1. What is DDFAO ?
2. What are the principles behind DDFAO ?
3. How does DDFAO work ?
4. What is unique about DDFAO technology ?
5. Why another diagnosis tool ?
6. What are the applications of DDFAO ?
7. Who is using DDFAO ?
8. What are the benefits of DDFAO ?
9. What is the accuracy of DDFAO ?
10. What are the indications for DDFAO ?
11. What are the contra-indications for DDFAO ?
12. Is DDFAO applicable with all types of skins ?
13. What is the time required for a diagnosis with DDFAO ?
14. What is the cost associated to each DDFAO diagnosis ?
15. How does DDFAO protect its investment value ?
16. Which agency approvals were granted to DDFAO ?
17. What is the DDFAO range of products ?
18. Where DDFAO can be found at work ?
1. What is DDFAO ?
DDFAO has been invented in France and is an awkward French acronym to designate the first “Computer-Aided Screening and Functional Diagnosis” non-invasive investigation tool for the entire human body.
DDFAO is an imaging medical device but, unlike conventional scanners or MRI, which are expensive imaging devices looking for any possible lesion in the body and therefore require extensive computer power in order not to miss any detail, DDFAO is looking for the functional state of the different organs and systems of the human body.
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2. What are the principles behind DDFAO ?
Unlike ENT or EAV devices (ElectroAcupuncture according to Voll), which might appear similar at first glance, DDFAO is NOT relying on a lengthy process of manually locating tiny measuring points on the acupuncture meridians throughout the body in order to evaluate ‘bio-energy flows’.
DDFAO is a true medical device which reliably measures bio-electroimpedances by mean of 6 convenient large flat pods and determines accurately body parameters like pH and blood pressures, thanks to its highly integrated electronic circuitry.
DDFAO’s integrated expert-like patented technology is also able to interpret these data by applying the neurophysiology principles and to propose automatically its own analysis of the patient’s risks in less than 3 minutes (measuring time included), instead of simply printing out the measurements results as a set of raw data which require significant time of a trained person for the analysis !
Unlike Body Composition Analyzers, devices of similar appearance which also measure bio-electroimpedances but determine only characteristics of the body like good and bad fat, weight of the bones, percentage of water…, with no further analysis, even for the most sophisticated ones, DDFAO expert-like system is able to deliver a full analytical report on the detailed functioning of the complete body with organs and systems (down to the hormones), along with quantifying the risks for pathologies, giving recommendations for conventional examinations, and suggestions for therapies.
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3. How does DDFAO work ?
DDFAO is measuring the human body’s electrical activity, actually using the same principles which are behind the well-known EEG and ECG, but instead of focusing on brain or heart activities, DDFAO applies the technique to the entire body, to record an ElectroSomatoGram (ESG).
DDFAO is simply sending a harmless low DC-voltage (1.28V) to the patient’s body, by the mean of 6 electrodes in contact with his skin : two on his feet, two on his hands and two on his foreheads. By sequentially applying the positive polarity on each one of these electrodes while every other one is sequentially receiving the negative polarity, DDFAO initiates a migration of H+ and HC03- ions in the different tissues traversed, thus creating a very low DC-current which is measured on each of the 22 branches under analysis.
The bio-electroimpedance of each branch is then simply calculated by the application of Ohm’s Law and recorded as the ESG. Of course, each branch is composed of many organs and tissues but DDFAO’s patented cross-analysis algorithms allow to calculate the bio-electroimpedance of more than 69 different volumes (organs and surrounding tissues) in the human body and ultimately to determine the pH of each one of these volumes, whose pH is representative of their alkalosis or acidosis state, which is significative of trends or pathologies, according to the importance of this pH value.
The correlation between an organ’s bio-electroimpedance and its pH or blood pressure is not new : it was actually proved by numerous electro-physiological research that started as early as the middle of the 19th century (E. Du Bois Reymond, 1857). But at that time, this experimental work had no applicable usage in common practice because it would take way too long to manually make all the measurements and calculations needed to make a proper diagnosis : only the modern understanding of the neuro-physiology principles and the affordable and extensive power of today’s computers allowed fast calculations and the neurophysiology systems to be modelized into DDFAO.
