Category Archives: General

Credulous, Superficial Media Coverage of Veterinary Alternative Medicine

The media loves to run cute human interest pieces on alternative medicine for animals. Reporters are seldom interested in the complexities or nuance of the evidence, but they love the warm, fuzzy, and slightly humorous image of alternative medicine applied … Continue reading

Posted in General | 8 Comments

Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation (VOM)-A Familiar Tale of Quackery

The hallmark of classic medical quackery is the lone genius proclaiming the discovery of a radical new approach to healing that is simple, perfectly effective, and perfectly safe. This magical new therapy, described in impressive scientific terminology invented from scratch … Continue reading

Posted in Chiropractic, General, Law, Regulation, and Politics | 18 Comments

Choosing Wisely: Physicians Take a Stand Against unecessary Tests and Treatments

The subject of unnecessary diagnostic testing is a contentious one that I’ve addressed here before (Overdiagnosis, Screening Tests). In human medicine, the government provides evidence-based guidelines for preventative healthcare interventions, including screening tests, through the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force … Continue reading

Posted in General | 13 Comments

Buyer Beware: How to Evaluate Pet Healthcare Products

This is a great time to be a pet owner. Advances in nutrition and veterinary medicine in the last few decades have led to tremendous improvement in the length and quality of our pets’ lives. We have more and better … Continue reading

Posted in General | 5 Comments

Veterinary Stem Cells and Snake Oil

I have written several articles previously about veterinary stem cell therapies, which I view as a promising but as yet unproven treatment for a number of medical problems. (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)  Though not “alternative” in origin, the … Continue reading

Posted in General | 8 Comments

EBVMA Symposium 2012– Evidence-Based Veterinary Medicine: It’s Happening Now!

This is the only event, and the only organization, dedicated entirely to promoting evidence-based veterinary medicine, and I encourage anyone interested to join us in New Orleans! When: Wednesday May 30, 2012, 9am-5pm (One day before the start of the … Continue reading

Posted in General | 2 Comments

What if There Were Rules for Science Journalism?

I’ve often complained about the role of the media in perpetuating misunderstandings about the nature of science and promoting pseudoscience. Journalists rarely have training in science, and those who do have the training and expertise to cover science stories accurately … Continue reading

Posted in General | 8 Comments

Hit a Nerve: Dr. Andrew Jones’ Followers Attack

In early 2010, I wrote a post listing warning signs of quack therapies, and in this post I made brief reference to Dr. Andrew Jones, who has created a successful business marketing books, DVDs, newsletters and other sources of “secret” … Continue reading

Posted in General | 24 Comments

The Problem of Negative and Inaccurate Advertising of Alternative Veterinary Medicine

Advertising is a form of communication intended to influence the behavior of potential consumers with regard to specific products or services. As such, it is inherently competitive to some degree, attempting to encourage consumers to choose the advertiser’s product over … Continue reading

Posted in General | 7 Comments

From Occam’s Razor: A Scientific View of Pseudoscience

One of my favorite podcasts is Occam’s Razor, the science podcast of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) Radio National. In a recent episode, A Scientific View of Non-Scientific Beliefs, Dr. Craig Cormick of Canberra does an excellent job of laying … Continue reading

Posted in General | Leave a comment