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Kinesiology or biomechanics at its most basic level is the study of body movement. When used as a method of diagnosis and treatment, however, the appropriate term is applied kinesiology (AK) or muscle testing. Applied kinesiology was developed in 1964 by George Goodheart, Jr., a Michigan chiropractor. Not all alternative health practitioners are trained in applied kinesiology, as they must first be certified in their respective fields before they can study applied kinesiology in a postgraduate setting for use in their practice.
Kinesiology as used within an alternative medical setting is based on the premise that muscles are affected by problems within a particular organ or body system and that muscle weakness can be symptomatic of problems elsewhere in the body such as nerve damage, reduced blood supply, chemical imbalances, and/or nutritional deficiency among others.
My first experience with kinesiology was over twenty years ago when I was suffering panic attacks from my crazy, “burn the candle at both ends” corporate lifestyle at the time.
My practitioner used a basic muscle test to determine if a pancreatic enzyme supplement he was recommending would work well with my physiology and help facilitate a resolution of my health challenges. As part of the test, I held one of the pancreatic enzymes in my mouth while the doctor tested for muscle weakness which would have indicated that the supplement was an inappropriate choice for me. As it turned out, no muscle weakness was noted, and I took that supplement for about a year or so until my health challenges were completely resolved (never to return in the 2+ decades since).
How Kinesiology Works
Kinesiology is very safe and does not involve any invasive procedures. While a detailed medical history is taken before a kinesiology session is initiated, AK is not an appropriate technique on its own to diagnose or treat disease. Rather, kinesiology should only used as one part of a thorough and complete diagnostic examination according to the International College of Applied Kinesiology (ICAK). It is a simple tool to allow the practitioner to reveal which holistic treatment options are optimal for each patient to facilitate the most rapid and complete healing possible.
When a person is being muscle tested, the practitioner will have the patient stand or lie down. The patient’s arms and sometimes legs are then moved in different positions while a light manual pressure is applied to test muscle response to a specific set of stimuli. Throughout the entire procedure, the patient remains relaxed and comfortable.
If muscle weakness is detected to one stimulus but not another, for example, then the practitioner knows that the stimulus that did not elicit muscle weakness is likely the best option for that patient.
Kinesiology Commonly Used by Biological Dentists
If you’ve ever visited a biological dentist, you’ve probably noted that kinesiology is frequently used.
A biological dentist will test either via blood test or applied kinesiology (muscle testing) to determine which composite filling or other dental material is most appropriate for each individual patient. Conventional dentists who don’t use kinesiology simply use their favorite (translation: the cheapest) composite, or worse, amalgam materials for every single patient and situation regardless of the patient’s health status, medical history, or sensitivities.
When I had dental surgery a few years ago, my biological dentist used applied kinesiology to test every single drug and supplement option to determine the best ones to use. It took about 15 minutes for him to muscle test everything at his disposal to come up with a mix that was going to produce the best results for my surgery. I have no way of knowing if this careful determination made any difference, but I can say that I recovered from the surgery with no antibiotics needed (almost unheard of for dental surgery), minimal discomfort (I needed no painkillers), and no problems whatsoever.
How Kinesiology Helps You Find the Best Supplements
As mentioned above, kinesiology is frequently used by practitioners to assess whether a particular food, supplement or other substance weakens (or strengthens) a patient. Testing involves placing the substance in the patient’s mouth (under the tongue) or having the patient hold it in his/her hand as a muscle is tested. If the muscle stands up to the manual pressure exerted by the practitioner while the patient is being exposed to the food or supplement, it is deemed to be beneficial. If the muscle gives way, the food or supplement is deemed to be problematic for that person.
As a result, if you are unsure whether a particular food or supplement is right for you, a visit to an experienced kinesiologist in your area can help set your mind at ease.
For example, a frequent question posed to me is whether fermented cod liver oil (FCLO), fermented skate liver oil (FSLO), or regular cod liver oil is better as a nutrient dense, whole foods supplement.
While we use both fermented cod liver oil and fermented skate liver oil in our home and have for years (we switched away from regular cod liver oil in 2007), these may not be the best options for you. Best to get a sample of each one you are considering and have your practitioner test you to see which is most beneficial.
