Critical Thinking /oss/taxonomy/term/4901/all en Con Artists or True Believers? /oss/article/critical-thinking/con-artists-or-true-believers <p>You may be the victim of a grift.</p> <p>We apparently live in the era of the con, the scam, the grift. Podcasters, YouTubers, and social media influencers have no qualms in referring to anyone that is selling you something that is not backed up by good evidence as a lying grifter.</p> <p>Anti-vaxxers? Grifters! The Instagram mama with an affiliate link for fluoride-free toothpaste? Grifter! Podcast giant Andrew Huberman who is sponsored by a slew of supplement companies? Grifter!</p> Fri, 11 Jul 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 11317 at /oss Sleep Can Often Be Elusive /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking/sleep-can-often-be-elusive <p>Sleep that knits up the ravell鈥檇 sleave of care,<br /> The death of each day鈥檚 life, sore labour鈥檚 bath,<br /> Balm of hurt minds, great nature鈥檚 second course,<br /> Chief nourisher in life鈥檚 feast.</p> Wed, 09 Jul 2025 21:37:20 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 11314 at /oss Why It鈥檚 Hard to Study What People Eat /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/why-its-hard-study-what-people-eat <p><em>This article was first published in聽<a href="https://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/article1018265.html">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> Fri, 04 Jul 2025 16:26:21 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 11310 at /oss Does a Chocolate a Day Keep the Grim Reaper Away? /oss/article/critical-thinking-student-contributors-health-and-nutrition/does-chocolate-day-keep-grim-reaper-away <p><a href="http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/theobromine">Theobromine</a> is a naturally occurring bitter alkaloid most prominently found in cocoa beans. A metabolite of caffeine, theobromine shares some of the common effects of the household stimulant. Compared to caffeine, theobromine has a much gentler stimulating effect. This is because it lingers longer in our bodies before being metabolized.</p> Fri, 27 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Eva Kellner B.A.Sc. 11276 at /oss The Paper-Thin Evidence for Mouth Taping /oss/article/critical-thinking/paper-thin-evidence-mouth-taping <p>TikTokers can鈥檛 shut up about this one simple trick. All you need to do is seal your mouth with tape before going to bed, and you will apparently collect a slew of benefits. It will give you more energy, chisel your jawline, and even improve the health of your heart in the long run.</p> Fri, 27 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 11275 at /oss Will Vitamin D Go the Way of Cod Liver Oil? /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/will-vitamin-d-go-way-cod-liver-oil <p><em>This article was first published in聽<a href="https://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/article992245.html">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <p>In many of my public lectures, I address the topic of dietary supplements and often do a rudimentary audience survey. When I ask about taking Vitamin D, the majority of adult hands go up.</p> Fri, 20 Jun 2025 16:58:08 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 11238 at /oss $1,950 Worth of Woo: The Biomat, Unwrapped /oss/article/critical-thinking-student-contributors-pseudoscience/1950-worth-woo-biomat-unwrapped <p>Recently, I was forwarded an email about the Biomat鈥攁 $1,950 USD 鈥渉ealing mat鈥� that claims to cure everything short of a broken heart. And boy oh boy, is it ever a hotbed of pseudoscience wrapped in a cozy cotton cover and priced like a small vacation. When I dug into the science behind the Biomat鈥檚 claims, I found a textbook case of clever marketing dressed up in scientific jargon, with very little evidence to back it up.</p> Fri, 20 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Sophie Tseng Pellar BSc 11236 at /oss Can You Get Cancer from Kissing a Smoker and Other Questions with Definitive Answers /oss/article/critical-thinking/can-you-get-cancer-kissing-smoker-and-other-questions-definitive-answers <p><em>This article was first published in聽<a href="https://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/article978780.html">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> Fri, 13 Jun 2025 15:58:14 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 11197 at /oss Functional Medicine Is a Pipeline to Alt Med /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-pseudoscience/functional-medicine-pipeline-alt-med <p>A 56-year-old university professor with psoriatic arthritis goes to see a doctor because his condition is worsening. Psoriatic arthritis is a disease where your immune system rebels against you, creating patches of abnormal skin and aching joints. Does the man leave the doctor鈥檚 office with a prescription for a better medication than what he was on? No.