Monthly Archives: March 2010

Micronutrients and Cancer

Posted on March 29, 2010 by skeptvet

A recent editorial in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI) addresses the issue of whether micronutrients, such as vitamins, have a clear role in cancer prevention. It is fairly common in broad  epidemiological survey studies to look for … Continue reading →

Posted in Nutrition | Leave a comment

Nice Post on Equine CAM by Alison Averis

Posted on March 26, 2010 by skeptvet

Being a small animal  vet, I don’t have much first-hand experience with equine CAM. But our recent guest blogger, Alison Averis, is very involved in equine issues, and she has a nice article in the Equine Independant on judging alternative claims … Continue reading →

Posted in Guest Posts, Miscellaneous CAVM | 3 Comments

More Natural Nonsense and Unethical CAM Marketing

Posted on March 25, 2010 by skeptvet

A colleague recently saw an older dog who had vomited up roundworms and was doing some coughing. He diagnosed and treated the patient appropriately, but the client later contacted him with questions about some alternative remedies that had been recommended … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Miscellaneous CAVM | 8 Comments

Yunnan Paiyao–Secret Herbal Formula to Stop Bleeding?

Posted on March 17, 2010 by skeptvet

Call it coincidence, confirmation bias, or a trend, but I once again ran into the issue of a specialist I refer to recommending a questionable therapy for one of my patients. I recently diagnosed a dog with a nasal cancer … Continue reading →

Posted in Herbs and Supplements | 78 Comments

Specialist’s Statement on Integrative Methods

Posted on March 15, 2010 by skeptvet

A colleague recently received the following statement, as part of a follow-up report from a board-certified specialist to whom she had referred a case. The pet received a number of alternative medical therapies as well as conventional treatment for its … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 7 Comments

Fooling Yourself-A Guest Post By Alison Averis

Posted on March 9, 2010 by skeptvet

A reader recently sent me an account of a case which demonstrates the placebo effect by proxy and the general unreliability of our subjective assessments of medical interventions. Her story is engaging and nicely illustrates these common issues, and she has … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Guest Posts | 5 Comments

Ape, Not Monkey Comic–What’s the Harm?

Posted on March 8, 2010 by skeptvet

A nice reminder from Ape, Not Monkey of something we rarely consider. Many alternative ad folk remedies make use of plant and animal parts which, in addition to being of questionable safety and efficacy, may come from endangered plant or animal … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor | 4 Comments

Does the Truth Matter?

Posted on March 7, 2010 by skeptvet

One of the most common responses I get when I point out the lack of evidence for particular CAM therapies is, “So what? If it doesn’t do any harm and if people feel better, even just because of a placebo … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Leave a comment

Why People Believe Weird Things by Michael Shermer

Posted on March 2, 2010 by skeptvet

There are many excellent books out there on skepticism generally, on the specific mistakes we tend to make in our judgments that lead us to believe what isn’t true, and on the more specific questions of CAM and evidence-based health … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews | 3 Comments