Dr. Joe's Science, Sense and Nonsense

Author: Dr. Joe Schwarcz
Publisher: Anchor Canada
ISBN: 0385666055
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 258

Book Description
When did "chemical" become a dirty word? Forty or so years ago, chemistry -- which had been recognized as a miracle-making boon to humanity - somehow became associated with warfare, sinister food additives, "toxins" and pollution. It's a situation that Dr. Joe Schwarcz aims to put into perspective. Yes, there's a downside to chemistry, he says, but this is dwarfed by its enormous benefits. Dr. Joe's new collection of commentaries will inspire an appreciation for the science of everyday life, and equip you to spot the muddled thinking, misunderstandings and deceptions in media stories and advertising claims. Does organic food really always equal better food? Are vaccines dangerous? Will the latest health fad make you ill? Do expensive wrinkle creams do the job? What are the best ways to avoid cancer? The answers to such questions often lie in an understanding of the chemistry involved. Ask Dr. Joe. Science, Sense and Nonsense celebrates chemistry's great achievements, lambastes its charlatans, and explores its essential connections to our wellbeing. And does so in authoritative, highly readable, good humoured style.

Is That a Fact?

Author: Joe Schwarcz
Publisher: ECW Press
ISBN: 1770905286
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 202

Book Description
The bestselling “quackbuster” and “tireless tub-thumper against pseudoscience” fishes for the facts in a flood of misinformation (Maclean’s). Eat this and live to 100. Don’t, and die. Today, hyperboles dominate the media, which makes parsing science from fiction an arduous task when deciding what to eat, what chemicals to avoid, and what’s best for the environment. In Is That a Fact?, bestselling author Dr. Joe Schwarcz carefully navigates through the storm of misinformation to help us separate fact from folly and shrewdness from foolishness. Are GMOs really harmful? Or could they help developing countries? Which “miracle weight-loss foods” gained popularity through exuberant data dredging? Is BPA dangerous or just a victim of unforgiving media hype? Is organic better? Schwarcz questions the reliability and motives of “experts” in this “easy-to-understand yet critical look at what’s fact and what’s plain nonsense. “Takes its readers through the carnival of pseudoscience, the morass of half-truths and, finally, the relatively safe road of reproducible scientific knowledge. This journey is made all the more enjoyable by Dr. Schwarcz’s surgical use of words and his mastery of public writing . . . [He] can always be counted on to write about the chemistry of the world in a way that is both entertaining and educational.” —Cracked Science “Written with a light touch and refreshing humor, this book provides a solid, authoritative starting point for anyone beginning to look at the world with a skeptical eye and a refresher for those further along that path.” —Library Journal

A Grain of Salt

Author: Joe Schwarcz
Publisher: ECW Press
ISBN: 9781770414754
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
“This enlightening collection offers every reader something new to learn and marvel over.” — Booklist Bestselling popular science author Dr. Joe Schwarcz debunks the baloney and serves up the raw facts in this appetizing collection about the things we eat Eating has become a confusing experience. Should we follow a keto diet? Is sugar the next tobacco? Does fermented cabbage juice cure disease? Are lectins toxic? Is drinking poppy seed tea risky? What’s with probiotics? Can packaging contaminate food? Should our nuts be activated? What is cockroach milk? We all have questions, and Dr. Joe Schwarcz has the answers, some of which will astonish you. This collection is guaranteed to satisfy your hunger for palatable and relevant scientific information as Dr. Joe separates fact from fiction with an assortment of new and updated articles about what to eat, what not to eat, and how to recognize the scientific basis of food chemistry.

Science, Sense & Nonsense

Author: Dr. Joe Schwarcz
Publisher: Anchor Canada
ISBN: 0307374645
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 258

Monkeys, Myths, and Molecules

Author: Joe Schwarcz
Publisher: ECW Press
ISBN: 1770907017
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 220

