Applied Kinesiology (AK) is a specialized technique in the Chiropractic field which allows practitioners to tap into our body’s innate wisdom to determine the root cause of any imbalances that may be preventing the natural healing process. Chiropractic science and philosophy assert that the body’s innate intelligence is capable of tremendous healing potential if and when the body is in a position to undergo that process. How does this work in practice?
In today’s world, we live in a way that is very unnatural for our bodies.
We are exposed to:
environmental toxins
chronic stress
inactivity
poor nutrition
electromagnetic radiation (cell phones!)
This environment creates a state of chronic stress in the body, which makes it more difficult to maintain balance in every sense of the phrase (physical, emotional, and spiritual)
The Functioning of Your Nervous System
If we look at how the body functions overall, the term ‘nervous system’ is a blanket term we use for how our brain interprets and responds to our immediate environment. There are many processes involved, but it really comes down to two things: are we safe or are we in danger? Everything else is filtered through that lens. For example, if we are in a state of stress (fight-or-flight) we are in survival mode and our brains release hormones to help us be more alert and use our muscles more efficiently. When we are in a state of relaxation, we release hormones that allow us to digest food, repair damaged tissue/muscles, and heal/recover.
Both states are essential for our survival, but we want to be balanced and able to switch from one to the other, as appropriate. This ability to switch back and forth from ‘fight-or-flight’ to ‘rest-and-digest-and-repair’ is what keeps our bodies running efficiently and able to recover from our day to day lives.
The problem is when we spend too much time in ‘fight-or-flight’ mode and fall further and further behind on the recovery process. This, when left unchecked, is essentially how dis-ease occurs in the body over time.
Rest, Digest and Repair
So, how do we keep our nervous system in balance?
Chiropractic adjustments are a fantastic way to reset our nervous system and restore ‘rest-digest-and-repair’ mode in the body. But sometimes a more thorough approach is warranted. That is where AK shines, as it allows practitioners to tap into the body’s innate wisdom to ascertain more in-depth information as to what specifically is preventing the body from naturally shifting out of stress-mode.
The primary method that AK employs is called muscle testing. This is a method involving testing the strength of an indicator muscle – usually involving the patient lifting their arm out in front of their body and the practitioner pressing down while the patient resists. If the patient resists the downward pressure from the practitioner, that means that muscle can be used as an indicator muscle, or circuit breaker. A strong muscle means there is good communication between the brain and that muscle. Then the practitioner can check the affected area of the body using that indicator muscle to gain information. Once the practitioner presses on the structure that causes the previously strong muscle to weaken, that means there is a problem with the area that has been tested. The practitioner then does an appropriate treatment and retests using the same indicator muscle. If the weak muscle is now strong upon testing, that means the treatment was successful.
Here’s a common example: Let’s say someone has chronic neck pain, acid-reflux, and anxiety. A traditional approach would simply involve a treatment of some sort to the neck area and miss out on the other two seemingly unrelated symptoms. However, with a knowledge of the nervous system and AK, the practitioner can test the stomach to see if the stomach is out of position and stuck in the diaphragm (hiatal hernia) and causing acid-reflux and anxiety from the muscle spasm in the diaphragm and the neck pain is actually being caused as a result of the vagus nerve being irritated by the stomach being in the wrong position. Using a muscle test, the practitioner can determine if this is the issue and correct it in less than a minute and the patient can get relief from all three symptoms. The key here is determining that the neck pain and acid-reflux are in fact related to each other.
The key to the above is that correcting the hiatal hernia is ultimately what will allow the vagus nerve to calm down and allow the body back into a state of ‘rest-digest-and-repair’ so it can properly heal and recover. Treating the anxiety alone through medication misses the cause of the anxiety and treating the neck alone misses the root cause of the neck pain – the irritation of the vagus nerve.
There are many other examples of how muscle testing can be used by AK practitioners to determine the root causes of various imbalances in the body, including treating some of the after-effects of a breast cancer treatment program. The key principle to understand is that the body’s innate wisdom has all the answers, we simply need a way to ask the right questions.
It took me 6 months of daily practice to master a handstand. I’d wanted to do since I was kid and now, years later, I can hold it for around a minute. Anything that is worth doing takes time, and investment on your part. The same is true of healing. You’ve got to be committed to the process.
Dr. Mike Batla