</p> Fri, 13 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 11168 at /oss Best of Times, Worst of Times /oss/article/critical-thinking/best-times-worst-times <p>Most of us are living the good life. There is no doubt that we are living longer and in greater comfort than ever before, but at a price. We fly through the air with ease, but that air is becoming polluted. We have conveniently packaged consumer goods, but we are beginning to drown in garbage. Ample water runs out of our taps, but it is tainted with traces of perfluoroalkyl substances. We protect our food supply with pesticides, we devise new materials, we clothe ourselves in novel fibers, we synthesize new medications, but we generate toxic wastes in the process.</p> Wed, 11 Jun 2025 16:20:29 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 11164 at /oss Disrupting Science with Crypto /oss/article/critical-thinking-technology/disrupting-science-crypto <p>Let鈥檚 say I am afflicted by a common but non-life-threatening condition. I shall refer to this fictional misfortune as 鈥渃hin gribbles.鈥� I have chin gribbles. Many people have chin gribbles. It鈥檚 annoying and it affects our quality of life. When we go to the pharmacy or speak to a doctor, we鈥檙e told there are very few treatment options for chin gribbles, if any.</p> Fri, 06 Jun 2025 18:04:27 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 11121 at /oss InTOXicating Beauty /oss/article/student-contributors/intoxicating-beauty <p>The inspiration for my articles comes mostly from conversations with those around me. Often my friends, family, teachers or even readers ask me questions for which I do not have an immediate answer. As someone who loves to learn, I then proceed to research the topic until I am able to explain it in my own words which then prompts the writing of an article. I owe this article topic to my mom, who like many others had questions about a widely practiced esthetic procedure that aims to freeze time. She started telling me about injections that can each change someone鈥檚 face non-surgically.</p> Fri, 06 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Angelina Lapalme 11120 at /oss Misinformation Piggybacks on Joe Biden鈥檚 Cancer Diagnosis /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking/misinformation-piggybacks-joe-bidens-cancer-diagnosis <p><em>This article was first published in聽<a href="https://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/article953617.html">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <p>鈥淛ust the facts, ma鈥檃m鈥� is a catchphrase attributed to detective Joe Friday in the classic television police drama Dragnet. If all science communicators took that message to heart, we would not be exposed to the diarrhea of misinformation that plagues our lives today.</p> <p>That, though, brings up the question of what is meant by 鈥渇act.鈥�</p> Fri, 30 May 2025 16:59:22 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 11112 at /oss The MAHA Report Is Mostly 鈥楧ata Vibes鈥� /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/maha-report-mostly-data-vibes <p>Who would be so callous as to not want our children to be healthy?</p> <p>The Make America Healthy Again movement, now firmly ensconced in the White House under the leadership of Robert F. Kennedy Jr, released <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/maha/">a 73-page assessment</a> last week called 鈥淭he MAHA Report.鈥� It鈥檚 meant to give a bird鈥檚-eye view of the problem with American children鈥檚 health, paving the way for a multipronged strategy due next August.</p> Fri, 30 May 2025 10:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 11108 at /oss Don鈥檛 Talk to Me Until I鈥檝e Had My Coffee鈥� and Breakfast! /oss/article/critical-thinking-student-contributors-health-and-nutrition/dont-talk-me-until-ive-had-my-coffee-and-breakfast <p>A few weeks ago, my roommate and I found ourselves chatting alongside two steaming cups of freshly brewed coffee. A great start to my day, if you ask me.</p> <p>This morning, my refusal of the milk she added to her coffee sparked a conversation that drifted into old wives鈥� tales. She mentioned that adding milk to coffee could make the caffeine effect last longer and reduce the inevitable crash.<u> </u></p> Fri, 23 May 2025 15:08:30 +0000 Eva Kellner B.A.Sc. 11102 at /oss