1) Muscle Testing
Muscle testing is an assessment tool that many practitioners use to identify and treat imbalances in the body. It evaluates changes in the body’s subtle energy field and has been likened to a kind of body biofeedback
In the 1960s Dr. George Goodheart used muscle testing as an energetic diagnostic tool to assess muscle, nerve and meridian energy connections. More than just an energetic diagnostic procedure, his discoveries led to the creation of a new system of healing that came to be known as Applied Kinesiology.
Muscle testing has been used for over 50 years by practitioners and clinics throughout the world. A comprehensive understanding of the art and skillful application of the technique is vital to consistent, accurate and replicable results.
2) ElectroDermal Screening
ElectroDermal screening is part of a new branch of medicine called Functional Medicine. It uses an electronic device to measure the electrical resistance through acupuncture meridians. Instruments vary from simple machines to fully computerized devices. It is an instrument of physics, not chemistry.
Measuring the electrical current running through the acupuncture meridian provides the practitioner with information about the bioenergetics of the body. A skilled practitioner can identify whether a tissue is healthy, whether it is stressed or inflamed, the cause of stress to the tissues, and which natural remedies will help restore the body’s balance.
Electrodermal screening can be very helpful with many health problems. However, it is not an instrument used to diagnose disease. The accuracy of the screening is not 100% objective and is dependent upon the skill and experience of the practitioner.
HISTORY
In the 1950’s, Dr. Reinold Voll, a German doctor, observed that traditional acupuncture points had a lower electrical resistance than other skin points. He developed a device to measure the skin’s resistance at these points and found that each point had a standard measurement for all healthy people. He concluded that increases from this normal reading meant there was tissue inflammation associated with that point. Decreases from the normal reading indicated there was fatigue or tissue degeneration associated with that point.
The methods and technologies developed by Dr. Voll became known as “Electro-acupuncture According to Voll” or EAV. This technology is also known as electrodermal screening or EDS. The acupuncture points that are measured are usually on the hands and feet. Specific points known as control measurement points are used to indicate the general health of an organ or tissue. There are currently over two thousand points that have been discovered.
Dr. Voll made an interesting discovery when evaluating a fellow doctor who had a history of prostate problems. Dr. Voll measured the doctor’s “prostate point” and found it lower than the expected normal reading. Later that day, he measured the point again and found it to be in the normal range. At the second evaluation, the doctor had a natural remedy (homeopathic Echinacea) in his pocket. Dr. Voll discovered that abnormal readings could be corrected when a “healing medicine” was held by the person (or later placing it on a test plate that was in circuit with the patient and the instrument) he was measuring. This allowed Dr. Voll not only to find what organs were energetically unhealthy, but also what natural remedy would correct the problem, eg. homeopathic, botanical, nutritional, etc.