If you have ever bought a natural health product approved by Health Canada, you must watch this 22-minute episode of CBC’s Marketplace. Do you have any idea how easy it is to get approval from Health Canada to manufacture and sell a natural health product? You will hear from me on this topic in a couple … Continue reading
Tag Archives: dilution
Homeopathy Is Not Scientific
The Prince Arthur Herald, a McGill University student publication, has just published a short piece I wrote on homeopathy. Here is an excerpt: “In the mid-2000s, semi-isolated acts of “suicide by homeopathy” were performed as demonstrations of the lack of efficacy of this antiquated belief system, culminating in the Liverpudlian 10:23 challenge which extended this act … Continue reading
Cracked Science Video 3: Homeopathy
It’s October 23rd or 10-23, which has been suggested as Homeopathy Awareness Day, in homage to Avogradro’s number. Today is as good a day as any to investigate the claims made by homeopathy. Reading about homeopathy is one thing; seeing the dilutions is another. I hope this is graphic enough for you. I have also … Continue reading
Interview with Dr. Joe Schwarcz on Within Reason
Readers of this blog probably know that I also have a monthly podcast entitled Within Reason, which explores contentious issues from a rational perspective. While the topics are not always science-related, our latest episode features Dr. Joe Schwarcz, director of the Office for Science and Society at McGill University, on the subject of chemophobia. We talked … Continue reading
CRTKL: The Critical Reasoning Tool Kit Lecture (McGill, April 9, *ROOM CHANGE*)
I have been graciously invited by the brand-spankin’-new Freethought Association at McGill to give a talk in the evening of April 9 on critical thinking skills. Why me? I used to head the Montreal chapter of the Centre for Inquiry; I have a background in biochemistry, molecular biology, and human genetics; and as one of the … Continue reading
Jargon: Oscillococcinum (a homeopathic dilution of duck offals alleged to shorten flu symptoms)
Oscillococcinum: a homeopathic product claimed to reduce the duration of flu-like symptoms. Its preparation begins with duck liver and heart which is diluted 1 in a 100 two hundred times. The final preparation cannot scientifically contain a single molecule derived from the duck liver and heart. All it is is the dilution solvent packed in … Continue reading
1023: The Limit of Credulity
I have already published a fairly detailed dismissal of the absurd claims of homeopathy on this site. If you are still indulging in homeopathic remedies after reading it, I would urge you to reread it and really concentrate. There’s a fantastic campaign started three years ago by the Merseyside Skeptics Society in the United Kingdom, … Continue reading
Homeopathy or How to Turn Disbelief into Absurdity
For many people, homeopathy is an alternative to medicine that uses natural products to cure common illnesses. This is not unlike the public’s perception of Scientology before the 1990s. People who had heard of Scientology (and even most who were part of it) thought it was merely a system to help you get rid of … Continue reading