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4. What is unique about DDFAO technology ?
DDFAO is not representing these data on a hard-to-read list of numbers or hard-to-interpret graphics, but in a similar way that the data collected by mean of ultrasounds are displayed after calculations in an echography, DDFAO generates several reconstituted color graphic images in its unique easy-to-read yet comprehensive way.
DDFAO’s unique power does not stop with its quick measurement time and easy-to-read colorful screenshots : DDFAO’s embedded expert-like system instantaneously proposes to the doctor its own analysis of the risks related to the current condition of the patient, suggesting possible complementary conventional examinations and actions related to several possible therapies.
This is made possible by DDFAO’s embedded expert-like system which integrates the neurophysiology models describing the way the different systems regulate the human body in order to maintain it in a well-balanced state (like the sympathic, parasympathic, endocrine, immune, central nervous systems, …) with the active links between each one of their elements, which lead to pinpointing the discrepancies between the expected behaviors of the different elements of the body and their actual states, revealed by the measurements.
DDFAO is not intended to replace doctors but is an easy-to-use investigation tool designed to help the doctor to quickly spot the disorders of a patient. It remains under the doctor’s full responsibility to filter the relevant information according to his patient’s knowledge and historical record and deliver the final diagnosis –even if the input of the patient’s clinical context details will filter DDFAO’s proposed automatic analysis of risks for an even more accurate diagnosis.
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5. Why another diagnosis tool ?
In the old days, when the engine of your car was exhibiting some noisy or smelly sign of disorder, you had to refer it to a specialist : a skilled old-timer in a garage would appropriately stick his screw-driver on some specific spots of the running engine before delivering his sober diagnosis. Even though this looked magic, it worked most of the time, as long as you can find them… Since they universally tend to disappear these days, the modern car industry has come-up with new diagnosis tools which allow young mechanical engineers to deliver a timely and accurate functional diagnosis after hooking-up a computer-based analyzing tool to the engine –with no magic.
Each year, the medical industry is presenting new medical devices focusing on different pathologies, but very few medical devices like DDFAO are addressing the needs of the general practitioner to ease his search of the origin of his patient’s problem with a global approach, taking all systems into consideration, and shortening the time needed for his analysis work, not requesting laboratory examinations to start with.
Interestingly enough, outside of the surgical block where the patient’s functional state is monitored in detail, no medical device before DDFAO was addressing the needs of the functional medicine in the private doctor’s office or as initial check-up for screening purposes in school or in public hospitals, enabling quick locating of the origin of a problem, not just looking for symptoms to be treated.
As an example, an ECG will not provide a functional state of the heart. It is an ‘instant picture’ that may help to spot a problem in the heart, but one can have a good ECG and… an infraction one hour later ! It is actually requiring an arteriography to get the functional state of the heart but it is a heavy and costly examination. Like an arteriography, DDFAO will help the doctor to narrow the scope of the search and quickly evaluate the functioning of his patient’s heart and cardiovascular system –in 2 minutes, right in his office. If needed, the doctor will then suggest conventional examinations to his patient, to identify precisely a possible lesion.
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6. What are the applications of DDFAO ?
Screening and early detection
By pinpointing any discrepancy between the expected values measured in the different areas of the body which are linked together through the different body’s regulation systems modelized into DDFAO, all disorders in the organs and systems are highlighted, suggesting sensitivity to possible future pathologies and actions to be taken even before external symptoms have yet appeared. The operator-independent simple and quick procedure allows an high throughput for quick screening of large batches of population under scrutiny.
Functional diagnosis
DDFAO expert-like system analyzes the possible risks related to the current alkalosis or acidosis state of the organs and tissues of the patient, suggesting conventional examinations to assert the patient’s condition. DDFAO allows the doctor to look for the origin of a problem, not just treat the external symptoms.
