Category Archives: General

I recently ran across an edition of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association from 1921 which contained a few tidbits that I found interesting concerning the distinction between scientifically trained veterinarians and their “empirical” competitors. Such documents are … Continue reading →

The American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA) has a statement on their web site explaining what “holistic” medicine is. I was interested in this because it’s a slippery word, seemingly simple on the surface but hard to pin down. Superficially, … Continue reading →

I recently discussed, and corrected, some comments Dr. Shawn Messonier made on his blog concerning Alison Averis’ post here illustrating how personal experience can be unreliable in evaluating whether a medical treatment works or not. Dr. Messonier has responded to … Continue reading →

The fundamental belief underlying this blog is that the truth matters, and that science is the best hope we have of approaching a true understanding of health and disease. I make an effort to investigate and understand the scientific evidence … Continue reading →

The tireless promoter of “natural” veterinary medicine (whatever that is) and himself, Dr. Shawn Messonier, has applied his characteristic fuzzy logic and love of strawmen and misleading hyperbole to a recent guest post by Alison Averis on Fooling yourself: An … Continue reading →

I have written about the placebo effect before, but a recent update to a Cochrane review entitled Placebo Interventions for All Conditions has prompted me to revisit the subject. It has been clear for some time that the so-called placebo … Continue reading →

There are many barriers to public understanding of science and scientific research, ranging from low levels of science literacy in the general population to frequently  poor communication skills among scientists. I recently ran across a pithy summary of some common … Continue reading →

“The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.” Bertrand Russell “Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge.” Charles Darwin “It is one of the essential features of such incompetence … Continue reading →

A colleague recently received the following statement, as part of a follow-up report from a board-certified specialist to whom she had referred a case. The pet received a number of alternative medical therapies as well as conventional treatment for its … Continue reading →