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	{{POV}}		{{POV}}
	'''Yoshiaki Omura''', ], ], (born ], ], in ], ], ]), is President and Founder of the ''International College of Acupuncture & Electro-Therapeutics,'' President and Founder of the ''International Bi-Digital O-Ring Test Medical Association,'' and Director of Medical Research of the ''Heart Disease Research Foundation.''<ref></ref>		'''Yoshiaki Omura''', ], ], (born ], ], in ], ], ]), is President and Founder of the ''International College of Acupuncture & Electro-Therapeutics,'' President and Founder of the ''International Bi-Digital O-Ring Test Medical Association,'' and Director of Medical Research of the ''Heart Disease Research Foundation.''<ref></ref>

	Omura is the creator of the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test (BDORT), a form of ]<ref></ref> which has been characterized as ] or ], <ref>] </ref> as well as an extensive and wide-ranging series of other ] techniques derivative of and dependent upon the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test for their application and evaluation, all of which are presented in ''Acupuncture & Electro-Therapeutics Research, The International Journal,'' of which Omura is Founder and Editor-in-Chief, as well as in seminars presented by Omura and his colleagues.<ref></ref>

	In the only known credible independent evaluation and judgement of the BDORT or of any other of Omura’s variant and derivative treatments and techniques by a mainstream scientific or medical body, the ] of ] heard extensive expert testimony as to claims of scientific validity and efficacy of the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test in the course of its consideration of the case of ], who was charged with and ultimately found guilty of professional misconduct and disgraceful conduct, fined, and stripped of his license. In the Tribunal’s final findings of fact and judgement in that case the Tribunal formally found that ‘...there is no plausible evidence that PMRT has any scientific validity.’<ref name=nz></ref>

	==Bi-Digital O-Ring Test==		==Bi-Digital O-Ring Test==

	~~The~~ Bi-Digital O-Ring Test is an ] ] test developed by Omura, for which he holds ].<ref></ref><ref name=ip></ref> <ref name=bm></ref> Proponents of the test say the test is effective in the analysis and assessment of numerous biological and environmental factors, and in the diagnosis and treatment of a number of conditions.<ref></ref> ~~The test is not known to have been presented or subject to credible independent review other than that of the ].<ref name=nz/>~~		Omura is the creator of the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test (BDORT) an ] ] test developed by Omura, for which he holds ].<ref></ref><ref name=ip></ref> <ref name=bm></ref> Proponents of the test say the test is effective in the analysis and assessment of numerous biological and environmental factors, and in the diagnosis and treatment of a number of conditions.<ref></ref>

	====Description====		====Description====

	The form of the test ~~is the evaluation of opposing muscle strength consisting~~ of the diagnostician's employing thumb and forefinger ~~of each hand,~~ formed in the shape of an O, to attempt to ~~force~~ apart an O shape formed by thumb and forefinger of the person being evaluated, as ~~that~~ ~~person~~ holds a ~~slide~~ of ], a sample of ~~], potential ], etc~~, in their free hand, or is ~~otherwise~~ ~~'probed'~~ at an ~~appropriate~~ ] by the ~~use~~ of a ~~metal~~ ~~rod~~ or ~~laser~~ ~~pointer~~. The diagnostician ~~then~~ uses ~~his~~ or ~~her perception~~ of ~~the~~ ~~strength~~ ~~required~~ to ~~force apart~~ the ~~patient's~~ ~~'O-Ring'~~ of thumb and ~~forefinger~~ to ~~assess~~ the ~~matter~~ ~~being evaluated.<ref></ref><ref></ref><ref~~ ~~name=ip><ref></ref>~~		The basic form of the test consists of the diagnostician employing thumb and forefinger formed in the shape of an 'O', to attempt to open apart an 'O' shape formed by thumb and predetermined forefinger - one that is said to satisfy the three conditions for reproducibility - of the same hand, of the person being evaluated, against their resistance, under a variety of conditions. For example, while the testee holds a piece of organ tissue, or a sample of medication, in their free hand, and might also include similtaneous stimulation of a point on the body. The starting 'O-Ring' made by the testee is termed the 'Control O-Ring'. The diagnostician uses an analogue scale of how many 'O-Rings' made by the testee (formed by thumb and consequetively weaker fingers of the same hand) including and in addition to the Control O-Ring can be opened, to assess the matter being evaluated.

