Kinesiology (Parascience)

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Paroscientific kinesiology (from ancient Greek κίνησις kinesis "movement" and logic ) is an alternative medical and pseudoscientific diagnosis and treatment concept from the field of body therapy and chiropractic .

The term was introduced in Germany by the founders of the Institute for Applied Kinesiology (1982) and later the German Society for Applied Kinesiology , founded in 1987, and stands for variants of the Applied Kinesiology founded by George Joseph Goodheart . In contrast to the latter, "kinesiology" is mainly used by medical laypeople. It uses so-called manual muscle tests for a diagnosis and a subsequent determination of the therapy . Applied kinesiology assumes that muscle tension provides feedback on the functional state of the body . Kinesiology is not based on recognized scientific and medical knowledge; there is no proof of effectiveness.

The term should not be confused with the English word kinesiology for movement / motor sciences .

General

Kinesiology is a scientifically unrecognized alternative medical diagnosis and therapy method without proven effectiveness. It is based on the assumption that health disorders manifest themselves as weaknesses in certain muscle groups. The central tool of kinesiology for diagnosing such disorders is the so-called "kinesiological muscle test".

In kinesiology, terms and teachings from meridians and elements are used. For example, the term energy is used based on the Daoist Qi in the sense of "life energy". Kinesiology sees itself as a method that is supposed to perceive people in their " wholeness ", which means that findings should not be viewed in isolation, but in connection with emotional and mental influences and dependencies. From the original Applied Kinesiology, primarily the treatment of reflexes such as the “neurolymphatic reflex points” of the osteopath Chapman and the so-called “neurovascular reflex points” of the chiropractor Bennett were integrated into the “Touch for Health” or “Applied Kinesiology”.

The concept of kinesiology is not compatible with recognized scientific and medical knowledge. The diagnostic validity and effectiveness of kinesiology has not yet been proven; it is considered unlikely.

History and institutionalization

development

Applied Kinesiology was developed in the 1960s by the American chiropractor George Joseph Goodheart. The starting point for developing the theory was his observation that in a patient with shoulder pain, the shoulder muscles were weakened and there were nodular indurations in the tendons of the muscle. Goodheart claims to have loosened the hardening of the muscle with massage and the shoulder pain also decreased. At the same time the muscle strength increased. This was the first time that the strength of a muscle was normalized by a manual reflex therapy measure. As a result, Goodheart developed a system of diagnostic and therapeutic techniques that are based on chiropractic and have elements of osteopathy from the meridian theory of traditional Chinese medicine, orthomolecular medicine . John Thie was a close companion of George Goodheart, the founder of Applied Kinesiology and co-founder (1974) of the International College of Applied Kinesiology (ICAK). He founded the Touch for Health Foundation with the intention of making the benefits of the professional applied kinesiology used by chiropractors and doctors accessible to laypeople in the sense of "holistic health care and restoration of natural energy". In the early days of the organizations, there were pronounced personal overlaps between the Touch For Health Foundation and the International College of Applied Kinesiology: John Thie was the founder or co-founder of both organizations and thus the teaching content of the lay and professional organization was repeatedly mixed. Due to the misuse of professional techniques by laypeople, the spread of professional applied kinesiology internationally and in German-speaking countries has been limited since 1992 to holders of a state-recognized diploma in a medical profession (doctors, dentists, chiropractors in Switzerland, physiotherapists).

Representation of kinesiology in Germany

Alfred Schatz and colleagues brought the training material of the Touch-for-Health-Foundation to Germany, where they founded the Institute for Applied Kinesiology (1982) and in 1987 the German Society for Applied Kinesiology . These organizations and many others around the world are now distributing almost all forms of "kinesiology" to medical health professionals and laypeople. A uniform minimum medical qualification is not required for kinesiologists. “Kinesiologist” is not a protected professional title in Germany.

The specialist societies for medical applied kinesiology in Germany ( Deutsche Ärztegesellschaft für Applied Kinesiologie , DÄGAK), Austria (ICAK-A) and Switzerland (ICAK-CH), whose membership consists exclusively of people with a state medical diploma (doctors, dentists, chiropractors in Switzerland, physiotherapists), deliberately set themselves apart from lay organizations. The membership of the International Medical Association of Applied Kinesiology (IMAK), based in Klagenfurt, consists exclusively of doctors and dentists.

