Policy shifts feel abstract until outbreaks happen. A shortened TB treament adopted decades ago ended in fatal hepatitis cases. Today’s vaccine recalibration deserves the same question: are we moving carefully enough? Read more: mcgill.ca/x/5Mp

If you live in Quebec, you remember our last Amber alert. When our phone starts screaming at us in the middle of the night, many people complain. Do Amber alerts really work? I took a look for @mcgilloss.bsky.social. www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

In processed meats, nitrates are linked to cancer, but in beets, they are considered healthy🥩 What gives? According to science, it all depends on the environment where nitrates are found. Get the full scoop in Dr. Joe’s latest. mcgill.ca/x/5Mc

Red hair is the rarest natural hair color, expressed in only 1-2 percent of the world’s population. Emerging research hints that redheads might have a unique threshold for acute pain tolerance… let's unpack the facts in this article👇 mcgill.ca/x/5MU

This week, I'm looking at a very controversial and potentially emotional topic for @mcgilloss.bsky.social. Click the link below to hear a clue. alerts.pelmorex.com/wp-content/u...

The U.S. government embraces pseudoscience. Why do the anarchists who oppose the government do the same? That's the question I set out to explore when I found out about the TZLA device on Telegram. My latest for @mcgilloss.bsky.social. www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

“Just 5 minutes” on your phone → suddenly it’s been 30📱⏳ It’s not an accident. Endless scroll, autoplay & notifications are built to keep you hooked. Your brain gets constant small rewards, making time slip away. It’s not just willpower. It’s design. Read more on our website 👇 mcgill.ca/x/5fC

Turns out the strongest claims about saunas and sperm rest on very small studies. Read our latest article to learn more about this case study in scientific caution vs internet certainty. mcgill.ca/x/5fH

So, the biggest podcaster on the planet, Joe Rogan, is an HIV/AIDS denier. This will have significant trickle-down effects. My latest for @mcgilloss.bsky.social. www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

Here is but a small selection of the amazing science accounts who we’d invite to our sci comm cottage: @immunizecanada.bsky.social @mcgilloss.bsky.social @drmelissalem.bsky.social @drtashofficial.bsky.social @healthcareforreal.bsky.social @jossreimer.bsky.social @labmuffin.com

I was interviewed on the topic of AI health slop on social media, alongside @caulfieldtim.bsky.social & others. The episode is called "Doctor Deepfakes." It's for Big (If True) on TVO. cc @mcgilloss.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=uigC...

This one took me by surprise. Continuous noise (white, pink) as a sleep aid is really popular. Many studies say it works--but they are really bad studies. A new one, more rigorous, shows the opposite. My latest for @mcgilloss.bsky.social. www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

Thanks to Popeye the sailor, vegetables delivering us strength is a connection that is not new for many of us 🥦 However, in a recent Biobank study, the strongest association with increased longevity was with a high fiber intake. Read the full article on our website mcgill.ca/x/5Nn

🌞 Spring forward this weekend! Daylight Savings Time might not actually save much energy anymore💡 
It started as a lighting‑saving idea long ago, but today all our electronics and travel habits blur its impact Maybe we’re really just saving sunshine for smiles! 😄🕒 Read more ⬇️ mcgill.ca/x/5NA

Celebrity psychiatrist Daniel Amen says brain SPECT scans should transform mental health care Major medical orgs disagree With no rigorous clinical trials to validate his approach, is this a paradigm shift, or neuro-palmistry with a $4,000 price tag? Read the article to find out mcgill.ca/x/5Gq

Those gut microbiome kits you pay good money for may as well be a ticket to see your local fortune teller. Seven different companies; a standardized poop sample; and results that are all over the place. My latest for @mcgilloss.bsky.social. www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

Do men really experience colds differently, or do we just interpret sickness through gender expectations? 🤒 Turns out the science is surprisingly nuanced. Read the full article on our website👇 mcgill.ca/x/5Gi

You've seen on PBS. You're seen him on book covers. And he sells SPECT scans for your brain. Dr. Daniel Amen wants to lead a psychiatric revolution, but rigorous science might ruin it. My latest for @mcgilloss.bsky.social www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

Essential for skin, hair, bones, antibodies, hormones, enzymes, hemoglobin, neurotransmitters, protein is more than just a muscle-building agent. Dive into Dr. Joe’s latest to brush up on protein's nuances: optimal intake by life stage and smartest sources. 👇 mcgill.ca/x/5G5

After I wrote this, I flagged all the channels I had linked to for medical misinformation. Two are gone. Another one now prominently reveals that it is a digital AI presenter (based on an allegedly real doctor). I whacked a couple of moles. Yay. www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

Protein marketing gone awry. "PROTEIN ENERGY BITES." "Not a significant source of protein." Brand? "No B.S." via @builduprdns.bsky.social

We've hit the absurdist phase of the protein trend.

Tiffany’s sells a silver frying pan for thousands while a basic aluminum pot costs a few bucks Is there really a difference? Read Dr. Joe’s article on what the evidence says about the materials your cookware was manufactured with and while you’re at it, get some shopping advice! mcgill.ca/x/5q9

💉 The rare blood clot stories after certain COVID vaccines were both scary and confusing Scientists now think they’ve figured out exactly what was going on It isn’t a straightforward conclusion, but a very RARE immune mix-up Read @jonathanjarry.bsky.social’s article here 👇 mcgill.ca/x/5qF

A lawsuit claims Costco’s rotisserie chicken falsely advertises “no preservatives” because it contains sodium phosphate and carrageenan But neither is a preservative This article explains what these ingredients actually do and why additives aren’t the real concern Read more 👇 mcgill.ca/x/5T8

