-gets-wrong-about-cam <p>There must be a template for this.</p> <p>Time and time again, I have seen journalists cover so-called complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in a way that is so similar, it’s making me think they must teach that template in journalism school.</p> <p>It’s a story structure that sounds good at first. It aims to be balanced in giving voice to both patients and practitioners, as well as proponents and skeptics. It uses storytelling to grab the reader’s attention. All the ingredients are seemingly there to cover the topic responsibly.</p> Thu, 12 Sep 2024 18:17:51 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 10076 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/acupressure-hiccups-cure-or-placebo <p>Whether you are in a quiet library, giving an important presentation, or showing up to a first date, hiccups always seem to come up at the worst times. Folklore tells us that hiccups happen when someone is thinking about you. The remedy is to list your friends (and perhaps your enemies)! Once you have identified the person responsible, the hiccups will go away. My mom always told me that I got the hiccups because I did something bad. Yes, in hindsight she may have just been teasing me. But she also explained that she could make them stop by using pressure points.</p> Fri, 09 Sep 2022 10:00:00 +0000 Cat Wang, B.Sc. 9228 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/pseudoscience/bad-science-lends-friendly-ear-ear-seeds <p>If you’re scrolling through Instagram while waiting in line at the grocery store, you might have stumbled upon ear seeds. The photos show close-ups of ears dotted with tiny piercings assembled like constellations. It may look like the latest fashion statement—and for some, it is—but there is often more to it than meets the eye. Some people believe that these microdermal piercings have healing properties. As the old real estate mantra goes, it’s all about “location, location, location.”</p> Thu, 29 Aug 2019 13:56:22 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 7886 at /oss /oss/article/quackery/skeptics-vacation-hell-quite-relaxing-nonetheless <p>Being a skeptic has downsides. Try going to a spa and relaxing.</p> <p>A few summers ago, I needed to unwind and temporarily disconnect from the virtual world, so I decided to treat myself to a three-day stay at a spa resort outside the city. I told myself, "I am not going there to work. I will not take notes. I will ignore the woo and relax."</p> Tue, 21 Aug 2018 15:58:50 +0000 Jonathan Jarry, MSc 7314 at /oss /oss/article/health-videos/cracked-science-16-does-new-organ-explain-acupuncture <p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-1"> <iframe class="media-youtube-player" id="media-youtube-86mba8mzl9a" width="640" height="390" title="Does a New Organ Explain Acupuncture? (CS16)" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/86mBA8MZl9A?wmode=opaque&controls=&enablejsapi=1&modestbranding=1&playerapiid=media-youtube-86mba8mzl9a&origin=https%3A//www.mcgill.ca&rel=0" name="Does a New Organ Explain Acupuncture? (CS16)" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>Video of Does a New Organ Explain Acupuncture? (CS16)</iframe> </div> </p> Thu, 10 May 2018 19:41:59 +0000 Jonathan Jarry, MSc 7080 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-health-history-news/would-osler-stand-his-famous-quote-today <div> <p style="text-align:justify"> </p> </div> Sat, 28 Jun 2014 14:04:02 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2162 at /oss /oss/article/history-you-asked/what-history-tattoos <p>On a fall day in 1991, two Germans hiking in the Alps near the Italian- Austrian border stumbled across what they initially believed to be a modern corpse frozen in the ice. Once the body was retrieved however, authorities discovered that it was anything but modern. The mummy, nicknamed Ötzi after the valley where it was found, had survived in the ice to the ripe, old age of 5,300 years. Analysis of the remains showed that when Ötzi died, he was a 30 to 45 year old man, standing roughly 160 cm tall.</p> Tue, 06 Nov 2012 17:03:50 +0000 OSS 1738 at /oss