	====Patent====

	Yoshiaki Omura's initial Bi-Digital O-Ring patent application was rejected by the US Patent Office as 'too unbelievable to be true,' according to his own account. He then repplied for patent in 1987, and was again rejected, being told that he would not be granted a patent solely on the basis of his own researches. He then enlisted, according to his account, the assistance of 'my associates in clinical fields and basic sciences, both in Japan and the United States,' and, with further effort, patent was granted in 1993.<ref></ref>

	Dominic Lu, DDS, Fellow of Yoshiaki Omura's International College of Acupuncture & Electro-Therapeutics, Faculty Member of Yoshiaki Omura's Teaching Seminars/Workshops, and Editor of ''Acupuncture & Electro-Therapeutics Research, The International Journal,'' of which Yoshiaki Omura is Editor-in-Chief, has acknowledged that 'having a patent in the U.S. does not mean the method or a product is acceptable or recognized by FDA or medico-dental establishments.' <ref></ref>

	The fact that patent was granted to the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test has been cited as an example of 'high weirdness' <ref name=bm/> by at least one firm of patent attorneys, and by another firm of patent attorneys as 'just plain offensive,' presenting an illustrative example of the presumption of validity on the part of the US Patent Office being misused to an extent which renders claims of utility and enablement literally meaningless with respect to an invention which might have some claim to utility only if it had been presented as 'carnival entertainment.' <ref name=ip/>

	====Applications====		====Applications====

	The BDORT is capable, according to Omura and his colleagues, of a wide range of applications in the diagnosis, prescription of treatment, and evaluation of efficacy of treatment of, amongst others: heart conditions, cancers, 'pre-cancers,' allergic reactions, viral and bacterial infections, a range of organic and/or environmental stresses, as well as the precise location of acupuncture points and meridians previously unknown or ~~inappopriately~~ identified. <ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref>		The BDORT is capable, according to Omura and his colleagues, of a wide range of applications in the diagnosis, prescription of treatment, and evaluation of efficacy of treatment of, amongst others: heart conditions, cancers, 'pre-cancers,' allergic reactions, viral and bacterial infections, a range of organic and/or environmental stresses, as well as the precise location of acupuncture points and meridians previously unknown or incompletely identified. <ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref>

	These claims are not known to have been verified by any credible conventional independent peer-reviewed assessment.

	====Derivative and Variant Applications====		====Derivative and Variant Applications====
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	: In the Indirect Method of application an intermediary is employed, and the patient is not directly examined. The intermediary, for example, directs a laser pointer held in his or her right hand at the appropriate acupuncture point, eg, atop the patient's head, while at the same time the diagnostician performs the test on the left hand of the intermediary. <ref></ref><ref></ref>		: In the Indirect Method of application an intermediary is employed, and the patient is not directly examined. The intermediary, for example, directs a laser pointer held in his or her right hand at the appropriate acupuncture point, eg, atop the patient's head, while at the same time the diagnostician performs the test on the left hand of the intermediary. <ref></ref><ref></ref>

	:No scientifically viable explanation is known to have been credibly presented as to how or why this method would work..

	* Remote Application		* Remote Application

	:Omura claims that it is possible, if the procedure is performed by a very experienced practitioner such as himself, to perform the BDORT on a patient over the telephone without having any physical contact with the patient. In this procedure the patient is~~, for example,~~ instructed to hold in one hand a substance being evaluated, while holding the telephone receiver at the bodily location prescribed by the diagnostician. The practitioner then evaluates the muscle strength necessary to separate the interlocked O–rings of thumb and forefinger of each of his or her own two hands, and uses this data in place of data from standard BDORT on the patient.<ref></ref>		:Omura claims that it is possible, if the procedure is performed by a very experienced practitioner such as himself, to perform the BDORT on a patient over the telephone without having any physical contact with the patient. In this procedure the patient is instructed to hold in one hand a substance being evaluated, while holding the telephone receiver at the bodily location prescribed by the diagnostician. The practitioner then evaluates the muscle strength necessary to separate the interlocked O–rings of thumb and forefinger of each of his or her own two hands, and uses this data in place of data from standard BDORT on the patient.<ref></ref>

