A DetoxScan.org and HealthTech Reporter Feature
In a collaborative exploration of advanced bio-assessment tools, DetoxScan.org and HealthTech Reporter recently conducted a joint field test of the OLIGOSCAN, a handheld scanning technology that measures heavy metals and mineral concentrations directly through the skin. This marks a pioneering step in merging non-invasive diagnostics with the expanding field of exposure science and detoxification medicine.
This project is of special interest to Dr. Robert Bard, diagnostic imaging specialist and director of BardDiagnostics in New York, and Dr. Scott Schroeder, a leading surgeon and researcher in systemic metal toxicity. Both physicians are exploring correlations between ultrasound-based imaging of tissue toxicity and biochemical scanning methods that quantify internal exposures—especially those from surgical implants, environmental contaminants, and occupational hazards.
The OligoScan is fast gaining attention in the world of functional medicine, biohacking, and preventive screening. In the words of creative director/trainer Jeff Lioon Jr, who has conducted more than 6,000 scans worldwide, “We’re trying to reach people who are open to new technologies—those who want to take responsibility for their health and detoxification.”
A New Frontier in Non-Invasive Toxicology
The OligoScan’s parent company, PhysioQuanta, is headquartered in France, founded under the vision of Guy Monro, who helped pioneer the application of optical spectrophotometry for tissue-level metal assessment. The Douglas family’s deep roots in the nutritional sciences are evident here—Jeff’s father and grandfather founded Douglas Laboratories, a leading supplement company that operated for over 40 years before its acquisition by Nestlé in 2009. Through European networks established during that era, the Douglas family became strategic partners in PhysioQuanta’s international expansion of OligoScan technology
Now, Jeff represents the second generation of that legacy. “I was raised with a vitamin in my mouth,” he laughed during the interview, reflecting on his upbringing in a household steeped in health innovation. That early exposure to integrative care, combined with mentorship from figures such as Dr. Rashid Buttar, Dr. John Gamble (Australia), and Dr. Raymond Ple, shaped his approach to interpreting mineral and metal profiles in the human body
Understanding What the OligoScan Measures
Unlike blood or urine testing, which reflects transient exposures, the OligoScan reads what Jeff calls the “peripheral tissue signature”—the stored or bioavailable minerals and metals found in the skin and intracellular matrix. The handheld spectrometer shines a light on the skin and measures how various wavelengths are absorbed, producing a detailed elemental profile within seconds.
According to Jeff:
“Blood tells us what’s circulating right now—the last 48 hours. Hair shows what the body’s been excreting for about 90 days. But OligoScan reveals what’s staying in the tissues—what the body can’t detoxify easily. It’s the long-term accumulation that tells the real story.”
He emphasizes that each testing method has its place. Blood, urine, and hair tests all offer complementary snapshots of different stages of toxic burden, while OligoScan adds an entirely new dimension—a live tissue perspective. “About 80% of the time, it’s right on the money,” Jeff says. “But no test is perfect. Metals stored in the brain or bones won’t show up on the scan, since it only measures peripheral tissue. Still, it gives us a critical window into the body’s detox status.”
Clinical and Functional Applications
OligoScan has found wide adoption among biological dentists, functional medicine physicians, nutritionists, and biohackers—those seeking early detection of deficiencies or toxic load before symptoms escalate. Jeff and his team attend 8–10 trade shows annually, including the Health Optimization Summit and IAOMT (International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology) conferences, where biological dentists and environmental doctors gather to discuss mercury, titanium, and fluoride exposure in patients.
The scan provides immediate readings for 22 minerals, 14 heavy metals, and multiple oxidative stress indicators, offering a broad snapshot of metabolic and toxic status. Practitioners can use this data to monitor detoxification progress or correlate systemic imbalance with conditions such as chronic fatigue, neuropathy, autoimmune disorders, and implant-related inflammatory syndromes.
“People love it because it’s instant,” Jeff notes. “You don’t wait two weeks for lab results. You can scan, discuss, and act—all in one session.”
The Science Behind the Numbers
Interpreting OligoScan data, however, requires training and experience. Jeff cautions against over-simplifying:
“It’s not about red or green numbers—it’s about relationships. Every mineral interacts with another; every toxic metal competes for binding sites. Cadmium can displace zinc, aluminum interferes with silica, and fluoride affects calcium. You have to understand these synergistic and antagonistic dynamics.”
He also highlights boron as an underappreciated example. “Boron’s mostly found in the parathyroid, bone, and enamel,” he says. “So it’s not always visible in peripheral scans, yet it’s critical for hormone balance, arthritis prevention, and vitamin D activation.” He attributes widespread boron deficiency to modern agriculture’s phosphate fertilizers, which inhibit plant uptake of the element—a point of interest for functional practitioners studying mineral depletion in industrialized food systems
The Technology Meets the Clinic: Dr. Bard’s Vision
“The concept of merging tissue imaging with real-time biochemical scanning is very promising,” Dr. Bard notes. “It could help us pinpoint how environmental and implant-based metals contribute to systemic disorders—particularly in chronic inflammation, fibromyalgia, or neurological fatigue.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Scott Schroeder, whose surgical research has documented dramatic patient recovery following removal of reactive metal hardware, sees OligoScan as a tool to “bridge clinical intuition with quantifiable data.” His hope: that the technology might help identify patients at risk before systemic breakdown occurs.
Looking Forward: AI, Data Integration, and Future Enhancements
PhysioQuanta continues to add elements to its database, such as radioactive cesium, expanding the scope of the scan to monitor environmental fallout exposure and radiation toxicity. As the technology evolves, the potential for cross-disciplinary validation—imaging, biochemical assays, and patient outcomes—makes OligoScan a frontier worth watching closely.
