Overcoming Physical Injuries (A pictorial and graphical history lesson)

Reading Plutarch shows us how much Alexander the Great
was willing to endure in order to conquer the world

History reveals how much you can
still accomplish even if you may be 
sick or injured, amputated or paralyzed.

American television re-runs
offers the evidence required
to think that gun control laws might
be necessary for the maintenance of a
civil society

The Triad of Health in Applied Kinesiology

When being treated (for non-mortal health problems)
All sides of the Triad of Health
Should be considered in every examination --
As is done every day in the applied kinesiology clinic

Chiropractic Health Center, PC
255 West Abriendo Avenue
Pueblo, CO   81004



Health Care Reform -- The Morbid State of the American Health Care System

 This post is almost entirely pasted from the Fall 2009 Lapham's Quarterly journal, the "Medicine" issue.

The morbid state of the American health care system is described movingly. Please read Mr. Lapham's words - and weep for the millions in the United States who will suffer as a result of our system of human care.

"The United States leads the world in the advancements of medical science, its hospitals splendidly equipped with Magnetic Resonance Imaging machines and artificial hearts, its doctors gloriously decorated with Nobel Prizes, but between 44,000 and 98,000 patients die every year in American hospitals of iatrogenic infections or as the consequence of a mistaken diagnosis or a bungled operation. Medical error ranks as the country’s eighth leading cause of death, more deadly than breast cancer or highway accidents.

American hospitals and doctors are paid for the amount of care they produce, not for its effectiveness or its quality. As often as not the doctors don’t see the patients for whom they prescribe remedies; they look at test results and consult computer screens—their first care is for the treatment of paper.

Americans in 2007 paid $7,421 per capita for healthcare as opposed to $2,840 paid by the Finns and $3,328 by the Swedes, but life expectancy in the United States is not as long as it is in thirty other countries, among them Finland and Sweden; the first-year infant-mortality rate in the United States is higher than it is in some forty other countries, among them Slovenia and Singapore. A newborn child stands a better chance of survival in Minsk and Havana than it does in New York or Washington.

The money allocated to healthcare in most other developed countries (in Canada and France as well as in Germany and Japan) provides medical insurance for the entire citizenry. Not in America; 46 million citizens (15 percent of the population) are uninsured. Patients with sufficient funds can buy a brain implant or a bionic eye, but an estimated 22,000 people died in 2006 for lack of insurance; 59 million other people reported their inability to receive needed medical attention.

Together with the cornucopia of drugs for all seasons (Zoloft, Lipitor, Botox, Viagra, etc.) the American healthcare shopping mall now offers expensive diagnostic tests (CT scan, bone scan, spinal tap, etc.) that allow upward of six million Americans to enjoy the benefit of high-priced bodily home improvements—titanium knees, Peruvian kidneys, two-hour erections, and a sunny disposition. Of the 1.5 million Americans expected to declare personal bankruptcy this year, 60 percent will be forced to do so to pay their medical bills.

"A miracle drug is any drug that will do what the label says it will do"



The Pfizer Circle of Hell
(Lapham's Quarterly, Medicine, Fall 2009)

 The ratio between the country’s shelters for battered women and its shelters for stray animals stands at three to one in favor of the animals...."

"...Together with the steadily accumulating inventory of life-changing drugs, the voluminous additions to the body of medical knowledge have come at increasingly higher costs, which, in the 1970s, prompted the development of health maintenance organizations that placed the country’s medical profession in the hands of insurance companies. The new set of procedures inducted doctors into the service of a private enterprise designed to make and manage money, not care for sick people. Whether in the form of simple prescription or complicated surgery, treatment requires “pre-authorization” from a corporation seeking to lower its “medical-loss ratio” (i.e., to reduce the amount of money spent on the care of the patients) in order to improve the health of its profit margin and preserve the life of its stock price. The administrative staff welcomes penitents enjoying the prior benefit of perfect health and rules out the people apt to need help, a separation of the wheat from the chaff in line with the teachings of the Christian Church that equate illness with sin...."