	:No scientifically viable explanation is known to have been credibly presented as to how or why this method would work, or, in particular, how information might be conveyed via the telephone network or other means while using the telephone network to the diagnosing physician's own hands.

	==Medical Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal of New Zealand Consideration==		==Medical Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal of New Zealand Consideration==

		⚫	The Tribunial noted at an early stage in the proceedings that "it would appear . . that the technique which Dr Gorringe practises is different from that practised by Dr Omura and therefore the Omura materials do not assist the Tribunal to any real extent". But the Tribunial gave final opinion that all PMRT (which they meant to include BDORT) is "not a plausible, reliable or scientific technique for making medical decisions" and that "We find there is no plausible evidence that PMRT has any scientific validity. It therefore follows that reliance on PMRT to make diagnoses to the exclusion of conventional and/or generally recognized diagnostic/investigatory techniques is unacceptable and irresponsible."
	The Medical Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal of New Zealand, in its consideration of the case of Richard Gorringe, examined and dismissed any claims of scientific validity of the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test, offering the following summary statement of findings:

			== Shinnick Research ==
⚫	:"We therefore ~~accept~~ that PMRT is not a plausible, reliable, or scientific technique for making medical decisions. We find there is no plausible evidence that PMRT has any scientific validity. It therefore follows that reliance on PMRT to make diagnoses to the exclusion of conventional and/or generally recognized diagnostic/investigatory techniques is unacceptable and irresponsible."
	::''– Tribunal Findings, Paragraph 363 (Note that the Tribunal uses the terms PMRT and BDORT interchangeably, characterizing both as a form of ], cf Paragraphs 100, 280, 290, 297, 305, 306, et alia)''<ref name=nz/>

			The Bi-Digital O-Ring Test, in its said application of detecting the 'electromagnetic resonance phenomenon' between two identical substances or electromagnetic fields was tested by Phillip Shinnick PhD, Celia Blumenthal MD, Adriano Borgna MD and Jacob Heller MD, in a clinical research trial over a four year period involving 400 patients with localized pain at the Center for Sports and Osteopathic Medicine in New York from 1986 to 1991<ref></ref>. During the study the BDORT was applied diagnostically without knowledge of the standard Western diagnoses made earlier of the patients involved. According to Shinnick et al, the BDORT was able to detect the internal organ that was the causal factor of the pain. The findings of this study were peer-reviewed by other Board-certified physicians<ref></ref>.
	=====Expert Testimony Offered With Which The Tribunal Concurred In Its Findings=====

	:‘In summary, I find the descriptions of the AK methods and in particular the BDORT test to be inconsistent with known physical principles. Even if it were possible to produce a “field” with these methods, AK methods (and BDORTing) have not been shown to produce an electrical field which is required to alter the electrical activation of nerve and muscle. A limited survey of the literature shows that the AK testing results are unreliable – and this idea is apparently supported by some organisations that support complementary medicine. I find it deeply disturbing that the only people who seem to claim reliable diagnostic results are those who make a living from applying it and some controlled scientific tests reveal no validity to these claims.’ ''– Professor Mark Bryden Cannell, Expert Witness called by the Tribunal, with whose testimony it concurred – Tribunal Findings, Paragraph 306''<ref name=nz/>

	:‘BDORT is operator dependent, meaning that what actually happens is that the operator diagnoses whatever it is that he believes in. One cannot scientifically evaluate “belief”. In the context of testing, then, it would be impossible to challenge the practitioner’s belief in his apparatus. ''– John Charles Welch, MD, Expert Witness called by the Tribunal, with whose testimony it concurred – Tribunal Findings, Paragraph 314''<ref name=nz/>

