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Author Archives: skeptvet
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
Warning Signs of Quackery Ahead
Though it’s certainly not an original observation, I’ve begun to see some repeating patterns of behavior associated with unreliable and unscientific medical claims, and I think it might be useful to review some possible warning signs that one is dealing … Continue reading
Posted in General
12 Comments
Probiotics for Herpesvirus Rhinitis
I’ve written before on the subject of probiotics, bacteria or yeast fed to people or animals with the intent of affecting health in some way. I consider them to be in a bit of a gray zone between mainstream medicine … Continue reading
Posted in Herbs and Supplements
12 Comments
Balancing Doctor Expertise and Patient Autonomy
My recent brush with the “healthcare choice” concept, as well as a podcast interview I listened to with Dr. Paul Offit on Point of Inquiry put me in mind of an interesting and challenging puzzle in the philosophy of medical … Continue reading
Posted in General
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More Hypocritical Nonsense about “Healthcare Choice”
Readers of this blog will be familiar with Dr. Shawn Messonier and his style of promoting alternative veterinary medicine by lying about scientific medicine and veterinarians who practice it (e.g. Here, Here, and Here). The latest example of this behavior … Continue reading
Posted in General, Law, Regulation, and Politics
14 Comments
Risks of Herbs and Supplements Finally Getting Some Attention
Some of the most popular forms of alternative medicine are the myriad herbs and “dietary supplements” (a faux category created by the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education [DSHEA] act to allow marketing of unproven drugs without regulatory oversight). These … Continue reading
Posted in Herbs and Supplements
12 Comments
Use of herbals associated with lower quality of life in asthma patients
Proponents of CAM often claim that one major advantage to their methods is the absence of side effects seen with conventional medical treatments. This makes little sense since there is no “free lunch” in physiology, and an intervention that affects … Continue reading
Posted in Herbs and Supplements
8 Comments