BDORT

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

Omura is the creator of the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test (BDORT), an alternative medicine diagnostic technique, and a series of other alternative medicine techniques 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.

The Bi-Digital O-Ring Test was considered by the Medical Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal of New Zealand in the course of its judgment of the case of Richard Gorringe. In the Tribunal's final report on that case, which is the only known recorded opinion of the BDORT by a mainstream medical body, the Tribunal found that '...there is no plausible evidence that PMRT [BDORT] has any scientific validity.' The method that Dr. Gorringe was practicing had very little to do with Dr. Omura’s Bi-Digital O-Ring Test and work. In addition, Dr. Gorringe’s Bi-Digital O-Ring Test did not meet the minimum medical standards because Dr. Gorringe did not make an effort to confirm his findings with a standard laboratory test. He was not using an informed consent form. Most of what Dr. Gorringe was doing was a modified German electrical diagnostic method, developed by Dr. Voll, for which Dr. Gorringe could not explain the basic principles. Dr. Gorringe’s so-called ‘Bi-Digital O-Ring Test’ had very little resemblance to the one that Dr. Omura had developed. In paragraph 290 on page 58 of the document, it is clearly stated by the Tribunal : “290. Dr Gorringe gave evidence as to the background relating to PMRT (or BDORT) and attributed the origin of it to a Dr Yoshiaki Omura and produced some written material relating to the Omura technique (exhibits 31 and 42). However, it would appear from perusal of those materials 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.”

Bi-Digital O-Ring Test

The Bi-Digital O-Ring Test is a diagnostic test developed by Omura, for which he holds a patent. 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. The test has been vigorously tested by the US patent office by independent evaluations. Leading professors in medical schools and dental schools with established reputations in USA and Japan have vouched for the method with affidavits. A Japanese television station made a documentary to prove the validity by both animal and human research and non-invasive diagnosis of randomly selected patients by Bi-Digital O-Ring test and re-evaluated and confirmed them with standard laboratory tests. A committee consisting of senators and congressmen who are on committees on health and technology vigorously evaluated the validity in the special meeting at the Japanese parliament on April 26, 1999 with overwhelming positive endorsement. One of the top neuroscientists, Prof. Takeshinge, who was a professor and chairman of the physiology department of Showa University in Tokyo, wanted to find out the validity of Dr. Omura’s claims, and spent several years doing evaluations of the Dr. Omura’s work as well as performed animal and human experiments together with his faculty members and ended up supporting the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test. Some of the famous experiments were shown on the two, 30-minute documentaries on Bi-Digital O-Ring Test which was shown in Japan, and received much positive response from both medical and dental profession and the public. The English version of the documentary is also available.

Description

The basic form of the test consists of the diagnostician 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, while that person holds a piece of organ tissue, or a sample of medication, in their free hand. The diagnostician then uses his or her perception of the strength required to do so to assess the matter being evaluated.