The kinesiological muscle test

A so-called muscle test is used as a diagnostic method in kinesiology, through which imbalances and dysfunctions of substances, information, emotions and therapies are to be determined. The muscle test therefore serves as a " biofeedback system".

Kinesiologists assume that a muscle reacts to stress (in the form of a substance, information, emotion and so on) by giving way and that this short initial reaction of the muscle is controlled by the autonomic nervous system and cannot be controlled or manipulated willingly. This assumption is incorrect because it is possible to change muscle tension voluntarily or involuntarily. Depending on the kinesiology direction, one or more muscles serve as "indicator muscles" (= display muscles). The client is confronted with the substance, information or emotion to be tested, and the muscle test is carried out immediately. For example, if the deltoid arm muscle is the indicator muscle, the kinesiologist applies a certain amount of pressure to the client's outstretched arm for a moment. Either the arm remains strong and “locked in” in a kinesiological sense, or it becomes soft and flexible for a moment. The respective muscle reaction results in an “answer” to the previously defined question. Usually the client is explained beforehand what a strong or weak muscle reaction should mean. Only binary questions can be used for the kinesiological muscle test, ie “yes / no” or “strong / weak” or “harmful / harmless” and so on.

As a rule, the interpretation of the subject's muscular tension felt by the kinesiologist is left to the examiner and his experience. The different muscle tension on the part of the client can be so obvious that he himself notices it.

variants

Various advanced approaches have been developed since the emergence of kinesiology. It should not only determine the “right” medication for the patient or diagnose intolerance and allergies, but also psychological blockages and problems. The muscle test is used in various areas, such as the identification of stress factors in NAET (Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination Technique).

Common variants today are:

Applied Kinesiology

The International College of Applied Kinesiology (ICAK) registered Professional Applied Kinesiology (PAK) as a trademark in order to show a clear differentiation from variations used by medical laypeople, such as Touch for Health , Brain-Gym or Three in One Concept . PAK may only be used by certified members of the ICAK. The professional societies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, whose membership consists exclusively of persons with a state medical diploma (doctors, dentists, chiropractors in Switzerland, physiotherapists) expressly declare that applied kinesiology cannot be equated with kinesiology , applied kinesiology , psychokinesiology or Edu-Kinestetik .

The users of Professional Applied Kinesiology (PAK) describe it as a diagnosis and therapy system that works with functional neurological tests, in particular the manual muscle test and diagnostic provocations (challenges).

Touch for Health

Touch for Health takes other elements of traditional Chinese medicine, in which muscle groups are assigned to meridians and thus alleged blockages, under and over energies are recorded. These should be balanced by touching reflex points, stroking meridians, by acupressure , by massaging a certain muscle group or by a special dietary recommendation. Many kinesiology methods that were later developed have their origins in the Touch for Health.

Edu-Kinestetik / Brain Gym

The Edu-Kinestetik is a further development of the applied kinesiology towards a movement pedagogy. It deals with learning disabilities and related problems like hyperactivity. It was developed in the early 1980s by the American educator Paul Dennison. Dennison claimed that simple physical exercises could motivate students with learning difficulties and improve their ability to learn.

The Edu-Kinestetik is based on the anatomically incorrect assertion that the center line between the two brain halves must be straightened by gymnastic exercises in order to correct an alleged one-sided load on the respective brain halves.

The Edu-Kinestetik has none of the effects ascribed to it.

Three in one concepts

(3-in-1) deals with psychological blocks, as well as psycho-kinesiology (PK) and integrative kinesiology (IK), which is a combination of kinesiology and talk therapy according to Rogers .

Animal kinesiology

It is used by some animal health practitioners , less often by veterinarians . A central problem in animal kinesiology is the inapplicability of the muscle test in animals. A “surrogate procedure” (from the Latin surrogatus for “replacement”) is used. In the surrogate procedure, a person, for example the owner of the animal, acts as a representative who is tested. The deputy does not necessarily have to have physical contact with the animal. It is sufficient to replace the animal with a photo , excrement , hair or feathers . The training or specialist training to become an animal kinesiologist is offered by several institutes, the duration of the training is usually six to eight seminar days.

effectiveness

Kinesiology contradicts recognized scientific and medical knowledge. Proof of the effectiveness of kinesiology has not yet been achieved and is considered unlikely. A study commissioned by the Australian Ministry of Health in 2015 on various alternative medical procedures also found no evidence of effectiveness for kinesiology. Kinesiological ideas, such as that the body knows whether the contents of a sealed glass tube are good for it, cannot be reconciled with the knowledge of natural science. Scientific proof of such a capability could not be provided. Kinesiology is therefore assigned to the pseudosciences .

