SkeptVet Gets Hate Mail 2018

It will come as no surprise to readers that I receive a steady stream of hate mail in the form of email and comments on the blog. Occasionally, someone calls me up at work, sends me a snailmail letter, but the vast majority of the negative comments I get are anonymous through the internet. In contrast, the positive comments I get, which are often accompanied by the name of the reader or given to me directly in person. Something about the anonymity internet frees people to say the darkest things in their heart without the usual social restraints that prevent us from being shitty to one another. (Before anyone cries “hypocrite” let me point out once again that this blog is not anonymous. My identity and credentials are easily found here and online, and I take ownership of the blog openly in my public lectures. I choose not to make myself the center of attention here, since I think the ideas and evidence should be the focus, but I am not hiding behind any serious attempt at anonymity).

I don’t, of course, allow people to post abusive comments directly on the site. Civil and substantive disagreement is welcome, but I am under no obligation to give people a platform to rant or abuse me or my profession. However, I do periodically review the best of my hate mail for several reasons. On one level, it is instructive to see the patterns in how people respond to my critiques of unproven or quack therapies. These comments give an insight into how people think and why they are attached to these kinds of treatments, which is useful for anyone trying to oppose pseudoscience.

It is also worthwhile to point out that advocates of the practices I challenge are hardly peaceful, saintly individuals minding their own business when vicious skeptics like myself come along to attack them. As I’ve discussed in detail before. Alternative therapies are marketed primarily by attacking the safety and efficacy of science-based medicine and the motives of mainstream doctors. Skeptics such as myself are responding to the assault of pseudoscience on scientific medicine, we are hardly the instigators of conflict. And apart from the occasional slip into sarcasm, most of my critique is aimed at claims and arguments and based on reason and evidence. I am far more likely to be the subject of vicious personal attacks than the perpetrator.

Finally, I have to admit that much of the angry feedback I get is amusing in its own right. Just as Jimmy Kimmel turns his hate mail into comedy I enjoy a chuckle over some of the outrageous things people say to me from the safety of their keyboards.

Some of the trends in the negative comments I get are obvious. There is a constant drumbeat of paranoia and conspiracy theorizing, blaming “Big Pharma” and the greed and immorality of mainstream medicine for all sorts of horrors which supposedly justify quack alternatives. There is the deep distrust of government and regulators, scientists and intellectuals, and anyone who makes a living in medicine except alternative medicine practitioners, supplement companies, and others who profit from “alternative medicine.”

There is also an obvious but rage in many of these comments that is harder to understand. Apart from a few individuals I have written about directly, the majority of those who write furious, hateful comments have no particular reason to be taking what I say here so personally. My blog doesn’t come into people’s living rooms or business. They have to search the internet, find the blog, and choose to read it. If they disagree, they are free to ignore me with no harm done. But even those who shout “No one cares what you think!!!” clearly do care enough to spend time writing angry comments (though they clearly don’t take much time to proofread these comments). I still find that puzzling.

Lastly, I have to point out that not once have any of these folks I’m quoting ever presented a piece of scientific research evidence to support their objections or challenge my claims. Plenty of commenters say “I don’t care what you/science/anyone says, I’ve seen XX work for myself.” None, however, have backed up their anger with anything other than anecdote or argument from authority.

Here are my previous hate mail collections:
Hate Mail 2011

Hate Mail 2015

I have organized the selections below into broad, loosely defined categories, and I will occasionally insert comments like so: [SV: Xxxx] Enjoy!

Being Nice?
[SV: Some commenters don’t seem to appreciate the strange and humorous inconsistency in tone when they simultaneously chastise me and wish me well. Perhaps they recognize that they are being much harsher than would ever be acceptable in person and are trying to soften the message, or maybe just make themselves look like they are taking the ”high road?”]

You are such a rabid skeptic and that keeps you from some great things in life. By the way, the crap works- do more research on it- ask a client if they want to try it- One that has NOTHING to lose and see. Hope your life gets better and you quit being so negative. Wishing you the best.

