Question:
I'm hoping that someone on this website can answer a question for me.

Recently, a friend from Scottsdale described a visit to a holistic/chiropracticpractitioner. My friend is not the type person who would ordinarily visit sucha pratice, but he had heard good things about the practitioner and decided togive it a try. My friend was referred by an individual who had suffered froman apparently rare and hard to diagnose condition known as torticullis (sp?)The practitioner used in both cases a device that attached to the knuckles of the patient. The device ostensibly reads out data that allows the user to diagnosethe "condition" of the patient. According to my friend, the diagnoses were uncannilyaccurate.

Does anyone know about this device? Is there a real correlation betweenthe knuckles and the health of an individual, or is this quackery?

I welcome any and all opinions on this device and its use, whetherpro or con.

Answer: Art asks a question about a strange device used in the office of a Scottsdale chiropractor:

My friend was referred by an individual who had suffered from an apparently rare and hard to diagnose condition known as torticullis (sp?) The practitioner used in both cases a device that attached to the knuckles of the patient. The device ostensibly reads out data that allows the user to diagnose the "condition" of the patient. According to my friend, the diagnoses were uncannily accurate.

Torticollis, or wry neck, is neither that rare and certainly is not difficultto diagnose...just take a look. No special devices are required. WhileI am not familiar with this particular one (at least from your description),it sounds like any other Subluxation Detector that populate the ChiropracticByzantium,...like the Nervoscope or ECS meter. But since it attaches tothe knuckles, I imagine it purports to "measure" the Energy of the differentmeridians of chinese medicine since the YIN and YANG channels run betweenthe fingers connecting at their tips.

I'm pretty sure that in Arizona, a chiropractor can take a 100 hour courseto get certified in acupuncture. While I don't know if this 'week-end'diploma entitles the DC to 'break skin' with needles, it doesn't stop themfrom providing 4th-rate diagnostics with the aid of a Ryodo-raku Tormeter,Hariky GK-3, Hibiki-7, Neurometer NA-DC, ITO-4107, etc. etc. etc. or anyof a plethora of electronic Energy Dowsing Rods.

Is there a real correlation between the knuckles and the health of an individual, or is this quackery.

Well yes and yes. Like many body parts, the knuckles can reflect anunderlying disease process which can be differentiated occasionally justby looking and sometimes with the aid of radiography. All the arthritidesincluding rheumatoid, psoriatic, lupus, gonorrheal, gouty, and osteo,manifest differently in the fingers...hence the 'correlation.' These deviceson the other hand, measure only 'skin resistance' and vary with skinmoisture and pressure applied by the practitioner...hence the 'quackery.'