I just had a call from my Mum who had been visiting a friend with cancer.
Despite several rounds of chemotherapy and the best treatment available, her cancer has not regressed and the future does not look good. So, understandably, she is desperate – just the type of person likely to fall victim to unconventional treatments. She has previously been a victim of hair analysis, where she was told tomatoes were the cause of her problems and she could drink gin but not red wine (ridiculous). I previously blogged about hair analysis here and here.
Tonight she had a new magic treatment to tell my Mum about – the Vega machine. This thing is so good it can analyse the type of bacteria in your gut by placing an electrode between the toes of your right foot. My Mum called me on the way home to ask me if it was BS. Of course, I strongly suspected immediately that it was, but to be sure in two clicks of a mouse and a 30 sec Google search I was found to be correct.
Vega - the biggest star in the constellation of Lyra. Unlike the Vega machine, a spectacular sight, not a spectacular rip-off.
What is the Vega machine or Vega test?
The apparatus consists of a box containing a galvanometer which compares the resistance between the skin in contact with a hand electrode and the skin tested with a measuring stylus. The other contents of the box are an electrical source. For a more thorough explanation of the electronics behind the Vega machine see here.
Proponents claim; “Over 120 substances which include common foods and drinks and environmental substances are tested during our consultation. The equipment we use is a bio-electronic analyzer which measures the body’s electrical resistance to these substances. If a substance is causing a problem then it there will be a dip or drop in body’s electrical resistance”.
The Vega food sensitivity machine
Does it work? [NO]
A 2003 investigation by the BBC sent subjects to undergo Vega testing at different health food shops in the UK, and reported that test results varied from store to store. The report revealed that one subject was allergic to 33 different types of food, with only three being agreed upon by the testers across stores. Further, one reporter was told he needed to take a total of 20 different vitamins and minerals. But again, the testers couldn’t seem to agree and all three testers advised different supplements.
When the manufacturer, Health Screen International (HSL), were asked to explain themselves they said that the Vega machine is only about 70% accurate and “It does stretch the imagination how the Vega test works…But we have thousands of letters from people saying how much better they feel.”
Oh testimonials, of course. Any regular readers of this blog would know that testimonials do not constitute scientific evidence. The human mind is fallible, memories are remodelled and we sometimes inadvertently attribute an effect of one treatment when our body may have repaired itself naturally. Or we may have done something else to reverse the pain or illness. A red flag should always be raised if you come across a product or service that has no evidence for efficacy apart from testimonials. They are simply unreliable.
Even earlier than the 2003 BBC investigation, a paper was published in the Medical Journal of Australia, which concluded this:
Vega testing (the Vega test method) is an unorthodox method of diagnosing allergic and other diseases. It has no established scientific basis and there are no controlled trials to support its usefulness. Vega testing may lead to inappropriate treatment and expense to the patient and community (1).
And here’s what Quackwatch have to say about the likes of Vega test:
The devices described in this article are used to diagnose nonexistent health problems, select inappropriate treatment, and defraud insurance companies. The practitioners who use them are either delusional, dishonest, or both. These devices should be confiscated and the practitioners who use them should be prosecuted.
At sceptics in the pub on Thursday evening, someone asked me what motivates me to do this stuff, especially since, as he put it, it is largely a thankless task. Well, this is part of the reason. Quacks making a quick buck from sick, vulnerable and desperate individuals really gets my goat.
I know my Mum’s friend – she’s much too vulnerable for me to explain that she is getting scammed. I can only hope that by educating other people like you dear reader, that we can avoid more harm.
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Postscript: Upon reflection, doesn’t this sound quite a lot like the K-test, featured in LBC radio recently and criticised by Ben Goldacre on Bad Science? Whilst it’s not exactly the same, Kymatica still use the food allergy line, but claim to be able to tell the difference between allergies and resistance, which they explain with a lot of jargon about IgG and IgE antibodies. Ooooh, sciencey!
(1) C H Katelaris et al., Med J Aust 1991; 155: 113-114.
For the story of a nurse’s tale about debunking quack devices masquerading as medical diagnostics, see this article from the Skeptic.
