A doctor trained in Applied Kinesiology(AK) corrects muscle weakness and muscle imbalance by working with the nervous system, the lymphatic system, the vascular system and nutrition. This is a holistic approach designed to solve the root cause of health problems.
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.
In Applied Kinesiology, we look at every person from a ‘triad of health’ perspective. This is the three-sided nature of every human being that makes up a healing art’s triangle of ‘structure, chemical, and mental’. Being a chiropractor, as well as an Applied Kinesiologist, we approach health and healing through more of a holistic approach, attempting to work with all three sides of the triangle in order to help the patient achieve optimum health.
In the 1960s Dr. George Goodheart found that he could evaluate body function by the use of muscle tests. The principles of muscle testing can be used to evaluate virtually any organ or system in the body. It can be used to find nutritional needs and food sensitivities. People evaluated with this method are often amazed that something so simple can work so well.
During the examination some muscles will test “strong” and others will test “weak”. The chiropractor skilled in applied kinesiology may realize that the “weakness” found in the muscle test may not only indicate poor muscle function, but possibly a connection with organ function, nutritional issues, issues with the acupuncture meridian, lymphatic drainage issues or vascular issues.
The kinesiologist understands that certain patterns of muscle weakness give clues to the body’s function. Each muscle, for example, can be tested to give an indication of how a specific organ is functioning. A television set and a lamp plugged into the same ci rcuit can both malfunction together. If the television has a short in it, it can overload the circuit breaker, denying power to the lamp, causing it to go out. Think of the television as being analogous to the organ. The circuit breaker is analogous to the nervous system (spinal nerve and spinal cord). The lamp is analogous to the muscle. A skilled applied kinesiologist can use muscle testing and relationships like those between muscles and organs to aid in diagnosis and treatment.
Muscle imbalance causes structural strain. It 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 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 pelvic 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.
The doctor trained in applied kinesiology corrects muscle weakness and muscle imbalance by working with the nervous system, the lymphatic system, acupunture meridians and nutrition. This is a holistic approach designed to get to the cause of health problems.
There are many natural health clinics that specialize in different techniques: acupuncture, chiropractic, muscle therapy, nutrition and so on. Each of these therapies, in and of themselves, can be powerful and effective at restoring proper bodily function. Unfortunately, no therapy is a panacea – each has its limits. At times a patient requires more of one kind of therapy than another. And yet, if these therapies are used in combination, as is commonly so in this office, the benefit for the patient can then be exponential. The challenge is knowing which therapy to use at which time. The answer is found in a diagnostic system called Applied Kinesiology. Dr. Rollheiser has chosen to discuss Applied Kinesiology first for the simple reason that, when used appropriately, it can be the most effective form of diagnosis for functional illness.
Applied Kinesiology (A.K.) is a natural health care system based on an evaluation of the body’s structural, biochemical and mental aspects. A.K. primarily uses muscle testing to augment other standard methods of diagnosis. A.K. is now used by many health-care professionals including chiropractors, medical doctors, osteopaths and dentists.
Applied Kinesiology began in 1964 through the work of its founder George Goodheart, D.C. Today, a governing body called the International College of Applied Kinesiology (I.C.A.K) determines and defines what is and what is not A.K. Members of the I.C.A.K., who include chiropractors, medical doctors, osteopaths, dentists and more, must adhere to these rules and regulations, in order to be given appropriate status within the college. It is the goal of the I.C.A.K. to present its diagnostic and treatment techniques to the critical medical mainstream as a viable adjunct or alternative to existing health care. This can only be done with solid scientific evidence. Despite the lack of funding for research into alternative medical approaches the scientific support for Applied Kinesiology is growing. Numerous articles have been published in peer-reviewed literature, with several other research studies awaiting publication. A host of articles related to other forms of alternative health care may also be cited as support for the philosophy and practice of A.K.
Muscle testing is a functional neurological assessment. An A.K. doctor can evaluate the muscles of the body and gain some understanding of a patient’s overall health. For instance, it has been known for centuries that specific muscles have relationships to specific organs. It has been discovered in the last several decades that every muscle is in some way related to an organ. When an organ is not functioning properly it may cause a disruption in the muscle group with which it is associated. This interference is called a viscero-somatic reflex. The opposite is also true. If a muscle is injured it can negatively affect the function of an organ – a somato-visceral reflex. For example, the quadriceps muscle on the front of the thigh is related to the small intestine. It is quite possible for an individual with a duodenal ulcer, when tested properly, to be found to have less than optimum function of their quadriceps muscle. The deltoids, the muscles closely related to the lungs, are another example. Almost all asthma patients have one or more weak shoulder muscles. Treating weak muscles and making them stronger by the structural, chemical or emotional tools of A.K. has been shown to have a significant impact on the related organ system as well.