You are clearly uneducated…Bless you though.

After reading a few articles on this page, I come to the conclusion that it is not necessary to read the other’s content, as anything and everything mention here the author is clearly AGAINST. Its a bit pitiful, I think to be SO sceptical, how can you enjoy life at all.

i can feel the intense negative emotion you are feeling toward Dr. Plechner and other doctors that don’t follow the herd. I am sorry you are festering in this emotion. Does it upset you to think of all the success stories?

are just a Big Pharma shill. That’s OK. Everyone has the right to protect their interests. I wish you luck in your endeavor to frighten people away from innexpensive therapies which might save their termial pets’ lives. If it makes you happy, I wish that for you sincerely.

your ignorance and pride is a disgusting excuse for lack of wisdom. You obviously must be carrying a lot of disease in your own body and soul. Bless your heart, poor thing. Hope you get well soon.

You sound like a pompous ass. ..I don’t think anyone stands a chance of turning on a light for you at all. Just had to express my irritation on wasting my time trying to find an unbiased opinion from your site. Good luck with your journey on the narrow path you travel.

Hahahahahahahahahaha. You think that you’re enlightened, hahaha, you’re not, you’re nescient at best and ignorant at worst. Enjoy your pontificating though.

IN MY HUMBLE OPINION, YOU ARE PURE EVIL, MAKING MONEY OFF YOUR BLOG’S, AND SCREWING OVER THOUSANDS OF DOGS AND CATS, AND OTHER CREATURES, WITHOUT A SINGLE PIECE OF EVIDENCE SUPPORTING YOUR CLAIMS IT DOESN’T WORK ANY BETTER THAN A PLACEBO,..

I hope that GOD FORGIVES YOU for YOUR NONSENSE, MISLEADING PEOPLE, CAUSING THEM TO END UP GIVING UP, WITHOUT TAKING A MINOR CHANCE ON GIVING THEIR LOVED ONE’S A DAMN CHANCE AT LIVING LONGER!!!

IMHO, YOU CAME STRAIGHT OUT OF HELL!

AGAIN, THIS IS STRICTLY MY OPINION,…

The Shill/Evil Industry Conspiracy Tactic
[SV: This is, by far, the most common objection raised. The idea that someone could honestly disagree with their beliefs after careful, open-minded evaluation of the arguments and evidence is apparently inconceivable for these people. They accuse me or arrogance freely yet imagine that any belief other than theirs is willful ignorance or deliberate dishonesty. Irony meter broken!]

FDA are the real killers of USA that only approve side effect medications to cause more problems in your body. I agree with Alex Corp. FDA stands For Death Administration and that to the point. FDA should be banned from the whole of USA. They just as corrupt as the Government!!!

You are correct about herbalist? Seriously? They why are so many being killed off? Around 100 within a year as of May of 2016. Read about it already. I guess it is because what they practice and treat never works?????

Homeopathy has worked for me many times in treating both my family and our pets. It is safe, effective, and inexpensive if you choose the right remedy. It is so diluted that there is almost nothing left of the original substance in the remedy. Those who don’t want to use it don’t have to, but those of us who recognize how miraculously effective it is have the right to continue to buy it easily, cheaply, and over the counter. It’s just the exorbitant pharma companies who want to rub out their much more effective competition.

The only reason I don’t follow up on this is I’m afraid the FDA will get a hold of these and find out how well they work and shut them down! As a typical bumbling corrupt (Paid off by the pharmasudical industry) government agency should!

If I want to live long and healthy I almost always do the exact opposite of what the government, media and scientific communities tell me to do.
Seriously. Yeah.
Big pharma underwrites the nation’s medical schools.

It’s a shame you and so many other conventional veterinarian’s are brainwashed by Big Pharma, The Big Pet Food companies, the FDA, the USDA, the CDC, and the media!!.. WAKE UP from your brainwashed, sheeple coma and gain some knowledge before writing an article you know nothing about!

