Author Archives: skeptvet

The Placebo Effect In Song

Happy Birthday, SketpVet! 🙂 Today marks the first anniversary of this blog. Not a momentous event for the world at large, but yet another reminder of the fleeting nature of time for me. Apparently, in the last year I have … Continue reading

Posted in General, Humor | 4 Comments

JAVMA Article on Electroacupuncture for IVDD

A couple of readers have asked me to comment on a study that appears in this month’s Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Comparison of decompressive surgery, electroacupuncture, and decompressive surgery followed by electroacupuncture for the treatment of dogs … Continue reading

Posted in Acupuncture | 19 Comments

Shocking Study! Chiropractors Make Unsubstantiated Medical Claims!

A new study by Edzard Ernst and Andrew Gilbey recently appeared in the New Zealand Medical Journal surveying Internet advertising claims made by individual chiropractors and major chiropractic organizations from Canada, the U.S., New Zealand, and The U.K. They divided … Continue reading

Posted in Chiropractic | 22 Comments

Don’t Be Such a Scientist or The Negating Culture of Science and its Costs

I recently finished reading Randy Olson’s book Don’t Be Such a Scientist, and I definitely recommend it. It is an entertaining read and has a number of useful insights into the perennial problem of communicating complex, nuanced, and incomplete scientific … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews, General | 4 Comments

GAO Report on Deceptive Marketing and Contamination of Herbal Products

The GAO today released a report to Congress that had previously been reported on in the New York Times. The report investigated deceptive or illegal marketing practices among sellers of herbal remedies and dietary supplements. Under the Dietary Supplement Health … Continue reading

Posted in Herbs and Supplements, Law, Regulation, and Politics | 2 Comments

Cold Laser Therapy

A popular therapy among chiropractors who treat pets is low level laser or “cold laser” treatment. It is an impressive bit of showmanship to pull out a complex-looking device and with a serious expression wave a beam of light over … Continue reading

Posted in Miscellaneous CAVM | 86 Comments

Evaluating Medical Advice and Credentials on the Internet

Dr. Susan Wynn, a veterinarian and veterinary nutritionist who promotes “holistic” veterinary medicine, has put up a couple of blog posts recently which I rather liked, so I thought I’d comment briefly on them. I more commonly find myself disagreeing … Continue reading

Posted in General | 13 Comments

Voodoo Fog

Went to an art/craft fair this weekend and saw this painted on the side of a station wagon covered with voodoo dolls:

Posted in Humor | Leave a comment

Oh No! A Homeopathic Bomb!

The deadly New Age terrorists threaten the security of the world with the ultimate Weapon of Mass Dilution: A Homeopathic Bomb. As this terrifying expose tells us, “A homeopathic attack could bring entire cities to a standstill…Large numbers of people … Continue reading

Posted in Homeopathy, Humor | 1 Comment

Guest Post from Alison Averis–The Rise of Equine CAM in the UK

Alison has offerred another interesting piece that offers insight into the role of CAM therapies in equine medicine “across the pond.” I’m not sure whether to be comforted or saddened by the fact that the retreat from rationality and the … Continue reading

Posted in Guest Posts, Miscellaneous CAVM | 4 Comments