Book Description
The bestselling popular science author “has made it his mission to tackle myths about science and the so-called experts who spread them” (CBC Radio). The internet is a powerful beast when it comes to science; the answer to any query you may have is just a few keystrokes away. But when there are multiple answers from various sources, how do we know what information is reliable? In Monkeys, Myths, and Molecules, bestselling author Dr. Joe Schwarcz takes a critical look at how facts are misconstrued in the media. He debunks the myths surrounding canned food, artificial dyes, SPF, homeopathy, cancer, chemicals, and much more. Unafraid to expose the sheer nonsense people are led to believe about health, food, drugs, and our environment, Dr. Joe confronts pseudoscience and convincingly and entertainingly advocates for a scientific approach to everyday life. “A compendium of short articles on a variety of subjects, written in a humorous, accessible style, and larded with intriguing trivia . . . Dr. Joe skewers food myths, opposition to GMOs, Dr. Oz, and Vani Hari, aka the Food Babe.” —Science-Based Medicine “Ultimately, the author successfully demonstrates how claims should be queried and analyzed before they are accepted . . . Recommended for readers of health, nutrition, and popular science.” —Library Journal “The book is chock-full of captivating anecdotes . . . The author engages readers with his wit and wisdom.” —The Canadian Jewish News

Science Goes Viral

Author: Dr. Joe Schwarcz
Publisher: ECW Press
ISBN: 1773058096
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 205

Book Description
Science has gone viral! In more ways than one. Bestselling popular science author Dr. Joe Schwarcz breaks down the science of essential oils, placenta creams, intermittent fasting, and of course the spread of COVID-19 misinformation in this new collection from the master of demarcating non-science from science Since we first heard rumblings about a novel type of pneumonia in Wuhan, China, terms like pandemic, spike protein, viral particles, variants, mRNA vaccines, antibodies, hydroxychloroquine, social distancing, immune response, convalescent plasma, aerosol transmission, and of course, face coverings, have entered our everyday vocabulary. The scientific literature has exploded with studies exploring every facet of COVID-19, but unfortunately the “viral” spread of misinformation about the pandemic has also reached epic proportions. Science Goes Viral provides a framework for coming to grips with the onslaught of COVID-19 information and misinformation in this ever-changing pandemic. Here, you’ll learn about the first antibodies ever identified, the connection between tonic water and coronavirus, and whether we can zap COVID with copper. And although our thoughts and daily activities have been hijacked by the pandemic, life does go on, as does the pursuit of science. Dr. Joe features his usual array of diverse topics, including biblical dyes, essential oils, Jean Harlow’s hair, Lincoln’s magician, and bioplastics along with assorted examples of quackery. Delving into the many fascinating facets of science can serve as a welcome distraction from the COVID curse. In fact, enchantment with science can also be contagious. Will you be infected?

Dr. Joe's Brain Sparks

Author: Joe Schwarcz
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 0385669321
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Prepare to be amazed once again. Did you know what when you shake a ketchup bottle you're practicing thixotropy? That the ancient Greeks made themselves look less ancient by inventing moisturizer? That the mysterious drug obecalp* is as effective as homeopathy and many herbal cures? From the bestselling author of An Apple a Day, Brain Fuel, and Science, Sense and Nonsense comes a fresh batch of inquiries into the science of everyday life. Dr. Joe, as he is affectionately known to millions of readers, listeners, viewers, and students, presents his third book in the Doubleday Canada series he launched with Brain Fuel. Using a Q&A format, it explains the world through science, and science through our common experience. There are sections on diet and nutrition, new drugs, and the dubious claims made for alternative remedies and beauty potions. There is a profusion of inspiring, enlightening, sometime just downright bizarre information drawn from the laboratory, from history, from our medicine cabinets and the bottles under our sinks. Science is everywhere, and Dr. Joe is keeping track - and doing it in a marvelously warm, eminently readable style. Let the brain sparks fly! *Try reading this word backwards.

Do You Believe in Magic?

Author: Paul A. Offit
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0062223003
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 291

Book Description
A physician offers an impassioned and meticulously researched exposé of the alternative medicine industry, separating the sense from the nonsense. A half century ago, acupuncture, homeopathy, naturopathy, Chinese herbs, Christian exorcisms, dietary supplements, chiropractic manipulations, and ayurvedic remedies were considered on the fringe of medicine. Now these practices—known variably as alternative, complementary, holistic, or integrative medicine—have become mainstream, used by half of all Americans today to treat a variety of conditions, from excess weight to cancer. But alternative medicine is an unregulated industry under no legal obligation to prove its claims or admit its risks, and many popular alternative therapies are ineffective, expensive, or even deadly. In Do You Believe in Magic?, health advocate Dr. Offit debunks the treatments that don’t work and tells us why, and takes on the media celebrities who promote alternative medicine. Using dramatic real-life stories, he separates the sense from the nonsense, explaining why any therapy—alternative or traditional—should be scrutinized. As Dr. Offit explains, some popular therapies are remarkably helpful due to the placebo response, but “there’s no such thing as alternative medicine. There’s only medicine that works and medicine that doesn’t.”

