absorbing supplements

Alicia, I've seen several 'alternative' testing methods that claimed to do interesting things. One of them seemed to actually work, so I'm open to the idea that your chiro may have a device that does something, but what?

IF the device is used to diagnose, it probably needs to be FDA-approved. Your chiro can probably tell you if it has been approved as it would appear in the literature for the product. Did you see a name or brand on the machine? If so, we can look it up to get more information. If it was completely devoid of identification, I'd be a bit worried. Most medical devices are clearly stamped with the manufacturer's name.

Maybe you can tell us more about how it operated. Did it touch your skin? or shine light onto your skin? Did you have to wash off any sunscreen or makeup first?

If the machine has any reliable method of measuring flavonoid concentration in your skin (rather than using a blood test), perhaps it is designed to measure one you aren't taking. Maybe it gets thrown off by certain skin tones (more pigment, more absorbtion of UVB rays). Of course, it's always possible that it's completely ineffective and meant as a marketing tool to sell supplements.

I'd be interested in investigating it if you can find out the manufacturing or test name.

Shirley, What the chiro did to your DH is called energy testing. There is a longer, more scientific name for it too but at the moment, I can't remember it. Best wishes!

Hi, Alicia

The company, Pharmanex sells a scanner called the BioPhotonic. I found a link to the BioPhotonic scanner and a rather lively discussion on a Life Extension board:

http://forum.lef.org/default.aspx?f=43&m=22439

The scanner and supplements are part of a multilevel marketing group. I have some reservations about this kind of marketing, but you can make your own judgments.

The scanner looks to have been created at the U of Utah and was meant to detect specific compounds that may be active in preventing or stabilizing age-related macular degeneration. To maintain good vision, we need certain carotenoids, zeaxanthin and leutein, in our diets. The blurb below talks about a company commercializing its use in the opthalmic market--note the scan is performed on the retina. So far, I haven't found much more than marketing hype on the Pharmanex use. The website has a list of references but they either focus on opthalmic measurement (not wrist) or are written by one of the company founders (http://aoxlaser.com/science.html). Here's the excerpt on the opthalmic use:

http://www.business.utah.edu/display.php?pageId=2179&showDetails=204

Spectrotek intends to revolutionize age-related macular degeneration prevention with its patented technology, the Macular Carotenoid Detector (MCD). According to the National Institute of Health, 13 million Americans are at high risk of losing their vision to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and there is currently no objective method for early detection. MCD will change that. While current AMD sufferers are only diagnosed after some vision loss, MCD allows for earlier detection of AMD than any other diagnostic tool in the industry. The test is non-invasive, takes only seconds, and provides actionable data to eye care professionals.

Spectrotek is an ophthalmic device company that will sell its patented Macular Carotenoid Detector (MCD) in a virtually untouched segment of the $2.4 billion ophthalmic device market. The MCD is a screening device that assesses a patient’s risk of developing Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), which is the leading cause of blindness in the developed world. The MCD is the first available device to objectively and quickly assess an individual’s risk of developing AMD. Similar to other successful preventative screening techniques like cholesterol or glaucoma tests, an MCD scan can provide actionable data before AMD symptoms appear, timely allowing for an eye care professional to prescribe a course of treatment.
The MCD scan is objective, painless, may provide actionable data, and takes only seconds to perform. It is a laser-based technology that uses a technique called Raman Spectroscopy to detect the carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, in the human retina. Research has revealed a correlation between an individual’s retinal carotenoid level and AMD. Therefore, the MCD provides an objective measurement of a patient’s risk of developing AMD. If falling carotenoid levels are detected, an ophthalmologist or optometrist may prescribe a change in lifestyle or a course of eye-formulated supplementation.

Considering the incidence rate of AMD dramatically increases around age 70, the 90 million Americans over age 50 are at a critical point in taking steps to preserve their vision from the disease. The number of people over 50 will swell to 123 million by 2025. This rapidly expanding population will be the primary driver for MCD demand as individuals consult their eye care professional for actual and preventative treatments. To satisfy the ultimate patient demand, Spectrotek will market the MCD to the 73,000 eye care professionals working in the U.S.