Electro-Dermal Screening (EDS/EAV)

What is electro-dermal screening?

Electro-dermal screening (EDS) is not a term we normally hear in doctors’ offices, hospitals or clinics. More often we hear about checking temperature, blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels. EDS is actually very similar to these tests. EDS evaluates the energetic pathways (acupuncture points) around your organs and systems.

We know a healthy baseline reading should be 50, just as we know your temperature should be 98.6° F. If the reading of your organs is lower than 50, they are weakened. If they are higher than 50, they are stressed. We can tell how stressed or weakened your system is by how far away from 50 the reading is.

In the March 2002 issue of Alternative Medicine, Burton Goldberg introduced EDS to his readers with the following words: “A quarter century of intense research in the field of medicine has convinced me of the importance of electro-dermal screening. I believe that it can and should be used to help recognize a patient’s organ dysfunctions even before physiological symptoms manifest themselves.

“It can identify pathogens and toxins that are making the patient sick, and ascertain what medicines, supplements and other remedies are helpful or harmful to the patient. It can even determine the dosages that should be administered for maximum effect. It does all this quickly, inexpensively and noninvasively.”

The two principles of EDS are: 1) Each acupuncture point has a direct relationship to a specific organ and/or system in the body, and 2) using sensitive instruments, one can measure the electromagnetic potential at each acupuncture point and thus draw a conclusion as to the functional state of the inner organs or systems.

On the device are two cables, one positive and one negative. The positive lead is attached to a stylus with an electrode tip. The tester holds the stylus by the insulated handle and presses the tip against one of the patient’s acupuncture points. The patient holds a hand electrode in his or her free hand.

During the measurement, the patient and the device form a closed circuit, allowing energy and information to flow from the device to the probe, through the patient to the hand electrode and back to the device.

The device reading is a measurement of how much energy flows through the circuit (the lower the resistance, the higher the reading) and is usually described using two values: the initial reading (generally the highest value) and the indicator drop (ID). An initial reading of approximately 50 followed by little or no indicator drop is considered good. Initial readings below 45 or above 55 are signs of possible problems.

One of the most popular and effective uses of the EDS is for the screening of food or chemical sensitivities. The results for sensitivities testing have been compared to standard diagnostic modalities like RAST, serum IGE, intra dermal allergy skin testing, food rechallenge testing and allergy history analysis.

EDS for sensitivities was shown to be as accurate and effective as any of the traditional screenings. The process is painless, rapid and precise, and no needles or invasive methods are used. EDS is the safest testing method.

When a point is located that reads below 50, above 60 or has an ID, various reagents can be tested in a process called nutritional testing. In 1945, Dr. Reinhold Voll discovered by accident that a nutritional product placed in contact with a patient’s body affects the readings of an EDS device. For example, if a person’s reading is below 50, you can test a nutritional product, such as vitamin C, to see if it has an affect on the reading. If the vitamin C brings the reading back into balance, it will be an effective treatment for this person.

EDS also can be used in dentistry. In his research, Dr. Voll found that every tooth relates to different organs and tissues in the body. For example, the canine tooth was found to be related to the eye, liver and gall bladder, and the front teeth to the bladder and reproductive organs.

So if, for example, someone were to have a root canal in one of the front teeth, that tooth may affect the ovary or uterus which may, in fact, be the underlying problem. But it is a two-way street: problems in the organs can affect the teeth, and problems in the teeth can affect the organs. So when dental work is done on specific teeth, the underlying organ needs to be supported.

EDS also is used before and after the removal of amalgam fillings which are 50 percent mercury. Mercury leaches into all parts of the body from the mouth. Studies have shown that the amount of mercury in the brain of autopsied patients directly correlates to the amount found in the mouth.

EDS can be used to screen for heavy metals, including mercury toxicity. It also can be used to check the effect that root canals are having on the corresponding organs or to find a cavitation or a hole remaining in the bone after removal of a tooth. Dr. Voll felt that 80 percent of all health problems had major causes in the oral cavity.

In conclusion, EDS is one of the most thorough, powerful and promising modern, holistic methodologies.