Issue 07, Spring 2018
Issue 8, Summer 2018
Business of Being Better
Specialized Kinesiology Magazine
5 Tips for Great Demos
Being Better by Understanding the Science Attracting Abundance with Ranee Zeller
Mindset Programing
Living in the ‘yes’! IKC Balancathon
Flavours of Kinesiology from the Middle East
The Business of Being Better KinesioGeek Magazine, www.gemskinesiology.com 1
Issue 8, Summer 2018
Business of Being Better
KinesioGeek Magazine, www.gemskinesiology.com 2
Issue 8, Summer 2018
Business of Being Better
Editor/Publisher/Writer Proudly brought to you by and flawed KinesioGeeks: dictator: Alexis contributing Costello Alexis Costello (Editor/ Publisher / Flawed DictaContributors: tor) Alison Kingston Anna Jensen Mitchell Anne Michelle Greenwell Anne Jensen Natasha Polomski Jane Piper Reenie Rose Robert Frost Jeremy Glyn Sylvia Marina Michelle Greenwell Cover image is a stock Robert Frost photo Sylvia Marina Opinions expressed by Tyler Sauve contributors and advertisers are their own.
Adam Lehman: inside the holoAttracting gram Abundance with Renee Zeller page 6
page 6
IKC Balancathon
page 28
“Every risk is worth taking as long as it’s for a good cause and contributes to a good life.” - Richard Branson
Contents: p. 4 Letter from the Editor p.5 Your turn: letters, questions and social media p. 6 Attracting Abundance p. 11 Understanding the Science Behind SK Tools p. 15 Start Living in the ‘Yes’ p. 17 Mindset Programing P. 21 Using MRT to Detect Truth / Lies p. 26 5 Tips for Great Demos
“Making money is art and working is art and doing business is the best art” - Andy Warhol
P. 28 Making Our Work Visible p. 31 Muscle Profile: Hamstrings P. 34 Kinesiology Story: Dubai p. 38 Food as a Tool for Balancing P. 42 Classifieds p. 43 Because Health should be Fun!
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” - Peter Drucker
Cover art is a stock photo from Pexels
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Issue 8, Summer 2018
Business of Being Better
Making Work Work for You
H
ow do you feel about your business? It is a loaded question. When you have a career in the ‘healing arts’, it often seems like you are supposed to forget that money ever enters into the equation. We prevaricate when it comes t0 price and feel awkward when it is time to collect. On the other hand there are practitioners that seem to be ‘only in it for the money’, and whose ethics around such things throws their integrity into question.
The truth of the matter is; for many of us, this is our work and not just a hobby. If I didn’t charge for sessions and classes, I would have to do something else in order to put food on the table, which would result in less people receiving assistance on their journey. I’m sure many of you are in the same situation. I am interested in us finding ways, as an industry, to answer questions about what is ethical in Specialized Kinesiology as a business choice and how to move it forward as a viable career path where we support each other while also encouraging others to join us. This means getting it out there in as many ways as possible! Many also seem to struggle with making the transition from ‘friends and family’ to something that actually creates an income. Throw in all the usual questions about marketing and branding and these can be difficult waters to navigate. In this issue; we speak to a few of those who work with Specialized Kinesiology as their primary source of income and who help others to do the same by solving some common problems. We see how continuing research is important to help us be more professional and how we can support this, as well as ways of making kinesiology more visible in the world. We’re all in this together!
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Issue 8, Summer 2018
Business of Being Better
Shari Goates: Clients Marisa Banks: getting more clients. I have the space and supplies, I have a hard time getting clients. Rochelle McFarlane: MYSELF Kathleen Finigan: Health issues Kate Young: 100% as above^^ Where are the people?? No clients = no dream holistic business Barbara Kissee’: Me! Aria Tribe: Consistent and lasting enough results after working on clients Lucida Crouch: Clients consistently coming through door. When they come there are results and they refer others but. . . Brett Scott: Fear, ignorance, ego, the normal challenges Sara McRae: Time Kasia Rachfall: Consistent clients (Can anyone else spot the themes here?)
This issue marks 2 years and 8 issues! We have a list of potential themes for next year, but would love to hear from you: what themes would you like to see covered? Email your ideas: Group in Kelowna, BC after Sylvia Marina’s Transforming DNA Memories class. Celebrating her first class in Canada!
happy@alexiscostello.com
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Your Turn: sharing who you are
Question: what is the biggest obstacle standing between you and your dream holistic-business?
Issue 8, Summer 2018
Business of Being Better
Attracting Abundance By Alexis Costello Ranee Zeller is the owner of Bayside Kinesiology in Australia. She teaches a series of Kinesiology workshops on a variety of topics – today we are discussing business and marketing and how to set ourselves up for success in the Kinesiology field. Click here to watch the entire interview
K
inesiology is an amazing tool, it’s so undervalued. We need to start getting it out there and spreading the word and celebrating our uniqueness – not trying to hide under anyone’s banners, but just get out there and blast it!
A: You came on my radar because you put out a lot of posts on social media about meridians and interesting little facts about our physiology, and I noticed on one of those posts that you actually teach a class about abundance and business and so I thought it might be KinesioGeek Magazine, www.gemskinesiology.com 6
Issue 8, Summer 2018
Business of Being Better fun to talk about that for this issue of the magazine. Can you tell us a little about yourself and about that course? R: I’ve been doing kinesiology since about 1994 so I’m a bit of a dinosaur! I started by working with children and they gave me a beautiful education in thinking “what do they really mean by this, when they simply say ‘I don’t like it?’” You have to dig deeper with kids. But through working with children I realized that when you help the moms, you actually help the kids, because the moms are always the heart. I started looking at educating and supporting the moms and basically telling them that they’re doing alright. So, my marketing strategy is targeted towards moms. My avatar client that I use is females between 35 and 55 and I’ve named my niche market client Suzie so I can think “I wonder what Suzie wants today?” and obviously that’s going to reflect what I want today, so that’s nice and easy to do. And I have every sort of client, but I don’t target them, I only target moms in my advertising.
I know she goes on holidays, she’s interested in her kids and their education and wellbeing; I just know everything about her. So that’s what I mean by my avatar. A: (laughing) Well that explains why I found your stuff! R: So it’s working! And I don’t try to hard-sell ever, I just try to make you the Princess-Warrior that you are. I made the conscious choice that I would never market to what’s wrong, I would always market the goal achievements. For example; it’s not about feeling tired and stressed, it’s about being Supergirl and jumping fences. So pick your place and then stick to it always and then stick to your marketing style. A: What is the Abundance class? Is it about marketing? Is it about changing your relationship with money?
A: For somebody who’s new to marketing and advertising and doesn’t know what you mean; what do you mean when you say your ‘avatar’? R: Well right away it’s about ‘who do I resonate with?’. Who do you as the practitioner resonate with? Because that’s the important part. It would be useless for me to try to talk to people who are into something like unhealthy living, because I’m not into that, I don’t care about them. My avatar is my perfect client and is someone I can talk to and resonate with. So don’t try to create something (or work with a group) that you think is going to get you money, because it’s not going to work. It’s what you’re passionate about, what you’re drawn to, what you always enjoy doing. Which brings us to my avatar: I know she’s between 35 and 55, I know she’s female and has two children, I know she owns a house, she is average to above-average income, I know she’s motivated by fitness and sport, I know she
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Business of Being Better R: It’s about everything, it’s so exciting! It’s for kinesiologists and I’ve got a business plan mapped out; your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, restraints, your marketing, behind the scenes, your clients and all that sort of thing. But more importantly, within the kinesiology I muscle test; is it a physical problem, mental, emotional, spiritual or nutritional? I always bring everything under those five categories. So under ‘strengths’ for example, you would have these five categories. Then I also have all the questions that need to be asked. In my workshop, we’re muscle testing and correcting the stresses that we have, but you can also use this as a sample for clients coming to you for business planning. I did a ton of research (like, way too much research!) in this and every question in there, I am asking the person, ‘have you done this?’ Are you doing this?’ In my 5-day workshop, you’re doing a massive amount of clearing on your own issues in relation to money and abundance and really setting your mind to what you are trying to achieve. I’ve had clients who say, “I want to make $100,000 a year, because kinesiology brings you good money.”