It is to be noted that, like in a normal medical practice, knowing the clinical context of a patient is of a particular importance, since DDFAO is not looking for lesions. If the body is used to function with a particular lesion with no harm, DDFAO will not show a disorder. Similarly, if a treatment is appropriate and suppress the initial disorder, DDFAO will only show that, as a result of the good treatment, the body returned in an homeostatic (i.e. well balanced) state.
Treatment follow-up
Dynamic comparisons between the patient’s functional states, as recorded during two different visits. The values are instantly compared and DDFAO will pinpoint all the areas which have come closer to the homeostatic state, also highlighting the areas where the disorders have increased, allowing the doctor to take immediate corrective actions, before new external symptoms even appeared. Ultimately, DDFAO will allow to assert the return to the homeostatic state of a patient, thus indicating if the treatment must be continued even when the external symptoms have disappeared.
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7. Who is using DDFAO ?
Private doctors
As an easy-to-amortize diagnosis tool in their office, DDFAO will save time in getting a quick initial check-up for the new patients, narrowing the scope of the search with conventional examinations, then in appreciating the prescribed treatment’s benefits or side-effects, and finally asserting the complete functional recovery of the patient, once the external symptoms have disappeared. DDFAO’s suggestions for different therapies also help specialists (homeopaths, nutritionists, acupunctures, ear-therapists, osteopaths, etc…) to quickly determine where to apply the appropriate treatment.
Private clinics
With its multi-doctor hierarchical organization, DDFAO as an organizational tool, will enable each department to keep track of their own patients records and monitor all department activities –each one benefiting of DDFAO powerful features. All DDFAO devices may be linked on the clinic’s local network, share the same database and centralize the analysis and the printouts.
Public hospitals
Above all features and benefits, with its high throughput and operator-independency, DDFAO will also help to quickly route the incoming patients to the relevant department. Additionally, some research work can be performed with DDFAO’s detailed measurements values available any time at finger’s request.
‘Flying doctors’
With its comprehensive yet systemic approach, DDFAO is ideal for remote ‘on-the-move’ screening and diagnosis in villages, in the absence of nearby examinations laboratories.
Non-Governmental-Organizations
With its high throughput, DDFAO is ideal to realize large scale a quick screening and a statistical analysis of the concerned groups of population.
‘Tele-doctors’
With its extremely simplified procedure and being totally operator-independent, DDFAO is especially designed for the ‘telemedicine’, where any low-skilled operator can remotely make the measurements at the patient’s site and transmit the data using telephone, email (or even SMS), to the doctor in charge of the analysis and allow him to issue the diagnosis with no displacement.
‘Alternative doctors’
Thanks to its exclusive screens for instant ‘Before’ and ‘After’ comparisons, DDFAO will help them to explain and demonstrate the efficiency of their treatments.
Healthcare centers & Gyms
With is ease-of-use, DDFAO can not only measure their customers improvements but also detect their risks early and prevently direct them to further conventional examinations.
Sports doctors
With its simplified interface and quick diagnosis time, by visualizing the levels of stress and oxygenation at muscle level, as well as the athlete's psychological condition, DDFAO will determine the ultimate treatment or massage for sport teams or individuals during the preparation and just before or after a competition (pain-relief, stress, …).
Health products suppliers
Thanks to its exclusive screens for instant ‘Before’ and ‘After’ comparisons, DDFAO will help them to convince skeptical prospects of the efficiency of their products, from herbal supplements to FIR and NanoTechnology products.
All-of-the-above will use DDFAO’s unique colorful imaging interface as an efficient communication tool to help the patients to understand their own functioning and personal needs, and evaluate the adequation of the proposed treatment with their own personal metabolism.
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8. What are the benefits of DDFAO ?
