Vega machine

Vega machines are a type of electroacupuncture device used in pseudoscientific Vega testing, which proponents claim can diagnose allergies and other illnesses. The forerunner to the Vega test was electroacupuncture according to Voll developed by Reinholdt Voll in the 1950s. Helmut Schimmel modified the technique in the 1970s and presented it under the name Vega test.[1]

Vega machine
Alternative medicine
ClaimsThe diagnosis of allergies and other diseases.
Related fieldsElectroacupuncture
Year proposed1970s
Original proponentsHelmut Schimmel, Reinholdt Voll in 1950s)

Several medical associations have advised against their use, including the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence,[2][3] the Australian College of Allergy,[1] the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy,[4] the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology[5] and the Allergy Society of South Africa.[6] In 1990 a medical practitioner was censured by the Medical Practitioners Disciplinary Committee in New Zealand for using a Vega machine.[7] Another practitioner was censured by the Discipline Committee of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario in 1999 for having "failed to meet the standard of practice"[8] in his use of the Vega machine in diagnosis.[9]

Reviews of the available evidence in the medical literature indicate that electrodermal testing, such as that performed with a Vega machine, is ineffective at diagnosing allergies and recommend that it not be used.[10][11][12][13][14][15][16]

References
  1. Katelaris, CH; Weiner, JM; Heddle, RJ; Stuckey, MS; Yan, KW (July 1991). "Vega testing in the diagnosis of allergic conditions". The Medical Journal of Australia. 155 (2): 113–114. doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.1991.tb142141.x. PMID 1857287. S2CID 34135200. Archived from the original on 30 June 1998.
  2. "NICE warns against the use of alternative testing for food allergy in children". National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. 23 February 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  3. Bowcott, Owen (23 February 2011). "NHS warns against complementary therapies for children's food allergies". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  4. "Unorthodox techniques for the diagnosis and treatment of allergy, asthma and immune disorders". Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy. November 2007. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  5. Bernstein, IL; et al. (March 2008). "Allergy diagnostic testing: an updated practice parameter" (PDF). Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. 100 (3, Supplement 3): S1–148. doi:10.1016/S1081-1206(10)60305-5. PMID 18431959.
  6. Motala, C; Hawarden, D (July 2009). "Guideline: Diagnostic testing in allergy" (PDF). South African Medical Journal. 99 (7): 531–535.
  7. "Medical Practitioners Disciplinary Committee: professional misconduct findings against Dr D W Steeper". New Zealand Medical Journal. 103 (888): 194–195. April 1990. PMID 2330174.
  8. "The Discipline Committee Of The College Of Physicians And Surgeons Of Ontario: Dr. Jozef Krop". College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
  9. Gray, C (March 1999). "Huge court fight may be in offing as Ontario college considers penalty for maverick MD". Canadian Medical Association Journal. 160 (6): 877–879. PMC 1230180. PMID 10189439.
  10. Niggemann, B.; Gruber, C. (August 2004). "Unproven diagnostic procedures in IgE-mediated allergic diseases". Allergy. 59 (8): 806–808. doi:10.1111/j.1398-9995.2004.00495.x. PMID 15230811.
  11. Gerez, IF; Shek, LP; Chng, HH; Lee, BW (January 2010). "Diagnostic tests for food allergy" (PDF). Singapore Medical Journal. 51 (1): 4–9. PMID 20200768.
  12. Waserman, Susan; Watson, Wade (January 2011). "Food allergy". Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology. 7 (Suppl 1): S7. doi:10.1186/1710-1492-7-S1-S7. PMC 3245440. PMID 22166142.
  13. Wüthrich, B (2005). "Unproven techniques in allergy diagnosis" (PDF). Journal of Investigational Allergology & Clinical Immunology. 15 (2): 86–90. PMID 16047707.
  14. Beyer, K; Teuber, SS (June 2005). "Food allergy diagnostics: scientific and unproven procedures". Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 5 (3): 261–6. doi:10.1097/01.all.0000168792.27948.f9. PMID 15864086. S2CID 72156088.
  15. Sicherer, S. H.; Wood, R. A. (December 2011). "Allergy Testing in Childhood: Using Allergen-Specific IgE Tests". Pediatrics. 129 (1): 193–197. doi:10.1542/peds.2011-2382. PMID 22201146.
  16. Patriarca, G; Schiavino D; Pecora V; et al. (February 2009). "Food allergy and food intolerance: diagnosis and treatment". Internal and Emergency Medicine. 4 (1): 11–24. doi:10.1007/s11739-008-0183-6. PMID 18709496. S2CID 126773.
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