In scientific studies on kinesiology, the results often showed a purely random distribution. Different kinesiologists did not arrive at the same diagnosis relevant more often, and the recommended therapies did not lead to a statistically significant improvement. Another study looked at 7 patients with known severe wasp sting allergies. Kinesiologists have been unable to distinguish a tube of wasp venom from a tube of saline solution overly often. In another study, 315 children and adolescents were examined for food allergies with kinesiological agents over a period of two years. Kinesiologists were not able to confirm the results of colleagues more than randomly , nor did the diagnoses agree statistically significantly with the results of reliable conventional allergy tests (antibody determination, skin test). Kinesiologists cannot repeat their own diagnoses more precisely than would happen by chance. Other studies have produced similar results. A non -double-blind study confirmed true and false test statements.

With the muscle test there are possibilities of errors and falsifications on the part of the therapist and the client. Since the therapist is actively testing that of the client with his own muscle tension, he can knowingly or unknowingly adjust his testing pressure. The same applies to the client who can arbitrarily or involuntarily change his muscle strength. In addition, the test muscle fatigues after several test runs.

From the point of view of psychology and pedagogy, Edu-Kinestetik is a collection of well-known relaxation and memory techniques that are based on simplistic and sometimes grossly wrong ideas about the anatomy and physiology of the brain.

In some studies, the effectiveness of kinesiology did not go beyond the effectiveness of a placebo , that is, kinesiology has no causal effect. Critics therefore accuse kinesiologists of using inadequate instruments and of wrong diagnoses and incorrect therapies, with potentially serious consequences for the patient, because he is encouraged to start late or not at all effective therapies or to discontinue them.

Proponents of kinesiology practice often claim that their methods are subject to scientific scrutiny by the International College of Applied Kinesiology (ICAK). However, an evaluation of 50 publications by this association over a period of 7 years found severe deficiencies in the work - including the complete lack of statistical analyzes, problems in the selection of test persons and missing information on the test groups.

The lack of standardization and the lack of basic qualifications are also criticized. For example, the Kinesiological Institute Ostbayern mentions only “interest and willingness to learn” as the necessary training and prerequisites for a kinesiologist training; A medical profession such as a doctor or masseur is not a prerequisite for training as a kinesiologist. The full training, according to this kinesiological institute, lasts 60 weekends, and the student can decide for himself how far he wants to complete the training and from which point of the training he wants to work as a kinesiologist.

literature

  • John Diamond: The body doesn't lie. The first book on behavioral kinesiology. 21st edition VAK, Freiburg im Breisgau 1983, 2006. ISBN 3-924077-00-2
  • Christa Keding: The great kinesiology advisor. Holistic healing through the muscle test - analytical and psychological kinesiology. Oesch, Zurich 2006. ISBN 3-0350-3026-X
  • Johann Lechner, Rolf Krieger: Arm length reflex test and systemic kinesiology. The manual. VAK, Kirchzarten 2002. ISBN 3-935767-01-3
  • Günter Dobler: Kinesiology for naturopathic practice. Basics, practice, therapy schemes. 2nd edition Urban & Fischer, Munich 1999, 2004. ISBN 3-437-55501-4
  • Barbro Walker : Edu-Kinestetik - an educational path to salvation? A critical analysis. Tectum, Marburg 2004. ISBN 3-8288-8682-5
  • Alexander L. Rossaint: Medical kinesiology, physio-energetics and holistic (dental) medicine. The handbook for therapists. VAK, Kirchzarten 2005. ISBN 3-935767-49-8
  • Victoria Ermel: Kinesiology. A complementary diagnostic and therapeutic procedure. CD-ROM. WVT, Trier 2007. ISBN 3-88476-932-4

