Oil of Oregano - Miracle Cure!
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- Written by Bart Farkas
- Category: Swift
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Not being terribly familiar with Oil of Oregano I took to my books and the venerable but often misleading Internet to bone up on the subject. My previous experience with this told me that as a topical anti-bacterial, oil of oregano does indeed have some legitimate qualities that would probably be useful in a pinch if you had no other way to treat an external infection.
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Giardia is on the run from Oil of Oregano? |
The web, as it turns out, is chock full of interesting articles about this miracle cure, but unfortunately most of the articles are chock full of nothing more than anecdotes about how wonderful this oil is. In a brief search I found that oil of oregano is supposedly good for treatment of colds, flu, sore throat, bronchitis, sinusitis, asthma, bladder infections, kidney infections, peptic ulcers, fatigue, headaches, allergies, bad breath, indigestion, parasites such as Giardia Lambia, cold sores, puncture wounds, dandruff, warts, athlete’s foot, boils, nail fungus, bed sores, head lice, ringworm, psoriasis, eczema, arthritis, back pain, and a whole lot more. In short, oil of oregano can not only make everyone multi-millionaires who are constantly happy and never pay taxes, but it can also ensure world peace.
Let’s face it, any time that a product has a list of ailments it can cure that is this long, one just has to raise an eyebrow and ask about how realistic something like this could possibly be. As it turns out, a great deal of the hullaballoo over oil of oregano stems from a few small studies done in test tubes. As the website sciencebasedpharmacy.com so eloquently puts it:
“Oil of oregano is a great example of how test tube studies can be misleadingly exaggerated to imply meaningful effects in humans. With oil of oregano, a few small studies have been conducted, mainly in the lab, and believers argue we should expect the same thing when we take it orally.”
Richard Wiseman on the Psychology of Magic from TAM 6
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- Written by Michael Blanford
- Category: Swift
- Hits: 14259
This video features Richard Wiseman at The Amaz!ng Meeting 6 in Las Vegas, Nevada from 2008. Professor Wiseman discusses the psychology of magic, his investigation of Sai Baba, the "Colour Changing Card Trick" YouTube sensation, and his book Quirkology: How We Discover Big Truths in Small Things. The video also features a lesson in "psychic" spoon-bending from Wiseman and magician Teller of Penn & Teller. Watch the record-breaking group spoon-bend as over 800 members of the audience test their skill.
What it Means to be a Skeptic
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- Written by Michael Blanford
- Category: Swift
- Hits: 16452
Written by Tyrel Eskelson, opinions writer for the Sheaf, the student newspaper at The University of Saskatchewan. It's great to see this in a student publication.
What it Means to be a SkepticIt is perhaps a common misconception that one who defines him or herself as a skeptic could also interchangeably be labeled a contrarian or a disparager.
A skeptic is not someone who is cynical, close-minded or rejects new ideas. In fact, it is quite the opposite.
A skeptic is someone not in a fixed position but rather one who adopts a process. Skepticism uses the application of reason to evaluate all claims and requires compelling evidence before something is believable.
Modern skepticism is embodied in the scientific method, which gathers data to formulate and test natural phenomena. With the use of this tool a claim becomes factual when it is confirmed to such an extent that it would be reasonable to offer a provisional agreement.
The Devil and Christine O'Donnell
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- Written by Brandon K. Thorp
- Category: Swift
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Like, love, or loathe her, we must admit that the young Christine O'Donnell was probably lying when she appeared on Bill Maher's Politically Incorrect in 1999 and claimed to have picnicked with a beau atop a blood-splattered Satanic altar. We may excuse her – She was young! Idealistic! Overcome by toxic hairspray fumes! – but surely we can't believe her.
The James Randi Educational Foundation Academic Scholarships 2010-2011
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- Written by Ray Hall
- Category: Latest JREF News
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Winners of the 2010-2011 Awards
The James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) is pleased to announce the recipients of the academic scholarships for 2010 - 2011. Now in its fourth year, this program once again awards $10,000 to four students that have demonstrated critical thinking in their studies and promoted rational skepticism within their institutions and future disciplines.
The awards are made based on how closely each applicant’s achievements and activities reflect the goals and values of the James Randi Educational Foundation: bringing critical thinking to the public, exposing pseudoscientific frauds, and promoting real science and rationality. This year the JREF has modified the awards to make sure that the students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels are supported. To this end the annual $10,000 was split into four grants of $2500 each, two which were awarded to undergraduates, and two more to students in Masters or Doctorial programs.
Read more: The James Randi Educational Foundation Academic Scholarships 2010-2011
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