BY HARRIET HALL, M.D.
I love to watch TV reality shows about veterinarians. There are quite a few of them now. My favorite is “The Incredible Dr. Pol.” I learn a lot from them, for example that “polio” in goats means a vitamin deficiency disease, not the infectious disease that humans get. And I have learned that dogs don’t have blood types, so any dog can donate blood to any other dog. That’s good to know, but as a skeptic there are a few things on those shows that I question. I have frequently seen TV veterinarians use laser therapy to speed wound healing from both injuries and surgical incisions. I kept wondering “Is that for real? Is it based on science or superstition?” I decided to look into the evidence.