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Category Archives: General
Politics Trumps Science: Continuing Education Credit for Pseudoscience thanks to the AHVMA
I’ve written before about the ludicrous subjects the American Holistic Veterinary Medicine Association offers “continuing education” courses on, including “Earth Acupuncture” to heal the Earth by poking sticks in the ground and adoption into a fake Native American religion to … Continue reading
Posted in General, Law, Regulation, and Politics
29 Comments
Dr. Andrew Jones: Selling “Secrets” and Lies finally has a price
I once referred briefly to Dr. Andrew Jones in a previous post as an example of one of the warning signs of quackery, the claim of secret knowledge that mainstream science and medicine doesn’t want you to have. Of course, … Continue reading
Posted in General, Law, Regulation, and Politics
200 Comments
All Natural Advertising for Alternative Veterinary Medicine
I couldn’t resist passing along this little gem. A veterinarian named Dr. Margo Roman, who practices and advocates for the usual hodgepodge of alternative veterinary therapies, has a project called Dr. DoMore which is focused on producing DVD “documentaries” (a.k.a. … Continue reading
Posted in General, Humor, Miscellaneous CAVM
25 Comments
HuffPo Offers Vet Woo Too, Courtesy of Dr. Palmquist
The folks at Science-Based Medicine and Respectful Insolence have been pointing out for a while that the Huffington Post has become a mainstream media champion for unreliable alternative medical information. And fortunately for us, HuffPo isn’t ignoring the veterinary side … Continue reading
Posted in General, Miscellaneous CAVM
9 Comments
The AHVMA: Bought and Paid for by Big Supplement?
A common complaint about conventional, science-based medicine is that it is unduly influenced by commercial interests and agendas, especially the pharmaceutical industry or “Big Pharma.” There is no question that corporations who manufacture medicines, pet foods, and other products used … Continue reading
Posted in General, Law, Regulation, and Politics
25 Comments
Orientalism
One of the more subtle flaws in thinking that supports unproven alternative medical approaches is the notion best described by Edward Said in his book Orientalism. Though I don’t agree with Said’s post-modernist approach in general, I see great utility … Continue reading
Posted in General, Humor
8 Comments
Cognitive Dissonance In Action: Glucosamine No Matter What!
I’ve discussed cognitive dissonance previously. Briefly, it is the unpleasant feeling that comes from a conflict between beliefs, and its most typical manifestation is a powerful ability to rationalize away evidence that contradicts what we believe. Rather than experience the … Continue reading
Posted in General, Herbs and Supplements
9 Comments
Home Remedies: A Cautionary Tale
Harriett Hall, The SkepDoc from whom I cribbed my moniker, recently wrote on the science-Based Medicine blog about the new Mayo Clinic guide to home remedies, which sounds like a sensible guide to appropriate kinds of self-treatment for minor medical … Continue reading
Posted in General, Miscellaneous CAVM
6 Comments
Theory of Superstitious and Magical Beliefs
Lindeman M, Aarnio K. Superstitious, magical, and paranormal beliefs: An integrative model. Journal of Research in Personality 2007;41:731-44. I recently ran across this paper in the Journal of Research In Personality which had some interesting things to say about how … Continue reading
Posted in General
4 Comments
Consumer Reports–The Dangers of Supplements
There is an article in the upcoming issue of Consumer Reports discussing the sorry state of regulatory oversight for dietary supplements, herbs, and vitamins, and some of the concrete harm that has come to consumers as a result. It is … Continue reading
Posted in General
2 Comments