	:‘I think the big problem with the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test is the fact that it’s not been properly tested to make sure that the results are reproducible. As Professor Cannell alluded to in his evidence, the key thing about science is a naive observer anywhere in the world should be able to reproduce the results using the same apparatus.” ''– John Charles Welch, MD, Expert Witness called by the Tribunal, with whose testimony it concurred – Tribunal Findings, Paragraph 316''<ref name=nz/>

	:''Note: The Tribunal specifically equates BDORT’s claims of scientific validity with those of Applied Kinesiology and Gorringe’s personally preferred terminology of PMRT. Cf Paragraphs 100, 280, 290, 297, 305, 306, et alia<ref name=nz/>''

	==Selective Drug Uptake Enhancement Method==		==Selective Drug Uptake Enhancement Method==
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	The Selective Drug Uptake Enhancement Method is a central component of Omura’s BDORT-derived armamentarium of treatments in which, according to his claims, it is possible, via BDORT diagnosis and evaluation coupled with appropriate ] stimulation, to ‘target’ medications, whether ] or conventional, to specific cells or tissues, eg, cancer cells, while conversely ensuring that the medications will have minimal ‘uptake’ by non-targeted tissues or cells, thus maximizing the efficacy of the prescribed medications while minimizing side effects. <ref></ref><ref></ref>		The Selective Drug Uptake Enhancement Method is a central component of Omura’s BDORT-derived armamentarium of treatments in which, according to his claims, it is possible, via BDORT diagnosis and evaluation coupled with appropriate ] stimulation, to ‘target’ medications, whether ] or conventional, to specific cells or tissues, eg, cancer cells, while conversely ensuring that the medications will have minimal ‘uptake’ by non-targeted tissues or cells, thus maximizing the efficacy of the prescribed medications while minimizing side effects. <ref></ref><ref></ref>

	These long-standing claims are not known to have been presented to or subject to evaluation by credible conventional independent peer-reviewed assessment.

	==Solar Energy Stored Papers==		==Solar Energy Stored Papers==
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	From his research via BDORT assessment and evaluation, Omura believes that it is possible to capture a special healing power of sunlight, for which his term is Special Solar Energy, on index cards or other ordinary paper, and for which method he has applied for patent. This energy must, for maximum efficacy, be ‘captured’ at the ideal times of sunrise and sunset, and carefully preserved on what he then terms as Special Solar Energy Stored Papers, maintaining appropriate ] polarity at all times and shielding the papers from electromagnetic fields by carefully wrapping them in aluminum foil. Thus captured and preserved, he claims that Special Solar Energy is effective in the treatment of a number of conditions, including arthritis, cancers, hypertension, and Alzheimer’s Disease.<ref></ref>		From his research via BDORT assessment and evaluation, Omura believes that it is possible to capture a special healing power of sunlight, for which his term is Special Solar Energy, on index cards or other ordinary paper, and for which method he has applied for patent. This energy must, for maximum efficacy, be ‘captured’ at the ideal times of sunrise and sunset, and carefully preserved on what he then terms as Special Solar Energy Stored Papers, maintaining appropriate ] polarity at all times and shielding the papers from electromagnetic fields by carefully wrapping them in aluminum foil. Thus captured and preserved, he claims that Special Solar Energy is effective in the treatment of a number of conditions, including arthritis, cancers, hypertension, and Alzheimer’s Disease.<ref></ref>


	These findings, for which Omura seeks patent, are not known to have been presented to or subject to evaluation by credible conventional independent peer-reviewed assessment.

