Applications of Gas Discharge Visualization Imaging in Health and Disease: A Systematic Review

Gas discharge visualization (GDV) works on the principle of the Kirlian effect. It's a noninvasive, quick, and safe biometric tool to investigate the psychophysiological state of an individual, with the potential to identify deviations from the healthy functioning of humans at early stages.

The study intended to systematically document the scientific evidence pertaining to the use of GDV devices in human health and disease conditions.

The research team performed a systematic search for studies on GDV on research databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, and PsychINFO, using the following inclusion criteria: (1) experimental studies dealing with a GDV device, (2) studies dealing with human participants related to health and disease, and (3) studies published in the English language. The study excluded: (1) review articles, (2) case studies, (3) letter to editors, (4) studies with unclear methodology, and (5) studies published before the year 2000.

The study took place in the Department of Integrative Medicine at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru, India.

After filtering, the research team obtained 108 publications that dealt with the application of a GDV device in human participants. Based on the selection criteria, 42 studies were included in the review. These 42 studies included eight randomized controlled trials (RCTs), five nonrandomized controlled studies, 17 cross-sectional studies, 10 single-group pre-post studies, and two correlational studies.

More studies with a robust methodology are needed to make definitive conclusions. The literature reveals that the GDV technique has the potential to provide early diagnosis and screening, especially in disorders of the endocrine and immune systems. It might also be used to assess wellness in healthy subjects and monitor the effects of interventions, such as yoga-including pranayama and meditation, acupuncture, qigong, music therapy, and massage on the human energy system. Future studies should focus on the validation of GDV imaging in clinical settings.