From the July 2005 Idaho Observer:

Alternatives to TB Testing:

Reasons to avoid the Mantoux Skin test

By Vaccination Liberation

Over the past six months Vaccination Liberation has received many requests for information on the TB skin test due to the fact that their college or place of employment is now requiring such a test be performed. Wondering why this was all of a sudden a huge issue, VacLib co-director Wendy Callahan sent an email about the availability of a book for a whopping $1500 entitled Tuberculosis: Extracting Value from a Stagnant Marketplace that was published in September 2002. In their sales plug for this overpriced "report", the reasons to purchase it are as follows: (1.) Identify the areas of the TB market which offer the highest potential for new market entrants, (2.) Understand the changing competitive dynamics in the TB market, and (3.) Identify the key epidemiological trends for TB in the major markets. So the old adage "follow the money" certainly applies to the latest big Pharma/public health assault to our bodies. It is interesting to note that Dr. David Ayoub attempted to find out from Aventis exactly how

many doses of Tubersol® are sold in the U.S. annually. Aventis refused to reveal this information so one can only imagine the incredible profits Aventis is making off this one product.

Many employers and colleges are now requiring TB testing while claiming that TB testing bypasses vaccine exemption laws (afterall, it is just a "test"). However, we have found that in every case where a person challenged the TB testing on constitutional grounds, claiming the state’s religious exemption, or demanding that the employer or bureaucrat guarantee that the "test" is free of dead or live pathogens, the mandatory nature of the TB test was waived for them. In each of these cases, a letter was written to their supervisor, or the main person responsible for the TB policy, citing the multitude of reasons the TB test was a violation of their strongly held religious convictions.

Since we are "told" that the TB test or Mantoux skin test is benign and not a "big deal", it is important to review exactly what is in this seemingly innocuous test and why accepting these ingredients into your body is akin to medical experimentation.

Tubersol ingredients

The most commonly used Mantoux skin test is Tubersol® manufactured by Aventis Pasteur. The package insert claims that "Tubersol is prepared from a large batch Master Batch, Connaught Tuberculin (CT68) and is a cell-free purified protein fraction obtained from a human strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis grown on a protein-free synthetic medium, and inactivated. Tubersol is a sterile isotonic solution of Tuberculin in phosphate buffered saline containing Tween 80 as a stabilizer. 0.28 percent phenol is added as a preservative."

The 1972 edition of Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine and Nursing defines phenol as "an extremely poisonous antiseptic, germicidal and disinfectant." The Oxford Universal Dictionary (1955) defines phenol as "A hydroxyl derivative of benzene, commonly known as carbolic acid."

The current research on the stabilizer Tween 80 reveals the following:

"Neonatal female rats were injected ip (0.1 ml/rat) with Tween 80 in 1, 5 or 10 percent aqueous solution on days 4-7 after birth. Treatment with Tween 80 accelerated maturation, prolonged the oestrus cycle, and induced persistent vaginal oestrus. The relative weight of the uterus and ovaries was decreased relative to the untreated controls. Squamous cell metaplasia of the epithelial lining of the uterus and cytological changes in the uterus were indicative of chronic oestrogenic stimulation. Ovaries were without corpora lutea, and had degenerative follicles." ~ PMID: 8473002 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

In other words, female lab rats injected with Tween 80 developed impaired sexual organs as well as premature development of their sexual organs. One can only imagine the cumulative effects of Tween 80 in conjunction with all the other adjuvants and preservatives our own children are injected with.

This test is also composed of a protein fraction derived from a human strain of tuberculosis. Aside from the shedding of RNA and DNA into the lymphatic system from this test, the presence of foreign proteins in one’s blood has been associated with the development of allergies.

How safe is it?

According to the Tubersol package insert, this product has never been tested for carcinogenic or mutagenic potentials or impairment of fertility. Even so, Aventis asserts that this product is safe to administer to pregnant women. And this is noted despite the fact that phenol is a known mutagen and associated with skin cancer development in animals that were injected intradermally.

How does it "work?"

A negative reaction, meaning that the person does not have tuberculosis, is determined if induration (hardening of tissue as in a spider bite) at the test site is less than 15 mm. If induration is greater than 15 mm, it is assumed that the person has active tuberculosis and is then "requested" to have a chest x-ray to rule out the possibility of a false-negative reaction.

