Book Review: Applied Kinesiology

This book review is part of a series that covers the topic of Applied Kinesiology . Applied Kinesiology (AK) is a form of medical diagnosis using manual muscle-strength testing as a primary feedback mechanism to examine how a person's body is functioning. LaRue Eppler is the Official Guide to Applied Kinesiology. Applied Kinesiology: A Training Manual and Reference Book of Basic Principles and Practices, by Robert Frost, is a valuable resource for people interested in Applied Kinesiolgy, and it is available through Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

Applied Kinesiology was developed in the sixties by Dr. George Goodheart, a chiropractor in Detroit, Michigan. Applied Kinesiology uses the binary responses of muscles to evaluate functional systems of the body based on what Goodheart calles "the five factors of the intervertebral foramen"-nerve, blood, vessel, lymphatic vells, acupuncture meridian, and cerebrospinal fluid. It uses diagnostic muscle tests to test the strength and weakness of muscles when introduced to the body in the form of a stimulus. These tests check for reflexes in the body and indicate possible organismic responses to deficiencies in the body's muscles or systems.

Robert Frost's Applied Kinesiology is a compact introductory textbook and comprehensive guide of Applied Kinesiology, presented in a way so that even the reader with no medical background will get a deep understanding of the process. In addition, Frost provides strong academic backing to the material for the more experienced reader: Anatomy and physiology of muscles, neurophysiology, biological medicine, stress research, and the world view of quantum physics and chaos theories.

Applied Kinesiology includes test and strengthening procedures for thirty-two muscles. These are precisely described and illustrated with black and white photos that are overlayed with red-colored muscle illustrations. Basic and advanced Applied Kinesiology techniques are depicted and summarized in a step-by-step procedure for application in therapy sessions. This book offers a detailed introduction in the operating procedure of Applied Kinesiology for all therapists, which will open new perspectives and make work in this field more effective and understandable. Presented as an introductory textbook, this manual explains basic and advanced techniques of Applied Kinesiology.

The experience of muscle testing, whether receiving or practicing it, offers a deeper understanding of the process of allowing the muscles of the body to act as indicators of the deeper stresses and discomforts that often have their root in muscle weakness. Once muscle weakness has been ascertained, Frost offers a variety of therapeutic options. Therapeutic solutions range from muscle strengthening to reflex point massage to manipulation of the neuromuscular spindle cells. Each technique is described in such a way as to make for an easy transition from theory to practice.

Within the text the reader will find:

• A short history of the development of Applied Kinesiology
• A detailed theoretical presentation of the basic principles of Applied Kinesiology
• A precise "how-to-do-it" presentation of the basic procedures of Applied Kinesiology
• A selection of thirty-two muscle tests with specific correction techniques
• A step-by-step plan for applying these procedures in a therapeutic session
• A selection of case histories using these techniques