Verification

It took more than 7 years of vigorous evaluation by the U.S. patent office before a patent was granted for Dr. Omura’s Bi-Digital O-Ring Test. The first U.S. patent application was rejected because the claim was too unbelievable to be true; but when the patent lawyer demanded proof that the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test did not work, the patent lawyer pointed out that the evaluating officer made an incorrect judgement. Subsequently, the patent office requested more experimental and clinical proof supporting the claim. After 3 years of extensive research, findings were presented to the patent office. The patent office agreed that Dr. Omura obtained the results he claimed on his patent application. However, the patent office indicated that there is no proof that other people can obtain the same results. Therefore, the U.S. patent office requested that independent evaluations of the validity of the methods of Dr. Omura’s Bi-Digital O-Ring Test be duplicated by M.D,’s or D.D.S.’s with well established reputations in their specialties, or by professors in medical and dental schools; this took more than 3 years. After studying and repeating the experiments, several professors confirmed the validity of Dr. Omura’s patent claim and provided to the US Patent Office legal and acceptable affidavits; among these were influential and respected leading MD’s, DDS’s, and scientists from both the USA and Japan, including Albert Cooke, M.D., Prof. and former chairman Neurosurgery at New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn; Joel Friedman, D.D.S., Prof. of Dentistry at New York University; Simon Freed, Ph.D., Prof. of Neurology and Biochemistry at New York Medical College and research scientist at Brook Haven National Laboratories; Jason Shu, OBGYN, Member of State Board of Medicine at Pennsylvania State; Chifuyu Takeshige, M.D., Ph.D., Prof. & Chairman of the Dept. of Physiology and Dean of the School of Medicine and Hiroaki Nakajima, M.D., Ph.D., Director of Pulmonary Division and Associate Prof. of the Dept. of Internal Medicine, of Showa University in Japan; Takesuke Muteki, M.D., Prof. & Chairman of the Dept. of Anesthesiology at Kurume University Medical School in Japan; Noryuki Tani, D.D.S., Associate Prof. at Seijo Dental School in Japan; Yasuhiro Shimotsuura, M.D., Leader of Digestive Organ Research and Director of Medicine at St. Maria’s Hospital, the 2nd largest hospital in Japan; Maja Tcherkezova, M.D., National Institute of Neurology in Bulgaria; Brother Michael Losco, Assistant Prof. of Electrical Engineering at Manhattan College, etc..

In total, it took more than 7 years of vigorous evaluation of the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test before a U.S. patent was granted. A Japanese science television program (comparable to NOVA in the US) documented basic research and clinical applications of the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test. The documentary was broadcasted during a series of two-30-minute programs by different professors from various universities in Japan. (These broadcasts received positive feedback by the medical viewers and the public and were later translated into English). Shortly after this broadcast that provided scientific basis by animal and human research and confirmed the validity of Non-Invasive Diagnosis using the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test, that was proved correct by the latest standard laboratory tests, as well as above validations by many professors and experts, a U.S. patent was officially granted in 1993.

Meanwhile, in Japan, one of the most well-known, respected neuroscientists, Prof. Chifuyu Takeshige who was then chairman of the physiology dept. of Showa University Medical School in Tokyo, agreed with the people in the U.S. patent office, he thought that the patent claim was too unbelievable to be true. Prof. Takeshige wanted to find out, using a faculty member of his dept., the scientific validity of the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test. To do this, Prof. Takeshige invited Dr. Omura to his department annually to scrutinize the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test with all kinds of experiments and questions from the entire staff of the department.

Prof. Takeshige decided that he was going to see if the same phenomena could be reproduced in animals, and he used the rabbit as the experimental animal. However, the rabbit cannot make the O-Ring; therefore, he electrically stimulated the cerebral cortex corresponding to the rabbit’s paw, which corresponds to the thumb and the index finger of the human’s hand. Measuring the bursting of EMG can assess the contraction of the rabbit’s muscle. In humans when the skin above the abnormal part of the internal organ is touched, Bi-Digital O-Ring Test loses muscle tone. Prof. Takeshige felt that if he could reproduce the phenomena, he would conclude that there was enough scientific basis for Bi-Digital O-Ring Test and he would encourage the faculty members to do research for both clinical application and basic research. If the results indicated that this could not be reproduced in animals, he still wanted to publish whatever result he obtained. Since there are not many people who have experience and knowledge on this subject, Prof. Takeshige wanted to publish the results of his research in Acupuncture & Electro-Therapeutics Research, The International Journal. Prof. Takeshige considered Acupuncture & Electro-Therapeutics Research, The International Journal to be the only high quality international journal that indexed many leading articles specializing in the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test, acupuncture and electro-therapeutics. He wanted to design and perform these animal experiments independently so it would be completely independent from Dr. Omura’s work. In addition, he wanted to confirm that acupuncture point can be localized in both living human and cadavers, accurately, using the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test Resonance Phenomena between acupuncture point St. 36 and stomach tissue microscope slide. He wanted to find out if it is round in shape and the actual diameter and depth, and how it changes by acupuncture.