Practitioners on Muscle Testing Various Cod Liver Oil Brands
According to staff at the clinic Biodynamic Wellness, more than 95% of clients muscle test most positively for the fermented cod liver oil (FCLO). These are the results compiled over many years of testing since the product was released in 2007.
For the individuals that do not test well for FCLO, usually there are issues with extreme biliary tract congestion that needs to be resolved first, and once that condition is addressed, these people are tested again and usually are found to have a biological compatibility with this supplement. The others who do not test well and need to select a non-fermented form of cod liver oil tend to have a strong intolerance to histamines and need to avoid all fermented products at least for a short period of time.
Dr. Louisa Williams, author of Radical Medicine, has also used testing of various cod liver oil brands in her practice including the fermented cod and skate oils to determine which one is best for each patient. Dr. Williams said in an email (which she consented to have me use in this article) that, in general, the fermented skate liver oil tests best in her practice for adults, and for children, the fermented cod liver oil tests best. Would this be the case for your family? The only way to know is to test.
In sum, if you are confused in any way about which cod liver oil or other supplements you should be using to help improve or maintain your health, kinesiology can be a great tool to cut to the chase and give you the answers you need today.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
More Information
Simple At-Home Autoimmunity Test
Doctor’s Orders: Why Your Family Needs Fermented Cod Liver Oil
Yerba Mate: When to Enjoy, When to Avoid (+ Latte Recipe)
I wish I had this information 20 years ago. It took me several years to figure out that more than 2 decades of nearly daily headaches were due, in part, to histamine intolerance. I also had to learn the hard way that I was unable to tolerate the FCLO. Or kombucha, or kefir, kimchi, pickles, etc.
I’m working with a naturopath now, so hopefully I can overcome the histamine intolerance and enjoy some of these healthy foods again.
I knew I had to avoid a long list of foods, but now I know why. I first heard of histamine intolerance from the comment section of your blog, and the puzzle became more clear. Thank you.
The good news is that a histamine intolerance can be resolved! Glad you are working with a practitioner who can help with your recovery. It’s very hard not to mention confusing and sometimes discouraging to try and do this yourself.
I am a firm believer of muscle testing. Our holistic dentist recommended supplements that are helping with my son’s eczema. I was his surrogate and it was amazing to see how well (or not) he reacted to certain supplements. Plus, our biofeedback TCM uses Cyberscan to help us tailor our supplement regimen. That is one powerful machine. It even detected that my son is very stressed right now (he just started a new school).
This technique still makes no scientific sense to me. How can the body react to a substance if it is being held in bottle? There is no direct contact between the substance and the body. In my mind, the only reason this technique could ever be helpful is due to the knowledge and intuition of the practitioner, not to the technique itself.
In biological dentistry, you can also do a blood test in lieu of muscle testing to determine which composite dental material is best if that makes you more comfortable. I know this because my husband was offered the choice (muscle testing or blood test) when he had his amalgams out some years ago so that the dentist knew which material he was most compatible with. I’m sure you could do this with supplements as well, but it would take more time and money to do so.
I would like to comment on this very timely article. I have used muscle testing for over 40 years
and feel I have saved my life on many occasions. You can learn to test yourself, but it’s very
confirming to also have someone else experienced in this technique, test you. I do this with medicines and foods. It works best if the item is held in your hand against your stomach (for me, anyway) When I am suspecting a particular substance, I take it to one of two practitioners to check my findings. One caveat: It is most important that the person testing you not know what the substance is (I disguise substance in piece of parchment) because the person testing you can influence the outcome by being negative or positive about what they are testing you on. They must be neutral while doing this. Just another way to enhance our health.. the body does not
lie !! It’s controversial, but it works. Thanks for featuring this subject, Sarah.
It works because your body has an energy field that surrounds it. When the substance enters your field it interacts with it. I’m a physicist and I have worked with 2 excellent AK chiropractors in my life. It works. Is it infallible – nope. Neither are lab tests and standard medical doctors.
It’s disappointing to see a pseudo-scientific practice touted on this blog Sarah.
Various studies have shown no difference between random guessing and AK. This makes sense, because I’m not aware of any proposed scientific mechanism that would explain why muscle weakness would indicate nutritional deficiencies when a pill is held in the hand.
