Monthly Archives: October 2016

The “Natural” Nonsense that is Applied Zoopharmacognosy

Posted on October 24, 2016 by skeptvet

Introduction A few years ago, I wrote about an interesting phenomenon called zoopharmacognosy. The idea is that animals might select specific plants or other substances to eat that would have therapeutic effects. An example might be an herbivore with a … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 28 Comments

Why Anecdotes & Testimonials Can’t Be Trusted

Posted on October 24, 2016 by skeptvet

By far the most frequent response I get to any article critical of claims for an alternative therapy or focused  on the lack of good evidence for such claims is an appeal to anecdotal evidence.  Some variation on “I tried it … Continue reading →

Posted in Topic-Based Summaries | 13 Comments

Evidence Update- Stem Cell Therapies for Companion Animals

Posted on October 23, 2016 by skeptvet

Introduction One of the most frequent recurring topics on this blog has been stem cell therapies. Generally, I have concluded that various types of stem cell therapies are plausible and promising, but they are unfortunately being marketed with claims and … Continue reading →

Posted in Science-Based Veterinary Medicine | 3 Comments

Overdiagnosis

Posted on October 10, 2016 by skeptvet

Overdiagnosis is now recognized as a common and serious problem in human medicine that causes substantial harm in terms of unnecessary costs, wasted resources, and patient and caregiving suffering. International conferences (e.g. Preventing Overdiagnosis) and special features in major medical … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Science-Based Veterinary Medicine | 9 Comments

Evidence Update- Yunnan Baiyao: Still No Persuasive Evidence of any Benefits

Posted on October 3, 2016 by skeptvet

Back in 2010, in the early days of this blog, I reviewed the evidence for the Chinese herbal supplement Yunnan Baiyao. At the time, I found only very low-quality evidence concerning the potential risks and benefits of this product.  Some … Continue reading →

Posted in Herbs and Supplements | 2 Comments

IAABC Interview Discussing CAVM and EBVM

Posted on October 3, 2016 by skeptvet

Here is an interview I did recently with an association of animal behavior consultants. We discussed a number of subjects that appear frequently here,  including the role of evidence and anecdote in evaluating treatments for animals, and the risks of … Continue reading →

Posted in Presentations, Lectures, Publications & Interviews | 1 Comment