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Peter Varley BDSc, FDSRCS, DFHom(Dent.). and Joseph Shafer
DC (USA), DIBAK, CCSP. (profile)
Historical Perspective
Applied kinesiology originated in the United States in the late 1950’s through
the clinical observations of George Goodheart D.C. Because he was a chiropractor,
his education prepared him to look primarily at problems related to the spine
and the way it affected the nervous system. A colleague gave him a book on
manual muscle testing written by the physiotherapists, Kendall and Kendall.
This ‘man and wife’ team had been treating patients who suffered from nerve
trauma. Muscle weakness was a consistent finding and they were able to develop
manual tests to precisely evaluate the muscles inhibited by improper nerve
function.
Goodheart thought that these testing procedures might
provide him with an instrument through which to help some of his more difficult
patients. He
was surprised at first to realize that weak muscles were a far more common
cause of structural imbalance than hypertonic and contracted ones. The current
belief was that muscles became taut and contracted rather than weak in response
to structural imbalances. After further investigation he found that the contracted
muscle was, more often than not, due to a weak opposing muscle. By correcting
the weakness the tight muscle returned to normal on its own.
This was a revelation, because at the time most people believed that tense,
over-worked contracted muscles, not weak ones, were more common. For this
reason, most conventional therapies had been designed to relax and elongate
the tense fibers, rather than to reinforce weakened muscles. Until Dr Goodheart
began testing otherwise normal patients and finding weaknesses, no-one appreciated
the significance of the weak muscle as a primary factor for structural instability
leading to pain. The work done by Kendall and Kendall, was performed mostly
on patients with frank nerve pathology.
Muscle Organ Reflex
Goodheart found that when he had patients
with a disease in a specific organ like the liver, kidney or gallbladder,
certain muscles would always test weak. He hypothesized that skeletal
muscles must have some sort of reflex relationship to the internal organs
and vice versa. When an organ was diagnosed as having a pathology, the
corresponding muscle would usually test weak. Furthermore, the muscle would
remain weak until the organ recovered from the pathology.
End Organ Response
More recent research in neurology is beginning to support the basic
concepts of DR Goodheart and applied kinesiology. Some theories have been
revised and others will continue to be revised as our understanding of
AK improves. Even so, the fundamental basis of AK remains unchanged. Nothing
happens in the body without being registered by the nervous system. Based
on the type and strength of the stimulus, an appropriate response is then
made. When the nervous response is to an abnormal situation, changes in
muscle resistance patterns will and do occur. In fact, any sensory or mechanical
stimulus in the human body that is registered by the nervous system has
the potential to create changes in the ‘end-organ’. The end-organ in this
context is understood to be that organ or tissue which is the final-receptor
of the nervous impulse. In muscle it would be the neuromuscular spindle
cell that contains the motor unit for muscle contraction. Failure of the
nervous system to coordinate contraction against a dynamic resistance is
called in AK the ‘weak muscle’.
Dentistry and AK
Applied Kinesiology (AK) is unique in its ability to help the doctor
‘break free’ from the limitations of a medical specialty while not giving
up their specialist identity. One can think of AK as a ‘diagnostic bridge’
enabling the doctor to follow almost any path leading to patient recovery.
One of the best examples of this is found in dentistry. The dentist,
in most countries, is supposed to treat problems originating from the mouth
and jaw. Anything below the shoulders is considered taboo and only a few
rogue dentists dare to extend their borders beyond these limits. Dental
specialists in the temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ) know that it can negatively
influence posture from the neck all the way down to the feet. The reverse
is also true.
The TMJ is exquisitely sensitive to imbalances in the body far removed
from the head and neck. Yet dental training really does not provide the
tools necessary to understand, let alone evaluate, parts of the body below
the neck as they relate to the TMJ.
In response to this need, an increasing number of dentists are following
post-graduate courses in applied kinesiology. Using simple AK muscle tests
they are not only better able to evaluate patient response to therapy,
but to determine when and where other disturbances in the body are influencing
the jaw joint. Iatrogenic reactions to bridges, crowns, splints, fillings
and other dental procedures, can make the dentist and patient very frustrated.
Problems arise when the patient is unable to tolerate the change created
in the mouth by the dental therapy. These occur most often when the dentist
has been unable to monitor the whole body reaction to what is being done.
Instead, local responses and functional tests of the jaw alone frequently
provide the only basis for a conclusion.
Basic Principles of Applied Kinesiology
- ‘Body Language Never Lies’
Attributed to DR Goodheart, the idea that body language never lies is the
essence of applied kinesiology. It is this ability to interpret body language
that is the key to success in functional diagnosis. The
word ‘holistic’ does not mean that one has to accept Eastern philosophy.
It does mean, however, that we should try to look at the body in a multi-dimensional
way, bearing in mind that each individual part is inextricably linked to
all the others. Specific muscle tests are used by the doctor to determine
where the problem originates and how to treat it. Once muscle weaknesses
are found, the doctor tries to find what will return them to normal by different
forms of stimuli that are registered and interpreted by the nervous system.
The Challenge Mechanism
A specific sensory stimulation is called a ‘challenge’ and is combined with
the muscle test to aid in both diagnosis and treatment. The ways in which
a doctor can perform a challenge are many and only depend on what area or
condition he is trying to examine.