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Comments ( 46 )
[...] this is an urgent inclusion. He also cited other therapies, such as alternative massage therapies, Vega testing and coffee or chamomile enemas are “untested and potentially harmful”. Vega testing is [...]
Regulating the unregistered « Skeptic Zoners added these pithy words on Apr 21 09 at 00:12[...] have previously blogged about cancer quackery here. Subscribe to comments Comment | Trackback | Post Tags: Associate Professor Michael Jefford, [...]
» Cancer Victoria issues warning about cancer quacks added these pithy words on Apr 25 09 at 03:26[...] vega machine, which as been demonstrated to be a scam numerous times. You can read more about it here. Share and [...]
» Alternative allergy clinic under investigation by consumer watchdog added these pithy words on Aug 23 09 at 00:28[...] Cases such as these where religious beliefs and faith in alternative medicine result in (often) avoidable deaths are tragically, not uncommon. It is also important to consider the desperation and vulnerability of a person faced with the imminent death of their daughter, therefore one can sympathise that you might be inclined to try anything. Similar to my Mum’s friend who passed 6 months ago from cancer also, but in her final months fell victim to all kinds of useless therapies including hair analysis and vega testing. [...]
» Alternative medicine trumps science, resulting in tragedy. added these pithy words on Jan 04 10 at 16:50[...] just another one of those “zapping” devices, sometimes known as Bioresonance therapy or Vega testing, and is not a dissimiliar concept to the E-meter used for personality profiling by the Church of [...]
» Zap! There goes your hard earned money added these pithy words on Jan 26 10 at 13:48[...] this is an urgent inclusion. He also cited other therapies, such as alternative massage therapies, Vega testing and coffee or chamomile enemas are “untested and potentially harmful”. Vega testing is [...]
» Regulating the unregistered – a code of conduct for quacks added these pithy words on Jan 03 11 at 22:43[...] it comes to food intolerance testing, blood tests are just the start. Other methods used include vega testing, the K-Test, hair testing,and applied kinesiology. But the blood tests are enjoying new [...]
Science-Based Medicine » IgG Food Intolerance Tests: What does the science say? added these pithy words on Feb 02 12 at 22:27Scott added these pithy words on Mar 09 09 at 03:45Sigh. Unfortunate how charlatans ply nonsense like Vega testing on the vulnerable instead of providing honest, science-based information.
Saw this nice review article from the University of Toronto Medical Journal:
http://www.utmj.org/issues/81.2/Technology_Review__81-144.pdf
I’m told Vega testing is banned in Canada:
http://www.healthwatcher.net/Quackerywatch/Quack-machines/Vegatest/index.html
However a quick search reveals it’s still available and used openly by quacks like naturopaths – e.g.,
Maggie added these pithy words on Mar 09 09 at 06:25Hi Scott, thanks for the additional info.
When can I move to Canada? Your government, unlike ours actively monitors and bans woo, whereas in Aust. it is up to the public to alert them to quackery. Just last week we reported a website claiming homeopathy could be used to vaccinate against meningococcal disease. I mean, really. The public has to be the watchdog in this country. And even then, you can only report the advertising of a product not the product itself.
Our gov. is an embarrassing joke.
Sean the Blogonaut added these pithy words on Mar 09 09 at 09:22Thanks for writing this up. My father has just received treatment for his cancer, thankfully he does consult real doctors and appears to be in remission – I don’t doubt though that when you are on the downward slope you reach out for anything to grab hold of.
Karen Stollznow added these pithy words on Mar 09 09 at 23:20My Mum was sucked into ‘Trichology’ or hair analysis when she was really crook with a thyroid condition. It seems all she had was a simple *allergy*.
