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What is Applied Kinesiology?
Applied kinesiology involves the art and science of muscle testing. The word kinesiology comes from the words “kinesis” meaning movement and from “logos” meaning to study. It literally means the study of movement and function.
In the 1960s Dr. George Goodheart the founder of the International College of Applied Kinesiology (ICAK) based his research and understanding of neurology on muscle function.
He realized that it is possible to evaluate muscle and body function by the use of muscle testing. As his research grew he developed principles of muscle testing used to aid in diagnosis and treatment. The following is a very brief summary of the volumes of research and data regarding Applied Kinesiology:
Muscle imbalances can result in muscle spasm, joint pain, poor sports performance, a tendency for injury, or even systemic health problems. Structural stress can affect the nervous system, affecting every organ and system in the body. Muscles not only move bones, they hold the skeletal system in place. There is a dynamic tension in the musculoskeletal system. The muscles act like guide wires holding the bones in place. Skeletal balance is maintained by opposing muscles. If a muscle is weaker than the one opposing it, the opposing muscle becomes tight, and the skeletal structures will be out of balance.
A weak muscle can cause pain and spasm in the opposing muscle. Ironically, many therapeutic efforts are directed toward spastic muscles, which often are not the cause of the problem. For example, weak abdominal muscles will cause the pelvis to tilt and the low back muscles (which oppose them) to go into spasm. Until the weakness in the abdominal muscles is corrected, efforts to reduce the spasm in the low back will not be very effective.
When evaluating muscle function some muscles will test “strong” and others will test “weak". Because the nerves of the body have an affect on every muscle, organ and gland there are certain patterns of muscle weakness that give clues to the body’s function. The “weakness” found in the muscle test may not only indicate poor muscle function, but possibly a connection with organ function, nutritional issues, imbalance with the acupuncture system, the lymphatic system or vascular system - all of which can be directly responsible for the cause your symptoms.
Your symptomatic presentation in the office may be a muscular or structural strain, but due to the relationship between organs, glands, nerves and muscles it is usually a clue to something of greater dysfunction in the body.
The doctor trained in Applied Kinesiology corrects muscle weakness and muscle imbalance by working with the nervous system, the lymphatic system, the vascular system, acupuncture meridians, nutrition and more. This is a holistic approach designed to get to the cause of health problems and to balance the patient structurally, nutritionally and emotionally. These three things: structural health, nutritional health and mental health make up the Triad of Health. A balanced triad will lead to optimal health but an imbalance on any side will lead to symptoms or "dis-ease." When symptoms are masked by medications or ignored over time they will lead to disease.