You have to swap them over and go, ‘What’s your motivator? Who do you want to attract?’ I think you’re going to be successful when you’re not money-motivated, rather, money is the sidekick from doing something you’re good at and that you love. A: In your experience then with people getting started, what’s the biggest mistake Kinesiology practitioners make when it comes to starting a business? R: Not believing in themselves is the absolute number one. Kinesiology is simply learning how to muscle test - every other course you do after that builds on it. But if you’re not confident with your muscle testing you need to just keep practicing. Just asking the body and using this amazing tool. We’re not very good at asking for help. I think we feel like if we don’t have it all together straight away, we’re the only ones who are left out. One other thing would be trying to do too much too quickly rather than focusing on your cute little niche market. Of course we can help with a variety of things, all kinesiologists can, but that’s not the way to start.
A: To me, a lot of the things you are saying sound like they would apply to anyone in business; are there challenges that are unique to holistic practitioners?
Ranee Zeller: www.baysidekinesiology.com
R: We don’t really fit into any platform do we? We’re not nutritionists, we’re not doctors; we just need to stand proud and know that we’ve got an amazing tool. It’s being grounded enough as well as spiritual enough to bring it into a language that my Suzie, my avatar, understands. And then we can make changes really quickly and I don’t know any other profession that makes changes as quickly as kinesiology. The first time I saw kinesiology, it was for my son. Every mom has a story; if we could get every single mom learning the basics of muscle testing to be able to help their child, in the moment of the day – that would be a dream come true.
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Business of Being Better A: That was the original goal when John Thie started Touch for Health right? Every street, every neighbourhood, someone in every household doing Touch for Health. So in that line then, in your opinion, how can we make what we do more visible in the world? R: My first seven years of doing kinesiology, every single Thursday for a couple of hours in the afternoon, I did allergy testing in a health food shop. Really basic; I had a few things I could test and could show them, ‘oh look at this, bread is affecting you here and here and here,’ then I would say, ‘for an extra $10 I can show you what organ it’s relating to and you can go home with this,’ and I wrote out a formula with suggestions; drinking water, go outside, etc. and I gave them a pamphlet with my name on it. Now, I did that about 18 years ago and I still have people coming up to me going, ‘I remember you from the health food shop!’ So get yourself out publicly and my advice is to do little ten-minute sessions so that if it feels like it is too scary you can stop and start again, rather than setting yourself up for an hour’s treatment. It gives you the experience to learn a lot of people really quickly.
A: I’ve had the same experience, doing demos on lots of people; and I have found that, often it’s not even the person I work on that comes in, but they told their sister and cousin and friend… R: So as therapists, we want to work with the innovators. Like, if we get the people who are the talkers and the sharers, they’ll do the rest of the work for us. Each of us can find our own magic in it. I’m not good at video clips or newsletters, but social media where I can just go on there and say how I’m feeling at the moment, that’s easier for me.
A: I was going to ask you for three actionable ideas for things practitioners could do right now to grow their businesses, but I feel like you’ve just given us a list! Any other suggestions? R: I like getting a mentor, and I listen more than I talk. When speaking with people, I want to understand what they’re actually saying, which is what the kids taught me when I was working with them before. Learn how to understand what the person’s really asking for and be able to change the ways you’re saying something, or to adjust your love language accordingly.
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Business of Being Better
Always stay open and be prepared to learn all the time. A good day is when you learn something new.
A: You mentioned that you did a ton of research in putting together your class; any resources that you would recommend for those who are interested in pursuing this or finding out more? R: I really like listening to podcasts because I can do that on the go like when I’m driving. I also really like Apps; one I like showing my clients is Visible Body. I can us the App and show them ‘It’s in exactly this place, which is holding exactly this emotion, which is causing this negative belief system,’ and when people get a good visual of it, they’re like ‘oh my gosh!’. I learn from experience (as does Suzie!) and with the workshops that I teach, I don’t want people to be robots trying to find the right answer, I want them to stretch and grow. I also use Apps that show acupressure points and meridians so I can show the person ‘In your body, at this particular point, is the issue we are clearing now’. Seeing it as well as hearing it has great impact. A: Any particular podcasts? Tim Feris and Seth Godin’s ‘Akimbo’ are the ones I keep to with any sort of regularity.
R: I’m really enjoying Oprah Winfrey’s at the moment: ‘Sunday Conversations’. ‘Up for a Chat’ is good as well, which is about health and nutrition, and ‘The Wellness Couch’. A: Any other suggestions for business and marketing? R: Give them 100% for the whole time that they’re there, no more and no less. When they’re gone, don’t give it to them – what you’ve done is enough. One other thing I have my students do is a really thorough balance on themselves on the affirmation: I only attract the clients that I can help. We also need to learn how to ground ourselves and avoid burnout. Just being outdoors, getting fresh air, breathing properly and some sort of meditative experience. For me it’s gardening, yoga and we have beaches next to us. Be a nice person! Be genuine in what you are actually trying to achieve; not focusing on a dollar value or a time value, just be nice. Send them love. It’s not meant to be hard, kinesiology is meant to be a fun modality. You can reach Ranee or find out more about her classes: www.baysidekinesiology.com
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Issue 8, Summer 2018
Business of Being Better
The Business of Being Better is understanding the Science
behind SK tools!
By Michelle Greenwell
T
here are many ways to interpret the words: “The Business of Being Better”. We can refer to our health as a business model that needs dedication, learning and growing to gain improvement. In this learning process we realize that our self-care is a dedication to ourselves and our health. What happens when our goals exceed our personal self-care? We sign up for more classes, we play with more techniques, we become instructors, and we strive to share our fantastic secret of energy, vitality and health with the world. This is when the “Business of Being Better” brings us to a new level of understanding for both science and health. Two of the phrases I hear often from people when I explain muscle testing is: “I do believe it works, really!” or “I just can’t
understand how it has any validity in science.” These two phrases are a result of the science not reaching the mainstream, and my not being able to explain how Specialized Kinesiology works, and how in-depth the science is. As Qi Gong master, Chunyi Lin, once said in an audio presentation on Healing with the Masters with Jennifer MacLean, “whether you believe or don’t believe, it still exists.” Our ability to monitor the Qi in the body through a simple muscle test is fantastic and valid, and if we express it as autonomic response testing to assess changes in bioelectric mechanisms, (Klinghart), we have entered biophysics. My goal through this article is to provide you with some of the science and background you might not know about, so you can also explain our techniques and outcomes in a much more informed and science-based way.
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Issue 8, Summer 2018
Business of Being Better In the Spark in the Machine: How the Science of Acupuncture Explains the Mysteries of Western Medicine, Dr. Daniel Keown identifies how the body develops from the moment of con- Picture from University of Cambridge ception. The division of the cell and the power within the cells as they grow and develop are identified by the word “Qi” from Chinese Medicine and Eastern theory. Western medicine identifies this energy through biochemistry with growth factors and morphogens as cell structure and growth, (p. 82). The eastern desire to find the cause of the disease or epidemiology and the intercellular communication of Qi through the meridian pathways is based on the observations of the development of the fetus. Specifically, Dr. Keown clearly illustrates the embryo development past the first basic cells, as it begins to unwind and expand and lengthen to create a full length of communication between tissue that most scientists would not identify as linked in any way. Further, the electrical expression of information that travels faster than the speed of light with physical manipulation of the fascial network illustrates the link of information to muscles, ligaments, tendons and more. He also continues to discuss the creation of dis-ease when stagnant energy or “Qi” becomes blocked and affects an entire system including organs and emotions.
stagnant energy or “Qi” becomes blocked and affects an entire system including organs and emotions. Many people question the meridian lines. They find it hard to believe there are electrical currents that are running through the body and that the pass of a hand over the space can change anything. The meridian lines can be seen with a low magnification surgical microscope and were first seen and recognized in North Korea in the 1960’s by Kim Bonghan. They have been referred to as the Bonghan Channels and contain a flowing liquid that includes hyaluronic acid, a substance that lubricates the joints, eyes, skin and heart valves, (David Milbradt, www.prestopaingo.com). In science this is also referred to as the Primo Vascular System. Bonghan also identified two aspects to the system, the primo -vessel (Bonghan duct) and the primo-node (Bonghan corpuscle), which link to meridians and acupoints respectively. Further reflection to the meridians is their relationship with regulating muscles, tissue and tendons through the fascia network, (Lee and Soh, 2010). ). In Evelyn Mulders book, The Essence of Sound, she identifies the intricate connections that exist within the tissue and how it is the responsibility of the figure eight pattern to create a connection for all the meridians and bring them into a coherence with the chakra system, nerve plexus, or the endocrine system as western medicine refers to it.
