Author Archives: skeptvet

Use of herbals associated with lower quality of life in asthma patients

Posted on February 7, 2010 by skeptvet

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

We can’t prove it, but….Faith-based medicine and special pleading

Posted on February 4, 2010 by skeptvet

CAM proponents often engage in the rhetorical fallacy known as special pleading. Wikipedia’s definition of this is adequate: “a form of spurious argumentation where a position in a dispute introduces favorable details or excludes unfavorable details by alleging a need … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 2 Comments

Oximunol–The latest in marketing masquerading as science.

Posted on February 3, 2010 by skeptvet

A couple of  “news” articles, which were essentially truncated but often verbatim reprints of a company press release, appeared today about a clinical trial looking at a mysterious new veterinary product with grand but vague claims. Naturally, this caught my … Continue reading →

Posted in Herbs and Supplements | 7 Comments

wooTAG–uh, I mean shooTAG–Pest Control Device

Posted on January 31, 2010 by skeptvet

I recently received a tip about a pest control product for pets (and people) that has woo written all over it. Anaglyph over at Tetherd Cow has written about the shooTAG pest repellant device, and has posted a follow-up response … Continue reading →

Posted in Miscellaneous CAVM | 7 Comments

CAM Word Salad

Posted on January 29, 2010 by skeptvet

I often find that rationalizations of alternative medicine are garbled and hard to follow, but I recently ran across a site promoting veterinary alt med that combines the usual fuzzy logic with an mechanical or straight-from-the-dictionary translation into English, with … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor | 1 Comment

Good Old Days Before Scientific Medicine

Posted on January 29, 2010 by skeptvet

CAM proponents are very fond of citing the antiquity and lineage, fictional or not, for their methods. Acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and many herbal nostrums are promoted as “time-honored,” with the implication or explicit statement that anything people have been … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Leave a comment

129th Skeptics’ Circle!

Posted on January 27, 2010 by skeptvet

Good eveni…Is this on? Can you hear me in the back? Good, ok. Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the 129th meeting of the Skeptics’ Circle. I’m SkeptVet, and I’ll be your MC this evening. Sorry, it’s my … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 6 Comments

Two Studies of Fish Oil for Canine Arthritis

Posted on January 25, 2010 by skeptvet

One of the most popular nutritional supplements these days is fish oil. It contains a high proportion of omega 3 fatty acids (EFA), notable eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). This supplement is purported to have a broad range … Continue reading →

Posted in Herbs and Supplements | 24 Comments

Hill’s Criteria of Causation–What Separates Science from Faith

Posted on January 25, 2010 by skeptvet

Mark Crislip at Science-Based Medicine recently discussed Hill’s Criteria of Causation, but after looking at Dr. Hill’s original paper I felt obliged to examine the subject here as well because it is central to science-based medicine, and key in differentiating … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 3 Comments

CAM=Miracles, Science=Death?

Posted on January 24, 2010 by skeptvet

I really shouldn’t be giving this guy so much attention, but after our little tiff I’ve taken to checking in on his blog, and the vicious and self-serving marketing strategy is offensive enough to stimulate a response. Dr. Shaw Messonnier … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 6 Comments