Simply fixing weak muscles is just the beginning with A.K. The fascinating thing about muscle testing is what happens when the nervous system is exposed to different stimuli. A change in a muscle test (i.e. from strong to weak or weak to strong) may be noticed with the introduction or removal of a given stimuli, such as: chemicals, smells, pressure, touch, temperature, thoughts, electromagnetic fields or anything else that may be processed by the nervous system. When performed correctly, a change in muscle function may be noticed, with even the slightest stimuli. These changes are immediate and may occur with or without a disease present. This means that a non-serious (functional) problem can be discovered prior to its becoming serious, a boast made by few other diagnostics methods.
Generally speaking, stimuli that will have a positive effect on the patient will strengthen muscles that originally test weak, and stimuli that will have an adverse effect on the patient will weaken muscles that originally test strong. However, it is impossible and improper to emphatically state the meaning of a given muscle test alone. A muscle test by itself only tells the doctor that something is wrong. Muscle testing does not tell the doctor why something is wrong. Many variables are present in the overall picture of a patient’s health. A detailed history, consultation, examination, and traditional diagnostic testing must be combined with muscle testing in order to formulate a proper plan of treatment.
Not yet. Muscle testing is quite controversial for a few good reasons. On a theoretical level, as with most alternative health care practices, some of the technique’s foundational ideas and its unorthodox approach are hard for the medically trained mind to understand. On a practical level, it seems too good to be true. Are changes in muscle response possible by merely touching, tasting or even thinking? Skeptics would say no, suggesting that the doctor is somehow influencing the test results. We have no problem with the doubts of outside observers. It is normal to question what one doesn’t understand. However, for the skeptic, all that is required is a closer look. Consider for instance one of the most controversial aspects within A.K., oral nutrient testing.
A doctor may place a chemical or food in the patient’s mouth and then test to see if a strong muscle becomes weak. This idea is preposterous to the traditional medical mind. However, from a neurological standpoint this response is entirely possible. The pathway from the nerve endings on the tongue to the brain and then back out to the testing muscle is clearly understood. Also, since electricity travels at the speed of light, and the messages within and from the brain are transmitted electrically, there should be no problem accepting the seemingly instant change of a muscle’s strength when a substance is tasted. In fact, it is known that the nervous system is able to process 1013 bits of information per second in the unconscious mind. Equipped with this information, the sincere skeptic should recognize the plausibility of what has been stated.
Remember the last time you bumped your elbow against the wall or the corner of a counter top? The first thing you probably did was to touch and rub the painful spot. Rubbing actually made the pain more bearable or it may have taken it away altogether. There is a very good reason for this. It is well known in neurology that different nerve endings or sensory receptors (like touch and pressure receptors) have different priorities in the nervous system. Mechanical stimulation such as rubbing has a high priority in the brain and will “cover up” any other sensations such as pain. So when you rub your elbow, in essence you are making your brain pay more attention to the sensation of touch and pressure than to the sensation of pain. An A.K. doctor uses muscle testing to determine which sensory information will produce a therapeutic effect. Then by adding the right sensory information in the right manner a favorable outcome is most often achieved.
Once a stimulus is found that strengthens a weak muscle, that stimulus can be introduced in greater measure producing a therapeutic response. In the case above, rubbing your elbow was therapeutic for reducing pain. The same is true for nutritional or chemical stimulation. If a weak muscle became strong after having the patient taste a vitamin C tablet, this may indicate that their body has a need for vitamin C. Any stimulus that produces a weakness in a previously strong muscle should be further evaluated to see if it may be contributing to the cause of a patient’s dysfunction.
When testing muscles using A.K. if a muscle tests weak, this does not usually mean that exercises are required. The weakness found is often neurological. In other words, for a variety of reasons, muscle are sometimes shut off or “turned down.”
The turning on and turning off of muscles happens every time you move. In order to walk you must contract the muscles in the front of the leg while at the same time relaxing the muscles on the back of the leg. If this were not so your muscles would contract at the same time and your leg would not move. The process of turning on one group of muscles while the opposite, or antagonist muscle group stays relaxed, is called reciprocal inhibition. This process happens subconsciously. There are other unconscious processes that shut off or turn on muscles in order to prevent injury.
