Health and Nutrition

Is There Really Room for Beer in Your Wellness Routine?

Eva Kellner B.A.Sc. — Fri, 12 Sep 2025 10:00:00 +0000

“Beer Spa” –– two words that you wouldn’t think to put together. Well, go to the center of Prague, and there is seemingly no end to the signs for these curious retreats.

When I think of a spa day, I imagine walking in the door and instantly being embraced by the calming aroma of eucalyptus. So, I must admit, that the concept of soaking in and sipping unlimited beer for hours doesn’t really seem like my ideal spa experience.

But maybe that’s just me.

PragerU Targets Kids and Parents with Shockingly Bad Science

Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. — Fri, 12 Sep 2025 10:00:00 +0000

If we’re trying to understand our era, we need to recognize the following: mainstream institutions and their various consensuses are being replaced by fringe alternatives. In the United States right now, mainstream science and education are being levelled to make way for replacements, and because ideas are not contained by geopolitical borders, this institutionalization of bad ideas can affect us all.

Mozart, Mice and Microbes

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 21:51:19 +0000

I must admit that my interest in Mozart has mostly focused on the various theories of his demise in the prime of his youth. The composer had always been sickly, and it is well known that he had often been treated with antimony compounds by his physicians. He even dosed himself when he didn’t feel well. Antimony compounds can indeed be lethal if the dose is high enough. Recently, though, my curiosity about Mozart has taken a different turn. I’ve become interested in his music. Not because I’ve suddenly developed an appreciation for his sonatas.

The Quagmire of Nutritional Studies

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 16:32:53 +0000

This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette.

There are roughly 9,000 research papers published annually in the 75 or so journals dedicated to nutrition. That translates to about two dozen a day. Why is this staggering amount of nutritional research carried out by scientists around the world? The simple answer is so that we can determine what to eat and what not to eat for a healthier, longer life.

The Sweet Embellishments of the Glucose Goddess

Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 15:22:23 +0000

Move over, Food Babe. There’s a new food influencer in town and she is no mere “babe.” This one hangs out on Mount Olympus.

Scrambler Therapy: Rewiring Pain, or Just Static?

Sophie Tseng Pellar BSc — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 15:09:46 +0000

Our bodies are wired to avoid pain—and yet, for millions, it’s a daily, unwelcome companion. One minute you’re climbing stairs, opening a jar, or just existing, and the next you're googling “is this what nerve damage feels like?” If you’ve ever lived with chronic pain, or loved someone who has, you know it’s not just about hurting. It’s about how the hurting takes over everything.

You Probably Didn’t Know That…

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 09:32:19 +0000

Cracking the Case on Seeds, Nuts, and Bowel Issues

Christopher Labos MD, MSc — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 10:00:00 +0000

This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette.

If you have diverticulosis, you were probably told to avoid eating nuts and seeds. The worry was that tiny food particles could get stuck in the small cervices of the bowel wall and get infected. It was inherently logical and made a lot of sense to many physicians. But it may not be true.

Can McDonald’s Cure Your Migraine? Debunking the Viral McMigraine Trend

Eva Kellner BASc and Hosna Akhgary — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 10:00:00 +0000

For those who consider themselves to be a part of the “Migraine girlies” community, you may be familiar with the recent McMigraine trend on TikTok’s #migraine page.

This wellness hack is one that promotes ordering McDonald’s fries and a Coke as a newfound, DIY migraine treatment. In fact, one user (whose TikTok bio says that she is a future heart surgery nurse) claims that this order is “literally the only thing that can fix a migraine.”

Let’s not jump the gun.

The China Study

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Wed, 13 Aug 2025 13:11:07 +0000

In 2005, Colin Campbell, now Professor Emeritus at Cornell University, authored “The China Study.” The book became a best seller with its claim that the road to good health meanders through fields of vegetables and fruits with no animal in sight. A vegan diet, he claimed, is the answer to beating the diseases of western civilization, namely heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Campbell’s opinion is forged by one of the most extensive epidemiological studies ever carried out, a collaborative effort between Cornell and Oxford Universities and the Chinese government back in the 1980s.

Supermodel Heidi Klum Floats In Air and Blows Hot Air

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 23:19:00 +0000

Let’s start with the floating illusion. I would hope that if anyone sees a person suspended in mid-air, they realize that the law of gravitation has not been suspended and that some mechanism hidden from the audience is at work. The history of this illusion traces back to early 19th century India, but it was French magician Robert-Houdin who popularized it by adding a clever twist. Ether had just been introduced as an anesthetic in 1846 and Robert-Houdin cleverly wove the discovery into his act.

Liquid Nitrogen Tattoos

Angelina Lapalme — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 18:18:29 +0000

Body modifications have been around for a very long time. Tattoos and piercings were found on a frozen mummy dating back to 3000 B.C.E. In many countries, these modifications have cultural significance, yet they have also been introduced in western culture as a form of self-expression. But sometimes, we can get carried away.

Betel Nuts

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 10:00:00 +0000

The first time I heard of betel nuts was in 1991 at a performance of Miss Saigon at the Broadway Theatre in New York. This was Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil’s second hit musical after 1985’s phenomenally successful Les Misérables. It is a loose adaptation of Puccini’s Madam Butterfly, but instead of being set in Japan, the story unwinds in Saigon during the Viet Nam War. In the second act, a sleazy night-club hustler known as the “engineer” belts out “My American Dream,” a song with the following lyrics:

Science Shows Carnivore Diet Is Best Left to Lions

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 18 Jul 2025 16:15:43 +0000

This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette.

Jenny McCarthy, a former Playboy Playmate of the Year, is playing with science again. This time it is all about the “carnivore diet.”

The Science Behind Willpower vs. Tastebuds

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Fri, 11 Jul 2025 16:49:06 +0000

This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette.