More about Kinesiology

How was kinesiology developed? Kinesiology was originally developed by chiropractors in the USA as a method of testing the condition of specific muscles. As many of the same practitioners also used acupuncture in their treatments they discovered that the meridians (or nadis in Ayurveda and Yoga) of the body also related to specific muscles. As the meridians also relate to specific organs, body systems and emotional tendencies they found that the muscle tests could also be used as a biofeedback system for the whole person. Since then a great deal of other developments have taken place and kinesiology is now a widely used diagnostic and treatment system. It has been made better known in recent years by the psychiatrist Dr. David Hawkings who has done extensive clinical trials using kinesiology to calibrate states of mind, emotions and consciousness. 1.

How is Kinesiology used? Kinesiology has a great many applications and many practitioners use it in conjunction with other therapies, whilst some specialise just in Kinesiology. Some of the main branches of kinesiology are: Applied Kinesiology that mainly specialises in structural problems in a similar way as a chiropractor or osteopath, Bio-Kinesiology that mainly works with the bio-chemistry of the body such as the organs or physiology and with testing for suitable nutritional and herbal remedies and food (allergy or sensitivity) testing, Emotional kinesiology which mainly works with stress and emotional problems, Educational kinesiology which works with learning difficulties, dyslexia and balancing left and right sides of the brain.
There is also a system based upon using aspects of all these branches originally known as Touch For Health (now Balanced Health).

How does kinesiology work? The muscle tests appear to work by referent nerve impulses to the Hypothalamic part of the brain, and then via the Ponto-Medullary Reticular Formation, the Intermediate Lateral cell Column and via the Supra spinal gamma motor neurones. To summarise in simple terms it seems the body can pick up what is good or bad for it and this affects cellular communication. Any bad input into the body (such as a bad sound, food, colour, taste, smell etc) will weaken a normally strong muscle by affecting input via the senses and inhibiting the cortico-spinal pathway (etc) as above. Any good input into the body (such as a vitamin, mineral, herb, food etc), will strengthen a muscle that is weak.

How do you use kinesiology? I qualified as a Touch For Health (Balanced Health) Instructor with the Association of Systematic Kinesiology in 1987 and have also trained in Bio-Kinesiology, Educational and Emotional Kinesiology. In recent years I have trained with Chris Astill-Smith D.O. in the latest form of Functional Kinesiology. I mainly use the Functional or Bio-Kinesiology in my practice because it complements my work as a nutritional therapist and medical herbalist. It is used to help find the specific vitamins, minerals or other nutritional needs for an individual at any given time as well as detecting food sensitivities or the need for more of a certain food in a persons diet. The modern research into kinesiology also helps us to find the priority for treatment at any given time for each person e.g. whether someone’s condition is mainly needing nutritional, structural or emotional help, or a combination.

I also like to use laboratory testing, iridology (diagnosis from the eyes) and traditional diagnostic techniques such as pulse and tongue diagnosis (as used in Traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda) along with kinesiology. I find it useful to compare the information from this range of diagnostic techniques to assess the needs of each person rather than rely upon just one method. At the start of treatment I also use a nutritional questionnaire and the consultation to assess needs. In complex cases it is sometimes more cost effective to rely more upon laboratory tests to assess what is needed before starting treatment and then to use kinesiology a little later to fine tune the rest of treatment.

In recent years research done on the relationship between specific acupuncture points and brain chemistry and nutrients, as well as the way in which certain colours affect the chemistry of the brain via the cones of the eyes has also been integrated into kinesiology. I also use the kinesiology techniques pioneered by Dr. David Hawkings(1) to help people with underlying emotional or unconscious causes for health problems when this is appropriate