- Non-invasive method of investigation, for the full body at the same time ;
- Operator independency, thanks to its large flat pods and smart scanning technique that extracts the patient’s own metabolism parameters ;
- Offload the doctor’s workload : no need for highly trained operators, and the analysis can be made at a different time or remotely ;
- Quick and fast : narrow the scope of the search for the origin of a problem, with its own analysis of risks proposed ;
- Evaluate treatment efficiency and possible side-effects ;
- Save costs (less time, less lab examinations, less visits) ;
- Hi-Tech communication tool for the doctor ;
- Easy to understand education tool for the patient ;
- Communication and sharing of the results (print, email, …) ;
- Ease of use, with its acclaimed ‘at your finger-tip’ user-interface ;
- Low-cost per diagnosis ;
- Organization of the work : DDFAO conveniently keeps track of all the patient’s data and visits measurements in its easy-to-retrieve folder organization ;
- Time saving (think of it as if 69 blood pressure measurements were conducted at the same time on 69 different places of the body... if this was only possible !) ;
- Embedded statistics and maintenance tools.
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9. What is the accuracy of DDFAO ?
Clinical tests in public hospitals exhibit a high degree of accuracy against conventional examinations. Depending on pathologies, DDFAO achieves 73% to 89% accuracy- the lower 73% being for healthy patients…, while cancer detection averages at 80%.
As a reference, the well-known conventional mammography is achieving an accuracy of no more than 65 % to 75%.
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10. What are the indications for DDFAO ?
General medicine
As a complementary investigation tool to the clinical observation, DDFAO will determine:
- whether homeostasis is respected and if it is not, suggest further conventional examinations,
- the cause and origin of the functional diseases,
- the functional complications of lesions,
- assert the complete curing of all diseases.
Gynaecology
By visualising the psychoneuro-endocrino-immune connection DDFAO can help:
- to understand the causes of hypo-fertility or sterility,
- to monitor difficult pregnancies.
Cardiology
The inflammatory region revealed by the DDFAO can help:
- to evaluate the cardiovascular risk,
- to initiate action to prevent the pathology,
- to monitor the treatment of cardiovascular diseases,
- to treat aggravating factors (cortisol, sympathetic system, psychology, immunity).
ENT
- Distinguish between allergy and chronic inflammation,
- to monitor treatments.
- Surgery
- Estimate the body's recovery potential before surgery and thereby reduce the risk of neucosomial diseases,
- reduce stress before surgery,
- improve healing.
Anti-age medicine
The ESG provides a view of inflammation and tissue ischemia which significantly increases entropy.
Endocrinology
Visualize the psychoneuro-endocrino-immune connection and monitor the replacement therapy.
Psychology and psychiatry
Visualize the psychoneuro-endocrino-immune connection and acquire a greater understanding of the origin of psychiatric pathologies or behaviour.
Nutritionists
Visualize the psychoneuro-endocrino-immune connection and acquire a greater understanding of the origin of obesity or anorexia.
Oncology
- Determine the combination of oxydizing stress and alkalosis state, which promotes genetic damage responsible for initiating cancer, and introduce prevention at this stage,
- view the dysfunction caused by the cancerous lesion and restore homeostasis to improve prognosis,
- therapeutic monitoring.
Gastro-enterology
Visualize the psychoneuro-endocrino-immune connection and acquire a greater understanding of the origin of digestive problems (constipation, mucosal hyper-permeability ….)
Sports medicine
Practicing a sport at a high level requires an optimal state of homeostatic balance : visualizing the levels of stress and oxygenation at muscle level, as well as the athlete's psychological condition will influence his or her performance.
Dermatology
Skin diseases often have psychological, endocrine, immune system, allergic or hepatic origins… Visualization of the psychoneuro-endocrino-immune connection is used to determine the origin of pathologies and appropriate treatment.
Pain-relief medicine
Practicing neuro-functional auricular acupuncture helps to reduce almost all types of pain. Several hospitals relieve cancer sufferers using this method and publication prove that this technique has given results where morphine was ineffective.
Homeopathy
Homeopathy acts without drugs, using the transmission of low frequency electromagnetic waves. DDFAO which records the bio-conductivity, is well-suited to recommend the most suitable homeopathic or bio-electronic treatment.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture, empirically created by Chinese doctors 5000 years ago, is used to restore the body's balance (yin /yang), which neurophysiologists call homeostasis. It is precisely these variations in balance and connections which are spotted by DDFAO which displays the different meridians and their electrical values, taking chrono-biology into account, without using subjective methods such as pulse-taking or the condition of the tongue.
