Doctors warn against 'unproven' tests Medical testing: Patients are said to be at risk of being ripped off. Photo: Gabrielle Charotte Australians are being ripped off and in some cases putting their health at risk by using dodgy medical tests, doctors have warned. They say a wave of new commercially driven tests, examining everything from genetics to food intolerances, are providing people with inaccurate information and potentially causing them to delay medical treatment. University of Adelaide professor Graeme Suthers said many people were not aware tests such as blood-type testing for diets and hair analysis for toxins (done outside forensic settings) were unproven. "To a degree people are just being ripped off, but we are concerned about people's health," he said. If they are going to start making choices for themselves or for their children on the basis of these tests then it can create very serious issues. He was particularly concerned that some private health insurers were willing to pay for unscientific tests such as iridology, yet would not fund evidence-based treatment such as genetic counselling. "I don't want to be critical of the punter who doesn't realise that [these tests aren't evidence-based], because healthcare is increasingly complex," he said. The concern we have is that the distance between scientifically valid medicine and complementary and alternative treatments seems increasingly to be being lost. He said it was important people understood that doctors and pathologists were held accountable for mainstream testing, but alternative practitioners offering unproven tests were not. "If things go pear-shaped those professionals know they will be held accountable," he said. Why would you entrust your healthcare to someone outside that scope? Friends of Science in Medicine and the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia are calling on the Therapeutic Goods Administration to more tightly regulate such tests. Recommendations released by Friends of Science in Medicine on Monday say people should avoid tests that are not done by an accredited Australian pathology lab. It also highlights the growing range of genetic tests as an area open to abuse, with full genomic profiles of individuals including "many genetic alterations of unknown clinical significance which may cause the patient anxiety and lead to unproven and unnecessary interventions." "Until much more is understood, commercially driven exploratory whole genome and exome sequencing of individuals is not appropriate," it says. Chief executive of the college of pathologists Debra Graves said there were more than 430 accredited genetic tests available but many more of dubious usefulness. "The best advice for patients is to seek advice from their GP," she said. Tests to avoid Live blood analysis Blood-type testing for blood-type diets Hair analysis for toxins, mineral analysis (non-forensic) VEGA testing Kinesiology Iridology Saliva test for reproductive hormones, thyroid, cortisol, melatonin etc (except for Cushing's syndrome)