Nambudripad Allergy Elimination Technique
| Alternative medicine / fringe therapies | |
| Claims | Allergies can be diagnosed with muscular testing and cured with subsequent acupuncture or acupressure treatments and dietary restrictions. |
|---|---|
| Related fields | Acupressure, Acupuncture, Chiropractic, Applied kinesiology |
| Year proposed | 1983 |
| Original proponents | Devi Nambudripad |
| See also | Applied kinesiology |
Nambudripad Allergy Elimination Technique (NAET) is an alternative medicine technique intended as a treatment for allergies and chemical sensitivities. Founded in 1983 by Devi Nambudripad, a California based acupuncturist, NAET draws on ideas from acupuncture, applied kinesiology, and allergy medicine. NAET attracts controversy due to the lack of scientific justification of the therapeutic approach, and absence of supporting scientific evidence of its clinical effectiveness.
Background
Devi Nambudripad was a licensed chiropractor and student acupuncturist at the time she developed NAET. Whilst experiencing a reaction to eating carrot she attempted to overcome the reaction through a self-administered acupuncture treatment. After the treatment the reaction to eating carrot did not return. At the time of the acupuncture treatment, a remnant of carrot was on her skin, and Nambudripad concluded from this that the presence of a minute quantity of carrot during the acupuncture treatment was the key to the treatment. She then proceeded to develop the theory of NAET on the principle that contact with a small amount of an allergen during an acupuncture or acupressure session can remove reactions to food and other substances.[1]
Technique
The theory of NAET suggests that allergies develop due to energy blockages, and that allergies can be eliminated by addressing these energy blockages through the use of acupuncture or acupressure. NAET practitioners use a form of Applied kinesiology to compare the strength of a muscle before and during contact with a potential allergen. NAET practitioners will then aim to remove energy blockages by having the patient hold a glass bottle containing the allergen whilst acupressure or acupuncture techniques are employed. After treatment, patients rest 20 minutes while continuing to hold the jar containing the allergen, after which time the patient will again be tested for an allergic reaction using the muscle strength test. If the NAET practitioner determines the allergy has cleared, the patient is advised to avoid the allergic substance for the following 25 hours. Patients are instructed to return for retesting with NAET between 25 hours and 7 days after the treatment.[citation needed]
NAET treatment itself does not have documented side effects, but its effectiveness in the treatment of mild, moderate or severe allergies is not scientifically proven. Effective methods for dealing with an allergy include avoiding the allergen, and pharmacological and immunological interventions.
Scientific Validation
To date, no randomized, double-blind controlled studies have been performed on NAET. Studies performed on applied kinesiology, a main component of NAET practice have shown the technique to be an unreliable method for diagnosis.[2][3]
One published case study of a single individual has suggested that 4 weeks of NAET treatment may have relieved eczema in a child that was caused by certain food allergies.[4] A case study is not, however, strong evidence for effectiveness; on the basis of their case study, the authors recommend the carrying out of randomized, double-blind controlled studies.
The Nambudripad Allergy Elimination Technique has not been demonstrated to be effective for any medical condition beyond possible placebo effects. Its practice is not grounded in physiology.[5][6][7]
One recent review of complementary allergy tests[8] writes that "NAET has to be the most unsubstantiated allergy treatment proposed to date." Another concludes that "there have been no studies supporting the use of these techniques, and several have refuted their utility."[6]
Stephen Barrett (of Quackwatch and related health fraud websites), after an examination of the technique and Nambudripad’s credentials, writes that:
| “ | NAET clashes with the concepts of anatomy, physiology, pathology, physics, and allergy accepted by the scientific community. The story of its “discovery” is highly implausible. Its core diagnostic approach – muscle testing for “allergies” – is senseless and is virtually certain to diagnose nonexistent problems. Its recommendations for dietary restrictions based on nonexistent food allergies are likely to place the patient at great risk for nutrient deficiency, and, in the case of children, at risk for social problems and the development of eating disorders. I believe that practitioners who use NAET have such poor judgment that they should not be permitted to remain licensed.[7] | ” |
See also
References
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<references />, or <references group="..." />- ↑ Nambudripad DS. Say Goodbye to Illness. Buena Park, CA: Delta Publishing Co., 1993
- ↑ Ludtke R, Kunz B, Seeber N, Ring J. (2001). "Test-retest-reliability and validity of the Kinesiology muscle test". Complement Ther Med. 9 (3): 141–5.
- ↑ Kenney JJ, Clemens R, Forsythe KD. (1988). "Applied kinesiology unreliable for assessing nutrient status". J Am Diet Assoc. 88 (6): 698–704.
- ↑ Terwee, CB. (2008). "Successful treatment of food allergy with Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination Techniques (NAET) in a 3-year old: A case report". Cases Journal. 1 (1).
- ↑ "Unorthodox Techniques for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Allergy, Asthma, and Immune Disorders". Australian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy. 2007-11. Retrieved 2008-07-31. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 Teuber, Suzanne S.; Porch-Curren, Cristina (2003). "Unproved diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to food allergy and intolerance". Current Opinion in Allergy & Clinical Immunology. 3 (3): 217–221. doi:10.1097/00130832-200306000-00011.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Stephen Barrett, M.D. "Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination Technique (NAET)". Chirobase.org.
- ↑ Morris, A. (2006). "Complementary and Alternative Allergy Tests". Current Allergy & Clinical Immunology. 19 (1).