Qi YINtegration Set 1: Simplifying movement to support repatterning, goal setting and flow of energy after a balance. Instruction includes: 70/40 % Effort, Muscle Testing, Breathing, Sitting, Standing, Feet First Foot Rub, Stairs, Stairs with intentions, Posture analysis and Injury Recall An excellent resource for clients needing homework after a session! Hardcover, E-book and 11 instructional videos in the shop at www.dancedebut.com. KinesioGeek Magazine, www.gemskinesiology.com 12
Issue 8, Summer 2018
Business of Being Better In western publications in Human Kinetics there is no link of the meridians and elements to the chakras, the nerve plexus or the endocrine system, (www.humankinetics.com). From the Sophia Health Institute, Dr. Klinghart, uses muscle testing or muscle biofeedback as a non-intrusive way to gain trust with children to help with their healing, and as an assessment tool to assess the 5 phases of healing that cannot be accessed by regular monitoring means. He calls this Autonomic Response Testing (ART) and describes it as “a biofeedback enhanced physical exam which uses changes in muscle tone as a primary indicator.” His approach identifies the area that western medicine devotes much of its attention, level 1, Physical (Chemical and structure). However, when resolution to illness does not happen at this level, it is imperative to use ART to address issues at the other levels: 2. Energy Level (electromagnetic environment), 3. Mental (childhood experiences that leave lasting impact), 4. Nonlocal/Nontime (past life, previous family members or family constellation work, influences from other realities), 5. Relationship with the Divine, www.sophiahealthinstitute.com. In specialized kinesiology we also use similar checklists to obtain information and direction for more aspects of life than just the physical, the wholistic approach. Exploring the background of science, it needs to know what is being measured and how. The gold standard for trials are double-blind randomized controlled trials (DBRCT) where they try to eliminate or reduce the ability of observer bias as well as a placebo effect. The use of such a trial study with acupuncture has produced inconclusive results due to the fact that there are no “sham” points, and every point will have an effect somewhere in the body, so it is impossible to know what exactly the “sham” points are doing in comparison to the “set” points. Western medicine will use an approach of reductionistic conclusion that a symptom has a diagnosis and there is a set treatment plan to follow, then see what happens. The Eastern approach may be many different ways to reach the release of a symptom and correct an energy imbalance, it will be the individuals personal Qi that will determine the best course of action to recover the energy imbalance and create a strong flow that will release the symptomology (Keown, p 266).
#iknow there is a powerful resource for practitioners who want to learn more! •
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Business of Being Better
The ability to convey to research buffs the difference in approach, as well as the limitation of a standardized control trial is important for laypeople to understand that we are all unique and in the specialized kinesiology techniques, each individual will react differently and require a different approach to reach their desired response of pain reduction or ease of movement. With proper documentation and understanding, the techniques and skills developed through Specialized Kinesiology training can be supported, clearly understood and linked into the scientific world. It does look like magic when we can trace a line and have a pain disappear or a muscle engage. But, if we refrain from making a “parlor trick” and we focus on the biophysical aspects of the techniques, we can bring the conversation into an educated experience. Taking the Business of Being Better deeper, it is worth everyone’s while to continue to study. Refrain from taking things at face value. Do your research. Find your sources. Read the reference pages at the back of your books. Reference studies and give credit where credit is due for the professionals who have brought knowledge forward or developed techniques for us to use.
When you want to know a specific skill, search out the best practitioner to guide you through the learning. Find a mentor who can continue to enhance your skills and develop your dialogue for trustworthy sources. Complementary and Alternative Medicine is growing in the university setting. Master’s and Doctorate degrees can be obtained for Health and Wellness in Dynamic Kinesiology, Energy Kinesiology and more. Lastly, make each new technique yours. Play with it, experience it for yourself and with others, and get to know how it works, where it works, and how it fits with your other tools in the toolbox. Your level of expertise will make a client, friend or family member comfortable with your knowledge and expertise and begin to bring out the conversation of Specialized Kinesiology in a new and confident way. Michelle Greenwell is a Touch for Health Instructor working on her Master’s Thesis in CAM using movement and the Qi YINtegration program as a part of her research. She has just released her second book: “My Little Black Book of Qi: Qi YINtegration Set 1” with video footage so that she can share her passion for movement and muscle testing with those that cannot get to a class or workshop with her. For more information www.dancedebut.com, and her books and videos can be found in the store on her website.
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Issue 8, Summer 2018
Business of Being Better
Start Living in the “YES”
By Sylvia Marina
W
here are you in your life? Do you feel like you are on a precipice of greatness and yet you feel stuck? I invite you to stop doing and move into a state of ‘being.’
Living in Australia, I have presented in over twenty countries, worked in numerous diverse cultures and served as consultant to corporations, start-up companies and small business; spoken at conferences and international health schools, colleges and universities. I have found that most people, given opportunity and education, can learn to think, feel, and know in new ways, to become more creative, more imaginative, and to aspire within realistic limits to a much larger awareness, one that is superbly equipped to deal with
the complex challenges of modern life. To date we have not achieved the fully functioning person, but we are getting closer to allowing her and his intelligences to be wholly activated. It is time to say, “YES to life.” It is powerful, abundant and creative. It is time to say, Please, Universe, show me the truth of my life. I expect goodness and joy. Say YES! Yes, I choose to be successful. Yes, I choose to open to my good in miraculous ways. Yes, I am asking to be financially supported and spiritually guided.
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Business of Being Better
Living a great life requires that we understand the challenges and opportunities of our moment in history. I’m a gentle soul however it’s time to be firm here is what I have observed… ...people say they want and are ready for abundance, yet almost daily repel it through their mantra’s, which to the higher self-intelligences translates to methodical lies! Probably a trans-generational method of not wishing to tell the actual truth for fear of appearing, not good enough, a failure, or the fear of offending another. A frequently used money mantra is, “I can’t afford that”. Another way to say that would be, “I failed to plan,” or “that’s not my financial priority at present”.
Our priorities always come first, that is how addicts sustain their addiction. Addiction is priority, all else takes second place. Addiction and lies are often infused in DNA. Through Transforming DNA Memories, we explore and move into clearing dysfunctional patterns to make the shift into the energy of freedom, flow and abundance.
I know the reality of many, I was sole provider for my family. I learned to stop the ‘we can’t afford that’ lie, to prioritise between having sufficient income for my children’s and my own need and prioritise the next step in my personal and professional growth. Identifying and ridding the self of generations of programming and self-limiting beliefs in regard to money freed the energy for more than I ever imagined. When you clear limiting debilitating patterns of behaviour, you are then free to sincerely and honestly commit to something very pure, the ‘how’ will reveal itself. It’s true, Your DNA Is Not Your Destiny – live in the YES.