Physicians Bleeding a Boy, by Giovanni Mattia Tiberion, 1475


"...It isn’t that the country lacks for competent and caring doctors, but too many of them have been infected with the virus of the profit motive, overburdened with the ceremonial filling out of forms and the cost of the medications inoculating them against the catastrophic illness of a conviction for criminal malpractice."

"...The “perplexed decompositions” added to the list of bankable diseases over the last twenty years (among them panic attack, bereavement, narcissistic personality disorder) have engendered the corollary expansion of the healthcare industry that now employs upward of fourteen million people in what has become the largest sector of the national economy. Like the military-industrial complex, the medical-industrial complex invites the practice of large-scale fraud, the hospital surcharges for an apple or an artificial limb comparable to the cost overruns paid by the Pentagon for a cruise missile or a wrench. The “waste” and “inefficiency” in the system is its bone and marrow.

Of the $304 billion appropriation levied by the seven biggest pharmaceutical companies in 2007, $97 billion of the take was allotted to marketing and sales promotion ($27 billion in the form of free meals and drug samples given to attentive physicians), another $76 billion to payroll (earnings worth $29 million to the chief executive of Johnson & Johnson, $25 million to the chairman of Wyeth), lastly $40 billion (13 percent of the whole) to Research and Development...."

"...Any system that construes medical care as profit-bearing merchandise is by definition dysfunctional. The attempt to mark down the gifts of the human spirit to the measure of their weight in gold is an idiocy along the lines of the nineteenth-century attempt to cure tuberculosis by removing one lobe of an infected lung and filling the vacancy with ping-pong balls."

So after reading all of the above...

IT MIGHT BE that the high cost of health care in the United States is justified if the population's health is improving...but we all know that it isn't. There are so many chronic health care conditions and debilities that develop for years and years in the United States before they are ever diagnosed as a disease in progress. Pathological changes in the nervous, muscular, endocrine, and psychological systems are almost ALWAYS evident before the patient complains of symptoms. Substantial proof of this has been gathering over the past 30 years.

Metabolic Syndrome for instance (formerly called Syndrome X), is an example of a condition that and be and must be diagnosed as it is developing at the time when corrective measures can turn the course of the dis-ease around before it becomes a pathology.

Many if not most of the chronic health problems that afflict the American population can be ameliorated if they are diagnosed early enough!

The Conditions Associated with Metabolic Syndrome

Obesity

Diabetes

Atherosclerosis

Blindness

Kidney Failure

Arthritis

Cancer

Stroke

Heart Attack

Neuropathy

There is an approach to health care that helps the doctor understand functional health disorders (the early stages of disease processes) and that provides direction toward optimal treatment of these dysfunctions when they are still in the repairable stage.

It is the functional examination that includes applied kinesiology assessment and treatment.

“The body heals itself in a sure, sensible, practical, reasonable, and observable manner. ‘The healer within’ can be approached from without. The opportunity to use the body as an instrument of laboratory analysis is unparalleled in modern therapy; if one approaches the problem correctly, making the proper and adequate diagnosis and treatment, the response is satisfactory to both the doctor and the patient.”

“Applied kinesiology is something that can be performed with knowledge, with physiological facts, and with predictable certainty. It should be done, it can be done.”

-- George J. Goodheart, Jr. D.C., DIBAK
Founder of Applied Kinesiology



The Latest AK Research Literature Published in the Last 4 Years...All On One Page (With Links To The Papers Included!)

In the past four years alone, 34 research papers have been produced in the peer-reviewed literature regarding the applied kinesiology technique -- one paper every two months! (Dr. Scott has written 24 of these himself!) Very few other systems of natural and functional medicine can boast as much as the applied kinesiology research team!!

I have made links to these papers available so that you may review any of them that may apply to you or your family’s health care needs.

Enjoy the bounty!!

·               Cuthbert S, Rosner AL, McDowall D. Association of manual muscle tests and mechanical neck pain: Results from a prospective pilot study. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2011 Apr;15(2):192-200. (Paper available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Cuthbert%20S%2C%20Rosner%20AL%2C%20McDowall%20D%2C%202011.)