But you must get paid well by druggies as I call the big pharm guys.
This is not funny, this is criminal brain washing of the gullible for the purpose of gazillions made on ignorance of the many. Good job.

This blog is paid for by drug companies either directly or indirectly. Any time you see the word “Skeptic” you know the website is written by paid liars and shills for the drug cartels.

I remarked to my wife when I ordered tha stuff that if it actually worked it would would either disappear from the market or sales forbidden. Why, you might ask?

There are two obvious reasons :- first, if it worked, if would deprive doctors, nut press, opticians and a whole host of other of MONEY. The entire medical profession is a giant hamster wheel. If CURES were actually found for things like cancer ‘flu, and a whole host of other diseases, it would throw millions of people out of their jobs. Just think about it. Learned professors spouting the bullshit that the Govt tells then to, doctors, nurses, drug companies, high street pharmacies. We can’t have that now can we?

You have to be a guy paid by pharmaceuticals to bash these people and their products. What are you afraid of? That millions will stop taking your drugs with mike long lists of side effects? Lots of money at stake right?  I say go f yourself! Clinical studies you want? Are you really satisfied with the non transparency of clinical studies used to validate the safety of the pharmaceuticals prescribed by docs like candy? I am not! You know why? Because there is no money in telling the truth! The money is in misinformation!

So I tell you what! Your bitch ass should go to your doc and refill your script for statins, psycho drugs and dick hardeners and let those who want to take bogus supplements do so!

Please help me understand why you would write such a horrible article. Do the vets and pharmaceutical companies just want to make more $ at the expense of our best friends?… I’m really disgusted by your article. Your thoughts?

Most vets are against Raw feeding because they have been brain washed by Big Business in their training to sell bags of dried ‘food’ to pets (to make money on) instead of proper food.

I think Skeptvet ought to change his handle to PhillipMorrisVet or perhaps ExxonMobilVet.

Mainstream vets are like mainstream vets under the FDA – they discourage you from the truth about products that work and encourage you to the harmful drugs that keep them in business.
Stick with your chemicals and I’ll stick with my natural plants that God created, not man. Don’t give a hoot about clinical trials or what the FDA says because none of you want a cure for cancer cuz there’s too much money to be made.

This person is obviously blinded by the pro big med drugs training/our system ( anti biotics are big biz people)… This article is a blatant lie and so, so, so many people have gotten fabulous results with this supplement, but what’s the problem – no kick backs from the med company for you?

Who is getting paid by the pharmaceutical companies to do fear mongoring ah??? that would be you. You are an uninformed moron who has NO experience what so EVER in what you talk about! what a joke! go do something useful that would really help the animals!!! there’s a thought! but no too busy getting paid off arnt you…

Vaccines CAUSE allergies. You are nothing but a pHARMa shill.

some vets are upset because this product works better than their surgery attempts and they are bitter enough to call the FDA to stop the production and sale of this lifesaving product dooming thousands of pets to an agonizing death! The FDA and Big Pharma are in bed with each other and totally corrupt!

Big Pharma, and their lackeys like skepvet like to use clinical trials as a bludgeon for their own distortions. If you are not pimping one of their patented drugs they will tell you [ypur evidence isn’t good enough].

What a nasty article full of menace and lies… It is only the studies of the articles and videos of vets like the one you are battering unjustly, that I realize how the crooked pharma and commercial petfood industry lies to us, owners, making our pets sick while earning more by ‘treating’ them even sicker medicine, creating thus a viscious circle, making us feel dependent on them.

Simplicity and Creative Writing
[SV: Some commentators go straight for the simple, direct approach without a lot of complex thinking or argument. Others engage in a bit of creative writing at my expense.]

You know SkypeVet , you have to be connected to the world of Big Pharma and anything natural is beyond your way of thinking ..