Sylvia Marina. Professional Kinesiologist & Human Behaviour Specialist. www.sylviamarina.com IKC accredited: Transforming DNA Memories & Return To Love courses.
www.sylviamarina.com
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Business of Being Better
Taking Specialized Kinesiology to the next level at Akamai University By Michelle Greenwell
Mindset Programming By Jeremy Glyn FKF
F
or those who do not know me I work with, and run workshops on the ‘ABC of Success’ for, private individuals, aspiring sports stars, coaches, sports psychologists, and anyone who wants to understand about how to help people to use more of their potential. Having spent thirty years working with Kinesiology and Psychology I was told I should be training Britain’s Olympic coaches to adopt my techniques, so I set out to teach others how, by integrating Muscle Response Testing, Psychology, and Kinesiology, they can help ambitious people, to achieve their goals, enjoy more fulfilling lives, and lead more successful organizations. After working with Olympic and Paralympic athletes and prospects, I created ‘Mindset Priming’ to give
mentors and coaches, of every description, a simple way to help their clients to fulfil their innermost ambitions. As you are fellow kinesiologists I thought it might help to flag up the existence of this approach and report what I found a really interesting conversation from my recent workshop. Other experienced kinesiologists were discussing the fact that, sadly, kinesiology is still seen as rather “touchy-feely” by many people – and especially those in the business world.
I commented that when I started running psychology workshops for business leaders, 30 years ago, I would be drummed out of the boardroom if I mentioned that the workshop was all about psychology.
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Business of Being Better I learnt that if I told them the workshop would a) give their people the confidence to stretch their goals, b) give them the understanding of how to use an instinctive process that made change both comfortable and sustainable, and c) would help them to generate continuous improvement, then my audience was keen to know more. I suspect that many of you have the same aspirations as myself when it comes to helping people with kinesiology. It strikes me that if we want to see kinesiology accepted as something that takes coaching (whether in the sporting or corporate world) to a more profound level, it is just as important that we focus on the benefits to our prospective clients rather than the process. I'm hearing more and more frequently that mentors and coaches wish there was a means by which to link practical applications of psychological theory with conventional coaching. Now that we have such good research on the validity of muscle response testing I think there is a place for us to offer our services to help them bridge that gap – perhaps omitting to mention that we will be using kinesiology!
It took me a long time to realise how easily I could link the psychology element with my kinesiology work. At its simplest the kinesiological "goal balances" that I was doing put people in touch with their subconscious aspirations and also reduced the level of "subconscious sabotage" that had been holding them back from making progress towards their goal. At the same time the psychology workshops I was teaching explained how the mind works, gave people the confidence to really stretch their goals (without necessarily needing to know how to achieve them) and helped people to understand that their free-flowing behaviour was a reflection of their multifaceted subconscious self-image with its assorted comfort zones. Once clients learnt the instinctive process we have all used to achieve change (by adjusting our selfimage and comfort zone to the desired new level) they all understood that any change they sought to achieve would be sustainable provided they had underpinned that new performance with a suitably revised self-image. With the help of former psychology students I created a "psychology menu" that I integrated into my kinesiology work – relying on muscle response testing to indicate when the client’s needs were best served by understanding one, or more, of the psychology concepts rather than a kinesiological diffusion. To create this new ‘menu’ I sent 200 or so participants who had attended my workshops a list of some 50 or so psychological concepts and ask them to prioritise those that had been of most value. I was astonished that one concept in particular was selected by everybody who responded, even though I had not myself see it as particularly life changing.
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Business of Being Better I have since been much more aware of how many people are allowing what is basically careless talk to have a markedly negative impact on their lives so I thought I would share the concept with you – in the hope that many of you will benefit from it and you may also find opportunities to help your clients to understand its significance. The concept is called "creative avoidance". Put simply our subconscious helps us to get out of doing things that we do not want to do (that perhaps are our responsibility or just need to be done).
What you may not have understood until now is that most people very often try to coerce themselves (without realising they're doing so) and thereby trigger creative avoidance from even important tasks. The most obvious examples of coercive language (that you perhaps use on others as well as yourself?) are "you must ….", "you have to ….". Hearing such language your subconscious will complete the sentence along the lines of “if I am saying ‘I must’ I clearly don't really want to" and will get very creative to find you some alternative occupation that you would prefer.
If you pause for a moment to think about your own life I expect you can readily identify things that you put off doing and I suggest there will be one of two reasons why you do so. The simplest is that you don't enjoy it – or have a negative attitude towards it. The second is more subtle - none of us like being pushed around. If someone tries to push us into doing something we are very likely to push back and resist the coercion.
If you want to demonstrate this instinctive resistance to coercion you will find that this exercise usually works a treat. (If you’ve been doing some muscle response testing you will need to explain to your client that this is a different activity!). Ask them to put one hand up in the air facing you, then put your opposite hand against theirs - and push increasingly hard. They will normally push back, and the harder you push the harder they will push back.
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The reason will not be obvious to them until you explain that none of us like being pushed around. They will just have demonstrated how they would resist a physical push. ‘Creative avoidance’ is a demonstration of how we all resist verbal/psychological coercion. If you keep your ears open I think you will be amazed how often you not only hear "how to's and musts" but also the other coercive phrases such as "got to …", “ought to …”, and “should” – all of which are equally coercive. If you're one of those with this careless habit I suggest you develop the preferable option of saying "I want to" or, very often the most appropriate and powerful alternative, "I need to". Do get in touch with me if you would like to know more about the concept that my clients selected for the psychology menu or if you would like to know more about the training I run for kinesiologists and coaches who want to work with what I call ‘Mindset Priming’. Email: Jeremy@PathfindersABC.co.uk
“Your Mindset Priming approach takes sports psychology to a new and even more powerful level. I would recommend you to any competitor, at any level, wishing to achieve their full potential. What interests me, more than just the psychology side of your approach is the kinesiology, which is really interesting in that you get right to the nub of what your worries, concerns, and fears might be, as you are really tapping into your subconscious. So at the end of the session, you know you’ve dealt with the problems that you need to if you're going to perform to the best of your ability. Thanks again for your tremendous support.” Goldie Sayers, Triple Olympian, British Women’s Javelin record holder 2018
Websites: PathfindersABC.co.uk, TheInsideTrack.guru
“Mindset Priming was hugely relevant to me in achieving my goals. I have now set myself more ambitious targets and am very keen to have a later session to stretch my goals further. You have unblocked my inner self-belief, removed negative energy, and given me a clear mindset.” Reece Prescod, (in 2015) 200 m Bronze medallist, 2016 British Championships 100 m Gold medallist, 2017 British Championships 100 m Finalist, 2017 World Athletics Championships
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The Oxford Studies: Why we chose to use MRT to detect truth/lies
By Anne M Jensen, MSc, DC, DPhil (PhD)
E
ver since word got around that I was studying the accuracy of muscle testing at Oxford University, I have received emails, phone calls and other messages from disgruntled muscle testers about our choice of using Muscle Response Testing (MRT) to detect truth/lies. This was not a decision that we took lightly – and in fact, it was debated for over a year within my department – amongst myself, my supervisors and other advisors – all renowned clinical researchers. There were very specific and important reasons why we chose this model. It is my hope that by sharing the background and the reasoning, this will clarify the question and quell any discontent within the muscle testing community – after all, we are playing for the same team! In this article, I will summarize the design process and explain salient points, and hopefully the reader will gain a better appreciation
of the methods we used and why we used them. During the first year of my Oxford DPhil, I was charged with the task of figuring out what it is I planned to study, which involved talking with experts in various fields, and seeing what others were doing and have done. I did not intend to study muscle testing initially. I wished to study the effectiveness of an emotional healing modality (e.g. HeartSpeak) in a population of people with minor depression. However, since HeartSpeak uses muscle testing within its protocol, and because of its seemingly poor face validity, my supervisors insisted that I first show that MRT is valid tool. Needless to say, this endeavour took a life of its own, so I put the HeartSpeak study on the backburner, and began studying muscle testing in earnest. Following a thorough search of the muscle testing literature, I read dozens of studies, some showing promise, but most were discouraging.
