Electrodermal testing for allergies is unreliable

Electrodermal testing measures electric impedance on an acupuncture point and is a common form of unconventional testing for allergies. In a double blind, randomised block design study, Lewith et al (p 131) evaluated how it compared with conventional skin prick testing in 30 volunteers. Half of them had reacted positively to a previous skin prick test for allergy to cat dander or house dust mite. The results of more than 1500 separate allergy tests showed that electrodermal testing does not correlate with skin prick testing and so should not be used to diagnose these allergies.

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Relevant Article

Is electrodermal testing as effective as skin prick tests for diagnosing allergies? A double blind, randomised block design study

George T Lewith, Julian N Kenyon, Jackie Broomfield, Philip Prescott, Jonathan Goddard, and Stephen T Holgate
BMJ 2001 322: 131-134. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]