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Author Archives: skeptvet
Dr. Shawn on Alison Averis’ Essay Fooling Yourself
The tireless promoter of “natural” veterinary medicine (whatever that is) and himself, Dr. Shawn Messonier, has applied his characteristic fuzzy logic and love of strawmen and misleading hyperbole to a recent guest post by Alison Averis on Fooling yourself: An … Continue reading
Posted in General
4 Comments
The Mysterious Vanishing Placebo Effect?
I have written about the placebo effect before, but a recent update to a Cochrane review entitled Placebo Interventions for All Conditions has prompted me to revisit the subject. It has been clear for some time that the so-called placebo … Continue reading
Posted in General
2 Comments
What Scientists Say and What the Public Hears
There are many barriers to public understanding of science and scientific research, ranging from low levels of science literacy in the general population to frequently poor communication skills among scientists. I recently ran across a pithy summary of some common … Continue reading
Posted in General
10 Comments
The Dunning-Kruger Effect: Why incompetence is blind to itself.
“The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.” Bertrand Russell “Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge.” Charles Darwin “It is one of the essential features of such incompetence … Continue reading
Posted in General
8 Comments
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