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Dr. Oz's Sweet Tooth

20 Mar 2017

Dr. Oz is talking and nutritionists are shuddering. It’s almost a daily occurrence. This time he is all excited about a sugar substitute that according to him does not have a “chemical taste,”...

The Perils of Inflammation

20 Mar 2017

A couple of years ago the Montreal Gazette had a stunning headline: “Floss or Die!” it screamed on the front page. Another sensationalized piece of journalism, I thought. Not flossing may make you...

Stressful Situations Making you Sick?

20 Mar 2017

If positive thoughts can lead to pleasure sensations and feelings of well being, is it possible that negative thoughts that characterize stressful situations can make you sick? That’s just what the...

Cat Blood, Dog Liver and a Dose of Luck: The Story of Heparin

20 Mar 2017

Jay McLean walked into Dr. William Howell’s laboratory at Johns Hopkins University and placed a beaker of cat blood on his desk. “Can you please tell me when the blood clots” he asked? It never did...

Why does a barber’s pole have a red stripe?

20 Mar 2017

It represents the colour of blood. During the Middle Ages monks were required to shave the crown of their head, a function commonly performed by itinerant barbers. Also, under ecclesiastic law,...

Cinnamon and Health

20 Mar 2017

Just mention cinnamon, and I can smell and almost taste my mother’s apple strudel. She made it from scratch, gently pulling the pastry on a table until the dough was paper thin. The filling was...

Microwaves and Blood

20 Mar 2017

There is a lot of nonsense that goes around about microwaves. I’m sure you heard many of them. They destroy nutrients in food. They cause cancer if you stand next to a microwave oven. Microwaved...

I’ll take a pass on autourine therapy

20 Mar 2017

I’ve often expressed skepticism about the plethora of beverages being promoted these days that claim to energize, calm, heal or detox our chemically ravaged bodies. “Don’t knock it till you’ve...

Leeches

20 Mar 2017

Have you ever wondered why hippopotami spin their tales when they defecate? African Bushmen say that they are showing God that they have eaten only grass and not fish as fulfillment of the...

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