/oss/taxonomy/term/696/all en /oss/article/medical-you-asked/what-are-icepacks-made <p>With summer weather arriving in a blaze of glory, your trusty ice packs might start getting more use. Whether for keeping food and drinks cool, icing injuries, or relieving the discomfort of a sunburn, ice packs have a multitude of uses at home, never mind elsewhere, where they’re vital for keeping medications, chemicals, and other spoilable items safe. But what’s inside that trusty, usually blue, often rectangular, object?</p> Fri, 23 Jun 2023 10:00:00 +0000 Ada McVean M.Sc. 9550 at /oss /oss/article/medical-did-you-know/professor-popsicles-physiological-proof <p>Growing up with cold Canadian winters means that we get to enjoy tobogganing, skiing, and other snowy activities. It also means that from a young age, we’re warned of the dangers of getting <i>too</i> cold.</p> Fri, 17 Feb 2023 11:00:00 +0000 Cat Wang, B.Sc. 9396 at /oss /oss/article/general-science/shivers-goosebumps-and-good-dose-lizzo <p>I looked out the airplane window and then at my 20-month-old, who had no idea that after enjoying the warmth of Florida for two weeks, we were about to enter the frozen tundra of Montreal. “Get ready, Zoe. It’s going to be cold when we go outside!” And as if instinctively, I started chattering my teeth, as one normally does when they’re shivering from the cold, and she looked at me in bewilderment. She’s too young to string together full sentences, but her furrowed brows said it blatantly – “Mommy, what are you doing with your teeth??” Good question, I thought…</p> Fri, 06 Jan 2023 11:00:00 +0000 Emily Shore, B.A, Dipl. PR Management 9351 at /oss /oss/article/medical-you-asked/why-do-we-wake-feeling-cold <p>A few different bodily processes in humans follow a stable, roughly 24-hour cycle. For example, the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5568897/">cortisol</a> and <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0748730404273983">melatonin</a> levels in our blood. Physical parameters like your <a href="https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/01.HYP.18.2.199">blood pressure and heart rate</a> too.</p> Fri, 07 Oct 2022 10:00:00 +0000 Ada McVean M.Sc. 9251 at /oss /oss/article/medical-you-asked/kids-colds-does-nasal-irrigation-help <hr /> <p><em>This article was originally posted in the <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-for-kids-with-colds-does-nasal-irrigation-help">Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>A friend of mine recently asked me if nasal irrigation was useful or effective for treating kids who get a cold. Apparently, the idea has become popular of late and there is much discussion about whether parents should try it when their kids get sick and whether the benefits of the procedure are worth the wrestling match with a squirming, unco-operative child.</p> Fri, 07 Oct 2022 10:00:00 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 9254 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/critical-thinking-health-general-science/boost-your-knowledge-about-boosting-your-immune-system <p>“Reinforce and Boost Your Immune System” promised the ad splashed across two pages of a local newspaper. There were products galore! Mushroom extracts, probiotics, collagen supplements, exotic oils, bee propolis and various “kefir-kombucha fermented blends.” No direct reference is made to COVID-19, but the implicit message is clear. If somehow we can boost our immune system we will be in a better position to ward off this nasty virus. Sounds good, but the truth is that “boosting the immune system” is a scientifically meaningless claim.</p> Wed, 06 Jan 2021 19:19:09 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8547 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-health/virus-every-season <p>We have all heard the claim, passed down the generations, that you catch a cold by being exposed to cold weather. That’s what I used to believe when I was younger. Then I graduated to the explanation that respiratory tract infections, like the cold and the flu, peak in the winter months because we spend so much more time indoors. Close contact favours viral transmission, you see. But the reality is<a href="https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1007327"> a lot more complex</a> than these simplistic accounts, which break down when we contemplate their logic.</p> Fri, 24 Jul 2020 15:45:09 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8345 at /oss /oss/article/health/can-zinc-lozenges-help-coronavirus-infections <p>First, let's talk a bit about zinc. It is an essential mineral for one's health. We cannot live without it. But we don’t need very much. About 15 mgs a day will do. Zinc is important in wound healing, the functioning of our immune system, eyesight, brain development, the proper functioning of sperm and the synthesis of testosterone. (The latter might explain the traditional belief that oysters possess aphrodisiac properties due to their high zinc content). Even our senses of smell and taste depend on enzymes that include zinc in their molecular structure.</p> Fri, 13 Mar 2020 02:38:52 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8180 at /oss /oss/article/health-nutrition-videos/right-chemistry-elderberry-extract-may-help-colds-or-flu <p></p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-2"></div> Fri, 15 Nov 2019 20:27:12 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7998 at /oss /oss/article/health-you-asked/it-true-hot-beverage-can-be-more-effective-providing-relief-heat-cold-one <p>First, a bit of background.</p> Fri, 26 Jul 2019 16:16:14 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7840 at /oss /oss/article/health-videos/right-chemistry-hypothermia-can-sometimes-save-lives <p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-3"> <iframe class="media-youtube-player" id="media-youtube-ybwtgapx8ky" width="640" height="390" title="Dr. Joe: Hypothermia beats the cold" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/yBwtgAPX8kY?wmode=opaque&controls=&enablejsapi=1&modestbranding=1&playerapiid=media-youtube-ybwtgapx8ky&origin=https%3A//www.mcgill.ca&rel=0" name="Dr. Joe: Hypothermia beats the cold" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>Video of Dr. Joe: Hypothermia beats the cold</iframe> </div> </p> Tue, 26 Feb 2019 16:59:48 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7612 at /oss /oss/article/general-science/hypothermia-can-sometimes-save-lives <p> </p> <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in </em><a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/the-right-chemistry-hypothermia-can-sometimes-save-lives">The Montreal Gazette<span>.</span></a></p> Fri, 22 Feb 2019 18:35:50 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7603 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition/h3n2-influenza-why-it-called-h3n2 <p>It may seem as if flu viruses get chosen based on a sluggish and never-ending game of bingo.</p> <p>H1N1? … Does anyone have H1N1?</p> <p>The next number is… H7N9. Please check your cards, the number is H7N9….</p> <p>H5N1… do we have a bingo? Please bring your card in to be validated. The prizes tonight include congestion, fever, and sore throat.</p> <p>The majority of flu cases this season are said to be “A(H3N2)”. Who comes up with these designations and what do they mean? As is often (but not always) the case in science, there is a method to this apparent madness.</p> Tue, 09 Jan 2018 23:49:20 +0000 Jonathan Jarry, MSc 6876 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-health/plane-air-doesnt-make-you-sick <p>It’s time to put to rest the idea that plane air will make you sick. While the thought makes sense, as the air on a plane is indeed recycled, and the many passengers are spreading their germs into it, this misconception forgets one major part of plane’s ventilation system- HEPA filters. These filters are the same ones trusted to keep hospital surgical units clean, and plane air is re-circulated, and therefore re-filtered 20-30 times per hour. It’s also important to remember that only about 50% of air on a plane is recycled.</p> Thu, 11 May 2017 21:44:47 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 2440 at /oss