	==Other Researches – Psychic Healing and Psychic Surgery==		==Other Researches – Psychic Healing and Psychic Surgery==
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	==Affiliations/Credentials==		==Affiliations/Credentials==

	Omura's presentation of credentials and bona fides seem, at times explicitly, to suggest affiliation with ], <ref></ref> though he is not known in fact to have any affiliation with Columbia. Similarly, Omura's sites prominently feature the statement that he has long held and continues to hold an 'Annual International Symposium on Acupuncture & Electro-Therapeutics' at Columbia University's ], as if to suggest some form of affiliation with or approval by Columbia University. <ref></ref>~~<ref></ref><ref></ref>~~There is no known independent confirmation of this suggestion of affiliation or approval.		Omura's presentation of credentials and bona fides seem, at times explicitly, to suggest affiliation with ], <ref></ref> though he is not known in fact to have any affiliation with Columbia. Similarly, Omura's sites prominently feature the statement that he has long held and continues to hold an 'Annual International Symposium on Acupuncture & Electro-Therapeutics' at Columbia University's ], as if to suggest some form of affiliation with or approval by Columbia University. <ref></ref> There is no known independent confirmation of this suggestion of affiliation or approval.

	==Activities==		==Activities==
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Revision as of 06:10, 3 August 2006

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Yoshiaki Omura, MD, ScD, (born 28 March, 1934, in Asahi, Toyama Prefecture, Japan), is President and Founder of the International College of Acupuncture & Electro-Therapeutics, President and Founder of the International Bi-Digital O-Ring Test Medical Association, and Director of Medical Research of the Heart Disease Research Foundation.

Bi-Digital O-Ring Test

Omura is the creator of the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test (BDORT) an alternative medicine diagnostic test developed by Omura, for which he holds ]. Proponents of the test say the test is effective in the analysis and assessment of numerous biological and environmental factors, and in the diagnosis and treatment of a number of conditions.

Description

The basic form of the test consists of the diagnostician employing thumb and forefinger formed in the shape of an 'O', to attempt to open apart an 'O' shape formed by thumb and predetermined forefinger - one that is said to satisfy the three conditions for reproducibility - of the same hand, of the person being evaluated, against their resistance, under a variety of conditions. For example, while the testee holds a piece of organ tissue, or a sample of medication, in their free hand, and might also include similtaneous stimulation of a point on the body. The starting 'O-Ring' made by the testee is termed the 'Control O-Ring'. The diagnostician uses an analogue scale of how many 'O-Rings' made by the testee (formed by thumb and consequetively weaker fingers of the same hand) including and in addition to the Control O-Ring can be opened, to assess the matter being evaluated.

Applications

The BDORT is capable, according to Omura and his colleagues, of a wide range of applications in the diagnosis, prescription of treatment, and evaluation of efficacy of treatment of, amongst others: heart conditions, cancers, 'pre-cancers,' allergic reactions, viral and bacterial infections, a range of organic and/or environmental stresses, as well as the precise location of acupuncture points and meridians previously unknown or incompletely identified.

Derivative and Variant Applications

There are a number of variant methodologies of the application of the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test presented by Omura.

The Indirect Method

In the Indirect Method of application an intermediary is employed, and the patient is not directly examined. The intermediary, for example, directs a laser pointer held in his or her right hand at the appropriate acupuncture point, eg, atop the patient's head, while at the same time the diagnostician performs the test on the left hand of the intermediary.

Remote Application

Omura claims that it is possible, if the procedure is performed by a very experienced practitioner such as himself, to perform the BDORT on a patient over the telephone without having any physical contact with the patient. In this procedure the patient is instructed to hold in one hand a substance being evaluated, while holding the telephone receiver at the bodily location prescribed by the diagnostician. The practitioner then evaluates the muscle strength necessary to separate the interlocked O–rings of thumb and forefinger of each of his or her own two hands, and uses this data in place of data from standard BDORT on the patient.

Medical Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal of New Zealand Consideration

The Tribunial noted at an early stage in the proceedings that "it would appear . . that the technique which Dr Gorringe practises is different from that practised by Dr Omura and therefore the Omura materials do not assist the Tribunal to any real extent". But the Tribunial gave final opinion that all PMRT (which they meant to include BDORT) is "not a plausible, reliable or scientific technique for making medical decisions" and that "We find there is no plausible evidence that PMRT has any scientific validity. It therefore follows that reliance on PMRT to make diagnoses to the exclusion of conventional and/or generally recognized diagnostic/investigatory techniques is unacceptable and irresponsible."