The Detox and MetalScan Connection
As this “duo test drive” by DetoxScan.org and HealthTech Reporter continues, the collaboration aims to create a standardized framework for integrating OligoScan data into clinical imaging, detox tracking, and longevity research.
“At the end of the day,” Jeff says, “this is about awareness. It’s about helping people see what’s invisible—and giving them the information to make better decisions for their health.”
References
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PhysioQuanta. About OligoScan Technology. 2024. (2) Gamble J. Tissue Mineral Analysis and Functional Medicine. Sydney: Integrative Health Press; 2021. (3) Buttar R. Testimony to U.S. Congress on Metal Detoxification. 2005. (4) Bard RL. Ultrasound Innovations in Toxic Tissue Detection. BardDiagnostics Research Journal; 2023. (5) Schroeder S. Metal Implant Toxicity and Systemic Reactions. Clinical Orthopedics & Research; 2022. (6) Health Optimization Summit. Biohacking Technologies for Detoxification. London; 2024. (7) AngioInstitute. Smarter Aging Initiative. New York; 2025.
PART 2
Clinical Endorsements: Why DetoxScan’s Experts Support OligoScan
Two respected members of the DetoxScan clinical consortium, Dr. Leslie Valle-Montoya of Santa Barbara, CA, and Dr. Stephanie Thomas (UK), have both underscored the importance of non-invasive metal scanning as part of an integrated diagnostic and detoxification model. Their perspectives align strongly with the AngioInstitute’s mission to build accessible, multi-modal strategies for identifying and mitigating toxic body burdens caused by metals, chemicals, and environmental exposure.
Dr. Leslie Valle-Montoya: The Case for Real-Time, Non-Invasive Screening
In prior publications, Dr. Valle-Montoya has advocated for combining bioenergetic feedback, blood chemistry, and tissue-level analysis to form a “metabolic fingerprint” of toxicity and recovery. The OligoScan, she emphasized, now allows this to be done instantly and non-invasively, giving both clinicians and patients a tangible starting point for detox or chelation planning.
A New Window into Toxic Exposures
“The OligoScan appears to show both the toxic load and the body’s nutrient resilience,” Dr. Valle-Montoya explains. “If mercury is high, iodine may be depleted. If cadmium is elevated, zinc may be low. That context shapes better interventions.”
“OligoScan isn’t diagnostic,” she emphasizes. “... but as a screening tool that lets me build a roadmap. By identifying hidden toxins and deficiencies, it gives us the power to act before disease takes hold.”
NOTE:
Dr. Stephanie Thomas: Supporting Early Detection in Functional Medicine
She supports integrating OligoScan into preventive and restorative health programs, emphasizing that modern life exposes patients to countless metals through water, cosmetics, food, and medical implants. “Metal testing should not be reserved for the symptomatic,” she previously stated. “We all carry some toxic load—it’s a matter of identifying how much and how it’s affecting our biochemistry.”
Dr. Thomas points out that OligoScan’s ability to evaluate mineral balance alongside toxic metals gives it an advantage over single-marker blood or urine tests, which can miss the nutrient-toxicity interplay that defines many chronic conditions. (see Dr. Thomas' complete report)
Comparing OligoScan with Traditional Metal Testing
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Blood Tests: Capture only recent exposure (about 48 hours), since metals are quickly removed from circulation to maintain homeostasis. As Jeff explained, “A blood test is really only looking at what’s in circulation. The body pushes metals into tissues if it can’t detoxify them”
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Hair Mineral Tests: Reflect excretion patterns over the past 90 days and reveal whether the body is eliminating or retaining metals. However, some individuals (especially those with impaired detoxification) may show deceptively low levels, not because they are clean, but because they aren’t excreting effectively.
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Urine Chelation Tests: Measure what the body excretes after being challenged with chelating agents such as EDTA or DMSA. These are powerful but invasive and sometimes provoke side effects, making them impractical for large-scale or preventive screening.
OligoScan, by contrast, uses spectrophotometric tissue readings to determine mineral and heavy metal concentrations directly in the peripheral tissue—the combined matrix of skin, blood, and extracellular fluid. This allows clinicians to visualize long-term accumulation patterns rather than transient exposure spikes, bridging the gap between biochemical testing and tissue imaging
Why Everyone Needs Metal Testing
Dr. Valle-Montoya’s work with first responders and firefighters underscores how occupational exposure to smoke, dust, and industrial chemicals creates a cumulative toxic load. Similarly, Dr. Thomas points out that urban dwellers and postmenopausal women face distinct risks: from aluminum in antiperspirants to mercury in dental fillings and environmental estrogens that bind to the same detox pathways.
“Knowing your toxic burden is the first step to reversing it,” Dr. Thomas explains. “You can’t fix what you can’t measure.”
Integrating Scanning and Imaging in Future Clinical Protocols
Dr. Bard’s imaging of titanium corrosion and vascular inflammation, paired with OligoScan’s tissue-level mineral data, may soon allow practitioners to map both chemical presence and physiological damage in real time.
This collaboration between imaging and biochemical scanning represents the next generation of DetoxScan.org’s “Smart Diagnostics” program—a unified approach to early detection, prevention, and recovery from the hidden burden of metal toxicity.
In summary:
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OligoScan offers a rapid, non-invasive, and data-rich assessment of metal and mineral balance.
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Traditional tests remain useful but limited in scope and timeframe.
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Drs. Valle-Montoya and Thomas advocate for integrating OligoScan into preventive medicine, detox programs, and occupational health screening.
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DetoxScan.org continues to expand research connecting biochemical scanning, ultrasound imaging, and functional medicine for the most comprehensive approach to identifying and managing metal-induced disorders.
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