The work may seem largely thankless, but just think of all of those potential customers who google “vega test” and stumble across your site…
no estoy en absoluto de acuerdo con estos comentarios negativos sobre esta forma de terapia, yo enferme bastante a causa added these pithy words on Oct 06 09 at 06:42me atiborraron a ansioliticos alegando problemas de nervios y depresion y no fuè sino hasta que me puse en manos de la spicohomeopatia con el equipo de “VEGA TEST´´ CUANDO EN CUESTION DE DOS MESES ENCONTRE UNA NOTABLE MEJORIA.la industria farmaceutica y los laboratorios no estan interesados en que se conozca la medicina alternativa con lo cual tienen que tirar por tierra a todos estos que estan suponiendo para ellos un fuerte competidor y les dirè mas ¿les parece 40€ que es un precio de charlatanes que solo buscan lucrarse? a mi en absoluto. estas personas tienen humildes consultas en las que pasan muchas horas tratando de ayudar desde la honestidad mas absoluta.son otros lo que deben avergonzarse de su asqueroso animo de lucro.
Leslie Grant added these pithy words on Feb 01 10 at 07:44Regarding Vegatesting: Why on earth would someone go to a ‘store’ to take a medical test? If the results are variable across ‘stores’, what else would you expect? A trained medical practitioner only should be using these machines – and I mean someone who went to medical school, homeopathic school etc. and understands the INTRICACIES of the body’s systems and how they interact. Dumping on vegatesting machines in this way is absurd and uninformed. Get your facts straight!
Maggie added these pithy words on Feb 01 10 at 12:44Hi Leslie, it doesn’t matter where you take the test. These machines are just a lot of flashing lights and dials, nothing more. And if you’re defending their use in cancer treatment, as described in this post, then you need to seriously reconsider your position. Not only is claiming to cure cancer unethical, it is illegal in New South Wales.
I personally would be very worried if I came across one in my doctor’s office. But a homeopath? Well since they believe that water carries magical vibrations, then this magic machine would fit right in.
Thanks for your comments.
BastardSheep added these pithy words on Feb 01 10 at 12:45We’re talking about a device and testing method that when tested itself has either not been proven to work or proven not to work. A device and testing method which flies directly in the face of everything we know about biology, chemistry and physics.
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Maybe you’d like to inform us of how it works (scientifically, not through woo and pseudoscience)? Maybe if someone, ANYONE could do this and maybe if someone, ANYONE could prove that such machines work, even in the hands of a trained medical professional, we wouldn’t “dump on it”.
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Our facts seem to be quite straight. If they are not, please, show us where and how they are not rather than just criticising without actually adding anything constructive.
Andrew added these pithy words on Jan 15 11 at 14:25My cousin told me she was going to an alternative healer and immediately peaked my interest.I always love to hear the bullshit stories that these people like to tell. She had a Vega test done and was informed that she has parasites in her body. He put her on an anti parasitic treatment(?) and made some generic recommendations like eat less sugar and drink more water and green tea. I don’t have the heart to tell here that Vega testing along with most alternative treatments, especially when practiced by people who claim they are a cure all, are usually a scam. Thanks for confirming my suspicions. I just hope that the anti-parasitic treatment doesn’t do her any harm.
Summers added these pithy words on Aug 01 11 at 16:09Listen up you smart people. If you are happy with your mediocre world then shut up and leave the rest of us alone. If you can’t imagine you will not achieve. Go see your doctor and pop some pills. If you think that will cure you then I wish you all the best.
Bastard Sheep added these pithy words on Aug 04 11 at 11:13So if one can imagine it, that makes it real and makes it work?
Such statements may be true in fairy tales, but here in the real world facts don’t change depending on beliefs, and the facts don’t support things such as vega testing machines.
Mark added these pithy words on Aug 27 11 at 08:15Well sceptics, all I can say is that the first time my father was tested, without knowing any of my fathers medical history or him in any way, the machine told the tester that my father had suffered meningitis at some time. As it happens my father did suffer the illness – in 1942 when survival was rare. No way at all he could have guessed that. Sorry guys but there is actually something to it, it’s not a scam but I agree, it could be misused in the wrong hands.
If anyone of you clever people can tell me how such a scam could achieve the above result, I’m all ears…
Mark added these pithy words on Aug 27 11 at 08:27To add to my previous post, the homeopath that we use would never use for any sort of cancer treatment. The device is used to test your bodys areas of weakness or deficiency and suggest a way to balance it. It’s not for curing major illnesses !