Mechanical Challenge
A Mechanical Challenge can be made to joint, muscle, ligament and
tendon receptors and can be osseous or soft tissue in nature.
Sensory Challenge
A sensory challenge is made by the stimulation of the sense of smell,
hearing, taste, vision and touch. Diagnostic conclusions can be made by
varying the type of sensory stimulation to match the requirement of the
doctor and the type of problem the patient may be experiencing. Most often
used in applied kinesiology is the sense of taste in order to evaluate
nutritional responses.
Nutritional
The lingual receptors are challenged with various substances, usually
nutritional in character, and muscle response is observed. If a muscle
weakens or becomes over-facilitated while the lingual receptors are ‘challenged’,
it indicates the patient has difficulty in coping with the substance which
has been placed on the tongue. If the substance helps a muscle return to
normal strength, it is an indication that the patient needs the substance
in question in order to aid healing.
Medicinal
This same procedure can be used for medicinal drugs. If a pharmacological
agent causes abnormal muscle responses, the doctor can expect side-effects
to its use. Ideally, the doctor should choose the medicine causing the
fewest changes in muscle strength, indicating the least harmful drug of
choice. Very simply, the procedure can be taken one step further. If a
patient is suffering from a throat infection and needs an antibiotic drug,
the agent of choice should do two things:
- It
should strengthen the muscles reacting to the throat infection.
- It
should not weaken any other muscles.
In this way the doctor is sure that the drug of choice has been determined
and that it will have few, if any, negative side-effects.
Emotional Challenge
A patient is asked to visualize or recall a psychologically demanding
situation and muscle strength is evaluated. A patient may be asked to repeat
phrases like, ‘I am loved’, ‘I can love’ or ‘I don’t have anger’. Muscle
strength is re-evaluated after each suggestion and the doctor has a valuable
input.
Electromagnetic Challenge
In AK electromagnetic challenge is a specific stimulation to the
meridian receptors, often known as acupuncture points. Research has shown
them to be electromagnetic in character. One or several of these acupuncture
points is challenged by tapping, needling, laser activation or electrical
current. The method of stimulation most often used is manual tapping of
the point in question.
Inter-Professional Communication
Applied kinesiology helps inter-professional understanding by bridging
the gap between practitioners and allowing them to use a common denominator,
the muscle test, through which to evaluate both the local and the global
effect of each therapeutic input. More importantly, the use of AK techniques
indicates to the specialist in one area when the patient is in need of
care from another area of expertise. This might be thought of as a form
of ‘rapid deployment’ and sends the patient more quickly to the professional
who is able to remove the imbalance.
Therapy Localisation
DR Goodheart observed that patient muscle resistance could change
if they were allowed to place their hands on certain parts of their bodies.
Experimenting with this phenomenon, Goodheart realised that when the fingers
were placed over a problem area, pre-tested muscle strength would often
change.
He then found that by opposing the thumb and the
little finger and touching the skin over problem areas of the body, a much
greater result
was forthcoming. He likened it to turning up the ‘squelch’ on
a walkie-talkie for a better signal. Neurologically, we know that only
man can oppose the
thumb and little finger, the action requiring higher centres of cerebral
function. Goodheart has hypothesised that the opposition of the digits
somehow activates more of the neuronal pool, which in turn, couples more
of the central reflexes into the test.
In dentistry, therapy localisation
may be used to help locate teeth with caries or pathological disturbance
in the jaw. The patient is asked to touch the tooth and its gingiva with
a finger. A strong muscle is tested against the therapy localisation. When
pathology exists in the tissue underlying the touching finger, the strong
muscle will change its resistance pattern and become either weak or over-facilitated.
Toxic amalgams, granulomas, hidden infections and other problems can be
located in this fashion. Once the area isolated, the dentist can choose
the appropriate procedure to further identify the problem.
Testing for Toxins
The applied kinesiologist uses the same procedure for testing any substance
that might cause patient intolerance. The classic method used is to introduce
the substance into the mouth, stimulating the lingual receptors. These send
impulses directly to the brain, again via the thalamic control centres. When
the brain registers a substance that initiates an abnormal response, previously
tested muscles will dramatically change their strength reaction. The doctor
is immediately alerted to look more closely at the offending substance.
Dentists can use this simple technique quite effectively in their surgeries.
Prior to using a foreign substance in the mouth, a minute portion of the
material can be put on the tongue and the patient asked to taste it. A muscle
strong prior to the oral challenge, is tested again. If the patient changes
muscle strength, the dentist may wish to use another type of material; preferably
one that does not change the pre-tested muscle strength. This technique is
especially useful when confronted with patients who are highly sensitive
or suffer from multiple allergies.
Conclusion
Many useful techniques are found in applied kinesiology. When combined
with the knowledge of the individual doctor or specialist, AK provides
a welcome bridge from which we can understand the complexities of the human
body. Institutions such as Tufts in the United States have programmes incorporating
research into applied kinesiology and showing its effectiveness in the
dental field. Applied kinesiology is standing the test of time and withstanding
the onslaught of scientific scrutiny because it is based on sound neurological
principles. Dentistry has much to gain from AK principles and dentists
have much to give back in return as applied kinesiology continues to develop
and grow for the benefit of all.
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