• Pollard H, Calder D, Farrar L, Ford M, Melamet A, Cuthbert S. Inter-Examiner Reliability of Manual Muscle Testing of Lower Limb Muscles without the Ideomotor Effect. Chiropr J Aust. 2011;41:23-30. (Paper available at: http://chiropractors.asn.au/Content/NavigationMenu/Publications/CJA/CurrentIssues20102011/Volume41/Vol41Issue1/default.htm#Marker_4.)
  
• Cuthbert S, Rosner AL. Conservative Management of Urinary Incontinence using Applied Kinesiology: A Case Series Report. J Chiropr Med. (Submitted for publication)

·                    Rosner AL, Cuthbert S. Professional Applied Kinesiology: Narrative Review and Distinctions in the Literature. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine (Submitted for publication).

·                    Cuthbert S, Rosner AL, McDowall D. Association of manual muscle tests and mechanical neck pain: Results from a prospective pilot study. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies 2011.
·                    Cuthbert S, Rosner AL. Conservative management of post-surgical urinary incontinence in an adolescent: A case history. Alternative Medicine Review (Accepted for publication).

·                    Cuthbert S, Rosner AL. Physical causes of anxiety and sleep disorders: a case report. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine (Accepted for publication).

·                    Cuthbert S, Rosner AL. Applied kinesiology methods for sciatica and restless leg syndrome. ICS Review-Journal of the Iowa Chiropractic Society 2010; 6-9, 19. (Paper reproduced in full – see below – with permission)

·                    Cuthbert S, Rosner AL. Applied Kinesiology management of long-term head pain following automotive injuries: a case report. Chiropractic Journal of Australia 2010; 40(3): 109-116. (Paper available at: http://www.chiroindex.org/?search_page=articles&action=&articleId=21424.)

·                    Cuthbert S, Rosner AL. Applied Kinesiology methods for a child with headaches, neck pain, asthma, and reading disabilities: a case study. J Chiropr Med. 2010; 9: 138-145. (Paper available at: http://www.chiroindex.org/?search_page=articles&action=&articleId=21378.)

·                    Conable KM. Intraexaminer comparison of applied kinesiology manual muscle testing of varying durations: a pilot study. J Chiropr Med. 2010;9:3-10. (Paper available at: http://www.journalchiromed.com/article/S1556-3707(10)00006-4/abstract.)

·                    Masarsky CS, Todres-Masarsky M. Effect of a single chiropractic adjustment on divergent thinking and creative output: A pilot study, Part I. Chiropr J Aust. 2010;40(2):57-62. (Paper available at: http://www.chiro.org/ChiroZine/ABSTRACTS/Divergent_Thinking_and_Creative_Output.shtml.)

·                    Cuthbert S, Rosner AL. Applied Kinesiology management of candidiasis and chronic ear infections: A case history. Journal of Pediatric, Material & Family Health, 2010 (3): 172-179. (Paper available at: http://www.chiroindex.org/?search_page=articles&action=&articleId=21346.)

·                    Cuthbert S. Muscle Imbalance: The Goodheart and Janda Models. Dynamic Chiropractic, 2010;28(7). (Paper available at: http://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=54578.)

·                    Cuthbert S. What Are You Doing About Muscle Weakness? Pt. 4: The Extremities. Dynamic Chiropractic, 2009;27(23). Paper available at: http://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=54288.)

·                    Cuthbert S, 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. Paper available at: http://www.jmptonline.org/article/S0161-4754(09)00198-5/abstract.)

·                    Cuthbert S. What Are You Doing About Muscle Weakness? Pt. 3: Lumbar Spine. Dynamic Chiropractic. 2009;27(18). Paper available at: http://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=54009.)

·                    Cuthbert S. What Are You Doing About Muscle Weakness? Pt. 2: Cervical Spine. Dynamic Chiropractic. 2009;27(14). Paper available at: http://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=53894.)

·                    Cuthbert S. What Are You Doing About Muscle Weakness? Dynamic Chiropractic. 2009;27(10). Paper available at: http://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=53765.)

