Professional Applied Kinesiology: What does it mean?

The International College of Applied Kinesiology USA reserves the practice of applied kinesiology (AK) to those licensed as primary care doctors who have completed proficiency training in applied kinesiology.

The PAK® logo represents Professional Applied Kinesiology™ and is reserved for ICAK-USA doctors that have met specific requirements to qualify as a professional applied kinesiologist. The individual must be re certified every five years.

Chiropractic Health Center and Dr. Scott Cuthbert supports the use of AK by those certified as PAK® proficient.

Applied Kinesiology
Status Statement

International College of Applied Kinesiology® - USA

The International College of Applied Kinesiology-U.S.A. provides a clinical and academic arena for investigating, substantiating, and propagating AK findings and concepts pertinent to the relationships between structural, chemical, and mental factors in health and disease and the relationship between structural faults and the disruption of homeostasis exhibited in functional illness.

AK is an interdisciplinary approach to health care which draws together the core elements of the complementary therapies, creating a more unified approach to the diagnosis and treatment of functional illness. AK uses functional assessment measures such as posture and gait analysis, manual muscle testing as functional neurologic evaluation, range of motion, static palpation, and motion analysis. These assessments are used in conjunction with standard methods of diagnosis, such as clinical history, physical examination findings, laboratory tests, and instrumentation to develop a clinical impression of the unique physiologic condition of each patient, including an impression of the patient's functional physiologic status. When appropriate, this clinical impression is used as a guide to the application of conservative physiologic therapeutics.

The practice of applied kinesiology requires that it be used in conjunction with other standard diagnostic methods by professionals trained in clinical diagnosis. As such, the use of applied kinesiology or its component assessment procedures is appropriate only to individuals licensed to perform those procedures.

The origin of contemporary applied kinesiology is traced to 1964 when George G. Goodheart, Jr., D.C., first observed that in the absence of congenital or pathologic anomaly, postural distortion is often associated with muscles that fail to meet the demands of muscle tests designed to maximally isolate specific muscles. He observed that tender nodules were frequently palpable within the origin and/or insertion of the tested muscle. Digital manipulation of these areas of apparent muscle dysfunction improved both postural balance and the outcome of manual muscle tests. Goodheart and others have since observed that many conservative treatment methods improve neuromuscular function as perceived by manual muscle testing. These treatment methods have become the fundamental applied kinesiology approach to therapy. Included in the AK approach are specific Joint manipulation or mobilization, various myofascial therapies, cranial techniques, meridian therapy, clinical nutrition, dietary management, and various reflex procedures. With expanding investigation there has been continued amplification and modification of the treatment procedures. Although many treatment techniques incorporated into applied kinesiology were pre-existing, many new methods have been developed within the discipline itself.

Often the indication of dysfunction is the failure of a muscle to perform properly during the manual muscle test. This may be due to improper facilitation or neuromuscular inhibition. In theory some of the proposed etiologies for the muscle dysfunction are as follows:

·        Myofascial dysfunction (micro avulsion and proprioceptive dysfunction)

·        Peripheral nerve entrapment

·        Spinal segmental facilitation and deafferentation

·        Neurologic disorganization

·        Viscerosomatic relationships (aberrant autonomic reflexes)

·        Nutritional inadequacy

·        Toxic chemical influences

·        Dysfunction in the production and circulation of cerebrospinal fluid

·        Adverse mechanical tension in the meningeal membranes

·        Meridian system imbalance

·        Lymphatic and vascular impairment

On the basis of response to therapy, it appears that in some of these conditions the primary neuromuscular dysfunction is due to deafferentation, the loss of normal sensory stimulation of neurons due to functional interruption of afferent receptors. It may occur under many circumstances, but is best understood by the concept that with abnormal joint function (subluxation or fixation) the aberrant movement causes improper stimulation of the local joint and muscle receptors. This changes the transmission from these receptors through the peripheral nerves to the spinal cord, brainstem, cerebellum, cortex, and then to the effectors from their normally-expected stimulation. Symptoms of deafferentation arise from numerous levels such as motor, sensory, autonomic, and consciousness, or from anywhere throughout the neuraxis.

Applied kinesiology interactive assessment procedures represent a form of functional biomechanical and functional neurologic evaluation. The term "functional biomechanics" refers to the clinical assessment of posture, organized motion such as in gait, and ranges of motion. Muscle testing readily enters into the assessment of postural distortion, gait impairment, and altered range of motion. During a functional neurologic evaluation, muscle tests are used to monitor the physiologic response to a physical, chemical, or mental stimulus. The observed response is correlated with clinical history and physical exam findings and, as indicated, with laboratory tests and any other appropriate standard diagnostic methods. Applied kinesiology procedures are not intended to be used as a single method of diagnosis. Applied kinesiology examination should enhance standard diagnosis, not replace it.

In clinical practice the following stimuli are among those which have been observed to alter the outcome of a manual muscle test:

·        Transient directional force applied to the spine, pelvis, cranium, and extremities

·        Stretching muscle, joint, ligament, and tendon

·        The patient's digital contact over the skin of a suspect area of dysfunction termed therapy localization

·        Repetitive contraction of muscle or motion of a joint

·        Stimulation of the olfactory receptors by fumes of a chemical substance

·        Gustatory stimulation, usually by nutritional material

·        A phase of diaphragmatic respiration

·        The patient's mental visualization of an emotional, motor, or sensory Stresser activity

·        Response to other sensory stimuli such as touch, nociceptor, hot, cold, visual, auditory, and vestibular afferentation

Manual muscle tests evaluate the ability of the nervous system to adapt the muscle to meet the changing pressure of the examiner's test. This requires that the examiner be trained in the anatomy, physiology, and neurology of muscle function. The action of the muscle being tested, as well as the role of synergistic muscles, must be understood. Manual muscle testing is both a science and an art. To achieve accurate results, muscle tests must be performed according to a precise testing protocol. Dr. Cuthbert and Dr. Wally Schmitt have recently published detailed clinical guidelines for the manual muscle test.

This paper is available in full at:    http://www.chiroandosteo.com/content/16/1/16

The following factors must be carefully considered when testing muscles in clinical and research settings:

·        Proper positioning so the test muscle is the prime mover

·        Adequate stabilization of regional anatomy

·        Observation of the manner in which the patient or subject assumes and maintains the test position

·        Observation of the manner in which the patient or subject performs the test

·        Consistent timing, pressure, and position

·        Avoidance of preconceived impressions regarding the test outcome

·        Nonpainful contacts - nonpainful execution of the test

·        Contraindications due to age, debilitative disease, acute pain, and local pathology or inflammation

In applied kinesiology a close clinical association has been observed between specific muscle dysfunction and related organ or gland dysfunction. This viscerosomatic relationship is but one of the many sources of muscle weakness. Placed into perspective and properly correlated with other diagnostic input, it gives the physician an indication of the organs or glands to consider as possible sources of health problems. In standard diagnosis, body language such as paleness, fatigue, and lack of color in the capillaries and arterioles of the internal surface of the lower eyelid gives the physician an indication that anemia can be present. A diagnosis of anemia is only justified by laboratory analysis of the patient's blood. In a similar manner, the muscle-organ/gland association and other considerations in applied kinesiology give indication for further examination to confirm or rule out an association in the particular case being studied. It is the physician's total diagnostic work-up that determines the final diagnosis.

An applied kinesiology-based examination and therapy are of great value in the management of common functional health problems when used in conjunction with information obtained from a functional interpretation of the clinical history, physical and laboratory examinations and from instrumentation. Applied kinesiology helps the physician understand functional symptomatic complexes. In assessing a patient's status, it is important to understand any pathologic states or processes that may be present prior to instituting a form of therapy for what appears to be functional health problem.

Applied kinesiology-based procedures are administered to achieve the following examination and therapeutic goals:

·        Provide an interactive assessment of the functional health status of an individual which is not equipment intensive but does emphasize the importance of correlating findings with standard diagnostic procedures

·        Restore postural balance, correct gait impairment, improve range of motion

·        Restore normal afferentation to achieve proper neurologic control and/or organization of body function

·        Achieve homeostasis of endocrine, immune, digestive, and other visceral function

·        Intervene earlier in degenerative processes to prevent or delay the onset of frank pathologic processes

When properly performed, applied kinesiology can provide valuable insights into physiologic dysfunctions; however, many individuals have developed methods that use muscle testing (and related procedures) in a manner inconsistent with the approach advocated by the International College of Applied Kinesiology-U.S.A. Clearly the utilization of muscle testing and other AK procedures does not necessarily equate with the practice of applied kinesiology as defined by the ICAK-U.S.A.

There are both lay persons and professionals who use a form of manual muscle testing without the necessary expertise to perform specific and accurate tests. Some fail to coordinate the muscle testing findings with other standard diagnostic procedures. These may be sources of error that could lead to misinterpretation of the condition present, and thus to improper treatment or failure to treat the appropriate condition. For these reasons the International College of Applied Kinesiology-U.S.A. defines the practice of applied kinesiology as limited to health care professionals licensed to diagnose.

Approved by the Executive Board of the International College of Applied Kinesiology - U.S.A., June 16, 1992.

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For More Information Go To:
International College of Applied Kinesiology at icakusa.com

Or Contact:

Dr. Scott Cuthbert

Chiropractic Health Center, PC

255 West Abriendo Avenue

Pueblo, CO  81004

(719) 544-1468

Applied kinesiology meets the health care needs of children: the scientific research

Children have a remarkable ability to respond to chiropractic care. Some of the most dramatic health corrections in the annals of chiropractic have been accomplished with children. In obtaining health correction, chiropractic uses the body’s own recuperative powers. This ability to rebuild diseased or malfunctioning organs or structures is especially great in a child.

Dr. Scott (and many other clinician-scientists around the world) has published a series of research papers about the applied kinesiology care of children at the Chiropractic Health Center and elsewhere. These papers are available online as indicated below, or are available at the clinic. Please ask us if you

would like this information.

 

• Cuthbert S, Rosner A. Applied kinesiology methods for a 10-year-old child with headaches, neck pain, asthma, and reading disabilities. J Chiro Med. 2010; 9(3):138-145. Available at: http://www.journalchiromed.com/article/S1556-3707(10)00067-2/abstract.

This paper is important because it explains in detail the methods of correction used to help a young man overcome his headaches, neck pain, asthma and learning difficulties. This elaborates upon the much larger – though the details of treatment were briefer – research paper below on Developmental delay syndromes. This paper showed “how to” do this specifically in a particular child.

• Cuthbert S, Rosner A. Applied Kinesiology Management of Candidiasis and Chronic Ear Infections: A Case History. J. Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health - August 3, 2010.

Chronic ear infections are very common in children with weakened immune systems and for children who have been treated repeatedly with antibiotics for conditions that their own immune systems should be able to handle. This paper demonstrates what was done to change that rapidly in a young 6 year old girl.

• Cuthbert SC, Barras M. Developmental delay syndromes: psychometric testing before and after chiropractic treatment of 157 children. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2009 Oct;32(8):660-9. Available at: http://www.jmptonline.org/article/S0161-4754(09)00198-5/abstract.

This research project was unique in chiropractic history as it involved the largest cohort of children specifically with developmental delay syndromes in the profession’s history. The children were monitored before and after treatment by an educational psychologist, who used “psychometric testing” (that evaluates cognitive, sensory, and muscular function) before and after treatment. The outcomes for this series of patients was very exciting indeed!

• Blum C, Cuthbert S. Developmental Delay Syndromes and Chiropractic: A Case Report. J Ped Matern Fam Health. Aug 2009: 3. Available at: http://www.chiroindex.org/?search_page=articles&action=&articleId=20712.
• Karpouzis F, Pollard H, Bonello R. A randomised controlled trial of the Neuro Emotional Technique (NET) for childhood Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): a protocol. Trials. 2009 Jan 27;10(1):6. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19173743.

Neuro-Emotional Technique (N.E.T.) is a system of treatment developed from AK technologies. Within the framework of AK there are many examination and therapeutic procedures that are intimately involved with the mental-emotional side of the triad of health.  As AK has grown and branched into so many areas within the healing arts, it has become apparent that many mental and emotional problems are due to physiologic dysfunction. When the body is returned to normal function, the mental or emotional problem is often eliminated or the patient is better able to cope with it. The literature on the AK and its associated MMT systems of diagnosis and treatment in relationship to children with various kinds of cognitive and behavioral disorders is growing. This paper is an important contribution to our understanding of how manual treatments may be helpful in these children.

·       Cuthbert SC. A Multi-Modal Chiropractic Treatment Approach for Asthma: a 10-Patient Retrospective Case Series. Chiropr J Aust 2008;38:17-27. Available at: http://www.chiroindex.org/?search_page=articles&action=&articleId=20103.

The treatment of children with asthma with cost-effective, non-invasive, non-toxic methods has a growing evidence base. Ten patients are presented (7 male, 3 female) between the ages of 3 and 22. Each patient had been medically diagnosed and treated for asthma, and all patients were taking one or more asthma medications. After physical, orthopaedic and AK manual muscle testing examination, the patients were admitted to a multi-modal treatment protocol including chiropractic manipulative therapy, cranial manipulative therapy, muscle therapies aimed at strengthening the muscles of respiration, and nutritional evaluation using the methods developed in applied kinesiology chiropractic. Outcome measures for the study included subjective/objective visual analogue respiratory impairment scales (VAS), improvement in exercise-induced asthma symptoms, reduction in respiratory distress with daily activity, reduction in the frequency of coughing during the day and night, and ease of breathing. Additionally, each patient was able to go off their asthma medications over a range of 3-6 visits (covering a range of 14 days to 5 months times) without a return of their asthma symptoms. All the patients remained off their medications during a follow-up period ranging from 3 months to 4 years.

·       Cuthbert SC. Applied Kinesiology: An Effective Complementary Treatment for Children with Down Syndrome. Townsend Letter. 2007 July;288:94-107. Available at: http://www.townsendletter.com/July2007/kinesiology0707.htm.

This report describes 15 children’s case histories who have Down syndrome, and provides their clinical findings and their evaluation and treatment using applied kinesiology methods. Children with Down syndrome will be developmentally slower than their siblings and peers and have intellectual functioning in the moderately disabled range, but the range is enormous and the distance from their peers is the crucial factor where chiropractic and cranial therapeutics can make a profound difference.

·       Pauli Y. The Effects of Chiropractic Care on Individuals Suffering from Learning Disabilities and Dyslexia: A Review of the Literature. J Vertebral Subluxation Res 2007, Jan 15:1-12. Available at: http://www.jvsr.com/abstracts/index.asp?id=280.

This paper offers an excellent review of AK concepts regarding the treatment of children with learning disabilities and dyslexia. This is an extensive review and a description of the published scientific evidence regarding outcomes for these children who have been treated with AK.

·       Goodheart GJ. AK classic case management: enuresis. Int J AK and Kinesio Med, 2003;16: 22-23. Available at: http://www.kinmed.com/ak16.html.

The founder of applied kinesiology, Dr. George J. Goodheart, Jr., notes that many doctors and many parents are deeply concerned with the problems that enuresis produces in the children under their care. Dr. Goodheart offers methods of diagnosis and treatment for the causative factors that make bed-wetting occur. The treatment is physiological, non-invasive, and satisfactory for both the child, their parent, and the physician.

·       Mathews MO, Thomas E, Court L. Applied Kinesiology Helping Children with Learning Disabilities. Int J AK and Kinesio Med, 1999;4. Available at: http://www.kinmed.com/ak4.html.

This was a study of a group of 10 children all experiencing learning difficulties and how they responded to Applied Kinesiology (AK) treatment. Treatment involved a patient/therapist contact time of 3 to 4 hours spread over 9 to 12 sessions over a period of 6-12 months. The children were tested before and after treatment by an Educational Psychologist using standardised tests of intelligence to monitor changes in their learning skills. Parents and teachers were asked to complete questionnaires before and after treatment regarding other aspects of the children's educational performance. A health profile was also kept based on parental observation. Results were compared with a control group of 10 children matched for age, IQ and social background who had not received any AK treatment over a similar period.

·  Mathews MO, Thomas E. A pilot study on the value of applied kinesiology in helping children with learning difficulties. Br Osteopathic J. 1993;XII.

One of the most important aspects of a child’s future is the prospect of good health. The future certainly looks bleak if there is low resistance to disease. To most pre‑teen or teenage youth, the question of health at the “old” age of 40 is remote. A parent’s duty to his children does not end with education and immediate health care; it includes education to insure good health throughout the child’s life.

The body develops its neurologic organization through many stages as the child grows. Each stage of development is important to the ultimate balanced function of the nervous system. Periodic examination ‑ and correction when necessary ‑ by a doctor knowledgeable in applied kinesiology procedures will help these stages of development to be completed successfully, before the next stage begins.

           All children endure bumps and jars as they grow. Most of these injuries are insignificant; however, sometimes imbalance can develop that causes interference with normal nerve function. The injury may possibly cause a vertebral misalignment that irritates a nerve root, affecting an organ or structure; or a muscle itself can be over-stretched or over‑contracted, causing a disturbance in the nervous system. These are also effectively examined and corrected on periodic evaluation by your applied kinesiologist. Use a regular evaluation to determine if control of body systems is correct, just as you do for dental development and preventive treatment.

Athletic injuries should be examined and treated early. Many individuals suffer later in life from athletic injuries that could have been effectively treated earlier. Football injuries are a good example of this. Do not make the frequent error of thinking, “It’s just a muscle strain ‑ it’ll go away.” Competitive sports, although good for the child’s total development, can cause health problems that are not recognized until adult health is affected.

Strength and development come naturally to children in sports and at play; these activities should be encouraged. A child’s development will be monitored by the doctor of chiropractic, making certain that the muscles develop in a balanced manner. Occasionally ‑ especially in unilateral competitive sports ‑ the body develops faster in some areas than in others, causing an imbalance that may be present for life and may affect future health. The doctor will also suggest which sports might be better for a particular child.

Infections in a child are best treated by keeping his/her resistance high. Have you ever wondered why only a portion of a class will “catch” an infection when the entire class is equally exposed? Fighting an infection after it has already developed is hindsight, not foresight. Give your children the advantage of a health program designed to develop natural health and resistance to disease.

Childhood diseases fit into the resistance picture noted above. The child with well-developed natural health goes through the different childhood diseases easily and rapidly.

Low Back Pain. 10% of children aged 9-10 have been reported to suffer from it with 2% of schoolchildren experiencing disability because of it. In schoolchildren, the lifetime prevalance of low back pain has been estimated to be anywhere from 20% to 51%.  If mechanical distortions are allowed to remain in a spine while a child is growing, the spine develops in a strained position   much the same as a tree would grow if it were distorted into a bent position. Although bumps, jars, and injuries cause spinal displacements that irritate the nerves, they are easily corrected by chiropractic examination and adjustment. Uncorrected misalignments can cause major problems many years later, after they have irritated the controlling nerves for a long time. Often when nerve irritation is first present, an individual is young enough and has enough resistance to ward off the resulting symptomatic involvement. Later in life the body no longer has the resistance necessary to continue functioning normally when nerve irritation is present. Symptoms develop that drive these individuals to a doctor. Many major adult health problems could easily have been corrected if the basic underlying cause had been discovered when it first developed.

