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Author Archives: skeptvet
Parvovirus Outbreak in Idaho
A news report from The Olympian newspaper reports a localized outbreak of parvoviral enteritis, or “Parvo” in Southwest Idaho. According to the article, “Veterinary clinics and hospitals in Boise, Nampa and Caldwell are all reporting a spike in canines with … Continue reading
Posted in Science-Based Veterinary Medicine, Vaccines
5 Comments
Board Certified Woo — Or Should I Say Meow?
CAM proponents generally struggle against government regulation of their industry, though they will also often cite state licensure, when it is required, as evidence that their approaches are legitimate. However, in the absence of such a government imprimatur of legitimacy, … Continue reading
Posted in Humor
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Doctor Indicted for Selling Bogus “Cure” to Cancer Patients
I’ve discussed previously why it is both understandable that desperately ill people turn to unproven or bogus therapies and why it is immoral to take advantage of this desperation and sell them such therapies. It is comforting, then, to find … Continue reading
Cognitive Dissonance and Evidence-Based Medicine
Cognitive dissonance is the emotional reaction to becoming aware that one holds two contradictory ideas or feelings simultaneously. It is a term from a rich area of cognitive psychology looking at how people derive and maintain beliefs. One of the … Continue reading
Posted in General
7 Comments
Veterinary Stem Cell “Research” — Is This the Best We Can Do?
As I discussed in a previous post, the call for a reliance on sound evidence in veterinary medicine resonates less strongly that we might hope because of the paucity of such evidence. Financial resources are the main limiting factor in … Continue reading
Posted in Science-Based Veterinary Medicine
27 Comments
PEMF Device for Pets
Bioelectronics corporation has announced its intent to market a new device for treatment of osteoarthritis in pets. The device, the HealFast®Therapy PetPatch™, is a pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) device that attaches over a swollen or painful joint ad is intended … Continue reading
Posted in Miscellaneous CAVM
17 Comments
CAM and Religiosity
I have often referred to CAM as “faith-based medicine” due to its reliance on belief over evidence for validation, and I have commented on my perception that such a belief-based approach resembles religion, for which I have been soundly chastised … Continue reading
Posted in General
9 Comments
From CFI – Paying for Non-Evidence Based Health Care
The Office of Public Policy of the Center for Inquiry, a think tank an lobby devoted to science and reason in public policy, has issued a report warning of attempts by notorious CAM booster Tom Harkin and others to insert … Continue reading
Posted in Law, Regulation, and Politics
6 Comments
From Respectful Insolence – New Study on CAM and Vaccines
Orac at Respectful Insolence has posted a summary of a recent paper examining the relationship between usage of CAM (specifically defined as being treated by chiropractors, naturopaths, acupuncturists, and massage therapists) treatments and vaccine rates. The study looked at children … Continue reading
Posted in General, Vaccines
4 Comments
Nutraceuticals and Cognitive Dysfunction
There is widespread agreement among veterinary behaviorists, and veterinarians in general, that one consequence of the improved longevity of our patients has been an increase in clinical behavior problems associated with brain aging. Changes in sleep/wake cycles, activity level, housetraining … Continue reading
Posted in Herbs and Supplements
35 Comments