People who deny alternative medicine will also be the same crowd that believe that we are the only life in the universe just because no one can prove that we are not.
Here’s a fact for you, if I have a headache and I rub my feet, it makes my head better, how the hell would modern medicine explain that? The chinese could tell you. Wake up guys !!
Pure Heart Practitioner added these pithy words on Aug 27 11 at 08:46Well, in response to your BS TESTIMONIAL of sorts, I am a Vega practitioner, in Canada! I had to undergo specific training to learn to read and use the Vega Machine. I think having them on the counter of health food stores is a great idea in theory, but may not be read properly by untrained employees. I will admit, that on the odd occasion, I cannot get any strong idea of why someone may have the symptoms and discomfort that they have (about .25% of the time). I spend one and a half hours with my new clients to get a good feeling for their personality, stressors in life, family dynamics etc. before I turn on the Vega Machine. (How many Dr.’s give their patients more than 10 minutes. I have 2x this year been able to tell clients that were scheduled to have their gall bladders out that they were not even looking at a gall bladder issue. (both came to me frustrated as their DR. recommender gall bladder removal despite the fact that they couldn’t actually find the underlying issue. If you want to discuss quackery, take a look at the emphasis on pharmaceutical drugs and surgeries (in the US especially) Quick fact for you… over 160,000 people die every year in the USA from taking perscription drugs as recommended by their physicians!! In the past 20 years there have been under 20 deaths that MAY have been related to the use of herbal products. If you are looking for scientific research on natural practices, we have to demand it. Vega testing is one of many available tools in naturopathic practices allowing healers to truly get in touch with what is happening with patients in a cause no harm manner that pose no risk to the patient! Practicing herbalism for 15 years, Vega testing has given me a tool that allows deeper insight into what is causing symptoms of illness in my clients. Just like MD’s, there are many good natural practitioners and many who are not so good. Finding the right ones are key to taking control or our own healing. As far as scientific research goes… check out MedX on youtube, as the scientific community is discovering the power of the mind in healing in the body. We now know that we know very little about how the body works energetically and the power that our thoughts and emotions have over our physical bodies. There is hard evidence, and lots of it out there, regarding the same energy and resonance that the Vega machine uses. IF you are interested, check out Bruce Lipton – Biology of Belief and/or Deepak Chopkra on MedX
Maggie added these pithy words on Sep 07 11 at 13:53Deepak Chopra? YouTube? I prefer my evidence peer reviewed thanks. Lol.
AndyD added these pithy words on Sep 12 11 at 21:54Youtube is peer reviewed – almost all the reviews in the comments sections come from people with no medical qualifications.
Catherine F. added these pithy words on Sep 19 11 at 13:59Peer reviewed journals … bollocks to that! Who do you think controls all that? Try getting an article on alternative medicine into a journal controlled by medicos tied into the pharma model. If you want to get an idea of more of this, just google Burzynski and see what was done to this Doctor just because he came up with something that’s actually effective (yes, in trials) against cancers that everybody else gives a death sentence to.
Maggie added these pithy words on Sep 19 11 at 15:32Hi Catherine, are you implying that peer review is one big CONSPIRACY run by Big Pharma? Lol. There are plenty of articles on alt med in peer review journals. I write and review them myself, regularly. A ridiculous assertion.
Reverend Anaglyph added these pithy words on Sep 19 11 at 17:29Anyone can rubbish anything they like by raising a conspiracy theory. Because such a thing is virtually non-falsifiable (except by applying mind-numbing persistence), it’s exactly the same as saying “Look! Over there! A bunny!” whenever an argument with substance is offered.
Reverend Anaglyph added these pithy words on Sep 19 11 at 17:35I also observe that the ‘lone genius’ scenario is frequently trotted out because there are the occasional cases of scientists circumventing the system through frustration (the story of Barry Marshall infecting himself with H. pylori being a case often invoked). No matter that 99.9% of effective medicine doesn’t happen like this.
