Applied Kinesiology - Energy Balancing with Gemstones - Robert Frost PhD ● My first experience of muscle testing Mona said to me, “I can turn on your muscles and make them much stronger in just a few seconds.” I told her, “Well, I know that’s not possible. It takes weeks and months of strength training, lifting weights and such, to make muscles stronger.” She replied, “Can I show you?” I agreed. She told me to hold my straightened arm against my side while she pulled it away. As long as I kept my elbow straight, I could not hold it in place. I tried my best to resist, but when she pulled on my arm, it moved away from my side. I felt very weak! My body’s response was sloppy – rather like “Huh, what am I supposed to do?” She then massaged a spot between my ribs on the front and back of my left ribcage. The spots hurt a lot when she rubbed them. Then, she repeated the first test. Amazed, I could hold my arm against my side easily, even when she pulled really hard. I blurted out loudly, “What’s going on here?” I knew that my muscles themselves had not become stronger, but their function had most definitely improved. I could feel her increasing the force of her pull and I responded with exactly the same amount of pressure against her. It was now easy to meet and counter her force against me. Testing Latissimus Dorsi 1 ● My first training in muscle testing When I am fascinated by something, I dive in and learn as much about it as I can. Soon, I was in Pasadena, California taking the teacher training in the popular beginner’s course in kinesiology muscle testing, Touch for Health. I learned the positions and directions to apply pressure to test forty-two different muscles. There, I learned to say “Hold”, wait one half second and then gently press upon the subject’s arm, gradually increasing my pressure. If his arm remained stable, it “tested strong”. If is sank two or more inches during the two second test, it “tested weak”. The muscle gave an on-off response which can be utilized to determine what is causing stress and also to determine how to resolve that stress. When a muscle tests weak, the nervous system is not accurately monitoring and responding to the test. The problem is usually not with the muscle itself but rather in the neuromuscular circuit that controls the muscle. Groups of muscles share the same neuromuscular circuit. When a neuromuscular circuit is out of whack, most or all of the muscles on that circuit will test weak. Neuromuscular circuits can be compared with electrical circuits in a house. When the circuit breaker gets blown, the lights and appliances on that circuit do not work until the circuit breaker gets reset. Similarly, when a neuromuscular circuit is out of order, the muscles on that circuit do not contract with fine coordination. That means, they “test weak”. When the neuromuscular circuit is reset by stimulating various reflex points or by other therapeutic actions, all the muscles on that circuit will regain their fine coordination and test strong. In the field of kinesiology, turning on the neuromuscular circuits is called “energy balancing”. When we turn on neuromuscular circuits, we are not actually “strengthening the muscles” but rather improving sensory awareness of how much and how fast the testing pressure is applied. This improves the nervous system’s processing and response. When the muscle tests strong, the subject is aware of precisely how much pressure is being applied. And then her central nervous system responds accurately to it. Coordination is improved so her muscle’s response is well timed and accurate. It’s not muscle strength that is increased but rather a heightening of sensory awareness and fine motor control of the muscles. The gross strength is not increased, but the awareness and motor control are more finely tuned. What does this mean for the athlete? When his muscles test strong, the weight lifter won’t likely lift more weight. But his coordination will be improved so he will have less of a tendency to injure himself. In sports that require a high degree of precision, athletic performance will clearly improve. ● Traditional kinesiology, biomechanics, Applied Kinesiology and popular kinesiology The word kinesiology is from the Greek kinesis meaning “movement or motion”. Traditional kinesiology is the study of biomechanics - how living organisms move. Biomechanics has been applied successfully in industry, sports and medicine. The application of biomechanics in industry has led to the development of worker-friendly tools, chairs and work stations. Ergonomic techniques such as lifting heavy objects by holding them close to the body and using the legs for lifting has resulted in fewer injuries and greater productivity. One principle of biomechanics is the application of minimal 2 effort to produce maximal results. Sports trainers and athletes use biomechanical principles to maximize athletic performance. In medicine, biomechanical principles are used in the design of artificial joints and improved techniques of rehabilitation. Muscle testing is a standard medical diagnostic technique. Doctors and traditional kinesiologists use muscle testing to assess the function of the nervous system and the muscles. However, when a patient’s muscle tests weak, there are no accepted medical techniques to swiftly make it test strong. About the only medical treatment for weak testing muscle is surgery when that is indicated. In 1964, George Goodheart Jr. DC had a patient whose shoulder blade stuck up like a wing. Goodheart palpated the muscle that should hold the shoulder blade down against the rib cage. He felt little hard lumps near the origin and insertion of the muscle. When he rubbed one of them firmly, it disappeared. When he rubbed the other lumps, they too disappeared and the shoulder blade then moved back down upon the rib cage. He tried this out with other patients and it worked about half of the time. Goodheart then experimented with other therapeutic treatments and found several more ways to strengthen the function of muscles that tested weak. He called his new field of discovery, Applied Kinesiology. Touch for Health was created by John Thie DC, a student and colleague of George Goodheart. Touch for Health is one of the many popular kinesiologies - all offshoots of Applied Kinesiology. John Thie noticed that when he gave Applied Kinesiology “homework” (rubbing