Goodheart, the inventor of muscle testing, openly admitted using “psychic communication” to develop the theory. His books are full of references to the occult mystic, Manly P. Hall. The organization he founded, International College of Applied Kinesiology, continues to have leadership that quote liberally from Manly P. Hall. In addition to offering “free hypnosis”.
As I have witnessed the practice, Applied Kinesiology works about like a ouija board (i.e. it relies on the ideomotor effect), except using the human body instead of the board and stylus.
There may be some benefit to AK for supplements one has ingested before, since one may effectively be consulting the subconscious mind about whether one wants to ingest a supplement again, based on the prior “gut” experience. This being said, there is not reason to use a mysticall “woo woo” procedure that treats one’s muscles as divination equipment. By raising your consciousness and searching your feeling’s, you can obtain the same information from your “gut” without relying on a mystrical construction, or deluding yourself about where the information is coming from.
I’m your new favorite commenter, eh Sarah? 🙂
Diss all you like .. the fact is that many reputable practitioners including DOs, NDs and others use muscle testing with great success in their practices. And, who says that it is just random guessing … conventional medicine of course!
The fact is that some of the most critically important health information I have ever received in my life that helped me tremendously over the long term came from muscle testing. I know many others can say the same. Don’t knock it until you try it! And, if you really must have something more “scientific” then just do a blood test which can accomplish much of the same 🙂
First, thank you for publishing my critical comment!
“many reputable practitioners” – that’s the argument from authority
nizkor.org/features/fallacies/appeal-to-authority.html
“use muscle testing with great success in their practices.”
Based on what. My admittedly brief review of the literature on this indicated there is a big void of scientific — not “scientific”, but scientific, which has a real definition — evidence demonstrating that it works. Since most health practitioners employ a wide range of similar alternative treatments in most cases, how would they know which specific component is or isn’t working, in this case of observed health improvements. Without an experiment, it’s tough.
“And, who says that it is just random guessing … conventional medicine of course!”
No, the people who have studied it are the ones who have said it isn’t detectably *better* than random guessing, in the experiments they have conducted. To imply that a skeptic of AK is somehow in favor of conventional medicine as a whole, is also a fallacy.
“The fact is that some of the most critically important health information I have ever received in my life that helped me tremendously over the long term came from muscle testing. I know many others can say the same.”
I actually believe you, to a certain degree. But I provided an alternative explanation that you seem to have ignored. Let of offer analogy.
A few days ago, Food52 published an article called “A Magical Trick for Keeping the Sparkle in Your Sparkling Wine”
food52.com/blog/13992-a-magical-trick-for-keeping-the-sparkle-in-your-sparkling-wine). The “trick” is to place a spoon in the neck of the opened bottle. Now multiple investigations have shown that it’s baloney. In fact without any spoon at all the carbonation can stay in the wine for quite some time, especially if it isn’t disturbed and remains cold. Of course, both are not stellar ideas, compared to some alternatives. But the author *swore* that it works. She had personal experience.
It’s this sort of propensity that makes scientific investigation superior to analysis of personal anecdotes. Although, it does certainly come with its own set of challenges. Including the fact that its hard tor science to do enough experiments with enough variables to compete with, say, some of the things we can learn from traditional practices. Which AK isn’t.
>> Don’t knock it until you try it!
My religious beliefs prevent me from trying what I see as a divination procedure. Obviously others may see things differently, and I respect that. However I have close friends who have sworn by AK, and eventually came to realize that the perspective I shared above to be of superior effectiveness. Don’t knock it until you try it?
As I said before, if you don’t want to do muscle testing, do the simple blood test alternative which basically shows the same thing.
If nutritional testing showed the same thing as muscle testing, wouldn’t this something that could be demonstrated consistently – as in an experiment?
Three Pipe Problem,
Yes, dis all you like. But why not say it CAN work well? Maybe AK is not always done properly? I do not know, but it CAN indeed work spot on.
