That Live Blood Cell Analysis scam is still Alive
Had a call from a colleague today about a patient who was frantic after being told his blood was “infected”. This was from a drop of blood analysed by some “medical equipment” and there were indications of “bacteria” present in the blood so it seems. Not surprisingly he was advised to take some special supplements to counteract this.
It sounds to me that the Live Blood Analysis scam is still very much alive. We’ve blogged about this extensively in the past and so we won’t repeat ourselves.
Here are the posts:
Live Cell Analysis: High-Tech Hokum
Medical misinformation in Malaysiakini: the Live Blood Analysis hocus pocus
Live blood analysis: a bleeding scam
Back in 2009 the then DG said there’s No evidence to back LBA’s effectivenes
His statement was in response to Monday’s Starprobe report on LBA scams (Bleeding scam).
The LBA, also called nutritional blood analysis or live cell analysis, is a test where practitioners claim they could diagnose a host of illnesses including vitamin deficiencies, infections and even cancer by observing the abnormalities in a drop of blood.
They then proceed to persuade customers to buy nutritional supplements or undergo alternative therapies.
“Live blood analysis is not a valid test as there is no scientific evidence to support the claims made,” he said.
On whether an LBA test can be considered valid when a medical doctor performs it, Dr Ismail said: “There is no scientific basis for the technique and hence even if it is carried out by a medical doctor it is still not valid. No doctor should carry out such a test.”
He said the Ministry’s health technology assessment unit had completed its assessment on LBA and found no evidence to support its effectiveness.
But dear MOH, it appears it’s still going on. Patients are still being scammed. So what say you?
External link worth reading:
Live Blood Cell Analysis: Another Gimmick to Sell You Something