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Business of Being Better This resulted in a sharp cognitive dissonance within me – for as a practitioner, I knew that muscle testing was one of the biggest strengths of my practice, and yet the existing research did not support its validity. While reviewing the literature with my supervisor, she suggested to start at the beginning, to start with something simple, concrete and straight-forward. My supervisor also suggested I use the STARD guidelines when designing my studies. STARD stands for “Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies.” Just like Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) are the accepted standard when evaluating interventions, Diagnostic Test Accuracy Studies are the established method used to evaluate new tests. At first, I argued against MRT being a “diagnostic test” – because any kinesiologist knows that nothing is diagnosed (per se) with a muscle test. However, my supervisor insisted I look into it. What I discovered was this: A diagnostic test (1) detects the presence or absence of a target condition, and (2) is used to guide care. So, then yes, MRT did meet the criteria of being a diagnostic test, and therefore, I could use the STARD guidelines to design my studies – which advantageously made things quite straight forward. To assess a new diagnostic test, patients (who are enrolled in the study) are given two tests – the new test and the currently accepted standard – called the Reference Standard. For example, if a lab develops a new blood test to detect prostate cancer, they must run studies to assess its accuracy, where all the participants would be tested using the new test and also with the PSA test (Prostate Specific Antigen) – the current Reference Standard for prostate cancer. The researchers would compare the results of these two tests, and then accuracy statistics would be calculated – one of which is “accuracy.” See Figure 1 (next page) for a graphical explanation of accuracy.
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As Figure 1 demonstrates, to estimate accuracy, the results of a new test (called the Index Test) are compared to the results of the standard test in use at the time (called the Reference Standard). Since no test is 100% accurate, it is exceptionally important to choose a highly reputable Reference Standard. I realized early on that because of the skepticism already surrounding the validity of MRT, the choice of a solid Reference Standard was a key piece in designing these studies. After all, among the detractors, it is believed that MRT cannot possibly be used with any degree of accuracy or reliability. So, I needed to find an indisputable Reference Standard comparator test, one which leaves little room for uncertainty. With this in mind, we had to choose a target condition. Recall that a diagnostic test is used to detect the presence or absence of a target condition. For example, a sphygmomanometer can be used to detect hypertension (or high blood pressure), and likewise, the blood test CA-125 is used to detect ovarian cancer. In these two examples, the target conditions are hypertension and ovarian cancer. However, currently, out in the field, MRT is used to detect innumerable conditions – including: stress, organ dysfunction, aberrant nerve function, meridian imbalance, the need for a specific nutritional supplement, personal beliefs, the presence of past trauma, and yes, truth / lies. Choosing which condition to specifically target was challenging – but exceptionally important. I had to consider carefully what conditions MRT could likely detect with high
accuracy. And then choose one condition that was also detectable by another, widely accepted test (the Reference Standard) – so their results could be compared. In the existing muscle testing literature, there are a number of studies in which MRT was used to detect an allergen or a toxin – all with discouraging results. I understood the difficulty in designing such studies, possibly due to the differing definitions of “allergen” or “toxin.” For instance, what one body considers to be “toxic,” the next body may not. I knew this was going to be a problem. As another example, some chiropractors use muscle testing to detect spinal subluxations, and from there they know where to make their adjustments. However, there is no one agreed upon way to detect a subluxation, therefore no Reference Standard exists – another problem. I needed to find a target condition that had a solid Reference Standard, and also in common use. In my practice as a mind/body specialist, I regularly use muscle testing to detect truth / lies in patients. That is, I ask patients to speak a statement to see if it is true for them at that moment in time. The paradigm that I use is that if the statement is true (for them at that moment), the muscle will remain strong; likewise, a lie will result in a weak muscle response. This paradigm is practiced routinely within many different muscle testing techniques. Therefore, I considered truth / lies a strong candidate for my target condition. Truth / Lies also had other advantages as a target condition. It was simple. And we could construct the statement such that either it was true or it was not true. With a concrete outcome like this, we had the ideal Reference Standard, even a Gold Standard. Also, we could randomize the presentation of truths and lies – an important piece of clinical research. All in all, truth / lies seemed the ideal choice of target condition to use for this initial series of studies. Now, one could argue, “What is truth?” – which could quite possibly be a philosophical discussion for another time. Yet, it was something that I had to consider very carefully during the design phase of this research.
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Business of Being Better I found myself pondering a number of important questions, such as: What is Truth? And what is a Lie? Are all lies conscious? Can one lie unconsciously? Is truth absolute or relative? Transient or stable? Universal or personal? Answering these questions fully is beyond the scope of this article; however, from my experiences, I will posit the following speculations, especially in the context of this research: Truth is personal. Truth is dynamic, relative and transient. Truth is conscious and truth is unconscious – and yes, these two truths may differ – which may make no sense at all! On the other hand, lying, paradoxically, requires the intent to deceive. Which may also be unconscious. All told, truth is complex. In the end, I used a colloquial definition of “truth”: that which is generally accepted as fact or reality.
(This is as opposed to abstract concepts of “truth,” such as “the Universal Truth” or “the Higher Truth”). In contrast, “lying” was defined as the opposite of “truth,” or more specifically: a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth; a falsehood. So, keeping the definitions simple like this allowed us to know, indisputably, if a statement was true or not. This then was clearly an ideal Reference Standard, a true Gold Standard. Knowing this, we could calculate an accuracy statistic – and for these studies, we used the actual percent correct: % # # 100 The percent correct was calculated for each participating pair, and then a mean (average) percent correct was calculated and reported as an estimation of the accuracy of MRT.
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Business of Being Better Ultimately, to complete the requirements for my DPhil (PhD) degree at Oxford University, I conducted a series of six Diagnostic Test Accuracy Studies on MRT for detecting lies. My full dissertation can now be downloaded from the Oxford website using this link. In addition, there are three papers from this series of studies that have now been published. They can be found here: PAPER1, PAPER2, PAPER3. More are currently under review and in press. If you would like to be kept upto-date with these and future publications of mine, you can sign up HERE. This series of studies showed very favourable results in support of the validity of MRT to detect truth / lies. However, this is just a start – more robust research is keenly needed. For example, we need to determine if MRT can accurately detect other conditions, aside from truth / lies. To accomplish this, a future researcher may wish to choose another target condition with a solid and acceptable Reference Standard – such as attempting to use MRT to detect stress and comparing it with another realtime stress-detector such as a polygraph or heartrate variability. In addition, more research is needed to assess what patient or practitioner characteristics produce better accuracies – which was not established in my series of studies. Finally, and
perhaps most importantly, research is needed to assess the clinical utility of techniques that use MRT. For instance, one such research question might be: Are there better patient outcomes when a nutritionist uses MRT to prescribe supplements compared to when a nutritionist does not use MRT? There is much work yet to be done to establish the true usefulness of MRT, and everyone must do his or her own part. If you are interested in supporting future MRT research, please consider donating by clicking HERE – every little bit helps! Thank you for your support and your interest in this series of MRT research. Anne is a researcher and the creator of the HeartSpeak program. www.heartspeak.com
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Business of Being Better
Modality Profile:
Tea WithBy Dr. Anne Jensen Intention 5 Tips for Great Demos
By Tyler Sauve
What turns a good balance into a great demo? You’ll need an audience and someone to balance. But first, you might want to learn a few things: Learn to sell without being a salesman. Learn to pitch without being pitchy. Make it organic and keep it personal. Here’s a couple other tips I’ve found to be exceptionally useful...
1) Use anecdotes. People love stories. It’s in our blood. We used to sit around and tell stories long before there was even a written language. A good story or anecdote isn’t just a testimonial; there is a beginning, middle and end. There are obstacles that need to be overcome. There’s doubt and fear, surprises and a triumphant ending. Draw them in and tap into their imagination and emotions. Let them lose themselves in your words.* 2) Make them laugh. The shortest distance between two people is humour. Keep it tasteful; you’re not there to do standup comedy, but rather to keep the mood light and playful and keep them waiting eagerly for your next punchline. Don’t take yourself too seriously but don’t be a class clown seeking attention at any expense.