"False negatives" are thought to occur frequently. Listed causes include anergy, recency of exposure, viral infections, various vaccinations, overwhelming infection, various drugs (steroids) and malignancies and any condition that can impair the cell mediated immune response (sarcoid, malnutrition).

False positives include non-tuberculous infections and BCG vaccine state. In spite of these inaccuracies, the CDC states that for persons with latent TB infection who have a normal immune system, test sensitivity approaches 100 percent ( 2, p 11). This statement is ridiculous for several reasons. First, the TB skin test is the gold standard, so it is not possible to accurately gauge the incidence of false negative exams. The sensitivity of this test, in actuality, remains unknown. Secondly, false negative exams occur in the groups who are at the very highest risk for disease in the first place, meaning that the false negative tests weigh heavily against the efficacy of screening in the most important risk groups—the one’s most likely to develop disease in the first place!

"Compounding the inaccuracies of the TB skin test is the revelation that only one in three positive reactions are correctly classified as positive by screen test interpreters." (1)

Although there is substantial proof that the Mantoux skin test is an inaccurate method for detecting the presence of tuberculosis infection, it is still considered the "gold standard" for diagnosing tuberculosis.

Alternative testing for TB

We know of three methods of testing for tuberculosis that are non-invasive.

The first method is through the Best BioMeridian System, which happens to be approved by the FDA. It is also referred to as the "Meridian Stress Assessment."

The Best BioMeridian is run through a PC, and has additional hardware to hook up to the computer. There are stainless steel handholds that you hold in your hands with a damp paper towel while the practitioner tests you via a series of meridian points on your hands and feet. It can scan for active and latent viruses, bacteria, fungi and other pathogens. To find out more about this testing method and to find a practitioner in your area, go to www.biomeridian.com

The second alternative is through the F Scan. The F Scan device is similar to a Rife machine.  It detects any virus, bacteria, fungi, and more. The newer ones have frequencies for zapping the BX-cancer virus. The F Scan scans the body like a virus-scan on a computer, looking for hidden viruses, bacteria, fungi parasites and other pathogens.

It’s also run thru a computer with peripheral hardware similar to the Best BioMeridian.

You may be able to find a practitioner on the Royal Rife website www.royalrife.com

This machine is not FDA approved, but a professional looking printout may be accepted in lieu of regular TB test. 

The third alternative is through the EPFX / QXCI that is run through a regular PC.

From the website:

"The EPFX / QXCI is a state of the art evoked potential bio-feedback system for stress detection and stress reduction, designed by a Complementary Health Practitioner, Professor Bill Nelson.

"During testing, the EPFX / QXCI device resonates with thousands of tissues, organs, nutrients, toxins and allergens for one hundredth of a second each, and records the degree to which your body reacts. This type of rapid testing is known as the Xrroid process.

"The EPFX / QXCI  scans the patient’s body like a virus-scan on a computer, looking for everything from viruses, deficiencies, weaknesses, allergies, abnormalities and food sensitivities. It reports on the biological reactivity and resonance in your body and indicates needs, dysfunctions and vulnerabilities. The information provided is fundamentally different from X-rays, blood tests, etc., as it tells us about the energetic state of your body and the direction in which the body is focusing its energy."

Their websites are www.theqxci.com and www.qxciscio.com

These two links will get you to maps to find a practitioner in your area. This list is not comprehensive and only lists practitioners that want to be listed.

Although the medical profession does not tell people about non-invasive TB screening methods either due to the lack of revenue these methods generate, or ignorance of their availability, it is important to educate more employers and schools about them and their reliability as compared with the Mantoux test.

Vaccination Liberation has assisted many Americans in taking the necessary steps to assure their most fundamental of human rights – the right to decide what will or will not be injected subcutaneously into their bodies. If you believe as we do that your right to abstain from state, college or employer coerced medical experimentation is an important one, consider joining Vaccination Liberation and making sure your state is well-networked with other conscientious objectors.

References:

1. "The Rationale for TB Screening of Healthcare Workers and Other Low-risk Populations: A Critical Review of CDC Policy" by David Ayoub, MD

www.vaclib.org/basic/tbtest.htm

2. "Hidden Facts about Tuberculosis, the TB Test and the BCG Vaccine" by Ingri Cassel

www.proliberty.com/observer/20030723.htm

3. More on Tuberculosis from Vaccination Liberation www.vaclib.org/basic/tb.htm