Shinnick Research

The Bi-Digital O-Ring Test, in its said application of detecting the 'electromagnetic resonance phenomenon' between two identical substances or electromagnetic fields was tested by Phillip Shinnick PhD, Celia Blumenthal MD, Adriano Borgna MD and Jacob Heller MD, in a clinical research trial over a four year period involving 400 patients with localized pain at the Center for Sports and Osteopathic Medicine in New York from 1986 to 1991. During the study the BDORT was applied diagnostically without knowledge of the standard Western diagnoses made earlier of the patients involved. According to Shinnick et al, the BDORT was able to detect the internal organ that was the causal factor of the pain. The findings of this study were peer-reviewed by other Board-certified physicians.

Selective Drug Uptake Enhancement Method

The Selective Drug Uptake Enhancement Method is a central component of Omura’s BDORT-derived armamentarium of treatments in which, according to his claims, it is possible, via BDORT diagnosis and evaluation coupled with appropriate acupuncture point stimulation, to ‘target’ medications, whether alternative or conventional, to specific cells or tissues, eg, cancer cells, while conversely ensuring that the medications will have minimal ‘uptake’ by non-targeted tissues or cells, thus maximizing the efficacy of the prescribed medications while minimizing side effects.

Solar Energy Stored Papers

From his research via BDORT assessment and evaluation, Omura believes that it is possible to capture a special healing power of sunlight, for which his term is Special Solar Energy, on index cards or other ordinary paper, and for which method he has applied for patent. This energy must, for maximum efficacy, be ‘captured’ at the ideal times of sunrise and sunset, and carefully preserved on what he then terms as Special Solar Energy Stored Papers, maintaining appropriate Qi Gong polarity at all times and shielding the papers from electromagnetic fields by carefully wrapping them in aluminum foil. Thus captured and preserved, he claims that Special Solar Energy is effective in the treatment of a number of conditions, including arthritis, cancers, hypertension, and Alzheimer’s Disease.

Other Researches – Psychic Healing and Psychic Surgery

Omura, as published in his journal, has investigated the application of psychic healing and psychic surgery in Brazil, particularly that of Rubens Farias, Jr, who claims to channel the spirit of Dr Fritz. Applying the BDORT as his tool of evaluation, he concluded that psychic healing's and psychic surgery's healing effects were achieved through the application of Qi Gong energy and the use of acupuncture points.

Heart Disease Research Foundation

The Heart Disease Research Foundation, of which Omura has been Director of Medical Research since 1971, in 1972 sued General Motors on behalf of all citizens of the United States affected by pollution from General Motors, seeking substantial actual and punitive monetary damages to be awarded to its research activities. The case was dismissed as devoid of merit, establishing precedent that such ‘a bare-bones statement of conspiracy . . . without supporting facts permits dismissal’ and was meritless in both its particulars and its essential character, and US Federal Rules of Civil Procedure were subsequently amended to make such a suit impossible in future. (Heart Disease Research Foundation v General Motors Corp, 15 Fed.R.Serv. 2d 1517, 1519 (SDNY, 1972))

Affiliations/Credentials

Omura's presentation of credentials and bona fides seem, at times explicitly, to suggest affiliation with Columbia University, though he is not known in fact to have any affiliation with Columbia. Similarly, Omura's sites prominently feature the statement that he has long held and continues to hold an 'Annual International Symposium on Acupuncture & Electro-Therapeutics' at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, as if to suggest some form of affiliation with or approval by Columbia University. There is no known independent confirmation of this suggestion of affiliation or approval.

Activities

Yoshiaki Omura, as head of the International College of Acupuncture & Electro-Therapeutics, conducts monthly seminars/workshops in New York, listed by the University of the State of New York Education Department for physicians and dentists seeking certification for the application of acupuncture in the course of their practice. It is unclear as to whether or not the Office of the Professions of the New York State Education Department intends to certify the full range of Omura's techniques as referenced on his New York website or whether this extended armamentarium has been subject to their review and consideration.

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