Prof. Takeshige also wanted to confirm in a completely blind study if Dr. Omura could localize distribution of Dopamine and Serotonin in one slice of animal brain tissue. He made a slice of brain tissue without telling Dr. Omura where it came from and bio-chemically mapped the exact distribution of Dopamines and Serotonins; he then gave the same tissue to Dr. Omura, and to see if Dr. Omura could localize the distribution of both neuro-transmitter in the same brain slice and compared with his standard histochemical mapping of the distribution. When this blind test was compared, they matched so well that Prof. Takeshige finally congratulated Dr. Omura and asked Dr. Omura to become a visiting professor of his physiology department. Before he was able to obtain satisfactory scientific evidence supporting the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test it took several years of research for himself and a number of his post-doctoral staff and faculty members. Ever since he found enough scientific evidence to support the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test he began actively encouraging other professors to do research on the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test, and a number of his research was published in Acupuncture & Electro-Therapeutics Research, International Journal. Prof. Takeshige used to participate in the annual symposium and International Symposium organized by the Japan Bi-Digital O-Ring Test Medical Society and he and his associates played leading roles in the basic scientific research of the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test.

In Japanese Parliament senators and congressmen serving on the committee on life science, medicine and technology established a life science study group and this group periodically invites top scientists in different fields whose work has already created significant impact or has future potential of improving in medical diagnosis or treatment. They also invite top scientists to evaluate and give criticisms or comments.

In April 26, 1999, Dr. Omura was invited to the Japanese Parliament to present a 2-hour lecture with research and clinical slides on the “Application of the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test for Early Non-Invasive Diagnosis and Treatment of Cardio-Vascular Disease and Cancer.” After the active questions and discussions, all of the participants wanted to see actual demonstration for the non-invasive screening of cancer, and for this Dr. Omura was given another 30 minutes to show a clinical demonstration of the presentation. This demonstration was specially requested since most of the participants were very much interested in seeing the actual demonstration. Since the time allocated for the demonstration was so limited, only 5 volunteers were screened. One of the volunteers had a positive response for cancer in the abdomen. This person insisted that Dr. Omura localize which organ had the cancer. Dr. Omura and his associates found that the patient had Adenocarcinoma of the stomach. Then a gentleman, who was the former minister of labor and health privately told Dr. Omura that the patient was operated on for stomach cancer in the previous year but to protect his political career he announced that he had a gallbladder operation; however, the previous week he was re-examined for possible recurrence of cancer by the National Cancer Institute of Tokyo, but they could not find any sign of recurrence. Dr. Omura localized the exact location of the recurrence of the stomach cancer. The patient then went to an experienced GI specialist with a Polaroid picture indicating the exact location of the abnormality that Dr. Omura had found. This second evaluation confirmed the presence of small recurrence of stomach cancer and it was removed.

This patient made many influential Japanese government leaders aware that any alternative medical society that did not include the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test could not be recognized as acceptable organizations. After this meeting, the former minister strongly recognized the accuracy and importance of the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test in non-invasive early diagnosis of cancer. The congressman introduced Dr. Omura and his associate to the new ministers of health, labor and education. Since then a number of the senator and congressman began to give strong support for the B-Digital O-Ring Test. Within one year, Prof. Takeshige, who is considered among the top neuroscientists in Japan, was also invited to give a lecture by this committee of the Japanese Parliament.