·                    Blum C, Cuthbert S. Developmental Delay Syndromes and Chiropractic: A Case Report. J Ped Matern Fam Health. Aug 2009: 3. (Paper available as a chapter in the book: http://chiropracticpediatricresearch.web.officelive.com/printeditions.aspx.)

·                    Cuthbert S. A Google Knol, Applied Kinesiology. Available at: http://knol.google.com/k/applied-kinesiology#.

·                    Maffetone P. Manual biofeedback: A novel approach to the assessment and treatment of neuromuscular dysfunction. J Altern Med Res. 2009;1(3): 221-232. (Paper available at: http://philmaffetone.com/mmt.cfm.)

·                    Moncayo R, Moncayo H. Evaluation of Applied Kinesiology meridian techniques by means of surface electromyography (sEMG): demonstration of the regulatory influence of antique acupuncture points. Chin Med. 2009 May 29;4(1):9. Paper available in full at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19480696.
·                    Schmitt W, Cuthbert S. Common Errors and Clinical Guidelines for Manual Muscle Testing: “The Arm Test” and Other Inaccurate Procedures. Chiropr Osteopat. 2008 Dec 19;16(1):16. (Paper available in full at: http://chiromt.com/content/16/1/16.)

·                    Cuthbert S. A Moment of Remembrance for Dr. David S. Walther, Dynamic Chiropractic, October 12, 2008. Paper available at: http://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=53458.)

·                    McDowall D, Cuthbert S. On: Hall S, Lewith G, Brien S, Little P: A review of the literature in applied and specialised kinesiology. Forsch Komplementmed, 2008;15:40-46. Paper available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19156969.)

·                    Cuthbert S. A Tribute to George J. Goodheart, Jr. D.C.: The Growth of the Chiropractic Research Culture. Chiro Econ May 23, 2008:10.

·                    Cuthbert S. A Multi-Modal Chiropractic Treatment Approach for Asthma: a 10-Patient Retrospective Case Series. Chiropr J Aust 2008;38:17-27. Paper available at: http://www.chiropracticuniverse.com/Asthma-Research--Chiropractic-Treatment-128.html.)

·                    Garten H. Manual therapy in cervical dystonia: case report. Manuelle Medizin. 2008;July: 1433-1466. (Paper available at: http://www.springerlink.com/content/w5l067t242358716/.)

·                    Blum C, Cuthbert S. Developmental Delay Syndromes and Chiropractic:  A Case Report.  International Conference on Chiropractic Research. Vilamoura, Portugal – May 17-19, 2007: CM53. Paper available at: http://www.sorsi.com/developmental-delay-syndromes-and-chiropractic.)

·                    Zampagni ML, Corazza I, Molgora AP, Marcacci M. Can ankle imbalance be a risk factor for tensor fascia lata muscle weakness? J Electromyogr Kinesiol. 2008, May 1. Paper available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18455436.)

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

·                    Garten H. Foci and areas of disturbance in the trigeminal region. Implications for orthopedics, implantology, and Gnathology. Manuelle Medicin 2007 May: 1433-0466. Paper available at: http://www.springerlink.com/content/kp88t141m81vn634/.)

·                    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. Paper available at: http://www.jvsr.com/abstracts/index.asp?id=280.)

·                    Moncayo R, Moncayo H. A musculoskeletal model of low grade connective tissue inflammation in patients with thyroid associated ophthalmopathy (TAO): the WOMED concept of lateral tension and its general implications in disease. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2007 Feb 23;8:17. Paper available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17319961.)

·                    Cuthbert SC, Goodheart GJ Jr. On the reliability and validity of manual muscle testing: a literature review. Chiropr Osteopat. 2007 Mar 6;15(1):4. Paper available at: http://chiromt.com/content/15/1/4.)

The Future of Applied Kinesiology Is Very Bright!!

Cuthbert S, Rosner AL. Applied kinesiology methods for sciatica and restless leg syndrome. ICS Review-Journal of the Iowa Chiropractic Society 2010; 6-9, 19.

