Applied Kinesiology

Ignorance along with pain can be a troublesome combination when seeking medical care. If one only knew how many different medical treatments are out there that don’t work, we would think twice before seeking medical treatment. This is the case with applied Kinesiology also known as AK. Applied kinesiology is, according to its believers, a system that evaluates structural, chemical, and mental aspects of health using manual muscle testing alongside conventional diagnostic methods. The essential premise of applied kinesiology that is not shared by mainstream medical theory is that every organ dysfunction is accompanied by a weakness in a specific corresponding muscle, the viscerosomatic relationship.[1][2] One can be easily convinced by any well written paper, or lecture, but there is a fine line between assumptions and the facts.

Actual facts indicate that AK have no clinical efficacy. For example, muscle testing has not been shown to distinguish a test substance from a placebo under double-blind conditions, and the use of applied kinesiology to evaluate nutrient status has not been shown to be more effective than random guessing. Some scientific studies have shown that applied kinesiology tests are not reproducible.[3][4][5][6][7] I can go on and on with many facts and test that prove this practice of AK is a simple gimmick.

According to the American Chiropractic Association, Applied Kinesiology is the 10th most frequently used chiropractic techniques in the United States, with 37.6% of chiropractors employing this method and 12.9% of patients being treated with it.[8] This is a significant amount of people, who are probably not aware of the treatment they are receiving. On March 26, 1998 letter from the DKF (Dansk Kiropractor-Forening - Danish Chiropractic Association), following public complaints from patients receiving homeopathic care and/or AK instead of standard (DKF defined) chiropractic care, the DKF has determined that applied kinesiology is not a form of chiropractic care and must not be presented to the public as such. Chiropractors may not infer or imply that the Danish chiropractic profession endorses AK to be legitimate or effective, nor may the word/title chiropractic/chiropractor be used or associated with the practice of AK.[9]

Many people and articles hae described AK as quackery, magical thinking, and misinterpretation of the ideomotor effect, and has criticized its theoretical basis, and I cannot agree more. As an aspiring physician I cannot understand why I would offer medical treatment to a patient, in which is not beneficiary. On the other hand, maybe money is the grand problem, and is why AK is practiced; the patient is never cured and keeps coming back for help. Sad to say this is a legal scam in my country.

Class Opinion

Medical Ethics class was out of the ordinary. It was an easy going class, but at the same time opened my eyes to many different