Maggie added these pithy words on Sep 19 11 at 18:29BTW here’s the Quackwatch entry on Burzynski http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Cancer/burzynski1.html
Reverend Anaglyph added these pithy words on Sep 19 11 at 18:33Oh, and aside from anything, if Burzynski’s ideas worked wouldn’t someone have noticed? Oops… silly me – Big Pharma doesn’t want cancer cured :p
Maggie added these pithy words on Sep 19 11 at 19:46Yes Reverand, dontcha know that Big Pharma wants to keep us sick so they can sell us teh more drugs? The War on Cancer is just a smokescreen. #duh
AndyD added these pithy words on Sep 23 11 at 23:52“Try getting an article on alternative medicine into a journal controlled by medicos tied into the pharma model”
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I know what you mean. Try getting am article on flying carpets into a journal controlled by engineers tied into the aviation model. It sucks.
Maggie added these pithy words on Sep 24 11 at 02:01I don’t even believe in science but somehow I can type this into a computer and it goes into the internet, that’s magic right? How else can you explain it! Cause computer chips are made of sand anyway.
Ian added these pithy words on Oct 24 11 at 02:51If I were to manufacture the Vega Machine I would do it for 2 reasons. 1. To help the thousands, ultimately, find out what’s wrong with themselves. 2. Make money. Medical equipment is big business. If these machines were effective to 1 & 2 you would find one in every hospital around the world. Go to any hospital for treatment and before any treatment is started you are asked if you have any allergies (penicillin etc.). You would fill out your questionaire and they would then do a quick double check with the Vega Machine.
Maggie added these pithy words on Oct 24 11 at 09:08@Ian, so you would ask a person then *check* with the Vega machine. Sounds like there’s plenty of room for introducing bias into your Vega “results” in this manner.
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Here’s an idea. If the Vega machine is so good then we don’t need to ask the patient (patients are notoriously unreliable for remembering their allergies, medications etc). Let’s simply test if a patient is allergic to penicillin using this! There’s no risk of people having an allergic reaction this way right?
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Right….
Ian added these pithy words on Oct 25 11 at 03:12Exactly!
Ian added these pithy words on Oct 25 11 at 03:15Oh, by the way, I think the touch lamp that’s bolted to a motel bedside table could give a better diagnosis! Afterall, they work on the same electronic principle. Conductivity, capacitance and combined resistance.
Philip added these pithy words on Nov 11 11 at 04:18We only believe ‘experts’; but the main thing they are good at is getting a piece of paper saying they are experts. A piece of paper does not heal. Most practitioners are human and can make mistakes, this does not mean that the technology is wrong. How many car drivers can say that the car caused the accident and not their driving. My mother had cancer and was given 3 months. She went on a diet, had acupuncture and died 18 years later of a chest infection she caught in hospital after breaking her leg. So much for MD’s and western medicine.
David Mullally added these pithy words on Nov 21 11 at 03:152 registered medical doctors prescribed codeine, acetominophen, anti-vertigo/nausea and 2 antacids for what I felt was excessive ear wax, which was making me crazy. They blamed it on “bipolar disorder”. How scientific.
.The chiropractor adjusted my jaw and the top of my neck, and I suddenly had 36 hours of relief. It seemed obvious that the time honoured and clinically accepted (yes they are registered doctors too) manipulations had a positive effect on something to do with my ear / eustachian tube being blocked/irritated. I used common sense and bought and used an over the counter ear flush and it worked. The phlegm cleared from the ear and into my mouth. Relief.
.“Scientific” registered medical doctors were the money grubbing “charletons” (as you refer the money makers to be)in this and many other cases that you disapprove of and look down on. This medical worshipping and the continual lie of “scientific” and evidence based treatment by a cronie network is what the QUACK watch should aim at. Your essays are utterly despicable, as Daffy your cousin would say.
.Keep on quacking and preaching science instead of acknowledging the uncommon property of common sense. Sorry, but chiropractic works for the same neurological reasoning of nsaids, except that manipulation reduces mechanical irritiation of a nerve where nsaids are just analgesic. Combinations of chiropractic and medicine are effective, but maybe you don’t like clinical results. Proper use of Vega and Acupro yield better results than your medical friends seem to produce, those who are busy thinking of a new benz or their handicap. Your efforts on steering patients to your narrow minded way of thinking can deny patients comfort and well being. Saying “buyer beware” or “don’t rely on just a single opinion” would be helpful. To me, you are a slanderous and defamatory sour grapes cry baby who wants it his way or nothing.