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11. What are the contra-indications for DDFAO ?
Even though a non-invasive method of diagnosis, since DDFAO is measuring very small electrical currents, it’s use is not recommended in the following cases (since no specific studies have been conducted so far):
Pacemakers
While DDFAO will not harm the health of a patient with a pacemaker, it is possible that the pacemaker may disturb the measured values.
Pregnancy
While DDFAO will not harm the health of the pregnant woman nor her baby, but it is anticipated that the presence of the baby may disturb DDFAO’s neurophysiology models and results.
Dermatological lesions
While patients do not feel DDFAO’s harmless low-voltage current, dermatological lesions in contact with electrodes may induce some ‘burnt’ feelings.
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12. Is DDFAO applicable to all types of skins ?
All human bodies are functioning according to the same neurophysiology principles throughout the world, so DDFAO does not need to be adjusted for working in different parts of the world.
The skin is the interface between the body and DDFAO for its low DC-current measurements and the only parameters of concern for DDFAO are the patient’s sex, age, height and weight.
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13. What is the time required for a diagnosis with DDFAO ?
Thanks to its highly integrated electronics and expert-like embedded system, DDFAO allows to make a diagnosis in less than 3 minutes :
- Patient’s data recording (the first time): 1 minute
- Patient’s clinical context (average) : 1/2 minute
- Measurements : 2 minutes
- Automated Analysis of risks : instantenous
- Interpretation : depending on the patient’s situation, as usual…
No extra time is to be added to the normal doctor’s practice if the measurements can be made by an assistant, while the patients are in the waiting room (masked time).
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14. What is the cost associated to each DDFAO diagnosis ?
Only 2 new adhesive forehead electrodes are needed for each new patient (+ electricity !). A simple wipe-out with a moisturized tissue will help to maintain the hands and feet electrodes in healthy condition for the next patient.
As said before, no extra time is to be added to the normal doctor’s practice if the measurements can be made by an assistant, while the patients are in the waiting room (masked time).
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15. How does DDFAO protect its investment value ?
Upgrades are simply made by downloading a compressed file (ZIP format) from Internet, which is automatically uncompressed and installed – adding new features to DDFAO whenever they become available.
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16. Which agency approvals were granted to DDFAO ?
- CE 0459 for medical devices in Europe
- CSA in Canada
- SDA in China
- FDA is in progress for the USA
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17. What is the DDFAO range of products ?
DDFAO-PRO
A ruggedized version specially designed for heavy usage in clinics and hospitals, integrating all electrical pods and cables in a stand with industrial-grade PC and hi-definition color touch-screen LCD.
DDFAO-TOP (new)
A completely integrated system with industrial-grade PC and hi-definition color touch-screen LCD, for doctors in their office, healthcare centers, etc…
DDFAO Mobile
A small Box and its set of 6 electrical pods and cables which connect to the USB port of a notebook computer (not included), for doctors on the move.
Special versions focusing in refining the diagnosis for specific pathologies are under development :
- Early Breast Cancer Detection
- Early Prostate Cancer Detection;
- Functional Cardio Vascular check-up.
Stay tuned on www.ms-tek.com for their official announcements !
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18. Where DDFAO can be found at work ?
In two years, around 1000 DDFAO devices have been already deployed mainly throughout Europe and are currently in use at private doctors’ offices, private clinics, public hospitals and some health shops in :
- France
- Russia
- Greece
- Turkey
- Italy
- Spain
- Portugal
- Germany
- Roumania
- Holland
- UK
- Hong Kong
- China
- Korea
- Canada
- USA
- Mexico
… so far.
Distributor’s enquiries are welcome for
- Korea
- Japan
- Taiwan
- Singapore
- Malaysia
- Indonesia
- Brunei
- Thailand
- Vietnam
- Laos
- Cambodia
- Myanmar
- India
- Pakistan
- Australia
- New Zealand
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