In the mid-1980s there was a very well known Japanese science documentary, “Television-Museum,” produced by Mr. Tomoaki Tashiro, at Tokai Television Station in Nagoya City. The documentary critically evaluated the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test by standard basic and clinical research, and showed how it was proven and tested using various experiments at different medical and dental schools and a major hospital. Tomoaki Tashiro had heard of the many beneficial effects of Bi-Digital O-Ring Test for people with a variety of difficult medical problems who were diagnosed and treated with the O-Ring Test; therefore, his television station decided to make a scientific documentary covering both the basic scientific research providing basis of the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test and clinical application of the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test for both diagnosis and treatment. He also wanted to observe the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test performed on the patients and he wanted to follow-up and investigate the research carried out at different universities and major hospitals in Japan. He and his staffs spent about 5 years studying and attending all the lectures and clinical demonstrations given by Dr. Omura in Japan, because Dr. Omura used to go 3 times a year to conferences and symposiums in Japan. Mr. Tomoaki Tashiro produced a very well known series of two 30-minute documentaries ( later condensed into one 54-minute documentary and translated into English) showing research on the mechanism and accuracy of clinical diagnosis by objectively confirming the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test diagnostic findings. Mr. Tomoaki Tashiro interviewed professors in medical schools and dental schools, all of who support the claims substantiated by the research of the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test. Preparation and planning of the televised documentary took more than 5 years and presents a number of clinical cases in which patients are examined using the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test. After the Bi-Digital O-Ring test diagnosis, the patients were re-examined using standard laboratory procedures and the accuracy of the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test was confirmed, and whole procedure was shown on television.

In the documentary, 3 clinical cases comparing the O-Ring Test results with the results of standard laboratory procedures were documented in the 2nd largest hospital in Japan. The first patient’s Kidney and Ureter with kidney stone was mapped out and outlined using the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test and then the patient was examined using standard laboratory tests. The patient was found to have kidney stones, as a result the patient’s Kidney and Ureter had become swollen. The X-ray taken after O-Ring Test examination confirmed the kidney stones found in the same location as predicted by the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test. The second patient’s stomach was mapped out using the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test because she had been complaining of stomach discomfort. Using the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test Resonance Phenomena with a microscope slide of Adenocarcinoma, she was found to have one very small cancer or pre-cancer area. These areas are usually missed during routine cancer screenings. When the patient underwent standard laboratory tests including a gastroscopy with fine optic fibers and indigocarmin biostaining of stomach mucous membrane as well as an X-ray after swallowing Barium, the experienced GI specialist of the 2nd largest hospital in Japan was able to make a differential diagnosis of the small, obscure abnormality as minute Adenocarcinoma of the stomach. The third patient’s painful neck was examined by BDORT and he was found to have herniation of the cervical vertebrae, this was also confirmed by X-ray and MRI of the neck.

The documentary also featured the famous animal experiment of Professor Takeshige, one of the top neuroscientists in Japan and Prof & Chairman of Showa University Medical School in Tokyo; in this experiment he created a duodenal ulcer in a rabbit and then stimulated the rabbit’s cerebral cortex corresponding to the thumb and index finger in humans, this creates a continuous bursting of EMG potential. When the skin above the rabbit’s duodenal ulcer was touched, the amplitude of EMG became 0; this corresponds with the weakening when the skin above any abnormal part of the human body is touched. This substantiates and explains why the O-Ring is weakened when any skin above the abnormal human body part is touched.

Dr. Tani, then an Associate Prof. of Seijo Dental School of Meikei University was featured in the documentary; he performed an experiment proving that electromagnetic fields including photons are picked up from human skin surface and increase the amplitude of EEG. Dr. Hida, an Associate Prof. of Otolaryngology of Nagoya City University was featured as well; he demonstrated practical use of “Virtual Drug Testing,” discovered by Dr. Omura, for a patient with an optimal dosage of medicine to treat chronic ear infections, although its modified, simplified version is shown. Dr. Shimotsuura, Director of Department of Internal Medicine of St. Mary’s Hospital, the 2nd largest hospital in Japan was featured in the documentary; he and his associates from a major robotics company devised an instrument to measure the muscle strength of the O-Ring Test. The test objectively demonstrated changes of strength of muscle when in contact with an abnormal microscope tissue slide. Dr. Shimotsuura’s clinical research on the 380 subjects non-invasively screened for stomach cancer before standard laboratory tests by gastrocopy, Barium swallowed stomach X-ray and biopsy of suspicious tissue for stomach cancer screening, demonstrated a much higher detection rate using the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test than average detection rate of stomach cancer using standard laboratory tests. After this documentarty was shown in Japan, interest among MDs and DDSs increased and many patients wanted their doctors to study the method.