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3) Use body language. You might be thinking this is difficult because you’ll be demoing on someone and giving them a balance, but that only makes it easier. Be dramatic with your movements. You’re already moving. Be dramatic with your face, your eyes, your arms. Make eye contact with specific audience members and draw them in. 4) Make sure you can be heard. Wear a mic if needed, they’re super cheap to rent. You don’t need to blast your audience’s ears off, but they should be able to hear your every word. Remember, modulation is key. Change your pace, speed up, slow down. If you’re saying something you really want them to pay attention to, speak quieter, and slow down, so they’ll want to lean forward so they don’t miss it. Change the tone throughout. The last thing you want to do is come across like a monotonous robot.
5) Get someone to record you. Watch yourself. Make notes. Show other presenters whose opinion you value and ask for feedback. I will leave with one last suggestion… find a Toastmasters Chapter in your area. It’s the best public speaking training organization I have ever seen. If you’re afraid to stand up and say your name or if you’ve spoken to thousands of people in an audience and have for years, you can always be better. *for liability reasons, if you’re telling a story about someone else do not use their real name unless you have permission. If you do have permission be sure to tell your audience that. Tyler has been a trainer of public speakers and presenters for almost ten years.
“The worst speech you ever give will be far better than the one you never give.” - Fred Miller
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Making our Work Visible
September 29th from 11 AM to 1 PM (11:00-13:00)
I
t’s a small world after all. And, now that you hate me for putting that song in your head, let me elaborate!
Balancing the world, heart to heart and bringing more Touch for Health to everyone! In 1988 the International Kinesiology College (IKC) organized its first International Conference in Switzerland, to share Touch for Health with the world. This means that in 2018 the IKC celebrates 30 years of conferences and promotion of Touch for Health and muscle testing. Part of our job as Specialized Kinesiologists is making more people aware of what we do; the benefits of having regular balances and of taking these classes for yourself. What better way to do this then to organize a global event and invite everyone to join us?
The IKC is organizing a worldwide Touch for Health event taking place across many time zones. We hope to establish a worldwide record for the number of countries participating in a 24-hour worldwide energy balance. It will all be happening when Heart meridian energy is at its peak (11 AM to 1 PM). By participating you will benefit from and help create a wave of positive energy that will travel around the earth, heart to heart, one time zone at a time, balancing people and the earth as it goes. Events are meant to be open to the general public. People who know how to give balances get to work with people who have never experienced a balance before and help the discover Touch for Health. The brings awareness of a self-help healing modality to more people, as well as connecting them with local practitioners and raising the awareness of what we all do.
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Balancathon Committee: Sandy Gannon, Toni Lilley, Helena Arguelles, Xavier Meignen, Thomas Holvoet “Why did you choose to support the IKC Balancathon by joining the committee?”
Sandy Gannon, IKC Faculty, UK: “ I wanted to raise awareness and Heart energy. I also wanted to support Robin and her wonderful initiative… and protect the IKC investment. We haven’t had such a breath of Fresh air for TFH since Ann Holdway’s “In Touch” magazine 30 years ago!” Helena Arguelles, IKC Trainer, UK: “The Balancathon is such a wonderful opportunity to unite hearts across the planet through TFH and to promote the IKC family. Being part of such a unique and wonderful project makes me feel warm all over! Dr. Thie would de son proud to see the lighting of so many candles around the world.” Xavier Meignen, IKC Faculty, France: “I wish that the Balancathon will gather a lot of people and that we will connect all together in this beautiful energy of the heart, to bring more peace and love on earth! As Gandhi said: ‘Be the change that you wish to see in the world!’ So let’s hope that by lighting up all this energy on the 29th of September 2018, and the following days, months and years, we will bring some light to the world!
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Visit the website to find events in your area. If your country is blank currently, contact rbrown-frossard@ikc-balancathon.org for details of how to set up your event!
Some ways you can get involved: - Watch the videos on YouTube of people doing their 14 muscle dances in countries around the world! Share your favourites with others.
- Attend your local event, or‌ - Organize an event in your area - Watch my interview with Robin Frossard, head of the Balanceathon committee here. Youtube channel : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7ZbaOqxPJwAg1ADf_PgojA Website : https://ikc-balancathon.org/
Facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/balancathon/ Email : rbrown-frossard@ikc-balancathon.org
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Muscle Profile: Hamstrings
By Robert Frost PhD, A.T. Lateral Hamstrings - Biceps femoris, long and short head Medial Hamstrings - Semitendinosus, Semimembranosus
T
he Hamstrings extend along the back of the thigh. They connect the ilium to the lower leg. They traverse both the knee and the thigh joints. The Hamstrings flex the knee. They also extend and adduct the thigh. The medial Hamstrings medially rotate the thigh. The lateral Hamstrings laterally rotate both the knee and the thigh.
Both the medial and lateral Hamstring muscles have double innervation. The nerve branch at the proximal end extends the hip. Nerves at the distal end flex the knee. These two separate functions of the same group of muscles are independent. Using the same muscles, you can either flex your knee, extend your hip or both. If the thigh is fixed, the Hamstrings provide posterior stability to the pelvis and extend the pelvis on the hips.
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Business of Being Better Reflex points for Hamstrings (see picture at the bottom of this page) The anterior neurolymphatic point for the Hamstrings is above the inner trochanter of the thigh. The posterior neurolymphatic point is the dimple between L5 and the PSIS. The neurovascular point is one inch above the Lambda - the posterior fontanelle. Hamstrings are associated with the Large Intestine meridian. The sedation point for the Large Intestine meridian, LI2, is located on the radial side of the index finger where the crease divides finger from palm. Organ association: Rectum Nerve supply: For the medial Hamstrings: sciatic nerve tibial branch, L4, L5, S1, S2
The subject lies prone and bends the lower leg about 60° up from the table. The examiner presses down upon the belly of the muscle to supply stabilization and keep the muscle from cramping during the test. The hips must remain on the table. For the group test, press straight down. For the medial hamstrings, laterally rotate the lower leg outwards. Press the leg down and out laterally. For the lateral hamstrings, medially rotate the lower leg inwards. Press the leg down and in medially.
When testing the medial Hamstrings, feel the belly of both the medial and lateral Hamstrings. Adjust your angle of attack so that the medial is active and the lateral is not. When testing the lateral Hamstrings, check that they are tightening and that the medial Hamstrings are not.
For the lateral Hamstrings short head: sciatic nerve peroneal branch, L5, S1, S2 For the lateral Hamstrings long head: sciatic nerve tibial branch, L5 S1, S2, S3 The Hamstrings are usually tested as a group. If there are knee problems, it is important to independently test the medial and the lateral Hamstrings too.
If cramping is not a problem, the Hamstrings make a useful indicator muscle when the subject is prone. A photo of a hamstring test is on the following page. http://learnappliedkinesiology.com will have links to read about and purchase products such as gemstones and services including training courses. It’s currently under construction. When you visit, sign up for the infrequent newsletter and I’ll let you know when it’s all up and running.
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Business of Being Better Kinesiology Story:
Kinesiology Dubai: Flavours of Kinesiology from the Middle East
By Anna Mitchell
D
ubai is the second largest Emirate of the UAE, a country bordering the Persian Gulf, Saudi Arabia and Oman. It’s the trade and transport hub of the Middle East with over 2 million residents, over 80% of whom are expatriates. It’s a place that’s often in the news for it’s amazing architecture, tourist attractions, glamorous visitors and is the home of superlatives: biggest, best, shiniest, richest, tallest, most expensive. It’s an interesting and exciting place to live and work. The climate is certainly different from home; we all love the winter as we get to put on our shorts and go to the beach, warm clothes are only for inside (the air conditioning can be quite intense!). Summer is the favourite time to escape the heat and this is the time that most expats choose to go visiting family back home. People here work hard and play hard. Life is stressful, people work long hours and the commuting traffic is insane, yet we make the most of the holidays with tourist attractions, sporting events, concerts with internationally famous stars and lots of nearby travel opportunities.
