Holistic Health Practices/Part 27

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What is muscle testing (applied kinesiology, Touch for Health, behavioral kinesiology)?

“Muscle testing” is one of the fastest growing alternative health care techniques in the United States. Muscle testing programs vary but are frequently a combination of chiropractic and Chinese acupuncture theory plus muscle testing itself. First, these programs involve physical diagnosis by testing the supposed strength or weakness of muscles which are believed to be related to organ systems. Weak muscles allegedly reflect “energy” depletion in corresponding organs, producing susceptibility to disease. In the “challenge technique” an agent suspected of causing physical harm (anything from white sugar and other foods to prescription medicine) is held in the mouth or hand. Then, the therapist “proves” its weakening effect upon the body by alleged display of the patient’s weakened muscle resistance. Other methods (e.g., “therapy localization”) use mere touch to diagnose or heal.

Second, these programs may employ treatment or healing by alleged regulation of “cosmic” energies, acupressure, meridian tracing, chiropractic, and other methods. Muscle testing often claims to manipulate alleged body energies to produce and maintain healing. By supposedly unblocking energy along meridian pathways and/or infusing energy into deficient systems or bodily areas, practitioners believe that physical health can be improved.

Muscle testing frequently rejects the known facts of human anatomy and claims to treat bodily energies whose existence has never been proven. Further, its manipulation of such invisible energies can become an occultic practice, e.g., a form of psychic or absent (at a distance) healing. Muscle testers may also employ occult devices such as pendulums, dowsing instruments, and other radionic devices. Because it is an unsubstantiated practice that is characteristically based on Taoist philosophy or other Eastern metaphysics and is potentially occultic, it should be avoided. Christian practitioners claim that they avoid the occult when they are manipulating energy, but how can they be sure they are (1) doing anything at all, or (2) actually avoiding the occult?

Modern muscle testing must be distinguished from the scientific discipline of kinesiology. Formal kinesiology is the study of the principles of mechanics and anatomy in relation to human movement, or the science of human muscular movements. It is frequently used in physical education and therapy. While muscle testing may or may not employ some of the methods and theories of formal kinesiology, scientific kinesiology never employs the methods of New Age muscle testing. The two disciplines are based on different approaches to physiology and health.

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