Search Results for: plechner

Dr. Plechner Rallies Supporters to Correct the SkeptVet & Other “Disease Care Providers”

Last spring I wrote an article about a Dr. Al Plechner, who claims to have discovered a glandular imbalance, which he has named Plechner Syndrome and which he claims is responsible for a wide range of health problems. Dr. Plechner’s … Continue reading

Posted in General | 57 Comments

Plechner Syndrome and the Art of Making Stuff Up

Most proponents of so-called complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) are ordinary, reasonable people, even when promoting beliefs that may be dubious or even thoroughly incredible. However, occasionally I run across one of those individuals with not only a bizarre understanding … Continue reading

Posted in General | 224 Comments

Fickle Justice: Some Quacks get Punished, Most Get Away with It

One of the goals of this blog has always been to warn pet owners about dangers to their animals: dangerously unreliable ideas and ways of thinking about science and medicine, dangerous therapies (or at least those not yet proven to … Continue reading

Posted in Law, Regulation, and Politics | 2 Comments

A Tiny Bit of Justice for Victims of Jonathan Nyce and Tumexal

I have put a lot of effort over the last 14 years into investigating questionable remedies for pets, and exposing people who peddle misinformation and snake oil. Pet owners care deeply for their animal companions, and this love can be … Continue reading

Posted in Herbs and Supplements, Law, Regulation, and Politics | 6 Comments

Jean Dodds Cited by California Veterinary Medical Board for Practicing Veterinary Medicine without a License

I have written about Jean Dodds many, many times. She is one of those controversial figures who did some legitimate, even trailblazing work early in her career and then went off the deep end, not only embracing many forms of … Continue reading

Posted in General | 26 Comments

Snake Oil Tumexal and Purveyor Jonathan Nyce Finally Face the Law

Over the years, I have written about many quack medical products for veterinary patients, and about many veterinarians and others who sell or use these products with impunity despite laws intended to protect pets and pet owners from ineffective or … Continue reading

Posted in Herbs and Supplements, Law, Regulation, and Politics | 5 Comments

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Humor | 20 Comments

Science and Presidential Politics

I generally try to stay away from politics per se on this blog, though I often cover political issues when they touch on the areas of science and alternative medicine. Usually, this falls in the general category of government failure … Continue reading

Posted in Law, Regulation, and Politics | 1 Comment

Anti-Medicine Vets: Should Rejection of Scientific Medicine Disqualify One from Practicing as a Licensed Veterinarian?

There is a wide range of opinions about most medical topics in veterinary medicine, and rarely sufficient evidence to definitively establish who’s right and who’s wrong. For better or worse, we have tremendous individual latitude in deciding what treatments to … Continue reading

Posted in General | 14 Comments

CAM Vets Attacking Conventional Veterinary Medicine

The nature of science is fundamentally critical. Science works best when it shows us what is not true. This is largely a function of the fact that most of the biases and cognitive quirks that lead us astray when trying … Continue reading

Posted in General | 8 Comments