The school day here is busy, most schools start at 7.30am and the day is fast paced, children finish at 3.30pm and then most have an intense programme of after school activities as well as homework to complete. Outside play and unsupervised free time are often compromised. Access to nature is interesting – our choice is the desert or the beach! Children travel to and from school by car or bus, it’s rare to see children walking any distance or cycling. There is an increasing focus on the use of technology in schools and the UAE Vision for 2021 has called for a “complete transformation of the current education system and teaching methods. The National Agenda aims for all schools, universities and students to be equipped with Smart systems and devices as a basis for all teaching methods, projects and research.” Everywhere has wifi: Dubai is really becoming a ‘Smart City’. In this climate there is a desperate need for balance and that’s where we come in! There are many, many people that we can help. Here at Kinesiology Dubai we teach Touch for Health and Brain Gym®, see lots of clients, hold talks in the community, as well as hosting visiting teachers.
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Initially parents make appointments for their children. With a majority population of expatriates, all of whom must be employed in order for them to gain a visa, parents are both well-educated and employed in a good job, good enough anyway for them to leave their home country and afford to be able to live here. Dubai is an extremely expensive place! Schools for expatriates are all private, selective and claim to provide outstanding education although provisions for children who struggle with aspects of their learning are limited. People have come to Dubai with open minds and are open to exploring alternative ways to support their children. We use Educational Kinesiology, Claire Hocking’s retained reflex programme, Touch for Health and other Kinesiology techniques to help children with basic skills; coordination, homo-lateral and cross-lateral movement patterns, eye tracking, handwriting as well as concentration, communication and emotional balance.
Parents enjoy helping their children complete the exercises at home and teachers at school are often interested to incorporate the techniques into their lessons. Once they have seen the results of kinesiology sessions then of course adults want to try it and even learn it themselves.
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Brain GymÂŽ and Touch for Health classes are popular here. We schedule some classes in the mornings so that students, who are mostly mums, can arrange their school runs! Although students come from all over the world and represent many different cultures and religions, classes focus on sharing common ground, the similar challenges that we are all facing and how we can balance to deal with them.
We continually look to enhance opportunities for our students and to this end we have hosted many visiting teachers; Paul Dennison, Sandy Gannon, Claire Hocking, Henry Remanlay, Nikki Barratt, Anne Jensen to name a few. Dubai is a useful place to stop when you are on your way to somewhere else so it fits in very well with teachers who have an international schedule. It’s important to create and maintain links with the rest of the world and we are very lucky to have the support from the fabulous TFH community in the UK with Sandy Gannon as our Faculty.
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Dubai is a transient place. Work visas here are for 3 years only and whilst some people do stay here for many years it’s not uncommon to relocate back home or accept another contract abroad somewhere else within 2-5 years. As such it’s really important to us to ensure that our students gain skills that are easily transferable. Our students love the fact that they are able to begin the TFH or the Eduk curriculum here and complete it should they move. In the past year in fact we’re delighted to let you know that a few members have started their own practices on their return to their home countries: ‘Back in my home country Austria, I realise how fortunate I was to live in Dubai and do my Kinesiology education on an international ground. I had the opportunity to meet amazing teachers and colleagues from all over the world. I had the honour to do my TFH instructor training with Matthew Thie. We were lucky that Sandy Gannon became a mentor for us and she taught many fabulous courses in Dubai - Reactivity, Vibrations, and 5 Elements In Depth. Paul Dennison taught us with Total Core Repatterning and Movement ReEducation and I was able to soak in his extensive knowledge. Henry Remanlay, always an inspiration to me and Claire Hocking from Australia with her powerful integration of the infant reflexes. I am grateful for every single experience!’ Renate Dietz was a founder member of Kinesiology Dubai and is now establishing her own practice in Vienna, Austria, seeing clients and teaching Touch For Health and Brain Gym® www.kinesiology.at
‘After 9 years living, working and studying in Dubai I recently returned home with my family to Devon and I am in the process of setting up a practice to bring these wonderful techniques to my home city of Exeter. Whilst living in Dubai I completed my qualifications as a Touch for Health Practitioner and Brain Gym Instructor I joined Kinesiology Dubai and became part of a wonderful group of Practitioners and Instructors, contributing in a small way to the vision of growing awareness of kinesiology in our incredibly diverse community. My journey of learning was very empowering as well and enjoyable and I made some wonderful likeminded friends along the way.’
Sian Worth is now setting up her own practice in Devon, UK.
Anna Mitchell, founder of Kinesiology Dubai is a Brain Gym® Instructor, Professional Kinesiologist and IKC trainer for the UAE. She has been working with Kinesiology for the past 12 years and formed Kinesiology Dubai 5 years ago with a vision to create a platform for learning and sharing throughout the region. She teaches the TFH Synthesis, TFH Proficiency and Holographic TFH as well as Brain Gym 101 and Optimal Brain Organisation. She is also an experienced teacher with over 20 years in primary and secondary schools. https://www.kinesiologydubai.com
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Eat More! Food as a Tool for Healing
By Jane Piper
A
s a kinesiologist and nutritional therapist, food testing can be a useful way for me to introduce clients to muscle testing and energy medicine. My first experience of kinesiology was when a friend suggested we use muscle testing to see what foods I should avoid. I was studying Nutritional Medicine at the time and the idea that we respond to foods energetically was an eye-opener that literally changed my life. Before long, I had joined a Touch for Health class and then went on to study Classical Kinesiology before starting my own health practice. That was 19 years ago. Since then, I have developed my own style of clinical practice, which combines Kinesiology with Bioenergetic testing, Natural Nutrition and more recently, Functional Medicine. Because the clinic where I am based is known for its nutritional
approach, we do attract a number of clients looking for food testing. Having read that foods can be a trigger for particular health issues, they hope to identify which foods are the problem, so they can avoid them and cure their health issues. Many of my clients have complex, chronic health conditions, so in reality, their journey to health is rarely as simple as just avoiding a certain food group. We also need to address underlying imbalances. Adapting the diet to avoid foods that create a challenge is, nevertheless, a helpful starting point and clients will often gain encouraging improvements in their health. In the past year or so, my clinic has seen an increase in clients with a diagnosed auto-immune condition. To learn more about this specific health challenge, I attended a talk with Dr Tom O’Bryan, author of ‘The Autoimmune Fix’1. His book gives an easy to read
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Business of Being Better explanation of what is happening in the body in auto -immunity. I now recommend my clients read it for themselves. What I particularly like about his explanation is that he clearly shows that the body is not attacking itself, but rather the immune system is attacking rogue proteins from foods that have passed through a permeable gut into the blood stream and have attached themselves to the organ/ system that happens to be the ‘weak link’ in the individual, largely due to their inherited predisposition, be that thyroid, the brain, pancreas, heart or wherever. Many conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer’s are in fact auto-immune diseases.
Professor Spector explains, “You can tell much more about someone from their gut microbes than you can from their genes”. Our community of microbes acts as a virtual organ. Containing more than 100 times more genes than we do and acting as a chemical factory within our guts, the gut microbiome is hugely important to our overall health.
So, identifying which food proteins are potential triggers is indeed a helpful starting point, but we also need to deal with the underlying causes, such as healing a permeable gut and restoring a healthy microbiome in order to rebalance the immune system. Dr O’Bryan presents a compelling argument for avoiding gluten, dairy and sugar, but he warns against relying on ‘Free From’ alternatives, citing research2 that showed that non-coeliac individuals who followed a gluten free diet showed a marked increase in the incidence of heart attacks. Dr O’Bryan explained that this is largely down to an overreliance on gluten-free products such as bread and pizzas made from highly processed ingredients that are nutritionally depleted, leading to weight gain and metabolic health issues including cardiovascular disease. There’s no harm in enjoying the occasional ‘Free From’ pizza, but the focus needs to be on introducing more nutritionally dense foods, particularly plant-based.
