Category Archives: General

What Does “Scientifically Proven” Really Mean?

Posted on August 23, 2011 by skeptvet

Science as a Brand I think of science as primarily an approach to knowledge; both a philosophy and collection of methods for developing an understanding of reality. Of course science is imperfect, both in itself and in how it is … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Science-Based Veterinary Medicine | 4 Comments

Web of Trust and the WOT Project

Posted on August 19, 2011 by skeptvet

Web of Trust (WOT) is a crowdsourced ratings system that rates the safety and reliability of web sites. These ratings are generated by users who visit the sites. They can be based on security concerns, but they are mostly based on … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 13 Comments

Holistic Anesthesia for Dogs and Cats

Posted on July 20, 2011 by skeptvet

In a bit of advertising on his blog, a prominent alternative veterinary medicine advocate recently discussed the case of a 15 year old dog that reportedly had heart disease and dental disease and had come to see this doctor because … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Miscellaneous CAVM | 9 Comments

Placebo Treatment for Asthma: Works for the Mind but not the Lungs

Posted on July 18, 2011 by skeptvet

Note: I originally wrote this for Science-Based Medicine, but Dr. David Gorski has posted a far more detailed review of the study, which I encourage everyone to read, so I am just posting my thoughts on the subject here. The … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 6 Comments

Prolotherapy for Dogs and Cats

Posted on July 14, 2011 by skeptvet

What Is It? Prolotherapy is a commonly offered alternative treatment for joint, connective tissue, and back pain. The practice consists of injecting substances into painful or dysfunctional joints and connective tissue with the intent of relieving discomfort and restoring function. … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 13 Comments

Integrative Veterinary Cancer Care: Are Claims without Evidence Dishonest?

Posted on July 5, 2011 by skeptvet

One of the most frustrating problems with the promotion of alternative medicine and approaches that have not been validated through appropriate scientific testing is that proponents often feel free to make sweeping claims about safety and efficacy despite the absence … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 12 Comments

From Bloodletting to Evidence-Based Medicine by Dr. Brad Hanna

Posted on June 18, 2011 by skeptvet

This is a clear and compelling description of how “Traditional Western Medicine” developed and functioned exactly as much alternative medicine does today, on the basis of tradition and anecdote, and how it was abandoned in favor of scientific medicine. Dr. … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Science-Based Veterinary Medicine | Leave a comment

Two Small Studies of Cold Laser Therapy Show Mixed Results for Intervertebral Disk Rupture in Dogs

Posted on June 16, 2011 by skeptvet

? An abstract presented at this year’s American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine reports on a study hypothesizing that low level laser therapy would shorten recovery times in dogs having back surgery for ruptured intervertebral disks and hind limb paralysis. … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 10 Comments

Mr. Eric Weisman, Promoter of Evolution Diet, Finally Prosecuted

Posted on June 16, 2011 by skeptvet

I initially wrote about Evolution Diet, and its promoter Eric Weisman, in 2009. In my first article, I primarily addressed the  irresponsible and false advertising for the product, and I only touched briefly on Mr. Weisman’s bogus academic credentials and … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 36 Comments

Telltale Signs of Pseudoscience

Posted on June 16, 2011 by skeptvet

As promised, here is the first tidbit out of Massimo Pigliucci’s Nonsense on Stilts that I want to share. (Technically, it’s not Dr. Pigliucci’s tidbit since he is summarizing part of another book, John Casti’s Paradigms Lost. But Piglucci’s book … Continue reading →

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