The Greek scientist and philosopher, Aristotle (384 - 322 B.C.) has been called the father of kinesiology, which is the science of motion and the body's muscle response to factors influencing motion.
With applied kinesiology, manual muscle testing is used to evaluate body function and strength through the dynamics of the musculo-skeletal system.
Through muscle testing, it has been found that many factors can be beneficial or detrimental to muscle strength and body function.
In the laboratory, a kinesiometer or dynamometer can effectively and impartially test your muscle strength at any given moment, but manual muscle testing by an individual examiner can prove equally as effective (see "Exercise -- The Effect of Symbols").
Dr.George Goodheart (a Detroit chiropractor responsible for the current develop- ment of applied kinesiology) discovered that various points on the body are receptors and stimulators of the lymphatic system, and that these receptors are connected to different organs and muscles of the body.
It was also found that your thymus gland is linked to your immune system and your ability to resist disease and infection.
Since your thymus gland is directly tied into your body's strength and energy flow, chewing a thymus extract can temporarily strengthen you.
You can measure the many things that affect your life energy force with a simple kinesiological muscle test.
By using a hand grip dynamometer, you can test your strength after exposure to specific energy fields, foods, pictures, words, symbols or even the thoughts of others directed toward you.
For most people, listening to rock or country music, looking at unpleasant or negative pictures, eating sugar or red meat, coming into contact with plastics, synthetic clothing or cigarettes, and even thinking negative thoughts weakens a person kinesiologically.
Although the effects are mostly temporary, constant exposure in these areas can continually deplete your bodily energy.
Elimination of such exposure allows your body to strengthen itself again.
By using applied kinesiology, your body's reaction to subtle electromagnetic energies can be determined.
For instance, you'll test weak if a radar gun is aimed at you.
By holding the back end of a lightning rod against your chest, all muscles, including your heart muscle will be weakened.
By turning the rod around so that the point is against your chest, your strength will return.
When a lit, standard fluorescent bulb is held over your head, all your muscles will test weak.
When a full spectrum "Ott-Lite" is held over your head, all your muscles will test strong (like they will in sunlight).
With so many environmental influences inundating you every day, kinesi- ological testing allows you to ascertain exactly how beneficial or detrimental these factors are to your strength and energy.
High in the hill country of Nepal and Tibet, men carry up to 240 lb. loads from village to village and barely work up a sweat.
Older women almost match the men in strength and stamina.
Indians in the thin air of the Andes manage similar feats as bearers.
In fact, the world is filled with non-weight lifter "types" that perform incredible feats of strength every day, so the first principle to keep in mind is that you ARE already very strong.
There are numerous cases of people exhibiting extra- ordinary strength during house fires or during the excitement of certain emergency situations.
Also, under hypnotic "sleep," subjects have demonstrated "supernormal" examples of strength.
Since your body has not changed in these instances, the only difference lies simply in your mental attitude and your connection to the flow of universal energy around you (see energy measuring device in the book’s back pages).
As an exercise, begin a 7-day program of becoming physically stronger.
First, eliminate the word CAN'T and negative phrases about your physical ability.
Repeat each day the following affirmations 3 times: "I know I can become physically stronger."
"I feel myself growing stronger."
"I AM stronger today than I was yesterday."
Remember that thought and desire precede accomplishment.
Even Olympic weight lifters 'psych' themselves up with positive imagery and reinforce- ment before attempting to accomplish their weight lifts.
During the next 7 days begin visualizing yourself as a person with great strength, like Mr. or Ms. Universe.
Relax and close your eyes for 10 minutes in your easy chair and imagine yourself performing great feats of strength.
Project a desire and enthusiasm in your visualization process to achieve greater strength and you will become stronger.
Get excited about it.
Have faith in yourself and your ability to be stronger and you will suddenly realize that you ARE stronger already.
As another exercise, stand facing a partner with your arm extended, palm upward and your wrist on your partner's opposing shoulder.
Let your other arm hang by your side.
Now ask your partner to bend your extended arm using both his (her) hands to do so.
With such poor leverage, he (she) can bend your arm quite easily no matter how hard you try to resist it.
Now do it again, but this time consciously relax your arm and extend your fingers as you rest your wrist on his (her) shoulder.
Close your eyes and visualize a golden stream of energy flowing through your arm and shooting through your fingers.
Now ask your partner to bend your arm again.
This time you will find it takes very little effort to resist him (her).
Sometimes imagining your arm as a steel beam will accomplish the same thing.
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