Web links

Wiktionary: Kinesiology  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Individual evidence of the therapy method from the field of chiropractic (English):
  2. ↑ Website of the Institute for Applied Kinesiology ( Memento of the original from January 14, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed January 27, 2012. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.iak-freiburg.de
  3. ↑ a b DGAK website , accessed on January 27, 2012.
  4. ↑ Arnd Krüger : History of movement therapy. In: Preventive Medicine. Heidelberg: Springer Loseblatt Collection 1999, 07.06, pp. 1–22.
  5. ↑ a b c d Edzard Ernst : Complementary Medical Diagnosis , Deutsches Ärzteblatt 2005; 102 (44): A-3034 / B-2560 / C-2410.
  6. ↑ a b c d Brunello Wüthrich: Unproven techniques in allergy diagnosis . In: Journal of Investigational Allergology & Clinical Immunology . tape 15 , no. 2 , 2005, p. 86-90 , PMID 16047707 .
  7. ^ Mitchell Haas, Robert Cooperstein, David Peterson: Disentangling manual muscle testing and Applied Kinesiology: critique and reinterpretation of a literature review . In: Chiropractic & Osteopathy . tape 15 , 23 August 2007, p. 11 , doi : 10.1186 / 1746-1340-15-11 , PMID 17716373 , PMC 2000870 (free full text).
  8. ↑ a b John F. Thie, DC 1973 to 1976 ( memento of the original from March 13, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , icak.com, accessed January 28, 2012. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.icak.com
  9. ^ Website of the Touch-for-Health-Foundation , accessed on January 28, 2012.
  10. ↑ Touch-for-Health-Foundation about yourself
  11. ↑ APPLIED KINESIOLOGY STATUS STATEMENT  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , ICAK-USA, accessed January 28, 2012, (PDF).@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.icakusa.com  
  12. ^ Website of the IAK Freiburg ( Memento of the original from January 14, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed on January 28, 2012. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.iak-freiburg.de
  13. ^ Website of the German Medical Association for Applied Kinesiology (DÄGAK) , accessed on January 28, 2012.
  14. ↑ Website of the International College of Applied Kinesiology-Austria (ICAK-A) ( Memento of the original dated February 4, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed on January 28, 2012. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.icak-a.at
  15. ↑ Website of the International College of Applied Kinesiology-Switzerland (ICAK-CH) ( Memento of the original from August 20, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed on January 28, 2012. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.professional-applied-kinesiology.ch
  16. ^ Website of the International Medical Association of Applied Kinesiology , accessed January 28, 2012.
  17. ^ Devi S. Nambudripad: NAET: Say Good-bye to Your Allergies: A Revolutionary Treatment for Allergies & Allergy-Related Conditions. Delta Pub Co, 2003. ISBN 978-0-9704344-3-2 .
  18. ↑ P. 118 / Pschyrembel, Naturheilkunde, 4th edition 2011.
  19. ↑ Website of Edu-Kinesthetics, Inc. ( Memento of the original from January 29, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed January 29, 2012. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.braingym.com
  20. ↑ Rudolf Kuchlbacher: Edu-Kinestetik macht Schule ( Memento of the original from May 13, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in: Arbeiterkammer Wien (Ed.): Notes on esotericism . Working Papers Consumer Policy, Consumer Research; Vienna 2010, pdf. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / wien.arbeiterkammer.at
  21. ↑ Klaus Samac (1996): Edu-Kinestetik does not promote school performance. Summary at the Austrian Society for Research and Development in Education ( Memento of the original from July 15, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.oefeb.at
  22. ↑ Waltraud Walbiner (1997): Edu-Kinesiology: A New Way of Salvation in Pedagogy, State Institute for School Quality and Educational Research , Munich (Work Report No. 290)
