New technique helps to ease chronic pain

     By Leanne Mieszala
     View staff writer
      Chronic pain is something most people learn to live with, but now they are being given a choice when it comes to their overall well-being.
      As part of a seminar in total health care being presented by Dr. Timothy Francis, participants were introduced to the basic principals behind this modern-day miracle, otherwise known as applied kinesiology.
      During the 1960s, a new system of evaluation began to develop in chiropractic circles.
      Dr. George Goodheart of Detroit, Mich., had the kind of patient that all doctors hate to get -- the kind of patient that wasn't getting results, and he didn't know what to do about it. The problem was that when this young man would try to lift something, his shoulder blade would stick out.
      A friend of Goodheart's gave him a book called "Muscle Testing" and after looking at the different muscles contained in the book, Goodheart found the specific muscle that was causing this patient's problem.
      Goodheart had his patient push up against the wall and, sure enough, the shoulder blade stuck out from the body cavity, causing pain and dysfunction.
      Based on his findings in the book, Goodheart knew the origin of where the muscle attached to the body and began pressing on some nodules until the pain went away.
      After doing this, he had the patient push up against the wall again at which point the shoulder blade no longer stuck out, the pain disappeared and the function returned to the shoulder.
      "Since that time it has grown tremendously into a college known as the International College of Applied Kinesiology," said Timothy Francis, a certified specialist at the college.
      Besides being represented in all 50 states, the college is represented in Canada, Russia, Europe, Australia and different parts of Asia. Francis currently serves on both the United States board and the international counsel as well as the board of certified teachers.
      Francis teaches by the philosophy that there is a cause for everything that occurs in the body.
      "If you get a headache, a joint pain, indigestion, hormone imbalance, arthritis or even colitis, there is a reason for that," he said. "The cause can be structural, chemical and/or emotional.
      "Muscle testing is like a stethoscope," Francis continued. "It's only as good as the brain between the earpieces. It's an art as well as a science and takes years of practice with a good teacher."
      According to Francis, there are many ways of muscle testing.
      Therapy localization involves touching different areas of the body in order to determine where the cause of the dysfunction is coming from. The doctor tests a muscle and then has the patient place a finger or hand in a certain spot.
      After re-testing the same muscle, there may be a change in its apparent strength. What the doctor is doing is using the hand to stimulate nerve receptors.
      Even though a diagnosis is important, Francis believes that it doesn't necessarily reveal the cause of something or even how to treat it.
      "Muscle testing is part of arriving at the decision-making policy of what to do for the patient. Does this patient need an adjustment, do they need lymphatic work, do they need vitamins or minerals, or do they just need to get off of wheat, corn or dairy products?" Francis said.
      Francis stressed that he doesn't test to prove or disprove anything.
      "We simply test to gather data from the patient's body in order to help in the decision-making process of what to do for that patient on a structural, chemical and emotional basis," Francis said. "We're trying to find the cause of their problem. We are looking for the ability of the muscle to lock."