The Zyto scan is indeed based in the belief of the existence of "chi", the New Age energy "god" and is also considered to be pseudo scientific.

According to this detailed report, the ZYTO Corporation of Orem, UT sells several devices that allegedly help practitioners to determine what kinds of dietary supplements, herbs or homeopathic products might be useful for the person.

During the scan, the patient is attached to a computer which has been loaded with ZYTO software via a hand cradle that “sends stimuli to the body using digital signatures that represent actual things". Fluctuations in skin resistance that indicate "the body's degree of preference for the items being assessed" are then interpreted.

As the manual for one version of the scanner explains: “Using the principles of biology, quantum physics, and the science of information, we facilitate meaningful communication between computers and the human body that is an evolution of bio-feedback. It is a sequence of elegance--the computer poses the question, the body answers, and not a word is spoken–giving healthcare practitioners a better tool to bring wellness to their patients . . .”

The software then identifies what products the patient needs and recommends them from a list of companies with whom they do business. These include supplement suppliers, homeopathic and naturopathic remedies, acupuncture, and massage therapy.

The machines are sold as money-making tools to multi-level marketing companies selling supplements and other alternatives.

“The MLM companies using the Compass as a sales tool include Nature's Sunshine and Young Living [Essential Oils]. A Compass flyer promised ‘technology that will skyrocket your product sales and have companies rushing to join your downline’,” the report states.

The company was founded by Vaughn R. Cook, OMD (a doctor of Oriental Medicine) and its main customers are chiropractors. A woman named Jane Oelke, a Michigan practitioner, presents most of the company’s Webinars. She claims to have a Ph.D. in Homeopathic Philosophy and Natural Health Sciences from the Institute of Natural Health Sciences and a "Doctor of Naturopathy" degree from Trinity College of Natural Health. However, neither of the schools is accredited by a recognized accrediting agency,” the report states.

“Skin resistance to an electric current has no value in the diagnosis or treatment of disease," the report states. "A device claimed to provide information or help with the management of hundreds of diseases and conditions could not be validated without a mountain of evidence substantiating usefulness and reliability. X-ray equipment is approved, for example, because the relationships between x-ray findings and physical findings have been studied in countless millions of cases. . . . however, ZYTO's results are not reproducible, which means that they cannot be validated!”

The conclusion is that ZYTO scans “have no proven practical value and could cause large amounts of time and money to be wasted by people who believe the speculations.”

The author of this report suggests that anyone who has been tested with a ZYTO device and wants to share their story with him should email a copy of their scan with a brief summary of what happened, to sbinfo@quackwatch.org.