(Paper reproduced in full – see below – with permission)

About Whiplash Patients Who Have Not Responded To Previous Chiropractic and Medical Care

Some people with trauma due to whiplash dynamics from an auto accident respond very well to chiropractic care, while others continue to have problems and eventually seek help from doctor after doctor.

At the Chiropractic Health Center we have had the opportunity to examine many patients with ongoing problems even after two or three years of chiropractic treatment. After prolonged treatment the insurance company requests an independent examination and designates a doctor who never finds objective reason for the continuing complaints. The insurance company then denies further treatment. The patient, still having problems and knowing s/he at least gets temporary relief seeks an attorney for advice, who refers the patient to us.

This type of case creates an additional problem for the attorney especially if the insurance is of the no fault type where the patient’s insurance is responsible for his or her care. In these protracted cases there has probably been considerable lost time from work, and the attorney wants to collect from the person who caused the accident. When the patient’s own insurance company is denying there is a problem, the patient is classified as a malingerer. When treatment is changed and the patient responds, these allegations are laid to rest.

Those who fail to respond usually have disturbance in the cranial-sacral primary respiratory mechanism as a cause of many of their symptoms; this mechanism includes the temporomandibular joint, and importantly the muscles of the jaw, neck and shoulders. It is unfortunate that there are not more doctors who are aware of this mechanism and can examine and treat it effectively.

Often the patients who fit into this category have problems with vision, equilibrium, digestion, general neurologic confusion, neck pain, headaches, facial pain, low back pain, and a myriad other problems. They often complain, "My teeth don't fit together right any more." These problems have one common denominator: they all relate in one way or another to cranial nerves. This alone should give an observant doctor the clues necessary to examine the cranial-sacral primary respiratory mechanism. The teeth not fitting together properly is an indication of cranial bone distortion and/or imbalance of the muscles of mastication.



Subtle entrapment of cranial nerve V may produce imbalances in the muscles of mastication affecting occlusion and creating strain on cranial and TMJ motion. (Cuthbert & Rosner, 2010; Blum & Cuthbert, 2006; Chaitow, 2005)



An accident victim may see a dentist because of an uncomfortable bite. Upon examination malocclusion is indeed observed, and the dentist proceeds with selective grinding to make the teeth again fit together properly. This equilibration is fine for the bite complaint, but what does it do about the distorted cranium and cranial nerve entrapment? Unfortunately, this locks in the cranial faults because now the individual's bite matches the distorted skull. Hopefully the accident victim will find a doctor knowledgeable about the cranial primary respiratory mechanism, one with the ability to evaluate the organization within the total stomatognathic system. When cranial corrections are made, there will now be malocclusion because the teeth have been equilibrated to an abnormal skull; correcting it causes malocclusion that tends to push the skull back to the distorted state when chewing, swallowing, and clenching the teeth.



The muscles of the head, neck and jaw interact with the teeth and cranium. In this example, the muscles on the right are pulling harder, creating strain on the teeth and cranium. There is malocclusion as a result, with the teeth on the right meeting first.



Whiplash injuries involve far more than just the head and neck. A failure in any part of this system of interconnected muscles, structures and functions may disturb all the others.  The examination tool used at the Chiropractic Health Center, applied kinesiology, helps the doctor diagnose the persisting tissue-trouble in the post-motor-vehicle-accident victim, guiding the most appropriate treatment.

The doctor who examines his patients with orthopedic and neurologic tests, as well as applied kinesiology, has an optimum ability to find the basic underlying cause and correct it. The correction may occasionally require consultation and work with a doctor in another area of specialization, such as dentistry.

References

• 
  

  Cuthbert S, Rosner AL. Applied kinesiology management of long-term head pain following automotive injuries: a case report. Chiropr J Aust. 2010;40:109-116. (Paper available at: http://www.chiroindex.org/?search_page=articles&action=&articleId=21424
• Blum CL, Cuthbert S. Cranial Therapeutic Care: Is There any Evidence? Chiropr Osteo. 2006;14:10. (Paper available at: http://chiromt.com/content/14/1/10/comments#237535
• Chaitow L. Cranial Manipulation: Theory and Practice. Churchill-Livingstone; 2005.

