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What is muscle testing

1.                   Muscle Testing

2.1 Introduction

Muscle testing is a practice developed in 1964 by Dr. George Goodheart. The purpose of muscle testing is to determine the body’s imbalances, needs and communication gaps via a noninvasive procedure. Muscle testing is used to obtain information on energy blockages, the functioning of organs, nutritional deficiencies, and food sensitivities, among other things. It can also be used to test the body’s responses to external elements.

Muscle testing is done by pushing or pulling on different muscles and interpreting the weakness of the muscle, and it allows the practitioner or the person doing self-testing to communicate directly with the body’s energy system.

muscle%20testingIn a typical session, a person will be asked to hold her arm out parallel to the floor for the test. The practitioner will then push the arm down checking the muscle resistance while the person holds certain foods, vitamins, herbs, says a certain word, thinks a thought, etc. However, muscle testing can be done with virtually any muscle in the body. It is much easier, however, to use a large muscle when working with a client, such as the arm or leg muscles. When self-testing, the person can use a large muscle or the hand and fingers, as will be shown below.

Once the body is balanced, muscle testing will lead to honest answers to yes and no questions; provided that the questions are correctly formulated (see below questioning techniques). In this sense, muscle testing works similar to a lie detector. Even if the client is denying or affirming, the muscles will provide accurate answers based on how the body interprets the question asked by the practitioner. For example, in a certain case the practitioner asked a balanced client “do you have any siblings?” The client answered “no”, but the muscle went strong indicating a “yes” answer. How should this be interpreted? Does this mean muscle testing is not accurate? On the contrary, it could mean many things. The practitioner would first want to ensure that he/she is in balance as also the client. Then, if the muscle answer remains the same, the practitioner might want to dig in to finding the reason why the muscle is testing strong and indicating a “yes” when the client’s answer is the opposite. In this case, the client’s mother had had a miscarriage prior to the client’s birth. When the client asked her mother if there had been a miscarriage before her, her mother indicated that there had been. This meant that the client’s body had registered that indeed she had a sibling, when the client was in the womb and genetic information was passed from her mother to her.

This being said, the point is that muscle testing can provide accurate answers to yes and no questions provided that:

1.                   the practitioner knows how to muscle test and can show the client what a yes and no answer feels like

2.                   the parties involved are all in balance

3.                   the question being asked is formulated correctly

4.                   the practitioner is willing to overcome the obvious answer and continue questioning until he/she reaches an accurate answer

Although muscle testing seems simple, in order to have an accurate reading of the responses of the body, it is necessary to understand and know how a weak-strong muscle feels, not only in one person, but in many people. Also, it is necessary to ensure that both the client and the practitioner are fully balanced (which will be explained below).

2.2          Science behind Muscle Testing

While muscle testing in itself is not hard to do, understanding the science behind muscle testing is hard to explain. As we mentioned above, the body functions with energy; human body cells have a resonant frequency at about 1000 KHz, and electric currents circulate throughout the body, via, among others, the meridian system. As with any energy system, certain external elements can cause a disruption, reduction or increase in the frequency. When the body is in the presence of an element that has a negative effect on the energy system, such as an allergen or a certain word that has a negative connotation to the recipient, or a question that simply has a negative answer, the energy levels of the body will be affected in a negative way, thereby causing a drop in the energy and a weakening of the muscle, resulting in a “no” answer. The same can be said for elements, words or questions that have a positive effect on the energy system, they will cause an increase in the body’s frequency and a strong muscle, indicating a “yes” answer.

The ability to test and get yes or no answers relies on the circuit of the meridians system, and its capacity to send out, receive and transmit electric pulses to the brain, which verifies the information, produces and answer and send a certain frequency and pulse back to the meridians, in under a fraction of a second.

2.3          How to muscle test

When using muscle testing, once the client and the practitioner are balanced, the practitioner is looking for two responses from the body: strong and weak. A strong muscle, that is, a muscle that is resisting or holding, indicates a “yes” answer, while a weak muscle, a muscle that will drop, will indicate a negative answer.

In order to do muscle testing, the practitioner should first teach the client how a strong and weak muscle feels. To do this:

·         First, the practitioner must locate the preferred muscle for the testing.

