Author Archives: skeptvet

From Science-Based Medicine Blog-Death and Rebirth of Vitalism

Posted on June 25, 2009 by skeptvet

Peter Lipsom has written a concise and insightful post at the Science-Based Medicine Blog, entitled The Death and Rebirth of Vitalism. It illustrates why the underlying philosophical position of faith-based medicine is unteneable. Magical entities, such as Ch’i in acupuncture, … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 2 Comments

Veterinary Vaccines-Fact and Fiction

Posted on June 24, 2009 by skeptvet

What Are Vaccines? The principle behind vaccination is that small amounts of weakened or killed organisms that normally cause disease, or even just pieces of these organisms, are given to an animal. This stimulates the immune system to generate a … Continue reading →

Posted in Vaccines | 29 Comments

Government Fails to Protect People from Harmful CAM

Posted on June 23, 2009 by skeptvet

A healthy women, told by her chiropractor she needed her subluxations treated by forceful manipulation of her neck to “improve her health and wellness” ended up a quadraplegic. She and others hurt by chiropractors in Canada have filed a class-action … Continue reading →

Posted in Law, Regulation, and Politics | 2 Comments

The Ethics of the Placebo Effect

Posted on June 16, 2009 by skeptvet

There are many reasons why therapies which don’t actually have a physical effect on a disease may appear to work anyway (an extensive list of which can be found under Can We Trust Clinical Experience? at my website). One of … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 3 Comments

Trick or Treatment-The Undeniable Facts About Alternative Medicine

Posted on June 11, 2009 by skeptvet

Trick or Treatment: The Undeniable Facts About Alternative Medicine is one of the best-written and most accessible books on the topic available. It is written by Edzard Ernst and Simon Singh. Ernst is a medical doctor and homeopath with extensive … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews | 10 Comments

Is the Mainstream Media Becoming Skeptical?

Posted on June 9, 2009 by skeptvet

The mainstream media has always had a problem covering complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). It’s much like the problem they have covering the arguments about teaching evolution or creationism in public schools. The training of journalists to “tell both sides” … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 1 Comment

The Appeal of Simplicity

Posted on June 5, 2009 by skeptvet

One of the great marketing advantage complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has over mainstream science-based medicine is the appeal of simple explanatory narratives. Sometimes we get to take advantage of this in scientific medicine. Bacteria cause infections, antibiotics kill bacteria … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 5 Comments

Veterinary Joint Supplements-Glucosamine & Chondroitin

Posted on June 5, 2009 by skeptvet

What is it?   Osteoarthritis (OA), also called degenerative joint disease (DJD), is a common and painful disease in older humans and animals. OA mostly affects cartilage, the hard but slippery tissue that covers the ends of bones where they … Continue reading →

Posted in Herbs and Supplements | 27 Comments

Veterinary Probiotics

Posted on June 5, 2009 by skeptvet

What is it?   A widely used definition of probiotics is “Live microbes that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host.” The basic idea is that all animals have a great number and variety of … Continue reading →

Posted in Herbs and Supplements | 9 Comments

Raw Diets for Dogs and Cats

Posted on June 5, 2009 by skeptvet

What’s All the Fuss About?   Pet owners are naturally concerned about providing the best care for their pets, and no form of care is more direct and meaningful that what we feed our animal companions. Rare but serious problems … Continue reading →

Posted in Nutrition | 1 Comment