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Author Archives: skeptvet
Simon Singh Wins a Victory in BCA Libel Suit
As many of you may know, there is a libel cases in Britain that has been followed very closely by those of us supportive of evidence-based medicine, that of Simon Singh versus the British Chiropractic Association (BCA). Dr. Singh is … Continue reading
Posted in Chiropractic, Law, Regulation, and Politics
5 Comments
Micronutrients and Cancer
A recent editorial in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI) addresses the issue of whether micronutrients, such as vitamins, have a clear role in cancer prevention. It is fairly common in broad epidemiological survey studies to look for … Continue reading
Posted in Nutrition
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Nice Post on Equine CAM by Alison Averis
Being a small animal vet, I don’t have much first-hand experience with equine CAM. But our recent guest blogger, Alison Averis, is very involved in equine issues, and she has a nice article in the Equine Independant on judging alternative claims … Continue reading
Posted in Guest Posts, Miscellaneous CAVM
3 Comments
More Natural Nonsense and Unethical CAM Marketing
A colleague recently saw an older dog who had vomited up roundworms and was doing some coughing. He diagnosed and treated the patient appropriately, but the client later contacted him with questions about some alternative remedies that had been recommended … Continue reading
Posted in General, Miscellaneous CAVM
8 Comments
Yunnan Paiyao–Secret Herbal Formula to Stop Bleeding?
Call it coincidence, confirmation bias, or a trend, but I once again ran into the issue of a specialist I refer to recommending a questionable therapy for one of my patients. I recently diagnosed a dog with a nasal cancer … Continue reading
Posted in Herbs and Supplements
78 Comments
Specialist’s Statement on Integrative Methods
A colleague recently received the following statement, as part of a follow-up report from a board-certified specialist to whom she had referred a case. The pet received a number of alternative medical therapies as well as conventional treatment for its … Continue reading
Posted in General
7 Comments
Fooling Yourself-A Guest Post By Alison Averis
A reader recently sent me an account of a case which demonstrates the placebo effect by proxy and the general unreliability of our subjective assessments of medical interventions. Her story is engaging and nicely illustrates these common issues, and she has … Continue reading
Posted in General, Guest Posts
5 Comments
Ape, Not Monkey Comic–What’s the Harm?
A nice reminder from Ape, Not Monkey of something we rarely consider. Many alternative ad folk remedies make use of plant and animal parts which, in addition to being of questionable safety and efficacy, may come from endangered plant or animal … Continue reading
Posted in Humor
4 Comments
Does the Truth Matter?
One of the most common responses I get when I point out the lack of evidence for particular CAM therapies is, “So what? If it doesn’t do any harm and if people feel better, even just because of a placebo … Continue reading
Posted in General
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Why People Believe Weird Things by Michael Shermer
There are many excellent books out there on skepticism generally, on the specific mistakes we tend to make in our judgments that lead us to believe what isn’t true, and on the more specific questions of CAM and evidence-based health … Continue reading
Posted in Book Reviews
3 Comments