Tomorrow’s the last day of the Olympics! Remember curling doesn’t just involve strategy, there’s chemistry on the ice too 🧪 Hard ice from filtered, pH-balanced water, pebbled coats, and stones made from specific granitoids chosen for how they interact with the ice 🧊 Read more 👇 mcgill.ca/x/5cJ

Costco’s $1.50 hot dog combo 🌭 High in salt and fat, yes, but no risk of botulism, thanks to sodium nitrite This article follows the long and circuitous story of saltpeter, gunpowder, botulism, nitrosamines and why cured meats are pink and safe from “sausage disease” Read more 👇 mcgill.ca/x/5iH

Was America healthier in the past? 🇺🇸 The data says no Lower life expectancy, high infant mortality, and infectious diseases like TB and pneumonia were common causes of death Sanitation, vaccines, antibiotics and food safety regulations changed that Nostalgia isn’t evidence 🔗 mcgill.ca/x/5qj

Remember the rare blood clots after some people received the AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccines? We now know exactly what happened to trigger them. My latest for @mcgilloss.bsky.social, showing that research into making vaccines even safer never stops. www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

Scrubs and confidence don’t equal competence. MD, DO, NP, PhD, ND; these letters matter. This is your no-nonsense guide to what health-care credentials actually mean, who’s trained to do what, and where skepticism should start. Confidence is free. Accountability isn’t. mcgill.ca/x/5TE

“An army marches on its stomach,” Napoleon supposedly maintained - and chocolate fit the bill! Despite not being the melt-in-your-mouth, irresistibly smooth chocolate we are used to, chocolate ended up finding its own special place on the battlefields 🍫 Read the full story here👇 mcgill.ca/x/5T6

Testosterone Replacement Therapy is everywhere you look and, unfortunately, the evidence does not support the near-miraculous claims made for it. It has its uses but it's not a fountain of youth. My latest for @mcgilloss.bsky.social. www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

From The Lancet, 1889: "I will simply say that after the first days of my experiments I have had a greater improvement with regard to the expulsion of fecal matters than any other function." What is this elixir of defecation? Tune in on Friday for my @mcgilloss.bsky.social article! :D

It's likely that the "Beecher running out of morphine, using saline and noticing a placebo effect" story is a Frankenstein's creature of a myth, stitching together various events including an episode of M*A*S*H. My latest for @mcgilloss.bsky.social: www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

The founder and host of NutritionFacts(dot)org sounds fair, but his vegan bias colours how he interprets studies. I look at Dr. Michael Greger and how bias plays a role in scicomm. @mcgilloss.bsky.social www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that is triggered by the changes in seasons, typically from fall to winter. Taking vitamin D supplements is often touted as a reliable prophylactic treatment. However, there may be something better we can do. mcgill.ca/x/5i9

But seriously, this successful CEO is doing blood type astrology; trying to predict the future by saying the most banal stuff; and thinking that if you have flecks of gold in your hazel eyes, it means you accumulate solar energy. Ooof. @mcgilloss.bsky.social www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

Preservatives in food are not rare, and cancer is frightening 🍟🍽️ But just how much should our eyebrows furrow? In Dr. Joe’s latest, he breaks down the results of a seemingly alarming study, and offers important advice to carry going forward 🚨 mcgill.ca/x/5wE

Time zones are a fairly recent invention, owing their origin to the North American railroad system 🚂🕒 Read our latest to learn about why time zones exist, why some countries operate on seemingly strange times, and how to have the longest day EVER! mcgill.ca/x/539

90-95% of us have been infected by the Epstein-Barr virus. Most of us won't develop multiple sclerosis. Yet, this virus lies at the centre of the multiple sclerosis web. My latest for @mcgilloss.bsky.social. www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

Wellness influencers claim that Himalayan salt is purer, healthier, and possibly spiritually aligned with your chakras. The only problem is, it’s mostly bogus. Pretty and pink, sure, but bogus. mcgill.ca/x/5JR

You’ve seen that heart-shaped jade stone used to smooth out facial puffiness. It’s called gua sha, except the version done by influencers (including Hudson Williams!) has little to do with the bruising Asian practice. My latest for @mcgilloss.bsky.social. www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

The "Tuskegee Study" - when lifesaving antibiotics were knowingly withheld from hundreds of African Americans in Alabama - is a dark blemish in American history. & here we are again, years later, and RFK is about to embark on his own Tuskeegee study, this time in the nation of Guinea-Bissau...

I wrote about functional medicine for @mcgilloss.bsky.social and was not so equivocal: www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

My latest for @mcgilloss.bsky.social attempts to answer the following question: Why is it that, when you see a new nonsensical health gadget or practice, a chiropractor is almost invariably behind it? Why are chiropractors in particular drawn to so much bunk?

Happy New Year from the McGill OSS! 🥳 Take a look at our top content from 2025.👇 mcgill.ca/x/5oG

The Crank Magnetism of Chiropractors www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/... by @jonathanjarry.bsky.social "Chiropractic is not a medical specialty but an alternative practice concocted by a magnetic healer in 1895." "Many chiropractors advertise services, supplements, & gadgets..."

Did you know that bears don’t actually hibernate? 🐻💤 Or that animals can hibernate in the summer? ☀️ Get the latest scoop on what hibernation is, what it isn’t, and learn new terms you can whip out the next time hibernation becomes a topic of conversation 🗣️ mcgill.ca/x/5Zy

"So, what can research teach us about how children deal with the great Santa lie? And should we even be lying to children about the way in which gifts end up finding themselves at the foot of our Christmas trees?" My latest for @mcgilloss.bsky.social. Merry Christmas! www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...

“Best before” and “expiration” dates are not the same thing ❌ This article explains how these dates are set, when they matter for safety, and why some products last longer than labels suggest The science behind the stamps is more nuanced than it looks 🔎 Read more 👇 mcgill.ca/x/5kH