reflex points to strengthen muscles) to his students, their improvement was more rapid. He told Dr. Goodheart of his findings and recommended that Goodheart write a book for lay persons. Dr. Goodheart told Dr. Thie to write that book himself. With the assistance of Richard Duree, Mary Marks and Gordon Stokes, the popular Touch for Health book was researched and written. Touch for Health includes techniques from Applied Kinesiology, but only ones that can do no harm, even if they are done incorrectly. Surprisingly, Touch for Health works so well that many health professionals use it today in therapeutic applications. This was rather of an embarrassment to the founders who never intended it to be a professional healing system. The standards for certification in Applied Kinesiology are high. To begin with, only therapists with a license to diagnose are allowed to study it. As a result, those who have studied Applied Kinesiology number in the thousands while those who have studied Touch for Health are in the millions. ● The relationship of muscles with meridians In my Touch for Health training, I learned that certain groups of muscles are associated with specific meridians from the Chinese healing system and thereby with the function of specific organs. This relationship has been deeply explored and forms the basis of most of the diagnostic and therapeutic practices in the field of Applied Kinesiology. A large body of evidence and practical experience shows a direct correspondence between neuromuscular circuits and the meridians of Chinese medicine. Through the physiological response of 3 muscles, an assessment of the energy state of the corresponding meridians of Chinese medicine is simultaneously accomplished. For example, Pectoralis Major Clavicular testing weak implies that there is currently a deficit (or sometimes an excess) of energy in the Stomach meridian. And the techniques of Chinese medicine that balance the Stomach meridian will usually make Pectoralis Major Clavicular test strong and balanced, too. Think about what this means! The discovery that the function of specific muscles is related to the meridians is creating a bridge between Eastern and Western medicine. Western medicine is at a loss when it comes to meridians. It is accepted that acupuncture of the points along the meridians can have definite measurable and reproducible medical effects. But there is no accepted theoretical basis for understanding what meridians are and how they function. What Western medicine does have is a well developed understanding of the anatomy and physiology of muscles and the nervous system that controls them. The Shitazu master, Oshashi said that the person who can define what a meridian is in terms that the Western scientific world accepts will win a Nobel prize in medicine. Then Eastern and Western medicine will be united in one world medicine. The discovery of the relationship between muscles and meridians is a big step in uniting Eastern and Western medical traditions. When a meridian is deficit in energy, some or all the muscles on the related neurological circuit typically test weak. Western doctors versed in Applied Kinesiology are using this principle in reverse. Through testing muscles known to be associated with specific meridians, they obtain a readout of the energy state of the meridian system. This gives them useful diagnostic indicators unavailable in Western medicine. Knowledge of the state of the meridian system provides the medical doctor with an alternate decision support system. 4 Doctors have problem cases - cases where Western methods of diagnosis do not provide a clear picture of what is going on and what to do about it. Knowledge of the meridian system obtained through muscle testing provides the medical doctor with an alternate diagnostic system. Also, after such meridian diagnostics, all the interventions of Eastern medicine including plant medicines and acupuncture may be intelligently utilized to resolve stubborn health problems. When I was about to move to Switzerland, I asked Dr. Goodheart if he could recommend people who practice AK to his standards. He directed me to the German medical doctor, Wolfgang Gerz. Dr. Gerz trained me in how medical doctors use AK. He also directed and advised me while writing my book, Applied Kinesiology, A Training Manual and Reference Book of Basic Principles and Practices With Dr. Gerz’s critique and assistance, this book includes only pure Applied Kinesiology techniques. All non-AK practices were excluded. Those who study the various kinesiologies are advised to also learn Dr. Goodheart’s AK techniques. The AK method of testing muscles is different - and far more accurate for the diagnosis of the function of the organs related to the meridians. ● Using gemstones to turn on muscles A male colleague, the Swiss Alexander Technique teacher Erwin Möckli, took a week long course with a native American shaman. After the training, the old shaman recommended that Erwin carry four gemstones in his pocket, rose quartz, jasper, amethyst and moss agate. Erwin knew that I am a stone cutter and jeweler so he asked me if I had those four stones. When I told him that I did, he said, “Bring them and let’s see what they do.” I tested his muscles and found five that tested weak. Then I put the four recommended gemstones in his hand and tested the five muscles that had failed the first tests. With the gemstones in his hand, all five tested strong! When he put them down, they again tested weak. I was flabbergasted! How could this be? The mere touch of the gemstones improved his sensory awareness and fine motor response to the muscle tests. Applied Kinesiology teaches that the muscles are indicators for the function of the related meridians and organs. So making muscles test strong can have a positive effect upon health and optimal functioning. Gemstones may be utilized to strengthen weak testing muscles and thereby to positively affect the related meridians and perhaps even their corresponding organs. I am both a stone cutter/jeweler and an Alexander Technique teacher. At the time I made my first gemstone discoveries, I worked at home making jewelry and also worked at a medical clinic. At the clinic, I provided various forms of physical and psychological therapy plus taught the patients how to have better posture and use of their bodies. Until this moment, my two professions as a jeweler and a therapist were quite separate. Suddenly, with the discovery that gemstones can balance muscle tone and improve the functions of the psyche, my two quite separate careers overlapped. After this discovery, the prospect of using gemstones therapeutically possessed me! I pushed and pulled on my subjects' arms and legs while testing over a thousand different kinds of gemstones. 