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Author Archives: skeptvet
When Hope becomes Delusion and Compassion becomes Deception: An Alternative Medicine Approach to Testing New Therapies
One of the most attractive features of alternative therapies is that they offer hope. CAM treatments, by definition, are almost never validated by the usual scientific research evidence used to test mainstream medical therapies. If they were, they would no … Continue reading
Posted in General
7 Comments
“One and Done” Approach to Rabies Vaccination is Misguided and Dangerous
Recently, I wrote about claims made by a veterinary homeopath that booster vaccination was unnecessary because single, initial vaccination provides lifelong immunity for our pets. There is ample evidence that this is frequently untrue, but today I ran across an … Continue reading
Posted in Vaccines
29 Comments
Evidence Update: Resveratrol
In the first year of this blog, I wrote about a supplement called resveratrol, calling it “a promising but unproven compound.” Last year, I reported on a scandal in which a major researcher of resveratrol retracted over 100 research articles … Continue reading
Posted in Herbs and Supplements
3 Comments
Please Support S. 1425: The Dietary Supplement Labeling Act of 2013.
I have written previously about the woefully inadequate regulation of dietary supplements in the U.S. under the Dietary Supplement Health an Education Act (DSHEA). Much has previously been written at the Science-Based Medicine Blog on the subject of the Dietary … Continue reading
Medical Use of Marijuana/Cannabis for Pets?
The medical use of marijuana has long been a “hot-button” issue in human medicine. Now, the subject has become a growing focus of debate in the veterinary field as well. As is all too common in such debates, however, scientific … Continue reading
Posted in Herbs and Supplements
83 Comments
Another Reminder of the Real Dangers of Veterinary Homeopathy
The biggest danger of homeopathy is not, of course, the remedies themselves, which are nothing more than placebos in most cases. The real danger is that many homeopaths have the delusion that their therapies can replace real medical care, and … Continue reading
Posted in Homeopathy
27 Comments
Encouraging Study of Platelet Therapy for Arthritis in Dogs
Though I write frequently about potential arthritis therapies, particularly emerging treatments and those that are established but seem to have a questionable evidence base, I haven’t yet run across the therapy evaluated in a study recently published in the journal … Continue reading
Posted in Science-Based Veterinary Medicine
13 Comments
FDA Study Shows Raw Pet Diets Contaminated with Potentially Deadly Bacteria Much More Frequently than Cooked Pet Foods
Numerous studies have demonstrated that raw diets are likely to be contaminated with potentially harmful bacteria, including Salmonella, E. coli, and others that can cause serious disease. (1, 2) Though cases of illness have been documented caused by these organisms … Continue reading
Posted in Nutrition
31 Comments
How Important Was Acupuncture in Ancient China?
Acupuncture is arguably one of the more popular alternative therapies, after dietary supplements and chiropractic. The mystical explanations for its supposed benefits, such as balancing the mysterious energy force known as Ch’i, are not generally accepted in the mainstream medical … Continue reading
Posted in Acupuncture
8 Comments