Note: This is a brief explanation of applied kinesiology (AK) and manual muscle testing that I have given to friends and patients over the years.
Kinesiology is the study of movement. Applied kinesiology (AK) is the use of muscle testing in the diagnosis and treatment of health problems.
The major breakthrough of AK muscle testing is that most people have one or more muscle weaknesses in their bodies. These muscle weaknesses are not due to a lack of exercise, but are due to a “short-circuiting” of the muscles and their nerve connections. Muscle spasms and muscle tightness have been shown to be secondary in importance to and, in fact, caused by muscle weaknesses.
The “short-circuiting” which creates muscle weakness can be due to many health problems: spinal misalignments (traditional chiropractic concepts), nutritional deficiencies, allergies, acupuncture problems, organ dysfunction, poor circulation, injury to the muscle itself, and on and on. AK treatments are designed to correct these sources of muscle weakness using natural health care methods, thereby correcting the muscle imbalance, and restoring normal function.
AK was developed by Dr. George Goodheart of Detroit, Michigan. Dr. Goodheart was the first chiropractor in history to be officially appointed to the Sports Medicine Modalities Committee of the United States Olympic Committee and served at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics in 1980. Dr. Schmitt grew up living next door to Dr. Goodheart and practiced with him from 1975 to 1980, at which time he moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina and started his own practice. Drs. Schmitt and Goodheart taught a regular seminar series in Detroit for many years. Dr. Schmitt was one of two chiropractors to serve on a special U.S. Olympic Committee sponsored Chiropractic Research Protocol Committee in 1983.
“Applied Kinesiology Study Program, LLC” is the name of the seminar company through which Dr. Schmitt teaches to doctors of all disciplines across the country and abroad.
The International College of Applied Kinesiology (ICAK) is the professional organization dedicated to the teaching and research of AK. The ICAK is a multidisciplinary professional organization and has thousands of members in chapters around the world, including ICAK-USA. You may find out more information on AK at the following links. ICAK-USA: www.icakusa.com and ICAK International site: www.icak.com.