·         Secondly, the practitioner should ask the client if he or she has any injuries in that particular muscle, and explain that that muscle will be used during the session as the indicator muscle. If for any reason the use of this muscle is not possible, simply switch to another muscle.

·         Finally, push/pull on the muscle showing the client what a “yes” and “no” feels like. This will help the client understand and grasp the concept of yes and no answers, and the practitioner to feel how that particular client responds, given that each client is unique. Practice a few times while the client says “yes” and “no”, learning what “yes” and “no” feels like for that specific client.

http://www.kaichicenter.com/extend/content/images/Muscle%20Testing.jpgUsing muscle testing is easy, but responses will be misleading if the client is not holding, relaxing or tightening the muscle too much. Also, results will be inaccurate if the practitioner does not know how to “read” the particular client’s response.

Most people have never had muscle testing done, so the practitioner must learn to be patient with the client. With teaching and patience a practitioner should be able to use any muscle on the client’s body.

2.3.2      Main Muscles to Use

To muscle test a client, it is best to use the arm or leg muscles. A practitioner should use a long muscle such as the brachioradialis muscle located in the arm, or the triceps or biceps. These muscles are useful given their easy access, and because it is likely that the client will not tire out too quickly given that most clients will be accustomed to making much use of their arm muscles. It is important for the practitioner to remember that muscle testing can tire the muscle, for which reason it is important that the client is made as comfortable as possible, so they can focus on the session and not on the state of the arm.

It is recommended that the practitioner review anatomy books and become familiar with muscle charts and remember all the muscles. There will be times when the practitioner might need to use a different muscle than the usual arm muscles, when the client has an injury, or even to overcome the problems indicated about with always weak or strong muscles.

2.4          Forms of Muscle Testing

a.            Self testing

Self testing is a very good way to tell if someone is controlling their indicator muscle, and it is also beneficial when it is not feasible to use any of the client's indicator muscles for any reason (such as, for example, when the client's hands are occupied holding points). It is also useful when working on animals, children, or people who have lost limbs.

b.            Client testing

Client testing takes place with a muscle on the person's body, by locating and testing the response of that muscle again strong or weak. This is the proper muscle testing method to obtain clear yes/no answers, when both client and practitioner are in balance.

c.             Surrogate testing

Surrogate testing is a method of locating problems in the energy system by testing the muscle strength of a third person who is touching the client. This method of testing is useful when working on infants and small children. In a teaching setting, it can be used in a group of people holding hands, by testing the last person on the link about an issue of the first person on the link. However, for accurate answers, everybody on the link needs to be in balance. However, when working on clients, direct testing is best.

 

 

2.5          Muscle Testing Troubleshooting

In the early stages of a practitioner’s development and practice, it is possible that the practitioner will encounter difficulties defining and feeling weak and strong responses from the various clients. Experience and practice will help the practitioner overcome these problems. However, in some cases, although the client and the practitioner are balanced, the muscle being used for testing and any other muscle the practitioner tests, is either always strong, or consistently weak, or is simply a stubborn muscle. Below are some suggestions to overcome these common problems.

a.            An Always Strong Muscle

http://www.bartleby.com/images/A4images/A4biceps.jpgWhen the muscle is always testing strong, even at the stage of teaching the client what yes and no answers feel like, it is possible that the client does not trust the practitioner, the work being done or simply does not understand the difference between holding and resisting. The best thing to do is stop and make sure the client is at ease, and explain the process, the work being done, the reason for using muscle testing, etc. Answer any questions the client might have, and make sure the environment is comfortable to the client. Take some time to teach the client the difference between holding and pushing back.

b.            An Always Weak Muscle

This is obviously the opposite case of the problem above. In this case, the muscle will always test weak. The client might not know how strong to hold the muscle, they might not want to do the work, or might be too tired. Stop the work, and try to explain the session and purpose of muscle testing to the client, the need to have their collaboration. Try to understand the reason behind the weakness. Maybe the practitioner will want to change muscles, or, if the client it too tired, stop the session and postpone it for a different day.

c.             A Stubborn Muscle

A stubborn muscle is one where one of the previous two problems have been dealt with, but the muscle keeps going back to the always weak or strong situation. The practitioner needs to train the muscle, and make sure he/she is still in balance. The client might need to be explained further and practice of yes and no feeling might have to continue for a while until the client feels what is expected.