/oss/taxonomy/term/719/all en /oss/article/critical-thinking/duck-st-tea-i-want-some <div> <p>Given my interest in collecting anything that is “ducky,” you’ll understand why I was drawn to ads for “Ya Shi Xiang Dan Cong” tea. That translates to, and I kid you not, “Duck Shit Aroma” tea. Of course, I would normally not use that rather uncouth expression in my writings, but that is the name by which the tea actually goes, as can be seen on its label, so I think I can be forgiven.</p></div> Thu, 21 Sep 2023 22:00:13 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9648 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking/trampoline-detox-bad-idea <p>What if I told you that every morning you needed to bounce up and down on a trampoline simply to activate your brain? That, somehow, your brain had evolved to be sluggish and unresponsive until you had vigorously jumped up and down on a device that dates back to the 1930s? You probably wouldn’t believe me and for good reasons.</p> Fri, 08 Sep 2023 13:22:35 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9632 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-you-asked/debunking-detox-your-colon-doesnt-need-cleaning <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in</em> <a href="https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/the-fact-and-fiction-of-physiological-phenomena-volume-i/"><em>The Skeptical Inquirer.</em></a></p> Fri, 01 Sep 2023 18:40:28 +0000 Ada McVean M.Sci 9617 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/nattokinases-clot-busting-promises-sway-scientists-who-should-know-better <p>It has been called a “powerful all-natural supplement,” one that shows “exceptionally potent” clot-busting action. This same enthusiastic source even refers to it as a “miracle food.” No, this was not written by a naturopath on Facebook; it comes from <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390%2Fijms18030523">a scientific paper</a>, whose authors really ought to be more objective.</p> Fri, 04 Aug 2023 12:44:02 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9593 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/you-dont-need-binder-your-detox-kit-and-you-dont-need-detox-kit <p>“You don’t even know what a binder is when you’re doing a parasite cleanse. I came from Western medicine and I didn’t know what a binder was! We didn’t use those!” So says Kim Rogers, who proclaims herself a “worm queen,” to <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@mrsrogershood/video/7170453152649465131">her nearly half a million followers on TikTok</a>.</p> Fri, 13 Jan 2023 11:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9358 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-pseudoscience/djokovic-endorsed-who-why <p>I started losing respect for Novak Djokovic when I read about how he had concluded that he should adopt a gluten-free diet, long before the fiasco in Australia. Dr. Igor Cetojovic, a fellow Serb, asked Novak to hold a slice of bread against his stomach with his left hand and stretch out his right arm, which the doctor then attempted to push down. Since he was now able to push it down more easily than in the absence of the bread, he diagnosed gluten sensitivity. Ever since then Djokovic has followed a gluten-free diet and has also eliminated dairy.</p> Thu, 27 Jan 2022 20:23:07 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9007 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition/sweating-out-hype-over-finnish-sauna <p>What are children introduced to, on average, at the age of four and a half months? Your answer will vary depending on where you are from. In Finland, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.1997.tb51764.x" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the answer</a> is the sauna.</p> Sat, 04 Dec 2021 09:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8942 at /oss /oss/article/quackery/dr-sebi-what-do-we-make-him <p>A self-proclaimed healer who tried to get Michael Jackson off painkillers is back in the news. His chosen name was “Dr. Sebi”, but his real name was Alfredo Bowman and he was not a doctor. The man who was working on his documentary,<a href="https://www.apnews.com/36e73cee44084fffadadf67f1df7a545"> Nipsey Hussle</a>, was murdered recently, and his death as well as Sebi’s have been taken by some as proof that shadowy forces are conspiring to suppress the truth about Sebi’s remedies.</p> <p>Should we take Sebi’s body of work seriously?</p> <p><b>Who was Dr. Sebi?</b></p> Wed, 10 Apr 2019 15:48:36 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 7711 at /oss /oss/article/health-videos/right-chemistry-dont-buy-cabbage-juice-hype <p></p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-1"> <iframe class="media-youtube-player" id="media-youtube-9crdxd8t7na" width="640" height="390" title="Dr. Joe Schwarcz: Don't buy the cabbage juice hype" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/9CrDXd8T7nA?wmode=opaque&controls=&enablejsapi=1&modestbranding=1&playerapiid=media-youtube-9crdxd8t7na&origin=https%3A//www.mcgill.ca&rel=0" name="Dr. Joe Schwarcz: Don't buy the cabbage juice hype" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="">Video of Dr. Joe Schwarcz: Don't buy the cabbage juice hype</iframe></div> Mon, 18 Jun 2018 15:13:49 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7142 at /oss /oss/article/quackery/prince-charles-dabblings-science <p><span>The description of "Duchy Originals" is as follows: “Duchy Herbals Detox Tincture is made from extracts of Artichoke and Dandelion, cleansing and purifying herbs to help support the body’s natural elimination and detoxification processes, and help maintain healthy digestion. Duchy Herbals Detox Tincture can be taken as part of a regular detox program.” </span></p> Tue, 01 May 2018 14:00:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7045 at /oss /oss/article/food-health/vegegreens-products-unfounded-claims-hide-behind-great-marketing <p>I opened the door to pick up my morning Gazette and found a package with an anonymous note. “Can you please discuss in a column whether this is good to take?” Inside was a bottle of “VegeGreens.” Although I had not previously encountered this specific product, I have looked into other such concentrated powders that claim to deliver the nutritional benefits of fruits, vegetables and grains, eliminating the need to track the recommended daily servings of these foods.</p> Tue, 10 Mar 2015 04:29:18 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2241 at /oss /oss/article/health/chemistry-lesson-food-babeand-everyone-else-23 <p style="text-align:justify">These days an array of books, magazines, websites and numerous bloggers promote a variety of flakey “detox” schemes. Our pal Vani believes in a concoction made from celery, cilantro, cucumber, lemon and ginger root. Others promote “detoxing” with lemons, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. There is no mention of what “toxins” are being removed, how they are being removed or what evidence there is that they have been removed. While claims about detox “cleanses” are pure nonsense, the concept of detoxification is real.</p> Fri, 19 Feb 2016 11:09:08 +0000 Joe Schwarcz 2323 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-homeopathy-news-quackery/ohthe-irony <p>Prince Charles has properly derided global warming deniers, calling them a "headless chicken brigade." He went onto say that it was "baffling that in our modern world we have such blind trust in science and technology that we all accept what science tells us about everything-until, that is, it comes to climate science."</p> <p>Now, this is coming from a man who believes in the ultimate absurdity that is homeopathy and through his Duchy Originals Company sells a range of herbal remedies devoid of evidence.</p> Sun, 02 Feb 2014 14:51:06 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2086 at /oss /oss/article/health-quackery/foot-pad-nonsense <p>This craziness is recommended by a variety of "alternative" practitioners. Detox patches! What amazing devices they are. Not only can they draw poisons out of the body, they can also infuse various healing agents into the body. What sort of agents?</p> Fri, 14 Feb 2014 23:28:41 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2098 at /oss /oss/article/health-news-toxicity/oil-your-problems-away <p>Oh my! Yet another sure-fire detox! This time it's "oil pulling." I'm not pulling your leg with this one. The claim is that you swish oil, usually sunflower, sesame or coconut, around your mouth for 15-20 minutes without swallowing. Why would you want to do that given that it is likely to be a rather unpleasant experience? Because it improves oral health and to boot, the oil sucks toxins out of your body via the salivary glands.! And of course this then cures every condition you have ever heard of.</p> Thu, 06 Mar 2014 14:29:22 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2111 at /oss