  23. ^ Website of the organization Three in one Concepts , accessed on January 28, 2012.
  24. ↑ Rosina Sonnenschmidt: Animal kinesiology: methods of holistic system diagnosis . Sonntag Verlag, 1st edition 1999, 2nd edition 2005 ISBN 978-3-8304-9116-3 , p. 13
  25. ↑ Colin Goldner: Beware of animal health practitioners! Alibri Verlag 2006, ISBN 978-3-86569-004-3 , p. 161.
  26. ↑ John M. James: Unproven diagnostic and therapeutic techniques . In: Current Allergy and Asthma Reports . tape 2 , no. 1 , January 1, 2002, p. 87-91 , doi : 10.1007 / s11882-002-0045-7 .
  27. ↑ Keith J. Hyatt: Brain Gym®: Building Stronger Brains or Wishful Thinking? In: Remedial and Special Education . tape 28 , no. 2 , March 1, 2007, p. 117-124 , doi : 10.1177 / 07419325070280020201 .
  28. ↑ Chris Baggoley: Review of the Australian Government Rebate on Natural Therapies for Private Health Insurance . Ed .: Natural Therapies Review Advisory Committee, Department of Health. 2015, p. 79 ff . ( gov.au [PDF]).
  29. ↑ Scott Gavura: Australian review finds no benefit to therapies natural 17th In: Science-Based Medicine . November 19, 2015, accessed March 28, 2020 (American English).
  30. ↑ Kimball C. Atwood: Naturopathy, pseudoscience, and medicine: myths and fallacies vs truth . In: MedGenMed: Medscape General Medicine . tape 6 , no. 1 , March 25, 2004, p. 33 , PMID 15208545 , PMC 1140750 (free full text).
  31. ^ JJ Kenney, R. Clemens, KD Forsythe: Applied kinesiology unreliable for assessing nutrient status . In: Journal of the American Dietetic Association . tape 88 , no. 6 , June 1988, pp. 698-704 , PMID 3372923 .
  32. ^ R. Lüdtke et al .: Test-retest-reliability and validity of the Kinesiology muscle test . In: Complementary Therapies in Medicine . tape 9 , no. 3 , September 2001, p. 141-145 , doi : 10.1054 / ctim.2001.0455 , PMID 11926427 .
  33. ^ R. Pothmann: Evaluation of the clinically applied kinesiology for food intolerance in childhood. In: Forsch Komplementärmedizin Klass Naturheilk 2001; 8: pp. 336–344
  34. ↑ H.-J. Staehle, MJ Koch, T. Pioch: Double-blind study on materials testing with applied kinesiology . In: Journal of Dental Research . tape 84 , no. 11 , November 2005, p. 1066-1069 , doi : 10.1177 / 154405910508401119 , PMID 16246943 .
  35. ^ MH Friedman, J. Weisberg: Applied kinesiology - double-blind pilot study . In: The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry . tape 45 , no. 3 , March 1981, p. 321-323 , doi : 10.1016 / 0022-3913 (81) 90398-x , PMID 6938675 .
  36. ^ JS Garrow: Kinesiology and food allergy . In: British Medical Journal (Clinical Research Ed.) . tape 296 , no. 6636 , June 4, 1988, pp. 1573–1574 , doi : 10.1136 / bmj.296.6636.1573 , PMID 3135014 , PMC 2545956 (free full text).
  37. ^ M. Haas et al .: Muscle testing response to provocative vertebral challenge and spinal manipulation: a randomized controlled trial of construct validity . In: Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics . tape 17 , no. 3 , March 1994, p. 141-148 , PMID 8006528 .
  38. ^ DA Monti et al .: Muscle test comparisons of congruent and incongruent self-referential statements . In: Perceptual and Motor Skills . tape 88 , 3 Pt 1, June 1999, p. 1019-1028 , doi : 10.2466 / pms.1999.88.3.1019 , PMID 10407911 .
  39. ↑ Barbro Walker: Edu-Kinestetik - an educational path to salvation? Tectum Verlag, 2004, ISBN 978-3-8288-8682-7
  40. ↑ Kirsten Beyer and Suzanne S. Teuber: Food allergy diagnostics: scientific and unproven procedures . In: Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology . tape 5 , no. 3 , June 2005, p. 261–266 , doi : 10.1097 / 01.all.0000168792.27948.f9 , PMID 15864086 .
  41. ↑ B. Klinkoski and C. Leboeuf: A review of the research papers published by the international College of Applied Kinesiology from 1981 to 1987 . In: Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics . tape 13 , no. 4 , May 1990, pp. 190-194 , PMID 2351880 .
  42. ↑ KIOB Kinesiological Institute East Bavaria: Questions / Answers. In: KIOB - Kinesiological Institute East Bavaria (web site). October 16, 2008, accessed March 21, 2013 .