Kinesiology (pronounced kin-easy-ology) is a complementary diagnostic technique based on the belief that each muscle in your body is related to an internal organ and an energy pathway called a meridian, to form a circuit. The strength or weakness of certain muscles is believed to relate to corresponding body systems and to indicate your physical, biochemical and mental health – known as the Triangle of Health.
Kinesiology was originally developed by a US chiropractor, Dr George Goodheart, in the 1960s, when treating a client with a dislocated shoulder blade due to a weak muscle. He discovered that the muscle could be strengthened by massaging seemingly unrelated areas of the body.
There are now several variations of the original therapy, including authentic kinesiology, health kinesiology, systematic kinesiology, education kinesiology, clinical kinesiology and applied kinesiology. All types involve assessing how your muscles and reflexes respond when held against light pressure to help pinpoint imbalances in body function and energy flow.
During muscle testing, you will usually sit or lie on a couch, fully dressed, with one forearm lying at right angles to the couch. The practitioner will gently place light pressure on the arm to see how much resistance the muscle gives. Practitioners believe that the body 'knows' why it is in poor health, and if the muscle relaxes this is interpreted as a 'NO' response. If the muscle remains strong, however, it is interpreted as a 'YES' response.
You may be asked a series of questions to identify what is causing the muscle to relax or tighten, and may have items such as foods held against your body to see how you respond to them. The physical, mental or chemical challenges used by the therapist allow your body to provide the information needed to promote well-being. Muscle testing can identify what foods suit you best, for example, and those to which you may be intolerant.
Fingertip massage of pressure points may be used to stimulate the circulation and correct any imbalances. Some therapists also use magnets, homeopathic remedies or flower essences, offer nutritional advice and suggest lifestyle changes.
During a session, which typically lasts an hour, the therapist may identify food allergies, nutritional imbalances or causes of psychological stress and may rebalance your chakras or start a detox program, for example. Kinesiology is so gentle it can be used on babies and the very elderly.
A technique known as Touch for Health was developed from applied kinesiology in the 1970s. This does not aim to diagnose or treat symptoms, but to help balance energy in the body. This includes the Emotional Stress Release technique, in which points on the forehead are lightly pressed, and the Cross Crawl technique, in which the knees are touched with the opposite elbows to improve co-ordination.
Most medical doctors remain sceptical of kinesiology as a method of diagnosis, and it is important to have any recurrent or persistent symptoms diagnosed by a medical practitioner as well.