Becoming Supernatural

Author: Dr. Joe Dispenza
Publisher: Hay House, Inc
ISBN: 1401953107
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 409

Book Description
A WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER by DR. JOE DISPENZA , the author of the New York Times bestseller You Are the Placebo, as well as Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself and Evolve Your Brain. Becoming Supernatural draws on epigenetics, quantum physics & neuroscience research conducted at his advanced workshops since 2012 to explore how common people are doing the uncommon to transform their consciousness, mindset, and beliefs to heal and live SUPERNATURAL lives. Becoming Supernatural marries some of the most profound scientific information with ancient spiritual wisdom to show how people like you and me can experience a more mystical life. Readers will learn that we are, quite literally supernatural by nature if given the proper knowledge and instruction, and when we learn how to apply that information through various healing meditations, we should experience a greater expression of our creative abilities. We have the capacity to tune in to frequencies beyond our material world and receive more orderly coherent streams of consciousness and energy; that we can intentionally change our brain chemistry to initiate profoundly mystical transcendental experiences; and how, if we do this enough times, we can develop the skill of creating a more efficient, balanced, healthy body, a more unlimited mind, and greater access to the quantum field and the realms of spiritual truth. Topics include: • Demystifying the body’s 7 energy centers and how you can balance them to heal • How to free yourself from the past by reconditioning your body to a new mind • How you can create reality in the generous present moment by changing your energy • The difference between third-dimension creation and fifth-dimension creation • The secret science of the pineal gland and its role in accessing mystical realms of reality • The distinction between Space-Time vs. Time-Space realities • And much more Chapters Include: Opening the Door to the Supernatural The Present Moment Tuning In to New Potentials in the Quantum Blessing of the Energy Centers Reconditioning the Body to a New Mind Case Studies: Living Examples of Truth Heart Intelligence Mind Movies/Kaleidoscope Walking Meditation Case Studies: Making It Real Space-Time and Time-Space The Pineal Gland Project Coherence: Making a Better World Case Studies: It Could Happen to You Using tools and disciplines ranging from cutting-edge physics to practical exercises such as a walking meditation, Dr. Joe offers nothing less than a proven program for stepping outside our physical reality and into the quantum field of infinite possibilities. “In a style that is simple, straightforward, and easy to understand, Dr. Joe Dispenza has woven into a single volume the paradigm-altering discoveries of quantum science and the deep teachings that adepts of the past dedicated their entire lifetimes to master.” — Gregg Braden, New York Times best-selling author of Human by Design and The Divine Matrix “We can create better lives for ourselves—and that we are not linear beings living linear lives, but dimensional beings living dimensional lives. Hopefully, reading it will help you understand that you already have all the anatomy, chemistry, and physiology you need to become supernatural sitting latent within you, waiting to be awakened and activated.” - Dr. Joe Dispenza New York Times best-selling author Researcher of epigenetics, quantum physics & neuroscience

Superfoods, Silkworms, and Spandex

Author: Dr. Joe Schwarcz
Publisher: ECW Press
ISBN: 1778522769
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 250

Book Description
In this new collection of bite-size pop science essays, bestselling author, chemistry professor, and radio broadcaster Dr. Joe Schwarcz shows that you can find science virtually anywhere you look. And the closer you look, the more fascinating it becomes. In this volume, we look through our magnifying glass at maraschino cherries, frizzy hair, duct tape, pickle juice, yellow school buses, aphrodisiacs, dental implants, and bull testes. If those don’t tickle your fancy, how about aconite murders, shot towers, book smells, Swarovski crystals, French wines, bees, or head transplants? You can also learn about the scientific escapades of James Bond, California’s confusing proposition 65, the problems with oxygen on Mars, Valentine’s Meat Juice, the benefits of pasteurization, the pros and cons of red light therapy, the controversy swirling around perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), why English cucumbers are wrapped in plastic, and how probiotics may have seeded Hitler’s downfall. Superfoods, Silkworms, and Spandex answers all your burning questions about the science of everyday life, like: • why “superfood” is a marketing term, not a scientific one; • how probiotics might have contributed to Hitler’s downfall; • why plastic wrap is sometimes the environmental choice; • why supplements to reduce inflammation may just reduce your bank account; • how maraschino cherries went from luxury good to cheap sundae topper; • what’s behind “old book smell”; • how margarine became a hot item for bootleggers; • why duct tape is useful, but not on ducts; • how onstage accidents led to fireproof fabrics.