HISTORY

In the 1930s, French acupuncturists began experimenting with the electrical properties of skin and discovered that acupuncture points are more electrically conductive than the surrounding tissue. Acupuncture and the energetic anatomy of meridians as described by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) were already a part of many bioregulatory medicine practices. In the early 1950s, this research was further expanded by the German physician Reinhold Voll, who, together with the engineer Fritz Werner, examined the measurability of "energetic disturbances" in the human body. Voll and Werner used this research to collaborate in the design and development of a measurement device called the Dermatron. This diagnostic technique became known as electroacupuncture according to Voll (EAV), and later, electrodermal diagnostic techniques became known as electrodermal screening (EDS).

Voll then began a lifelong search to identify correlations between disease states and changes in the electrical resistance of the various acupuncture points. He thought that if he could identify electrical changes in certain acupuncture points associated with certain diseases, then he might be able to identify those diseases more easily, or earlier, when treatment intervention was likely to be more effective. Voll was successful in identifying many acupuncture points related to specific conditions and published a great deal of information about using acupuncture points diagnostically. In short, Voll discovered that the skin’s energetic characteristics were reflective of the health or condition of the organ or body system associated with each acupuncture point. In EDS, galvanic resistance measurements are used in the diagnosis of conditions, as well as information on the compatibility or applicability of biological medicaments and homeopathic remedies. 

Because Voll’s EAV testing was complicated and time consuming to perform, there developed newer systems that were more simplified and clinically practical. During the 1970s, another German practitioner, Dr. Helmut Schimmel, discovered a way to improve and simplify EAV. Instead of using many acupuncture points for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, he found that he could successfully detect information through a single point, provided that he inserted selected diagnostic test vials into an electronic circuit involving the patient and the tester. This method became known as the Vegatest and the test vials were called filters. (The term Vega is taken from the trade name of the manufacturers of Schimmel’s original electronic equipment.) Schimmel preferred to call his method “the autonomous reflex test” (ART) or “the vegetative reflex test” (VRT).

Computerized electro-dermal screening (CEDS) is based on the same biofeedback principle as EDS, whereas changes in acupuncture point electrical characteristics are monitored to gain information about an individual’s energetic condition. CEDS differs in that digital test ampoules stored on a computer are used (as opposed to physical test ampoules) to perform a screening.

There are now dozens of companies manufacturing newer generations of electrodermal screening devices. Some newer notable EDS devices are manufactured by Vega, Holimed, Biotron, G-Tech, and ZYTO Corporation. This is not a complete list. For a description of many bioenergy devices and systems on the market today refer to the website http://www.energy-medicine.org.

The field of bioenergy devices is scientifically controversial and much of the exploration and engineering development of this area of physics has been politically hindered in many countries. No EDS or bioresonance devices are FDA-approved for diagnostic or therapeutic use. Additionally, there are Canadian and U.S. government restrictions prohibiting the sale and importation of many bioenergy devices. In spite of these government restrictions, the field of Energy Medicine and Bioenergetic Medicine, with its numerous diagnostic and therapeutic devices and techniques, has greatly expanded since the 1970s.