In the middle of any muscle group are sensory cells called spindle cells. These cells automatically contract a muscle whenever it is stretched too far. Another set of cells located where the muscle attaches to the bone are called Golgi tendon organs. These cells automatically relax a muscle whenever it is over-contracted.
Treatments to help muscles regain function will often require precise stimulation of either or both of these cell groups.
If a patient injures their lower back, Dr. Rollheiser will check all of the muscles around the hips, pelvis and spine. I will nearly always find one or more muscles that do not test strong; they have been automatically turned off by the body as a protective measure. Dr. Rollheiser will then stimulate the cells in the belly of the muscle or at the attachment sites of the muscle and retest to see if the muscle strengthens. If so, more therapy is continued at the site that produced strength.
Below is a summary of three other techniques that can be used to help weak muscles return to their intended strength. In order to be fully appreciated more detail is required beyond the scope of this book.
The procedure is very simple, but often produces a surprisingly strong therapeutic response. Two steps are required. 1. The doctor stimulates the previously injured area – usually with gentle pinching. 2. The doctor then immediately applies gentle downward pressure on a bone in the foot called the talus. That’s it!
The neurological explanation for the effectiveness of this treatment is somewhat complicated and has to do with all of the sensory nerves located throughout the foot. The messages from these nerves are given a high priority in the brain because they are responsible for keeping us upright and oriented when we stand on our feet. Somehow, stimulating a previously injured area and then immediately stimulating the sensory receptors in the foot, produces a reduction in nerve sensitivity and an increase in function of the previously injured tissue.
One of Dr. Rollheiser’s patients had a return of normal vision as a result IRT. She was struck in the head with a discus many years prior, and gradually her eyesight worsened. Dr. Rollheiser performed this simple procedure on the scarred area where the impact occurred and her vision returned to normal within fifteen minutes. This response is in no way typical but it does demonstrate that subtle neurologically based therapies can have dramatic results.
In summary, correction of an imbalance discovered through A.K. testing of the patient’s structural, chemical or emotional health is achieved through a myriad of therapies including chiropractic adjustments, cranial bone alignment, neurolymphatic correction and neurovascular stimulation, acupressure, nutritional supplementation and more. In other words, A.K. helps to find the problem, and often determines the appropriate form of treatment needed to correct it.
Theoretically, patients with many health problems should be good candidates for muscle testing. In fact, the opposite may be true. Their bodies spend so much time adapting to, and correcting existing imbalances, that additional stimuli introduced by the doctor (like checking for a subluxation or an allergy) produce little or no change whatsoever in a muscle test. It is like trying to hear a whisper in a crowded room.
Any of the following factors may be a significant hindrance to muscle testing:
Because of the problems above, techniques have been developed to “clear” a patient before attempting to derive any significant information from muscle tests. In his experience Dr. Rollheiser clears a patient by evaluating their neurological function. This can be done by simply having the patient simulate walking while lying on their back. This activity, called cross-crawl, activates the right and left sides of the brain. To evaluate further, Dr. Rollheiser also has the patient contact two known neurological points on their upper sternum. While touching these points the patient breathes deeply as Dr. Rollheiser looks for certain changes in structural balance and position. This test evaluates the communication between the body and the brain. Checking for and correcting both of these important areas only takes a few minutes. If these two tests are not responding properly, then muscle testing results may be inaccurate.
It is important to note that the overall skill level of the doctor using A.K. muscle testing is dependent upon many factors: knowledge of nutrition, physiology, neurochemistry and sensory receptor-based therapies as well as doctor consistency and experience. Unfortunately there are many health care professionals who say they are using Applied Kinesiology, but in fact are not. These doctors may be using muscle testing and its associated terminology, but their particular technique cannot be found in the official teaching of the I.C.A.K. To ensure that you are getting a qualified doctor, ask if they if they have undergone the necessary training given by the I.C.A.K.
Applied Kinesiology is an extremely beneficial tool in the hands of a doctor who understands its strengths and weaknesses. Working on the more sensitive functional level, A.K. can help to identify dysfunction or potential disease prior to its appearance through the evaluation of the body’s three main physical components: structural, chemical and emotional/mental. Currently, A.K. is the only known form of diagnosis, alternative or conventional, with this capability. The technique is both a science and an art, and, like other health procedures, is not perfect. A.K. therefore is used in conjunction with other recognized forms of diagnosis and treatment.
It is Dr. Rollheiser’s strong belief that even with its current lack of full recognition, Applied Kinesiology will continue to grow, becoming more recognized and further incorporated into other forms of medicine.