Dietary Habits. Poor dietary habits develop in children in many ways. First, and probably the most obvious, is that children develop a fondness for — or dislike of — certain foods by observing what their parents and other adults around them enjoy. Food likes and dislikes are primarily acquired. If a new and strange food is placed before a young and impressionable child, and someone he admires — such as his father rejects the food with the comment, “What did you fix this yucky stuff for?” the child is well on his way to disliking the food before he even tastes it. These patterns of observation in children develop well before the average adult thinks the child is paying any attention at all.

The use of food as a reward or punishment should be avoided. Sometimes the comment is made, “Eat your zucchini or you can’t have any ice cream.” To the child, this means the zucchini is bad and ice cream is good. The promise of sweets is a very common reward used by many parents. Unfortunately, this just increases the child’s desire for food that has little nutritional value and is possibly even a negative food item. Negative foods are those that provide little or no nutritional value and may cause damage. For example, high sugar items usually provide no more than energy for a very short time after they are eaten; they can contribute to dental caries, adrenal stress, potential triglyceride problems, liver congestion, and more.

The use of high sugar and other detrimental foods as rewards is bad not only because the reward is detrimental, but because the child’s mental attitude toward the reward is to want more.

These scientific developments in the science and art of chiropractic provide an advanced ability to treat the TOTAL CHILD. As a result, your child's total health will improve, not just the symptoms that caused you to seek the doctor's assistance in the first place!

A healthy child is a happy child!

Reminiscences and photographs from India

The spiritual heritage of India has become an important part of my own and of Western thinking generally. Here two of the world’s greatest religions were born, as well as the legendary techniques of release that gave us yoga.

Reading and studying and traveling in India (and practicing Indian lifestyles like vegetarianism, yoga, meditation, and various forms of Vedanta psycho-philosophy) have all helped to shape and (potentially) improve my nature and essential-soul-stuff.

 



Bathing in Holy Mother Ganges
(Colorado's Arkansas River...in India)



Varanasi, the great Indian City --
also called Kashi,
"the city of light",
or its English name, Benares 

Bathing in the Ganges (a river said to have fallen from heaven to earth) is the first act of Varanasi pilgrims and a daily rite for Varanasi residents. Some of these bathers and pilgrims are old and feeble, weary from long life journeys, emaciated by maladies, saddened from losses and troubles; and the morning air blows sharp, the river’s water runs chilly over them -- running from the Himilayas across the great Deccan plains to cross the fertile country and end in the sea. Yet there they stand, breast deep in the cold river, with dripping saris clinging to their thin or aged limbs, visibly shuddering under the shock of the water, and their lips blue and quivering, while they eagerly mutter their invocations. None of them hesitates; into the Ganga they plunge on arrival, ill or well, and scoop the holy liquid up with small, dark, trembling hands, repeating the sacred names, and softly mentioning the sins they would have the river carry away and the beloved souls they are there to pray for.

Sadhu (wandering holy man) offering thanks to mother Ganges



Pilgrim praying on Varanasi Ghat

Most people who sample the quality of Indian food, music, dancing, literature, architecture, philosophy, and spirituality acquire a lifelong taste for all things Indian. If world trade were conducted purely in cultural products, India would have a thumping annual surplus!



The Taj Mahal
 “The soul of Iran incarnate in the body of India”

19th Century view of Taj (under British occupation)

Sinking Temple at Manikarnika Kund

Manikarnika Ghat is the most auspicious place on earth for a Hindu to be cremated...in the very center of Varanasi along the Ganges. Every hour of the day bodies are carried through the alleyways of the old city to holy Manikarnika, the temple of cremation. 

Varanasi emits one of the most intense “religious highs” you will ever experience…!!



