Pseudoscience

Deceitful AI Videos Mislead Seniors on Important Health Issues

Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 11:00:00 +0000

I had never received an email in Vietnamese before. My request for an interview had been written in English, and the channel I had reached out to made English-language videos, but the reply I received was a simple question written in Vietnamese: “What can we help each other develop?”

The man in the videos was white, but of course, he was never real in the first place.

Antsy About Getting Old? How about Some Ant-Yogurt?

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 21:58:26 +0000

I do get some interesting questions. How about this one? “Why in Central Europe did we as kids put a straw on an anthill, wait for the ants to crawl over it and then suck it for its sour taste? My mother did it and lived to 93!”

Salmon Sperm and Penis Facials

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 04:35:16 +0000

Influencers really do influence. When Kim Kardashian, who is famous for being famous, revealed that she had tried a “salmon sperm facial,” dermatologists and wellness clinics offering the procedure saw an increase in business. The same thing happened when actresses Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchet sang the praises of the “penis facial” they received at a high-end skincare clinic in New York City run by celebrity facialist Georgia Louise.

Shedding Accurate Light on Light Therapies: What Photobiomodulation Does—and Doesn’t—Do

Daniel Barolet MD, FRCPC — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 19:34:29 +0000

Light is often described as the source of life—and in many ways, that’s true. It drives photosynthesis, regulates our sleep–wake rhythm, and influences mood. In recent years, though, light has also been promoted as a medical treatment. Some claims make biological sense; others, like so-called intravenous light detox, do not.

As someone who has spent more than two decades studying and applying photobiomodulation (PBM), I’ve seen both credible science and creative marketing. PBM can help, but only when the right wavelengths, doses, and treatment schedules are used.

Hydrogen-Rich Gary Brecka Is Floating on Air

Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 16:22:16 +0000

The penthouse at the top of the glass tower is vast, airy, and very angular.

Don’t Look for a Miracle in “Miracle Mineral Supplement (MMS)”

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Desperate people will do desperate things. And parents of autistic children are desperate. Conditions with no cure, such as autism, are fertile ground for charlatans who aim to capitalize financially on the despair of parents willing to do anything to help their children. Some hucksters offer a simple treatment for autism that they claim is being swept under the carpet by an evil pharmaceutical industry in collusion with the government. Labelling themselves as “health freedom warriors,” they are ready to reveal the secret of curing autism.

The Strange Story of Nicotine Patches to Treat Long COVID

Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Long COVID can feel like being adrift at sea, tiringly kicking those legs to stay above water. Social media provides lifebuoys but many turn out to be tricks of the light.

Shedding Light on Light Therapies

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 17:35:34 +0000

Without light there is no life. Literally. It was Dutch scientist Jan Ingenhousz who through a series of experiments in 1779 showed that light is required for photosynthesis, the process that makes life on earth possible by allowing plants to capture carbon dioxide from the air while simultaneously releasing the oxygen we need to breathe. Plants either directly or indirectly produce all the food we require to live.

Ayurveda Can Harm Your Liver

Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 11:00:00 +0000

“I know where you live. I know your address. I know who you are. Trust me, they won’t even find your dead body.”

Who Is the Low-Histamine Diet Really For?

Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Do you have difficulty falling asleep? A bit of anxiety? Headaches? Any sort of digestive issue? A low-histamine diet may be for you!

Artificial Intelligence Sneaks Into Scientific Publications

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 18:43:15 +0000

Roughly three and a half million scientific papers are published globally every year in an estimated 47,000 academic journals. That’s an astonishing six papers every minute! Some are very good, some very bad, most are mediocre. The vast majority of science and medical journals are peer-reviewed, but peer-review is not a guarantee that the results reported and conclusions arrived at are reliable. Studies have shown that the same paper sent to different reviewers may be highly praised or rejected, depending on the reviewer’s expertise or bias.

AGZ Is More Shaky Science from the Makers of AG1

Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000

“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!” This famous line from Michael Corleone is apt here: our Office and others have been over the AG1 story, denouncing its flimsy scientific evidence.

Everyone Else Is Lying to You: A Damning Archive of Science Denial

Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000

“Future generations will know that at least some of us tried to resist the intrusion of quackery into medicine, and they’ll gain some semblance of insight into a confounding reality.”

Claims About Blue Spirulina Raise a Red Flag

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 16:24:31 +0000

In the science communication business, we call them “weasel words.” Why? Because weasels have a reputation for being sneaky and tricky. We are talking about words like “may,” “suggest,” “possible” and “potential” that can trick the reader into forming a positive impression without making a specific commitment. What prompts this discussion about dodgy words? I just finished reading a short article, 850 or so words, about the health benefits of “blue spirulina” on “Healthline,” a reasonably reputable newsletter. I counted the number of times the word “may” appears. An astounding 21 times!

Extracting Drugs from Nature Is Hard

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

A video on Facebook with