Dear Editor,

Several weeks before Pesach 3 years ago, a patient of mine came for follow up care and asked if I knew that what I was doing in practice was now “Avodeh Zorah” (AZ) and Kishuf.

I looked at the person and tried to smile. I was really taken aback by the statement. Of course, the patient didn’t believe it but, conveyed the information she had read from a Sefer. However, those boundaries seem to dissolve because the Sefer also took upon itself the purview of defining certain healing techniques as AZ or Kishuf.

The topic continued to reoccur over the years to the point that a patient that I was treating came to me very upset. The patient related to me that a family member needed my help, but would not come because I was practicing Kishuf. It was that event that motivated me to explore why this problem existed.

What I had discovered was that the individual supporting these statements, had acquired statements from a number of lay people, (non professionals), who said they were practicing Applied Kinesiology (AK), and with one brush stroke judged all practicing Applied Kinesiology guilty of AZ.

When speaking with this individual he made references to what he thought was Applied Kinesiology, and embraced these concepts as if they were Min Hashomayim. After listening for awhile it was perfectly clear he had acquired a lot of information that he called AK that was not just inaccurate, but completely WRONG. For those wanting an education as to whom you should use as an appropriate and acceptable health professional practicing Applied Kinesiology, please read and understand what is approved.

In 1964 a Chiropractic Physician and founder of Applied Kinesiology by the name of Dr.George Goodheart Jr., first observed that postural distortion is often associated with muscular dysfunction. Dr. Goodheart used manual muscle testing developed at Johns Hopkins in the 1940’s, to assess muscle function and found that non invasive manipulative treatment restored function. Today, it is the core approach in AK that encompasses joint and spinal manipulation, myofascial therapy, cranial adjustments, meridian therapy, nutrition, and various reflex procedures. Dr. Goodheart discovered and developed many other procedures that returned injured and strained muscles to their normal states. With these findings he was appointed to the medical staff, as the first Chiropractor, to the U.S. Olympic Team in 1980.

While developing this theory and practice of AK as functional neurology, Dr. Goodheart concluded that specific muscles are universally related to specific organs. Because of this relationship, a wide variety of non muscular conditions are often benefited. For example, because the deltoid muscle in the shoulder shares a relationship with the lungs, the muscle test can be an indicator of the state of the lungs and can serve as an excellent monitor of the condition.

In 1975 a group of AK practitioners founded the International College of Applied Kinesiology, (ICAK), and today it is truly an International College having organized chapters in teaching health professionals in Europe, Canada, USA, Australia, Germany, Italy, UK, Scandinavia, Switzerland and Russia. In Belgium, AK is taught as a post graduate course in medical school. AK is a widely practiced method of diagnosis and treatment.

Applied Kinesiolgy is practiced by health professionals that have already completed their basic education in their fields of study such as, Medicine, Chiropractic, Osteopathy, or Dentistry. They then study AK on a post graduate level, complete a 100 hour basic classroom study, and are tested for basic proficiency. To achieve specialty or expert status known as a Diplomate, 300 hours are required along with written and oral testing, and at least two research papers.

AK is divided in two distinct parts, one is an aid to diagnosing by using manual muscle testing as functional neurology to assess drainage, vascular supply, nutritional problems and TMJ and meridian imbalances.

The second part involves the treatment phase, where treatment with Chiropractic manipulation and Osteopathic cranial techniques and nutrition, along with meridian and myofascial procedures are utilized.

Can anyone with minimal training do AK?     Absolutely not !!!

You would no more trust a lay person to prescribe medication, than to trust a non professional to perform surgery. ICAK endorses the use of AK skills by “Licensed Health Professional only”. Some licensed practitioners have combined specific professional skills such as Dental Kinesiology named by George Eversaul DDS. However, many lay people use other techniques not taught or supported by ICAK standards, and claim to perform kinesiology or applied kinesiology. There are over 80 forms that use the term Kinesiology without the appropriate ICAK recognition. There is much misinformation because it has been misused and advocated by individuals who are not properly trained.

When one continues to review the Pesach sefer, an appropriate statement appears at the end of the discussion and highlighted, as if this statement justifies all the damage already done. It reads the following : Please note; the general approach one must take is that if the method can be proven scientifically, it may be used.

Manual muscle testing, (MMT),and Applied Kinesiology (AK) research papers are published in scientific peer reviewed journals. This means that before the research was published it was reviewed by several other doctors for its value to see if it should be published. These journals are of significance ; Spine, International Journal of Neuroscience, Perceptual and Motor Skills, Journal of Chiropractic Medicine, Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Chinese Medicine, and Physical Therapy. We now recognize that AK meets the scientific requirements and should no longer be placed in the category of AZ or Kishuf.

In this same disposition, other techniques whose foundation is AK such as Brain Gym and is primarily taught to occupational therapists, share the same fate of AK due to guilt by association.

To finalize, AK is a scientifically based procedure practiced by licensed health professionals and has been reviewed as acceptable and appropriate. Rabbi Baruch Greenfeld a Bobov dayan indicated that after doing his own investigation AK meets scientific criteria and is an acceptable healing technique. Rabbi Dr. Norman Strickman, Professor in Tuoro College and past president of the Vaad Harabonim of Flatbush, author of WITHOUT RED STINGS OR HOLY WATER a treatise on the Rambam’s Mishneh Torah “ who aimed at cleansing Judaism ………….from irrational and superstitious practices”  stated “applied kinesiology cannot be considered AZ or kishuf” and “ the individual who claims……….was misinformed”.  If someone you know says anything to the contrary, you can now indicate that they need to re-access their position to accept an advance healing procedure.

Dr. Weber has been practicing in Brooklyn for over 30 years and is President of the Chiropractic Board of Clinical Nutrition, the specialty board in Clinical Nutrition for the Chiropractic profession. He is past president of the Kings County Chiropractic Association and has lectured to the medical staff at the Downstate Medical Center and Maimonides Medical Center. He can be reached at 718.376.2300 or at www.oceanchiro.net

NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of YWN.

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