The History and Evolution of Bio-Energetic Screening technology
Energy medicine is growing in popularity, but it is certainly not new. ‘Chi’ has been an integral part of Chinese medicine for millennia. The success of these well-honed and time-honoured treatments has been well documented anecdotally. A vast number of people know that energy medicine works because they have seen and experienced the results for themselves. Clinical research into complementary medicine has historically been poorly funded and thereby very limited. Now, science, driven by the need to find methods more effective than symptom-suppressing drugs, is beginning to catch up with people’s experiences.
EDS (Electro-Dermal Screening)Technology
The Beginning
In the 1900’s, Western science began to investigate the ancient theories of electrical energy and wave patterns in living things and objects. A number of scientists (such as Royal Rife) produced studies evaluating the electrical properties of various compounds and concluded that each had its own unique wave pattern or resonant frequency.
When the theories behind acupuncture points first came under scrutiny from western medicine scientists, European researchers validated the existence of such points by way of electrical conductivity readings. The electrical conductivity of these points would become the foundation of Electro-Dermal Screening (EDS).
In 1951, a researcher named Nivoyet established that acupuncture points do in fact have a lower skin resistance than points elsewhere on the body’s surface and that by implication, their conductivity is higher.
In 1952, Dr. Walter Schmidt examined patients that had a variety of known disorders. He examined the corresponding acupuncture points using an electrical current and found that resistance at the specific acupuncture points that related to their disorder increased when that organ was malfunctioning. In contrast, this resistance remained constant when the function of a corresponding organ was not impaired.
These two vital findings were not consolidated until 1953, when German physician Dr. Reinhold Voll researched and developed a systematic approach for evaluating the body through skin resistance measurements. Cumbersome and complicated though it was, this was the world’s first EDS(Electro-Dermal Screening) system.
Because the techniques Dr. Voll developed were so difficult to implement, German physicians went on to work hard on developing EDS practices that would reduce the quantity of acupuncture point measurements needed, as well as reducing the quantity of remedies required in medication testing. As these modified practices developed, they became known as “Bio-electronic Functions Diagnosis & Therapy” (BFD).
Second Generation EDS
Dr. Helmut Schimmel, a medical and dental physician and clinical researcher from West Germany, worked with BFDfor nearly a decade until, in 1978, he developed a third incarnation of the system. The “VEGATEST-Method” orVRT (Vegetative Reflex Test) was the culmination of some thirty years development and experience of German Electro-Acupuncture. The new technology and practices became hugely popular in Germany and spread overseas to the USA, England and Australia.
Computerised EDS
In 1979, an American named James Hoyt Clarke launched a machine named Dermatron. This was the world’s first Computerised Electro Dermal Screening (CEDS) system. Clarke would go on working to perfect a computer system capable of taking electro-dermal measurements quickly, simply and accurately. After 16 years of research and development, he achieved this, introducing the LISTEN (Life Information System Ten) System to the world in 1991. This second-generation computerised system allowed faster and simpler operation with more accurate results. Clarke programmed tests against 18,000 substances.
The LISTEN system was the basis for BioMeridian’s BEST System, which was released in 1998. Fully Windows compatible, this system would test against 29,000 substances. Because of these radical improvements in accuracy, scope and convenience, EDS and bio-energetic technology gained popularity amongst independent practitioners worldwide. Since then popularity for bio-energetic medicine continued to spread; and science began to catch up. Energy medicine began to gain widespread clinical acceptance, with results now backed by scientifically documented research.
Fourth Generation Computerised EDS
In 2003, the EDS technology evolved from the BEST system to the Asyra. Aside from software developments, by far the most important change was that the Asyra was capable of filtering (through use of specific frequencies) the information it gathered to allow accurate single-point testing. No more multi-site probing! Criticism of EDS until this point had focused on the time and training necessary to take accurate readings. But now, with The Asyra, one site could be screened to obtain all the necessary information, rather than dozens. Instead of using probes, the practitioner could simply hand the client two hand-masses. This represented a major advance in EDS and bio-energetic technology and would make the screening procedure significantly faster and completely non-invasive.
The Asyra brought bio-energetic screening to hundreds of independent practitioners worldwide, giving them a better chance than ever of high rates of positive treatment results. This widespread application of the technology in busy private clinics highlighted new demands: practitioners needed the screenings to be faster still; and they needed probing that would be completely insusceptible to practitioner bias or error. Maximum accuracy, consistency and ease of use in minimum time would now be the focus for research and development in the EDS and bio-energetic medicine field.
The Future
The Asyra AT3, introduced in 2006, marked a significant step forward for the technology. It was one of the first truly flexible probe-less EDS devices. Not only did the AT3 eliminate operator bias, it also enabled many of the ponderous techniques associated with probing to be automated. In a single stroke screening times were reduced dramatically. So much so, that a test of all major organs and body systems was reduced from around an hour to less than a minute. The benefits of this to the busy practitioner are obvious.
As well as being fast, the Asyra AT3 is extremely flexible. Treatment protocols can be tuned to meet the varying needs of individual practitioners, new protocols can be created and preferred remedies, from any supplier, can be quickly and easily added to the system’s database.
All this adds up to a powerful tool, which can enhance the skills and knowledge of practitioners from a broad spectrum of health disciplines.
In April 2009, the Asyra AT3 was updated to the Asyra Pro. This is the version that I use in my practice.
In addition to being the fastest probe-less screening device, the Asyra Pro continues to lead the industry by introducing the direct application of individualised remedies via low-energy laser. This technique, based on the work of Dr Lee Cowden in the US, is designed to kick start the healing process. I have a laser available, should you wish to try this for yourself.
