Applied Kinesiology (AK)

Applied Kinesiology (AK) was founded by American chiropractor George Goodheart in 1964.

Goodheart's discovery. He discovered that the strength of individual muscles correlates with the condition of corresponding organs and body systems.

A synthesis of traditions. Goodheart integrated this observation with concepts from:

• Traditional Chinese Medicine (meridians and qi)
• Osteopathy
• Chiropractic

Creating a system in which the muscle test serves as the primary diagnostic tool.

ICAK. The International College of Applied Kinesiology (ICAK) unites practitioners worldwide.

Central Technique — Muscle Testing

Strong and weakened muscle. The therapist asks the patient to hold a limb in a specific position and applies light pressure:

• A strong muscle — resists the pressure
• A weakened one — "gives way"

"Biological feedback". Changes in the muscle's response upon contact with various substances, touch on specific body points, or mental imagery are interpreted as information about the functional state of the corresponding system.

Critique of the mechanism. This is called "biological feedback" — though critics note that the physiological mechanism of such feedback has not been scientifically proven.

Applied Techniques

Within AK, the following have been developed:

• Food sensitivity testing
• Craniosacral rhythm analysis (linked to craniosacral therapy #26)
• Work with meridians and neurolymphatic reflexes
• Behavioral kinesiology (Diamond)

Scientific Status

Reproducibility not confirmed. Academic medicine views AK critically: meta-analyses have not confirmed the reproducibility of muscle testing as a diagnostic method at a level exceeding chance.

Nevertheless — widely used. The practice is widely used in integrative medicine.

Place in Errarium

The body as a "measuring instrument". In Errarium, Applied Kinesiology (#54) is classified as a somatic method with diagnostic, navigational, and calibration functions (D2+D4, F1+F4+F6).

Uniqueness — a different logic. Its uniqueness lies in the use of the body as a "measuring instrument" for diagnosis:

• In palmistry (#7) — body as a map
• In somatotypology (#15) — classification of constitution
• In AK — body as a living feedback sensor

Analog — craniosacral. Its closest analogue by the principle of feedback is craniosacral therapy (#26).