Dr. Scott at Manikarnika on the Ganges, Varanasi India



The Eldest son preparing to offer the remains of his parent to the Ganges

There is little I have seen in the world to compare with the splendor of the holy temples of Varanasi, seen from the river at dawn.

The rays of the early morning sun spread across the river and strike the high-banked western face of this city – the Luminous, the City of Light.

The temples and shrines, ashrams and pavilions that stretch along the river for over 3 miles are golden in the early morning. They rise majesticly on the high riverbank and cast deep reflections into the waters of the Ganges. Long flights of stone steps (called ghats), reaching like roots into the river, bring thousands of worshippers down to the river to bathe at dawn. At the top of these steps in the narrow lanes that lead from the city down to the river moves the earthly drama of life and death, the clip-clop of cows, the rumble of wooden wheels of vegetable carts, the ceaseless weavings of motorbikes and scooters, the ping-ping-ping of bicycle bells…the entire melody of Varanasi, which devout Hindus call samsara. But from the perspective of the river through which the living fluids of the great god Shiva flow whose city Kashi is, there is a vision of transcendence and liberation, which Hindus call moksha.

Mark Twain quipped:

“Benares is older than history,
older than tradition,
older even than legend,
and looks twice as old as all of them put together.”

Varanasi’s shrines are heaped with flowers and filled with the smell of incense, the chanting of prayers, and the ringing of bells. Hinduism is a tradition that has imagined God in a thousand ways; a tradition that has been adept in discovering the presence of the divine everywhere and bringing every aspect of human life into the religious arena. It is a religious tradition that understands life and death as an integrated whole. In Varanasi the smoke of the cremation pyres rises heavenward with the spires of a hundred temples and the ashes of the dead swirl through the waters of the Ganges, the river of life.



Gandhi Institute, Varanasi India



Scott at Gandhi's memorial in New Dehli

Dr. Scott elated with the sounds, smells, history and meaning of Varanasi

Aerial view of ancient Varanasi

 

Dr. Goodheart (Dr. Scott's Guru) shows up in
Varanasi at Kedara Ghat on the Ganges

Dr. Scott and Dr. Goodheart doing yoga at
Shiva Temple, Benares Hindu University

 

Department of Ayurvedic Medicine,
Benares Hindu University, Varanasi India

 

My final posting on this Blog is about a Sadhu I met on my last trip to India (Varanasi). Ruph Nath  lives close to his ghat, called the Kedara ghat (run by South Indians), and he performs japa by counting the beads of his tulsi mala in the yellow bag; he uses his right hand – the ‘clean’ hand – but excludes the index-finger – the ‘ego.’ As a result of this meditational use, the mala gets loaded with spiritual energy. To prevent dissipation or pollution of the spiritual energy, the mala is often kept in this special bag, called gomukhi, that is, ‘cow-mouth.’ The cow, as everyone knows, is holy in India because it is Shiva’s “ride” when he’s on earth, and his ride’s name is Nandi. (I shit you not!)

 

Ruph Nath at Kedara Ghat, Varanasi India

 

Sukh Deva, Sadhu giving me a powerful eyefull of Shiva near Manikarnika ghat

Shiva's ride (when in Varanasi), Nandi

Like all the Mondo-Boppo Triple-Pleated Uber-Gods and Sadhus in India, Shiva himself is the coincidentia oppositorum: he is Creation and Destruction, he is the Lover and the Celibate turning his sperm into spiritual Shakti, he is the Unmovable eye of the universe and the Yogi; in his person all dualities are contained, resolved and transcended. In other words, Shiva doesn’t give a shit; while giving a shit with high-octane passion!! Even with 5 million plus sadhus in India, very few of them has so much as nibbled on the edge of the patty of the great Hamburger of Bliss that is the final goal, Shiva himself. The rest of us are still only licking at the lettuce hanging out the sides.

Someday we'll all be like Shiva...until then, let's travel to INDIA!!