Live blood analysis

Live blood analysis (LBA), live cell analysis, Hemaview or nutritional blood analysis is the use of high-resolution dark field microscopy to observe live blood cells in vitro. It is promoted by some alternative medicine practitioners, who assert that it can diagnose a range of diseases.

Live blood analysis is an "unestablished diagnostic test": its methods are not generally accepted in laboratory practice and its validity as a laboratory test has not yet been determined.^[1] There is no scientific evidence for the validity of live blood analysis,^[1] and it has been described as a pseudoscientific, bogus and fraudulent medical test.^[2][3] Live blood testing has also been described as a fraudulent means of convincing a patient that they are ill and require treatment with dietary supplements.^[4][5][6]

Overview

Proponents believe that live blood analysis provides information "about the state of the immune system, possible vitamin deficiencies, amount of toxicity, pH and mineral imbalance, areas of concern and weaknesses, fungus and yeast." Some even claim it can "spot cancer and other degenerative immune system diseases up to two years before they would otherwise be detectable" or say they can diagnose "lack of oxygen in the blood, low trace minerals, lack of exercise, too much alcohol or yeast, weak kidneys, bladder or spleen."^[4] Practitioners include alternative medicine providers such as nutritionists, herbologists, naturopaths, and chiropractors.^[1]

Dark field microscopy is useful to enhance contrast in unstained samples, but live blood analysis is not proven to be useful for any of its claimed indications. Two journal articles published in the alternative medical literature found that darkfield microscopy seemed unable to detect cancer, and that live blood analysis lacked reliability, reproducibility, and sensitivity and specificity.^[7][8] Edzard Ernst, professor of complementary medicine at the University of Exeter and University of Plymouth, notes: "No credible scientific studies have demonstrated the reliability of LBA for detecting any of the above conditions." Ernst describes live blood analysis as a "fraudulent" means of convincing patients to buy dietary supplements.^[4]

Quackwatch has been critical of live blood analysis, noting dishonesty in the claims brought forward by its proponents.^[9] The alternative medicine popularizer Andrew Weil dismissed live blood analysis as "completely bogus", writing: "Dark-field microscopy combined with live blood analysis may sound like cutting-edge science, but it's old-fashioned hokum. Don't buy into it."^[6]

Regulatory issues

In 1996, the Pennsylvania Department of Laboratories informed three Pennsylvania chiropractors that Infinity2's "Nutritional Blood Analysis" could not be used for diagnostic purposes unless they maintain a laboratory that has both state and federal certification for complex testing.^[10]

In 2001, the Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General issued a report on regulation of "unestablished laboratory tests" that focused on live blood cell analysis and the difficulty of regulating unestablished tests and laboratories.^[1]

In 2002, an Australian naturopath was convicted and fined for falsely claiming that he could diagnose illness using live blood analysis.^[11]

In 2005, the Rhode Island Department of Health ordered a chiropractor to stop performing live blood analysis. An attorney for the State Board of Examiners in Chiropractic Medicine described the test as "useless" and a "money-making scheme... The point of it all is apparently to sell nutritional supplements." A state medical board official said that live blood analysis has no discernible value, and that the public "should be very suspicious of any practitioner who offers this test."^[5]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} "CLIA regulation of unestablished laboratory tests" (PDF). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. July 2001. http://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-05-00-00250.pdf. Retrieved January 26, 2009. 
2. ^ Brigden ML (November 1995). "Unproven (questionable) cancer therapies". West. J. Med. 163 (5): 463–9. PMC 1303171. PMID 8533410. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=1303171. 
3. ^ Morris, A. Complementary and alternative allergy tests Current Allergy and Clinical Immunology March 2006 Vol 19, No.1
4. ^ ^{a b c} Ernst, Edzard (2005-07-12). "Intrigued by the spectacular claims made for Live Blood Analysis? Don't be. It doesn't work". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1526339,00.html. Retrieved 2008-11-17. 
5. ^ ^{a b} Freyer, Felice (2005-06-21). "Chiropractor ordered to halt blood tests". Providence Journal. http://www.projo.com/news/content/projo_20050621_chiro21.2342042.html. Retrieved 2008-11-17. 
6. ^ ^{a b} Weil, Andrew (September 11, 2007). "Ask Dr. Weil". Arizona Daily Star. http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/200252. Retrieved November 9, 2009. 
7. ^ El-Safadi S, Tinneberg HR, von Georgi R, Münstedt K, Brück F (June 2005). "[Does dark field microscopy according to Enderlein allow for cancer diagnosis? A prospective study]" (in German). Forsch Komplementarmed Klass Naturheilkd 12 (3): 148–51. doi:10.1159/000085212. PMID 15985779. 
8. ^ Teut M, Lüdtke R, Warning A (2006). "Reliability of Enderlein's darkfield analysis of live blood". Altern Ther Health Med 12 (4): 36–41. PMID 16862741. 
9. ^ Lowell, James (November 1986). "Live Cell Analysis: High-Tech Hokum". Quackwatch. http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Tests/livecell2.html. Retrieved 2008-11-17. 
10. ^ Wlazelek, A. (1996-04-12). "Chiropractors cease blood cell show and tell. State restricts the use of magnified images to sell vitamins, supplements". The Morning Call: p. B6. 
11. ^ "Former Lismore naturopath fined over newspaper ads". Abc.net.au. 2002-05-24. http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200205/s562909.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-17.