‘Bio-electronic regulatory medicine’ tests for chronic food intolerances

Long-term, low-level health problems may not be life-threatening but they can be debilitating and distressing.

When physiotherapist Claire Jones, 23, took up her first NHS hospital post in November 2006 she was very busy: “I really had to prove myself.”

Over the winter, she developed a “grumbly tummy: it churned continuously. I didn’t have cramps or diarrhoea but always felt I needed to go to the loo.”

A holiday in the spring quietened her symptoms but once back at work they slowly worsened.

“I felt run-down, always tired and as if I was hungover, although I hadn’t been drinking.”

Claire’s sister and mother had both suffered from similar symptoms caused by chronic food intolerances which were detected by food intolerance testing at a natural health clinic.

So, last September, she booked to see Melanie Roberts at the Orchard Clinic in Chard, Somerset, who uses a testing system called ‘bio-electronic regulatory medicine’ (BER medicine), which originated from the principles of acupuncture.

The patient holds a metal handpiece wired to a black box with a dial while the therapist presses a probe on acupuncture points on the hands or feet.

It’s claimed that this technology (of which there are several different versions) creates an electrical circuit between the box and the person which can measure the body’s response to different substances placed in the box.

According to Melanie, who has a degree in human biology, “it’s basically a galvanometer” – an instrument for detecting and measuring electric current.

Claire admits to being sceptical but open-minded as the screening had worked so well for her mother and sister. Among the 100 foods tested, her body reacted negatively to coffee and yeast.

“I’d tried eliminating wheat and dairy before, but that had made no difference.

“When I followed Melanie’s advice to cut out coffee and all yeast-containing foods, including bread, mushrooms, cheese (except soft cream cheeses), Marmite, Bovril, stock cubes, monosodium glutamate flavouring and all alcohol except for gin, vodka, and champagne, the change was amazing.

“All the problems stopped and I felt brilliant within two weeks.”

Eight months on, Claire eats small amounts of cheese and other yeast-containing foods and finds that her tummy is calm unless she’s under pressure: “It flares up a little if I’m very busy and eat yeasty foods.

“I know now that I suffer from these food intolerances which seem to be triggered by stress but I know how to deal with them.

“It’s such a big relief; I didn’t realise how much it was playing on my mind.”

Strange as BER medicine sounds – with little scientific evidence to back it up and some vitriolic critics in conventional medicine – such devices are widely used in Germany.

Melanie says that several GPs have recommended patients to her.

I’ve consulted a practitioner who uses a similar device and been impressed, as have several friends.

However, no diagnostic tool – conventional or alternative – is 100 per cent accurate. ________________________