What do you do for itchy balls? Scratch them? You are hired.
Beardmore909 added these pithy words on Dec 09 11 at 07:23I like many was and in some ways still am sceptical about alternative therapies. The turning point for me came when my little girl had the first of her inoculations and within 24 hrs after developed dry skin patches on her forehead, arms and legs. This later developed into full blown eczema. Our GP examined her and sent us away with some E45 creme which is basically moisturizer. She would scratch herself awake at night and draw blood, we had to resort in tying her hands to the cot to stop her harming herself. After 3 months of this we were recommended to visit a local homeopath who examined her and then prescribe 1 solitary pill to take. As a lot of you who have commented on this site can imagine my reaction to this however she took the tiny pill and within 2 days all of her eczema had completey disappeared.
.My daughter was 6 months old at the time so I doubt she would have experienced any placeebo effect. It also could have been a complete coincidence that her eczema totally cleared up within 48 hrs of taking the homeopathic remedy which I doubt.
.Lets face it there are somethings that cannot be easily explained that are out there, the acceptance of which is often decided by what is percived to be the most safe for a person to mentally invest in.
.As a parting shot I bet all of you guys beleive in so called dark matter and Higgs Boson paticle even though there is still absolutley no evedince of its existance after billions of dollars have been spent trying to prove its existance. A little hipocritical perhaps ???
bigbug added these pithy words on Dec 10 11 at 08:56You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.”
— Friedrich Nietzsche
Dustin added these pithy words on Dec 27 11 at 10:31Your obviously a negative and pessimistic person with a slightly inflated ego. That can be easily seen with your sarcastic responses to all of your readers. No real professional or anyone who gives advice or opinions on anything achieves results or accomplishes anything with the way your going about it. So, why not take a step back, and look into the subconscious mind to maybe reveal to you the self-created reality you live in, which really effects everything you do. If science is that, maybe unbiasedly and scientifically leave the personality out of things
Maggie added these pithy words on Dec 27 11 at 11:22@Beardmore99, nobody believed” in the Higgs Boson – it was hypothesized to exist, scientists went looking, and they have found the best evidence to date that it probably exists. Science does not deal in belief, it deals in evidence.
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@Dustin, I’m not sure where my unconscious mind is (I don’t think science does either) but even if I did it would not make the Vega machine do anything of value. To my “self created reality”, my reality is based on well – just that – reality. Because of science I know that when I get up in the morning I’m not going to float away, thanks to gravity. When I want to travel long distances, I get on a plane (designed by scientists) not a floating carpet – even if I believe in it, it’s not going to take me 14,000 km. Perhaps you might like to address that question to yourself considering you typed your response into a computer onto the Internet – all designed using science.
AndyD added these pithy words on Jan 02 12 at 01:15Is it even possible, by definition, to look into your subconscious mind – even if you knew where to find it? Surely the very instant you find it and start looking into it, it becomes part of your conscious mind – doesn’t it? It’s a paradox worthy of Schrodinger, to be sure.
Ken added these pithy words on May 02 12 at 20:39Of course Mr. Perfect, all Dr.’s are there for the patient, I’m sure they never experiment with cancer patients and have no skeletons in their cupboard! Most complimentary therapists could only dream of having the life style Dr.’s have, most have a genuine desire to help their fellow man, it’s such a shame that people who have a good command of language, and have a skill for the pen have to think they are the savior of mankind with their own limited experience. My advice to you is do a proper RCT on complimentary practitioners before you infer that they are all out there to prey on poor suffering people. As yet to my knowledge there are know complementary practitioners with a record like Harold Shipman. It should be made aware that the vega tester, and similar devices are used as a tool to maybe back up ones clinical experience to evaluate whether a certain preparation may be useful to a patient. Perhaps Dr.’s should consider using vega testers before killing thousands of patients every year with NSAID’S.
