fondly, lilady

My vets are okay so far, but their staff have given me reason to complain by making absurd claims about pet food and feeding–a subject already full of woo from the marketers and advertisers.

It’s just awful that these people (well-meaning or not) are extending their reach into the non-verbal animal world. At least you or I can say, “no thanks” when offered these “treatments”.

There is a great blog I’d like to share with you. I believe the blogger is an occasional contributor to SBM blog as well.

http://skeptvet.com/Blog/

I feel for you and your ideas seem spot on although I’d like to see some real research on why people turn to CAM (woo)–I’ve learned not to totally trust my own limited impressions. Here in the States you can add lack of insurance to the list.

Another problem is the libraries–they shelve the woo books right in with the actual medical books. And the bookstores–Eeek! Don’t get me started. Many of the woo books are written by MD’s or, people who list themselves as Dr.Dimwit, ND, DC, or whatever, in teeny print or else a whole string of letters which may look impressive to the ill-informed but usually amount to one correspondence diploma mill after another or weekend course somewhere.

Then there are the “PhD”s who often went to now defunct and highly questionable “colleges”. The MD’s who write these books have, in my view, wasted an expensive and extensive education only to join up with all of the quacks.

I know some of these kinds of people and many of them mean well and truly want to “help people”. They see themselves as “healers”, but of course healing to them is all about the naturalistic fallacy and vitalism–and “spirituality”. They’re really under the illusion (delusion?) that MD’s have wasted their time in medical school for the most part. The worst thing about the small town I lived in that was very woo-ish was the number of MD’s there doing “holistic”, “complimentary”, “integrative” and all sorts of other “alternative” modalities, especially acupuncture. The claims made by many of the massage therapists were way out of their licensing limits.

Well, I could go on, but you get the idea. It’s good to know that I am not alone either because now I live in a largish city in the midwest and it’s almost as bad as the small town on the West Coast.The reason I feel alone is because the more I learn about CAM and how to evaluate studies, etc., the less I want to be around these people. I’ve become somewhat isolated socially and am working on making new contacts in hopes of making some newer and more rational thinking friends.

If you like this blog, check out sciencebasedmedicine.org
Scott Gavura is a contributor there as well.

Still, it is, of course up to each city to make these decisions, but where money is the issue, I would hope that state/provincial or federal government would step in to help. Public health is one of those things we need to all be in together whether village of mega city.

Mittens, (and that is my friend-oriented nickname for you now) I’m glad to hear you have such an intimate relationship with someone science oriented, although I must remind you that Dr. Oz and Dr. Weill, Dr. Mercola, Dr. Sears, Dr.many others are heavily into the woo. Not saying your wife is–definitely not. But I’ve become skeptical. Too many people lately are telling me their woo was “prescribed” by an MD, or allopath as they often term it. I don’t go off on anyone for saying allopath, but I don’t let it slide either. I try to use it as a starting point to get them reading something besides Mike Adams, Gary Null or the like.

It’s discussed frequently on SBM that many doctors are shruggies and it is part of the mission of the blog, I believe, to get more of them to think about the passive effect that can have on the problem.

Thank you for taking the trouble to carry on the conversation long enough to clear up misconceptions. I will go now and read your conversation that you linked to. Fair is fair.