D@Z, I agree with you that treatment without cause is not preferred. But, there are many who do a Fall treatment and stay silent about it because they do not want to be ridiculed by other kichi. The idea is to rid the fish/pond of as many of the vermin always present as possible, so when the fish weaken over their winter rest in low temps there will be fewer baddies to take advantage. I doubt that reasoning, since the parasites in our ponds are able to reproduce so rapidly in appropriate conditions that within a couple of days the original population can be restored. Arguably, the new population is more resistant to the particular treatment chemicals that it was originally. However, if truth be told, there are many who do it and since they have fewer problems come Spring, the one is thought to be a cause for the other. I tend to think it is simply that the koikeeper who is so attentive, maintaining good conditions without regard to weather or season, has good results; and would not need to treat to get like results. At the same time, I understand the notion: This is what I do and I'm not going to change what works for me because of some assertive eggheads on the internet.
