/oss/taxonomy/term/796/all en /oss/article/covid-19-health-and-nutrition/why-children-shouldnt-just-be-left-get-covid <hr /> <p><em>This article was originally published in the <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-why-children-shouldnt-just-be-left-to-get-covid">Montreal Gazette</a></em></p> Sat, 12 Feb 2022 03:11:59 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 9024 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-health/can-flu-vaccine-also-help-covid-19 <p>Bonus features on a DVD or Blu-ray disc (remember those?) are nice, but we don’t expect them from vaccines. As the novel coronavirus hurtled through communities in 2020 and no specific vaccine was on the immediate horizon, scientists began to wonder if a different jab, already approved and commonly administered, might have a bonus feature of its own: protecting us from COVID and its most severe consequences.</p> Sat, 02 Oct 2021 08:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8884 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-health/strange-case-dr-cahill-and-ms-hyde <p>“If you’re under, like, 70 or 65 and you’ve no underlying conditions,<a href="https://youtu.be/A4RvrEKoNxc?t=3542"> </a><a href="https://youtu.be/A4RvrEKoNxc?t=3542">this is all a hoax</a>.” You’d be forgiven for thinking that this wild assertion about a pandemic that has killed over 4.3 million people worldwide and caused sequelae for an untold number of survivors came from someone who knows nothing of medicine and immunology.</p> Fri, 13 Aug 2021 19:09:29 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8805 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/covid-19-vs-flu-no-need-pick-sides <p> </p> <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in</em><span> </span><a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-covid-19-vs-the-flu-no-need-to-pick-sides/wcm/1e7384ba-8df0-4c5b-9885-41ecd91c69ad/">The Montreal Gazette<span>.</span></a></p> Fri, 05 Jun 2020 13:20:42 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 8275 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/treating-flu-tamiflu <p>Flu season means a lot of people are going to be getting sick. The <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm">CDC</a> estimates that there have been 29 million flu cases, a quarter million hospitalizations, and 16,000 deaths so far this season. So, any treatment that can help with that would be very welcome.</p> Thu, 12 Mar 2020 14:00:00 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 8171 at /oss /oss/article/health/surgical-mask-wont-protect-you-coronavirus <p> </p> <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in</em><span> </span><a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-a-surgical-mask-wont-protect-you-from-coronavirus">The Montreal Gazette<span>.</span></a></p> <hr /> <p>The following is a public service announcement: Please stop stealing masks from your doctor’s office. I realize that people are worried about coronavirus, but before you commit petty theft, you should probably know that those masks won’t protect you from catching the virus.</p> Wed, 12 Feb 2020 20:25:02 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 8107 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-1"></div> Fri, 15 Nov 2019 20:27:12 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7998 at /oss /oss/article/80-used-tissue-might-be-sick-joke <p>The box espouses a white marble design, adorned with a clean geometric logo in gold. Inside is a Petri dish, a hint at the biological origin of its content: a crumpled paper tissue. Except it’s a used one, and someone who was sick blew their nose into it. That’ll be $80, please.</p> Tue, 29 Jan 2019 17:19:11 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 7561 at /oss /oss/article/health-quackery/two-thirds-montreal-pharmacies-sell-quack-flu-buster <p><img height="880" width="998" style="width: 600px; height: 529px;" class="file-original " src="/oss/files/oss/figure_1_1.png" alt="" /></p> <p>If your child has the flu this winter, you may be tempted by an all-natural treatment that has a Health Canada approval number and that is sold in many pharmacies. Its name is so challenging to the human eye, its maker has capitalized on this bafflement for one of its marketing slogans: “unpronounceable but effective.”</p> Fri, 11 Jan 2019 17:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 7529 at /oss /oss/article/health-nutrition/good-bacteria-prevent-flu-interpreting-data-messy <p><span>“We have a ton of studies that have shown that eating [Danone’s DanActive yogurt with </span><span><em>L. casei probiotics</em>] at a dose of about two containers per day can actually decrease your incidence and severity of things like cold and flu.”</span></p> <p><span>So claimed postdoctoral fellow Mary Scourboutakos on the investigative program</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMz2aVBdKJQ"> <em>CBC Marketplace</em></a>, which aired on April 6.</p> <p><span>“A ton of studies”?</span></p> Thu, 24 May 2018 14:52:45 +0000 Jonathan Jarry, MSc 7105 at /oss /oss/article/you-asked/should-we-be-anti-all-anti-microbial-products <p>We received a question about antibacterial soaps, namely why should or shouldn’t we be using them? And if we’re supposed to avoid antibacterial soap, why is Purell, an antimicrobial agent, allowed?</p> Thu, 08 Feb 2018 15:29:04 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 6919 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