I’ve read your negitive articles for a very long time now. I hope ppl see you for what you really are… Your a complete joke !

All pets under your care will suffer because of your ignorance and arrogance. You should have studied accounting.

Who so ever is the author of the article is an ass of the highest order.

Get lost loser

Who ever wrote this information on this website is an idiot.

Skepvet here is just a dinosaur coughing up a death rattle.

I find you a worthless drug pusher…and you need to seek another profession,

You slam all who disagree with you, are you related to Donald Trump?

I have seen miracles at Dr. Plechner’s hands, so take your contempt and put it where the sun don’t shine.

Skeptvet is a moron.

I found your comments/post/whatever to be obnoxiously close to exactly what I’d expect to hear from another incompetent, undereducated, but still egomaniacal, “old school” veterinarian

Ur ignorant idiot

skepvet is a quack…Skepvet is a shill for Big Pharma,

Skeptvet. You are a complete moron… Shut down and shut up. The people have spoken.

Your a fear mongering putz!

Arsehole! arsehole arsehole

To be honest you sound like a frustrated raving idiot… Your qustions are a rant of arrogance and self importance. See ya. Wouldn’t want to be ya.

If your practice was worth a crap you wouldn’t have time to babble on here

What a load of old rubbish.

You are full of shit.

You are all ignorant idiots.,,The traditional medical system and vets are crooks and under trained and under exposed. Shame on you

One should remind you that anyone with an Average IQ can Discern that you are What you are Complaining about, and that Morally, if not Ethically, and possibly Legally; you engage in Freely Committing Slander.

you are a real fool and an idiot. As stated you are the biggest fool I have EVER seen in my 30 years of using ozone in my practice.

You have both demonstrated you are nothing but babbling blow hogs with nothing better to do than babble about something you know nothing about. Get a job and stay off the internet!

What a sad human you are and I’m glad I found your blog so I can safely steer clear of you in the future.

This blogger is merely weaving a carpet of self enhancement thinking perhaps it will take him to the White House or some delusion of grandeur !

Someone is paying you to discredit vitamins, glandulars and minerals as beneficial remedies. You probably are a stupid medic. Breast feeding at age 80 off the pharmaceutical TIT. Die quickly so u can be reborn and do something to help someone.go pop a pill. You are an idiot.

So my remedy for someone like you and your advice…is to shut it.

What a pedantic piece of dog poop…. You sir apparently have a hidden agenda or are trying to prove your self esteem to yourself.

Maybe u should do like I was raised…if you can’t say something nice then keep ur mouth shut.

You are such a pompus ass egomaniac… I was trying to give you benefit of doubt until you went to espousing the global warming bullshit. You have shown your true colors – brown like the bs you write.

OMG, do you have any idea what sort of fool you sound like writing this post? Get your head out of your ass

You are probably one of the most arrogant people I have encountered on a forum that is meant to help people. You are not a help to anyone with your condescending attitude. EGO- look it up. Your lack of compassion is a testiment.

I read your article in its entirety and have to ask: what rock did you just crawl from under?

i cured high blood pressure arthritis and arithmia with these supplements – this article is moronic

Are you living under a rock dude?

Really Mad
[SK: Obviously, all of the critics here are mad. But with some comments, the visceral rage radiates from the monitor like heat. Whether it’s the use of ALL CAPS, exclamation marks!!!!!! Or just the language, these folks are making it clear that they are REALLY MAD!!!!!!!]

To say that I find this piece appalling, unprofessional and slanderous is an understatement… I would ask out of respect and decency that before publishing such a slanderous, potentially damaging piece you would at LEAST have the courage and courtesy to call your colleagues before marring their reputation and being so utterly vitriolic. As you have made it your life’s mission to brutally eviscerate anyone who speaks out in favor of any holistic modality. Which is especially admonish able considering the high rate of suicide and anxiety in our profession. [SV: This is actually one of the few comments from an individual I have written about (1, 2 While I understand that no one appreciates being criticized, public comments are fair game. I did respond to Dr. Conway offering to have a more thoughtful and civil dialogue about our disagreement (**see below), but she never responded.]

