Kinesiology

Kinesiology, scientific study of movement (from the Greek 'kinesis', meaning motion). Applied kinesiology is a natural healing method, founded in 1964 in the United States by chiropractor Dr George Goodheart, which uses muscle testing to determine imbalances or disharmonies in the mind, body, or spirit. It is practised by chiropractors, osteopaths, nutritionists, dentists, and some doctors (see Medicine).

Kinesiology combines Western technology and oriental principles of energy flow. It maintains that the muscles, organs, systems, and glands of the body are linked by a network of invisible energy channels, through which, when the body is healthy, energy flows freely. However, when these channels are blocked a reduced energy flow leads to a weakening of the relevant body system, affecting the muscles that relate to it. It is believed that all imbalances in the body can be detected by testing the tension in specific muscles, and this will indicate physical, chemical, and mental health.

Manual muscle testing, developed in the United States in the late 1940s by Dr Robert Lovett and the physiotherapists Henry and Florence Kendall, is designed to find the imbalances in the body. Pressure is applied to a person’s leg or arm, and then the person is asked to maintain the original position where a specific muscle is contracted. The practitioner touches a particular body part linked by an energy channel to that muscle. If the patient can resist the pressure on his or her arm or leg, it shows that the body part is healthy. However, if the patient fails to resist the pressure, it means there is an energy imbalance in the body part.

When the problem and its possible cause are located, muscle tests are used to find out the best correction and re-balancing method. Diet and lifestyle are also taken into consideration when a treatment is recommended.

See also Complementary Medicine.