There has been a marked decline in gut microbes over the past 40 years due to a number of factors. Antibiotic exposure is partly to blame, through overuse medically and also because they are used in agriculture, so we are also eating them. A generation ago, we ate far more natural foods, and our diet varied according to the seasons. Despite the abundance of available foods, we are eating a far less diverse diet than we were a generation ago. This lack of variation appears to be seriously impacting gut microbe diversity and therefore people’s health.
Recent research3 carried out by Kings College, London, has also been investigating the relationship between diet and the gut microbiome. They analysed stool samples from 11,000 people. To date, this is the largest research looking at gut microbial communities comparing different people around the world.
The study showed that no two people are alike and those who eat a wide variety of plants enjoy better health overall. The best health was in those who ate over 30 different brightly coloured plant foods per week. These test subjects had the most diverse microbe population.
So, while food testing can be a useful starting point, as health practitioners, we need to be encouraging our clients to eat a far greater variety of plant-based foods. Miguel Toribio-Mateus, author of a research paper looking at the impact of the gut microbiome of neuro-plasticity4, advises “Supporting your gut with functional foods feeds the ‘good’ gut bugs with a rainbow of colourful foods”. As a strategy to get his clients to try new foods, he suggests a 7-day challenge in which we should aim to eat 50 different, fresh, brightly coloured foods. Certainly, current research makes the NHS Eat Well program, that recommends just 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day, seem grossly inadequate, especially when canned foods count. Other countries suggest 7-10 portions, but here in the UK, that target was perceived to put too much pressure on the public. In a recent article in the Telegraph ...
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Issue 8, Summer 2018
Business of Being Better newspaper, the NHS reported that just one in four British adults actually achieve the 5 a day recommendation. No wonder, as a nation, we have such a health crisis.
Eating predominantly seasonal foods
It’s worth bearing in mind, when doing food testing with clients, that if their diet is anywhere near the average British standard, eliminating food groups is likely to cause long term health problems by creating a very limited range of foods and adversely affecting the gut microbiome. Education is key here, and most clients will need support in how to expand their diet to include more fruits and vegetables – and the research suggests a LOT more!
- Locally grown produce is likely to have been harvested when ripe, so will also provide natural enzymes to support digestion.
The payoff is that a colourful diet, rich in plantbased ingredients, is not only healthier, bur far tastier and appetising than the standard British version. Some of the strategies that I have found helpful when encouraging clients to expand their diet are included below.
- Seasonal eating creates a wider variety of foods over the year, so is a simple way to optimise microbiome diversity
- By supporting local farmers, we can encourage organic, pesticide free practices - Visit your local market each week and try something new - Nature provides foods that match the energy of the season, for example leafy greens in the Spring, fruits in the summer, squashes in Harvest, root vegetables and dark greens through autumn and winter. - Seasonal foods relate to each of the Five Elements from Traditional Chinese Medicine so can be helpful in balancing the organs/ meridians
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Issue 8, Summer 2018
Business of Being Better - Growing your own food has the added benefit of a deeper connection with where our food comes from, the earth and seasons. We have an energetic connection to plants that we have nurtured, so the energy pattern they provide will be particularly balancing for us. - Harvest wild herbs – nettles make a delicious soup that’s super nutritious. Dr Vogel said that eating Nettle soup each Spring was the best preventative healthcare. How about wild garlic pesto? Try Fat hen, Mustard garlic, Dandelion leaves. Ever tried edible flowers? Eating a rainbow a day
- Starting a meal with a salad tends to result in eating less in the main course. Top tip if you are looking to lose weight. Sneaky tips to get kids to eat more vegies - Smoothies are a great way to get fruit and leafy greens - Make a pasta sauce with tomatoes, onions, grated carrot, courgette, sweet potato, butternut squash, garlic and fresh basil (that’s 8 plant varieties right there!) - Mash sweet potato in with humous to make a yummy dip
- Starting with colour is a great first step when developing a healthy way of eating.
- Use a spiralizer to make courgette or sweet potato spaghetti
- Aim to eat 2 of each colour daily.
- How about cauliflower rice
- Colourful plant foods are rich sources of phytonutrients that stimulate enzymes that help the body get rid of toxins, boost the immune system, improve cardiovascular health, promote healthy oestrogen metabolism, and stimulate the death of cancer cells.
- Grate broccoli heads over food
- Phytonutrients in food come in all different colours—green, yellow-orange, red, blue-purple, and white so, eating a rainbow every day ensure a good supply - I use a chart for children, so they can get stickers for each time they eat a colour. Haribos don’t count! Introduce a new fresh fruit or vegetable each week - Explore your local market, farm shop or greengrocers and choose something you would not normally eat. - Try a new recipe each week, to expand your family favourites. - Make it a game and challenge a friend to see who can try the most new foods. Have a big salad daily - Raw foods are super-charged nutritionally, so it’s a good idea to eat some raw daily. - Think beyond lettuce, tomato and cucumber – add radishes, red cabbage, grated carrot and beetroot, peppers, seeds, cauliflower, broccoli – anything goes.
- Make food fun – fruit kebabs anyone? Frozen banana ice cream? Fruit smoothie ice lollies? References: 1. Dr Tom O’Brian’s website for ‘The AutoImmune Fix’ http://thedr.com/ 2. Gluten avoidance and heart disease risk research paper, British Medical Journal. The original research was by Columbia University in New York, and Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston https://doi.org/10.1136/ bmj.j1892 3. King’s College gut microbiome research https:// www.kcl.ac.uk/newsevents/news/newsrecords/2014/ October/Kings-launches-British-Gut.aspx 4. If you would like to be involved in the research, go to http://britishgut.org/ ‘Harnessing the Power of Microbiome Assessment Tools as Part of Neuroprotective Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine Interventions ‘ – research by Miguel Toribio-Mateas http://www.mdpi.com/20762607/6/2/35/htm Jane Piper is a registered professional kinesiologist and nutritional therapist, based at NutriVital Health, Petersfield, UK. She can be contacted at kinesiology4health@btopenworld.com
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Issue 8, Summer 2018
Business of Being Better
Classifieds:
Classifieds
Class listings online for each National Association, Conferences, Products and More Class listings for individual countries
Upcoming SIPS classes
Australia: http://www.kinesiology.org.au/page-1712619 Canada: http://canask.org/class-listings-2/ Denmark: http://kinesiologiuddannelse.dk/kursuskalender/ Ireland: http://www.kai.ie/kinesiology-training-in-ireland
There are classes coming up in Canada, the US and Europe – visit the website to find courses near you. http://www.sipskinesiology.com
UK: http://www.kinesiologyfederation.co.uk/training/coursediary-search.php USA: http://touchforhealth.us/classes/classes-by-state/ USA: http://energyk.org/training-events/
TFHKA 2018 Conference: July 11-14, Malibu, CA IASK / Russian Federation Conference: July 5-7, Moscow, Russia
The world needs more Touch for Health! Vacation near the ocean and rain forest while becoming certified as a TFH Instructor, Nov. 26-Dec.2, 2018 All the details are here: http://www.alexiscostello.com/tfhinstructor-training-workshop-advanced-tfh-training/ This section is a work in progress! If you are a kinesiology association and would like to have your events (conferences, demo days, etc) mentioned, please email us. There are far too many classes internationally for us to list them all, but please send a link to the page on your website that shows upcoming classes and we will add it here. If you would like to advertise your conference, presentation or post-conference workshop, please contact us for details.
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Issue 8, Summer 2018
Business of Being Better
Holistic Fashionista
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Because health should be fun!
When things don’t happen instantly, remember; it takes 6 months to build a Rolls Royce and 13 hours to build a Toyota
Issue 8, Summer 2018
Business of Being Better
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