My husband suffered from frequent headaches for 20+ years and the worst were his last 10 years where he got to having some form of a headache EVERY day. 3-4x a week a migraine. He saw the “best head doctor” in Rochester, NY during that 10 yr period. By chance, he went to a Chiro practicing AK. After the initial evaluation visit, he did AK on my husband and his arm FLEW DOWN when milk was evaluated on him. He was clearly having a huge issue with milk. He removed it from his diet and not only did his headaches/migraines disappear IMMEDIATELY, but the knots in the back of his neck which he thought were causing his migraines disappeared, the need for Prilosec (for heartburn/gastroesophageal reflux) disappeared, what he described as Tendonitis in his knees disappeared–forever complaining about needing a first floor bedroom, and the pain in his hand which kept him from unscrewing the lid off a jar.
I am a FIRM BELIEVER that AK CAN work, so it’s worth a shot for those it can help!
Fantastic post Sarah. More people need to know about AK, and this is a great way to make them aware of an immediate practical use.
This should also help shut down the rhetoric around FCLO, as it adds some clarity and understanding, as well as more evidence of its effectiveness.
Yes, exactly! Just go test and stop worrying about the rumors. Find out once and for all if FCLO is good for you or not. Note that 95% or so of folks tested by Biodynamic Wellness tested best for FCLO or FSLO so play the odds if you can’t get tested right away or can’t afford an appointment to get it done.
I had my son tested after having suffered from eczema and itching since 2 months old. The results provided a list of foods he was sensitive to as well as goods he was compatible with. We were given a bunch of supplements, which we gave and still give to him daily. After several months with no improvement, we decided to go to a conventional allergist to get a skin test done. Milk, eggs, wheat, soy, and peanuts were tested. After only 2 min, a very large welt developed from the peanut allergen. We were told my son has a “significant allergy” to peanuts and were prescribed an epi pen. The problems is, the muscle testing determined peanuts were compatible!! How could my son be compatible with peanuts and have such an extreme reaction? I question the accuracy of this method of testing.
It is important to remember that muscle testing only determines sensitivities at one single point in time. This is similar to a blood test. You might have high triglycerides with one blood test and then after making dietary and lifestyle changes, you might have another blood test later which shows improvement, for example. You have to continue monitoring progress with muscle testing and/or blood testing and observe change over time to get a complete picture.
When Itested negative for a bioalgae concentrate I asked the suppliers why. Here was Dr. Roland Thomas’s answer:
Kinesiology is a half science subject to the three influences :
· the training/experience or lack of, and the belief/knowledge or lack of from the tester,
· then the belief/knowledge of the person being tested,
· and finally the actual object/substance being tested.
It is impossible to place faith in such a chain full of potential errors. There is no empirical evidence that kinesiology should be relied on.
Just a word to the naysayers. Look into frequency and how everything has a frequency. Muscle testing is using your body’s “electrical” system to test for what it needs. It has saved my health and thousands of $ in supplements.
Thank you Sarah. As above so below. Kinesiology is grounded in electrical/magnetic principles that govern the Universe as described in the electric universe theory ( https://www.thunderbolts.info/wp/about/ ) . The electro/magnetic principles are understood, our bodies are currents of electricity, and electrical currents always create magnetic fields, this is true in space, galaxies, stars, planets, moons, earth, our bodies our cells and our molecules. If you want to watch a really cool video on these principles, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkWiBxWieQU The Long Path to Understanding Gravity | EU2015. It may seem off subject but you will get the connection of what is going on in the cosmos and what is going on in our bodies. Gerald Pollack is a water scientist, and he has some real interesting studies on the elctrical principles in water and a fourth state of water that sheds light on homeopathy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnGCMQ8TJ_g Electrically Structured Water, Part 1 | EU 2013 , This one is interesting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q33KyLkP_Rg in that Dr. Pollack talks of gels and water, think stock, and the fourth state of water. Enjoy.
I have been healed by Muscle Testing. It is all how good the practitioner is and how well you stick to the dietary recommendations. I would not go to a regular doctor who could take up to 5 visits to find out what a Kinesologist can pick up in 20 minutes. It has saved my life!!!
This is ridiculous, I am a Kinesiologist, this is not Kinesiology. In your “How it works” section, you explain the process but you do not explain how it works. How does this work physiologically?
This would all stand up to a controlled randomized study…. NOT!!!