Applied Kinesiology finds hidden problems by examining our patients in the way they live

Quite often in applied kinesiology we refer to finding hidden or subclinical problems. Often these problems are hidden only by the manner in which patients are most frequently examined during their consultations with doctors who are seeking to discover the problem the patient complains about. The majority of examination is done with patients lying on their backs or lying face down or sitting during the question and answer session. This is for the doctor's convenience only, as it is the easiest way to test and is the position in which most treatment is done. The reason many functional bodily disturbances are not found is because this is not the position in which an individual lives.

We must examine you in the positions and during the activities that coincide with your symptom development. Observing body language by listening to and watching the how you move provides clues to determine how an examination should be done. The ability of the applied kinesiology physician to manual muscle test you in the precise positions of your pain (standing, walking, sitting, or twisting) provides the physician with an enormous advantage in the evaluation of functional health conditions.

On initial consultation you might state that your back pain usually develops by mid-day, and that sometimes you can hardly get through the day so that you can go home and sit down to get relief. If this is your situation, then obviously you should be tested in the standing or walking (called "gait") position. The simple fact that you get relief when you sit down says that something in the weight-bearing mechanisms of your body are causing the disturbance. Certainly the actual pain may be due to spinal joint subluxations or fixations, but it is almost certainly being aggravated by a disturbance in the foot, gait mechanism, body modules, spinal-dural tension, or some other factor under stress in the standing and gait positions.

The founder of applied kinesiology Dr. Goodheart has often said that body language does not lie.



Clinical experience finds this to be true. When there is no apparent correlation between body language and clinical findings, it pays to be persistent in an effort to find a correlation.

Take, for example, the situation described above where an individual gains relief after getting home and relaxing. If the weight-bearing and other factors mentioned are not found positive, the applied kinesiology physician will persist with their evaluation by asking you about your working conditions. The type of physical activity may not be reproduced in the examination for gait, etc. Situations have been discovered where an individual stands on one leg and pushes a lever with the other leg all day long. Simulating that activity in the office reveals reactive muscles which, when corrected, completely eliminates the problem!

Similarly, when patients with insomnia disorders of various kinds are tested in the office with the lights in the examination room turned off, a global, general muscle weakness often results. The examination continues to determine what treatment is necessary to correct this problem; for many of these patients, their insomnia improves rapidly.

In another case, it may be the work boots an individual wears. We have had people bring in their work boots and found them to have general weakness throughout their body when standing in them but not when barefooted. The boots may be worn-out or simply wrong for the patient. Simply standing in the work boots reveals many positive findings with applied kinesiology as the examination tool. In some cases, correction of the low back problem is as simple as having a patient buy a new pair of boots.

Sometimes body language can lead the doctor astray. Consider the individual who feels worse after eating. The usual evaluation is of the digestive system or for sensitivity to food. Often cranial faults are present with this type problem, causing irritation to the nerves that control your gut and its secretion of digestive enzymes. It is reasonable to hypothesize that the vagus nerve is being disturbed by the cranial fault, thus causing digestive system problems through various mechanisms. When the cranial faults are observed to recur on subsequent office visits, it is reasonable to re-assess the problem. Perhaps the patient does not develop the headache after eating as a result of sensitivity or poor digestion. It may be caused from chewing, thereby recreating the cranial faults. Each of these factors, in the applied kinesiology setting, are relatively easy to test. Simply correct the cranial faults and then we ask the patient to chew some substance that is generally non-allergenic, such as raw almonds. If the cranial faults immediately return, it appears that the chewing mechanism or something in that particular patient's occlusion is disturbing cranial function, meaning that the cranial disturbance is secondary. Again, it is necessary to test the patient under the circumstances creating the health problem.

These developments of applied kinesiology methods in natural health care provide an advanced ability to treat the total person. As a result, your health will improve in all the ways that you live, not just the symptoms that caused you to seek the doctor's aid.



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