Can Applied Kinesiology Help Treat Disease?

Kinesiology is, in a nutshell, the study of human movement. Applied kinesiology, however, is a bit different. A controversial form of alternative medicine, AK has its roots in ancient Chinese medicine.

Like some other more modern types of alternative medicine, it has combined these Chinese practices with modern Western ones, and come up with something quite unique.

Like many alternative therapies, AK seeks to redress the body’s balance of energy, to bring about better health that is both mental and physical. To do this, however, it relies on a unique form of muscle testing to find out where the problem areas in the body are, then treat them - using other diagnostic methods used in conventional medicine as well.

History of AK

AK was devised by a US osteopath in 1964 called Dr George J. Goodheart Jr., and originally was called Touch for Health (the name was changed in the 1980s). Dr. Goodheart believed that certain physical weaknesses correlate to other health problems in the body, so invented a way to test muscles and prove his theory.

By seeing how a muscle responds to pressure, or to an outside chemical, mental or physical stimuli, he says he can determine what the stressors are throughout the body, and how to deal with them. His theory, in a way, is a bit like acupuncture, in that meridian points in one part of the body correspond to other parts.

Unlike classic or traditional kinesiology, AK is designed to treat everything from allergies to nervous disorders – based primarily on this form of muscle testing.

It does not treat specific diseases, but reportedly can helps with a wide range of holistic issues, such as helping achieve your life goals, preventing illness, curing allergies and stress, and healing traumas.

Typical Treatment

Muscle testing is completely painless, and a session usually lasts about half an hour, while the patient is fully clothed. The practitioners will test the muscle functions in the body while applying a slight pressure to a muscle and seeing how it reacts. Testing the muscle function, it is thought, is a reflection on the body’s overall structure, and how it is balanced.

You may then have some tests performed to see how your muscles are working, as well as a saliva test, where you chew a specific substance and then have your saliva professionally examined to see if there is a reaction. This is often done for suspected allergies.

Pros and Cons

Proponents of AK says it works to balance the body’s “triad of health” – meaning chemical, mental and structural. They say it should not be used as to replace standard diagnostic methods, but in conjunction with them. Proper practitioners should have a strong health background as well as a background in AK, as muscle testing alone is not considered to work.

AK is not harmful in itself, and some people swear it works wonders. The danger lies in the fact that some people will choose it over conventional medicine. When used in tandem with other, more traditional forms of medicine, it might be of help. Then again, it might not!