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Author Archives: skeptvet
Storyteller’s Creed–How do you feel about this?
There’s a pretty good argument to be made that a lot of the differences between people’s opinions on controversial issues have more to do with differences in temperament and its influence on world view than with the facts or arguments … Continue reading
Posted in General
9 Comments
Zoopharmacognosy–Do Animals Self-Medicate?
Before becoming a veterinarian, I did a master’s degree in animal behavior, working primarily with chimpanzees. These are fascinating creatures, with many of the cognitive abilities of a young human child (and with a similar emotional temperament as well, which … Continue reading
Posted in General, Herbs and Supplements
11 Comments
The American Holistic Veterinary Medical Foundation: Science or Salesmanship?
One of the biggest problems with alternative veterinary medicine is the promotion of specific therapies or practices without reasonable scientific evidence that these are safe or effective. Sometimes, the evidence is actually clear that a specific approach is not effective, … Continue reading
Posted in General
9 Comments
The Problem with Systematic Reviews of Acupuncture in China
One of the highest levels of evidence in the system of evidence-based medicine is the systematic review. Unlike narrative reviews, in which an author selects those studies they consider relevant and then summarizes what they think the studies mean, which … Continue reading
Posted in Acupuncture
3 Comments
Magic Mushrooms–Can a mushroom-derived compound slow the progression of cancer in dogs?
There is a recent study out which looks at the potential for a chemical derived from mushrooms to slow the progression of one type of cancer in dogs. It has both strengths and weaknesses, and it is a nice example … Continue reading
Posted in Herbs and Supplements
9 Comments
Is Big Pharma Trying to Make CAM More Science-Based or Just Get a Piece of the Action?
There have been a number of mentions in the media lately of an initiative by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), one of the biggest of Big Pharma companies, setting up a division in China to study Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Here’s one report … Continue reading
Herbs and Supplements for Pets: What Is a Vet to do?
I’ve written extensively about herbal remedies and dietary supplements both because these seem among the most likely to be useful of CAM therapies and also because they are widely used despite the lack of good evidence that they are safe … Continue reading
Posted in Herbs and Supplements
4 Comments
Veterinary Acupuncture
What is it? Because of the wide variety of theories, approaches, and specific practices acupuncturists use, it is difficult to find agreement as to what exactly acupuncture is. At its core, acupuncture is the practice of inserting needles into the … Continue reading
Posted in Acupuncture
11 Comments
The Danger of Choosing Alternative Therapies over Conventional Care
One of the most common responses to criticisms of alternative medicine is that, whether it is effective or not, at least it can’t do any harm. There is ample evidence, unfortunately, that this is not true. Any therapy with a … Continue reading
Posted in General, Miscellaneous CAVM
2 Comments