Naturopaths and the creep of pseudo-science

[Tumbulu]

317. No, we are not talking about anecdotes here

Look at the post above us, the person who raises and trains sports horses for a living. Look at the idiotic replies- get a new vet, etc.

As if this person would pay money to vets for useless help. As if these particular vets are idiots.

Where I am vets use all sorts of practices that the folks on DU would call woo. It just demonstrates how blind the DU "skeptic" squad is. And how out of date they are. And how they sort of are an embarrassment to liberals.

Vets were the first to embrace the use of Glucosamine on sports horses back in the early 80's, now it is a very popular and successful human supplement as well. Those of us who have organic livestock use homeopathic remedies quite a bit. To suggest that my sheep are fooled by a placebo, when I simply pour something into their water trough, is beyond preposterous. Do these methods work oftentimes, yes. Do they ever fail, yes. So, just because you or I do not understand how or why they could possibly work, why dismiss any actual evidence. And there is plenty of evidence, not just those who take the trouble to post their personal stories on a message board. Frankly I have stopped participating in these ridiculous arguments as I have decided that the most vociferous "skeptics" are simply frightened out of their minds. They just cannot handle it. I recall feeling the same way about homeopathy. I fell off my horse, my teacher popped these homeopathic arnica sugar things into my mouth and had me take them every 15 minutes and I never got a bruise and was completely OK. I keep arnica in my purse at all times now, 20 years later, it is unbelievable to me that it works. But my goodness, the amazing reduction in bruising is not deniable. And I could care less that I do not understand how it could possibly work and that someone can prove that it does not.

Why would successful vets, and livestock and sport horse breeders use all these methods if they did not work? Of course none of us may understand why they are working, or think that it is possible that the current explanations of why they work are believable. But so what? Why does one limit their observations and collection of evidence to only the things that they can explain? This is the opposite of how a real scientist approaches life.