Big devious lie of an article!!!…in my opinion it’s like a miracle medicine and it’s a must habe for all pets with kidney failure!!!!!!any !, any one telling u otherwise is Probably working for the misinformation industries!!!!!!
THANK U THESE PEOPLE R JUST JEALOUS THEY DIDNT COME UP WITH #NZYMES
.I START NEXT WEEK… GO TO HELL SKEPTVET

This article you have written skepvet is absolute rubbish, oozes with hatred, ignorance, pouting, sulking and immaturity. Once again an stupid, narrow minded and unedcuated article by THE conventional vet that has more time on his hands than he should…. What has troubled your childhood that badly that you just can’t stop your endless fight against mother nature and you need to voice your opinions, that truly nobody cares about… Dr Xie. He trains thousands of vets on planet earth yearly, yet have the atrocity to criticize a man in a field you have ZERO KNOWLEDGE about. Why are you opening your mouth? Wake up. The world doesn’t care about your opinion.

THIS IS MY OPINION OF SKEPTVET and HIS BLOG!!!!!!! HE IS MAKING MONEY FROM THESE MISLEADING STATEMENTS!!!!!

Here is what I believe,.. I believe that YOU are MAKING MONEY from a BLOG, from the advertisements, and that is why you continue to say something but say ABSOLUTELY NOTHING,…. STOP MISLEADING PEOPLE, WITH YOUR OWN SNAKE OIL CLAIMS, BECAUSE YOUR MAKING MONEY OFF A BLOG’s AD’S, and AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU GO TO BED, PROBABLY ALLOWING THOUSANDS OF DOGS AND CATS GO TO THEIR DEATHS, WITHOUT HAVING ONE LAST CHANCE AT LIFE!

Once again old man skeptvet is bashing another product. You want to keep killing dogs with Rimadyl. Just shows what a worthless vet you really are… As I have said before, your opinion is irrelevant. You have made a fool of yourself time and time again. You think you are a know it all but you are a know nothing. Nobody cares what you have to say anyway.

Slept-vet you remind me of a man named Hitler that everything he said was taken as the truth and no-one else was correct.

What shocks me – and I consider particularly evil – is the fact that [my name] went after the blood bank. Ridicule all you want, [my name]. But you, [my name], as a vet, should know better. You put dog lives in danger by refusing veterinary emergency medicine. Your statements, [my name] DVM of Northern California, make you ultimately a pet killer. Dr. [my name], you are on the same level as Kristen Lindsey, the veterinarian who killed the cat with an arrow. You, Dr. [my name] probably agree that cats should have arrows through their heads and wave them gallantly over your head in triumph, [my name] aka SkeptVet. [SV: This person apparently felt very clever in discovering my name and imagined inserting it repeatedly in this comment would show me a thing or two.]

Just wanted to let you know you are a fraud….your science sources are all either anonymous, just like you to avoid all accountability for your fraudulent non-advice or obvious industry sites. You should be ashamed of yourself. You are a disgrace! Disgusting!

MD’s and vets are lying criminal drug pushers who do not cure anything. They pump unnatural crap into gullible people’s pets and still sleep at night in satin sheets.

SkeptVet, You sound like the precise commercial kibble peddling Vet that has ended up killing dozens of dogs with your conventional passive income steroid therapies and regular income generating vaccinations

Your aggressiveness and that of your tribe is distasteful and a signal that you’re swayed by commercial interests.

Any moron can create a free blog and become an expert. It takes a particular jackass to use it with the viciousness that you do. You’ll pay for your selling yourself to conventional medicine.
I AM LIVID THAT POINTED HEADED CORPORATE DOCTORS CAMPAIGN AGAINST NATURAL TREATMENTS THAT WORK SO THEY CAN PROMOTE INEFECTIVE FDA APPROVED CHEMICAL PHARMACEUTICALS…I hope you are happy Dr. DEATH. You scumbag SkepVet.