Dr. Omura has been invited to present research work and give lectures in medical schools about the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test in many national and international scientific meetings; For example, at Hiroshima University Medical School, Associate Prof. Muneshige, M.D., Ph.D., Director of Rehabilitation Medicine had colon cancer with multiple metastasis; he was warned that his prognosis may be at best, two years. After using the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test techniques his condition has improved significantly and he has started using the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test extensively in the university clinic. He obtained much better results than the method he had used previously; but the rest of the medical school was not familiar with the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test, so he asked Dr. Omura to give a lecture for the faculty members and staff of the university hospital. After two hours of lectures on the basic principles and clinical applications of the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test about 5 doctors were non-invasively screened for malignancies. Dr. Omura found possible cancer in 2 physicians; one of these doctors, a Prof. of preventative medicine, had a positive response for Adenocarcinoma of the lung and the other was the president of the Hiroshima District Medical Society, he had a positive response for stomach cancer. Dr. Omura then used the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test Resonance Phenomena between two identical substances and localized and mapped the exact location of the Adenocarcinoma of the lung on the chest surface and Adenocarcinoma of the stomach was localized within the outline of the stomach. Dr. Omura suggested that both of them get checked using standard laboratory tests and even if the laboratory test could not find the cancer at that time, it would be a good idea to do the preventative measure and repeat the test periodically. A few days later, the standard laboratory results showed no malignancies in both of them. The Prof. of Preventative Medicine did safe treatment with mixture of EPA with DHA and Cilantro and the selective drug uptake enhancement method as a preventive measure. The other doctor denounced the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test as unreliable and did not take preventative measures; about one year later the Adenocarcinoma of the lung response completely disappeared from the Prof. of Preventative Medicine. On the other hand, the doctor with Adenocarcinoma of the stomach was found to have a terminal stage of stomach cancer and was operated on immediately.

Applications

The BDORT is capable, according to Omura and his colleagues, of a number of applications, especially the diagnosis and prescription of treatment for a very wide range of afflictions, including heart conditions, cancer, allergies, viral and bacterial infections, and poisoning. However, these claims have not been verified by any conventional independent peer-reviewed assessment.

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 at all. The intermediary directs a laser held in his or her right hand at the appropriate acupuncture point atop the patient's head while at the same time the diagnostician performs the test on the left hand of the intermediary. No scientifically viable explanation has been given as to why this method would work, even if the normal BDORT worked as claimed.

• 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. However, no scientifically viable explanation has been given for how the practitioner's hands would be altered by the telephone.

Medical Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal of New Zealand Consideration

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:

"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, para 363)

Selective Drug Uptake Enhancement Method

The Selective Drug Uptake Enhancement Method is a method devised by Omura "for assuring that drugs will be targeted selectively to specifically targeted biological factors, whether particular cells, tissue structures, or organs, while minimizing uptake by non-targeted biological factors of the organism. The Selective Drug Uptake Method employs appropriate stimulation of appropriate acupuncture points as determined and evaluated by the BDORT to achieve its effect.

These findings are not known to have been presented to or subject to evaluation by conventional independent peer-reviewed assessment.

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.

These findings are not known to have been presented to or subject to evaluation by conventional independent peer-reviewed assessment.

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))

Activities

Yoshiaki Omura, as head of the International College of Acupuncture & Electro-Therapeutics, conducts monthly seminars/workshops in New York, listed by the [http://www.nysed.gov University of the State of New York Educatio