January/February 2007 Alternative Health
The War on Holistic Medicine: Alternative Providers Unite in Washington

by Jonathan Wright, M.D.

Jonathan Wright, M.D.

In 1986, I was still testing children for allergies with mainstream methods. Tahoma Clinic technicians literally spent hours sticking needles into often-screaming children to try to determine allergies and sensitivities. That year, I had the opportunity to compare conventional needlestick testing to a screening method called electro-acupuncture according to voll (EAV) over a three-month period.

The EAV was clearly superior in both methods and results. It was also more humane, less time-consuming and less expensive. Word spread, and all the parents of sensitive children insisted that I use it on their children. I've been working with EAV ever since.

Channeling Your Energy

EAV-sometimes called electrodermal testing or meridian stress analysis -- is based on the traditional acupuncture meridian system. Acupuncture works on the principle that there is a network of energy channels, called meridians, spread throughout the body. In 1950, EAV's namesake, Reinhold Voll, M.D., of Germany, developed a means of measuring resistance to the flow of very tiny (and safe) electrical currents at acupuncture points found on these meridians.

Then in 1980, scientists in the United States developed the computerized versions of the technology that we still use today. EAV is not used to diagnose or treat disease, as defined by conventional medicine, nor is it used to define disease based on clinically manifested symptoms. It's used to assess the body's energy balance. By identifying imbalances, the EAV can help holistic physicians select a course of action to restore balance. The machines are also used to estimate an individual's compatibility with foods, inhalants and other substances.

Because the technology is employed only as a topical (touching the skin) evaluation, it is non-invasive and completely safe.

EAV procedures and equipment are complements to (not replacements for) a holistic doctor's diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and equipment. Remedies used in conjunction with the EAV services are typically dietary supplements and homeopathic medicines.

Holistic Tools, Doctors Under Fire

The Washington State Department of Health and Medical Quality Assurance Commission (MQAC) appears to target holistic physicians who use EAV. Dr. Geoffrey Ames had his medical license suspended for five years just for demonstrating an EAV device for a patient. In order to continue in practice, he was forced to stop using his EAV equipment. The Seattle Times reported that the Washington State Attorney General's Office, acting for the Washington State Department of Health, convicted Monte Klein, Ph.D., of practicing medicine without a license in part for using EAV equipment in his health-counseling practice.

That's right - Dr. Ames, a medical doctor with a medical license was convicted by MQAC because of the proposed use of EAV, while (Ph.D.) Dr. Klein was convicted for practicing medicine without a medical "license"-for actually using EAV.

In March 2006, I received a preliminary investigation letter from MQAC alleging that a complaint had been filed claiming that a number of procedures advertised on our website were inefficacious and/or illegal. It specifically mentioned "sensitivity screening via non-invasive measures"-code for EAV.

Holistic Benefits

EAV clearly isn't illegal. ICON Health and Fitness Systems, the world's largest manufacturer of home exercise equipment, conducted a study of the effectiveness of EAV in improving employee health and saving money for the self-funded corporate health care plan. The report found that participants experienced a 75 percent (93 percent for children) reduction in symptoms. Participants reported a 45 percent improvement in the quality of their life.

Most participants have continued to enjoy better health and lower healthcare costs beyond the one-year study period.

In one dramatic study example, Sam, age 3, and Karl, age 1, were both considered ADD/ADHD, and their parents wanted to put them on Ritalin. The EAV testing showed a possible sensitivity to food dyes. The parents have since changed the boys' diets, and they are no longer hyperactive. The two MDs who had treated the boys earlier couldn't find anything wrong. Savings: $635 for the year and one mother's nerves.

Even if you don't live in Washington, as believers in alternative medicine, these are still issues that affect you. When cases are fought in court, the decisions made establish precedents for all future cases in any state.

We all have an obligation to fight for the ability to use treatment methods that are already perfectly safe and legal.

Dr. Jonathan Wright is the medical director of Tahoma Clinic in Renton, Wash., where he also practices medicine. Visit www.tahoma-clinic.com. Wright also is co-chair of Washington CHOICE (Citizens for Health Options, Integrity, and Clinical Excellence), a group dedicated to keeping holistic providers among the full range of health care options available to consumers. Visit www.wachoice.org.