Go take your drugs and destroy your kidneys and liver. And kill all our animals that way as you promote drugs and surgery and toxic immunization a. You are a total moron

It is a great product it reversed my cat numbers until he wasn’t showing signs of kidney failure , even his urine started to have a smell to it again. But what you think the FDA should do their barbaric tests to see how much cats and dogs need to take before the die! The tests are terrible and should be out lawed.

Just Plain Weird
[SV: Some comments go beyond paranoid conspiracy theories and personal outrage to the realm of the bizarre]

This article is a perfect example of someone who obviously has zero ability to communicate with animals. Just because you cannot understand and talk to animals, doesn’t mean others can’t. Yes, animal communication is real and to someone who said what turkeys are saying in heaven after you ate them for your thanksgiving, know that they are cursing you and it’s accumulating in your bad karma.

Typical douchbag blog crusader…Enjoy eating your cheese.

Don’t let people take the reproductive parts off of their pet.
Zoosexuals need to not be rejected too even as your harmless selves don’t want to be rejected. Non-human animals have their way of communicating. Please your pet even as you want to be pleased. Both sexes.  It should not be a crime to be seen pleasing or being pleased by a non-human animal.

 

 

** Here is my response to Dr. Conway’s outrage.
I saw your comments posted to my blog, and I’m sorry you feel my characterization of your comments was unfair. However, I believe my review of your interviews was both fair and accurate, and I think terms like “brutal evisceration” and “slanderous” are unreasonable hyperbole. I notice that you completely ignore the section of my article that is complementary towards you and Dr. Raditic:

“To be fair, both Dr. Raditic and Dr. Conway acknowledge the importance of basic science and conventional veterinary medicine, and I don’t doubt they are sincere. Like most CAM vets I have met, they are most likely nice people and competent conventional clinicians. However, despite their genuine belief that they are working in the best interests of patients and veterinary medicine and in a way consistent with the principles of science, the reality is that their statements and actions are deeply inconsistent with the principles of scientific medicine.”

We clearly disagree about the concept of integrative medicine and the legitimacy of most of the therapies you wish to integrate into our profession, such as chiropractic, homeopathy, and TCVM. I don’t believe this disagreement requires personal antipathy, and as I’ve said I have no doubt you are a good clinician with a genuine desire to do what seems best to you for your patients. I do, however, believe you are mistaken as to what that is, that your belief in the alternative therapies you mention is contrary to the best evidence concerning their efficacy, and that ultimately the research and integrative training you recommend and that AHVMA and Mercola are funding will serve only as a marketing tool to persuade people of the value of alternative therapies, not rigorous research which will elucidate the real effects, or lack thereof, for these methods.

You are correct that public comments on these issues have consequences, and these include enduring criticism of your comments from those who disagree with your views and assertions. If you intend to advocate for alternative therapies, that advocacy will draw criticism. This is a natural and appropriate part of the competition of ideas within our profession. Believe me, I have been the subject are far more hostile public comments for my views than anything I have written about you.

If you want an opportunity to clarify your position and respond to what you believe is inaccurate in my article, I am happy to let you do so in the comments section of the article. However, any such response needs to address specifics and avoid the kind of emotional language in the comments you attempted to post. Despite your view of the article, I did not use such language directed at you, but instead focused on the implications and assumptions in your actual words. You can say whatever you like elsewhere, but while I am happy to entertain disagreement and debate on my blog, I am under no obligation to provide a platform for you to attack me just to vent your anger without a substantive response to what I have actually written.

Dialogue can be productive, but argument rarely is. I am open to dialogue, but I don’t get the impression from your messages that you want anything more than to yell at me for saying things about your words that you don’t appreciate, and I don’t see how anything useful will come from that.

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