5 ● There is much nonsense in the field of healing with gemstones Before this time, the idea of using gemstones therapeutically had not occurred to me. Oh, I had heard about “healing with gemstones” but had not taken it seriously. I considered the field to be filled with new age airheads and much nonsense. My slight reading in that area brought me to the conclusion that the field of healing with gemstones was filled with more “woo-woo” esoteric nonsense than science. Now, the results of my own experiments forced me to reconsider my prejudiced position. Most of the books on gemstone healing explain the effect of gemstones in this way, “Gemstones have an electromagnetic field that radiates out and positively affects us.” I have a scientific background with university degrees in psychology, biology and physics. I put my most sensitive electromagnetic field meters to my gemstones. There is no electromagnetic field around them at all! This is one of my pet peeves. People who voice scientific concepts inaccurately to make statements that are just not true irritate me. Their inaccurate conclusions close their minds. This prevents them, and others who believe them, from serious scientific efforts to find the truth. By accepting half-baked scientific sounding nonsense, they don’t bother to find out what’s really going on. ● My research begins in earnest Muscle testing provided me with a new responsive measuring instrument. Using subjects’ own muscular responses as a kind of biofeedback allows me to assess the effect of stimuli of all kinds. Utterly fascinated, I began to use muscle testing to research the effect of gemstones upon human neurological functioning. Luckily, I had lots of patients and friends upon whom to experiment. Every time a muscle tested weak, I got out my gemstones and tested if there was one or more that could make the muscle test strong. I have hundreds of different kinds of gemstones. I tested each of them one at a time to see if any could strengthen the response of weak testing muscles. This process often exhausted my subjects. Thank you to all those who allowed me to repeatedly push and pull on their limbs. Excuse me for the sore muscles you may have experienced the next day from all our efforts! Most often, I can find one or more gemstones that strengthen a weak testing muscle. But the gemstone that makes a specific muscle test strong is different for each subject. In my initial research, there didn’t seem to be any consistency between subjects. Each person requires a different gemstone to turn on the same muscle. This blew another popular belief out of the water. Most all of the gemstone healing books were like cookbooks with fixed recipes. They said, “For problem x, use gemstone y”. My initial research indicated that people react individually to gemstones. The gemstone that strengthens a specific muscle for me may not work for you at all. 6 ● Double blind studies Serious scientific research requires double blind studies in which neither the examiner nor the subject knows what is being tested. An enormous Swiss woman came to me with low back pain. The most painful movement for her was sitting up after lying down. I tested her and found that a Chrysocolla balanced all of her meridian imbalances. She sat up to look at it and was surprised to do so with no pain at all. After trying this a few more times, she set the stone down and attempted to sit up - and cried out in pain. She tossed the Chrysocolla into her massive bra and said defiantly “Mine!” I assured her that she could take a Chrysocolla home but that I needed to do a few more tests first. She fished it out for me. I put it in an envelope and put nine other similarly sized gemstones in nine other identical envelopes. I handed her the bowl of envelopes and asked her to try to sit up while holding one envelope at a time. I left the room. When I returned, she held up one envelope and told me that only that one eliminated her pain. I opened it and found the Chrysocolla. After performing several such double blind tests by myself and several colleagues, I became convinced that the gemstone balancing of meridians, and the consequent improvement of neuromuscular functioning, is genuine. ● My first big discovery Then I found one gemstone that always turned on the same muscles for everyone. Chrysoberyl, the true cat’s eye gemstone, turns on all the muscles associated with the Pericardium meridian. This is also called the “Protector of the Heart” or the “Circulation-Sex” meridian. Protector of the Heart Circulation-Sex Meridian The muscles that Chrysoberyl turns on are the Adductors (which pull the legs together), the Gluteus Medius (which pulls the legs apart), the Gluteus Maximus (which pulls the legs back) and the Piriformis (which rotates the legs medially). All of these muscles provide for us to be stable on our feet. When they test weak, we are unstable and more likely to fall down. If these muscles are in a weak testing state when we slip and lose our balance, we are unable to act in a coordinated way to upright and save ourselves from falling. 7 The Muscles of the Circulation-Sex Meridian Osteoporosis, weak demineralized bones, is often a problem – especially for older women. When a woman with osteoporosis falls down, there is a great likelihood that she will break her hip. An older women who breaks her hip usually experiences a great setback in her health and often dies shortly thereafter. Wearing a Chrysoberyl can help keep her hip muscles turned on, improve her balance and even save her life! This is a potent and very useful medical application of gemstones. A male soccer player came into the medical clinic where I worked in Basel, Switzerland. He had pulled the upper Adductor muscles in his groin at the start of the season and was unable to play. When I tested his Adductors and Gluteus Medius muscles, both tested weak and caused him to cry out in pain. I put a Chrysoberyl in his hand and tested the same two muscles. They tested strong and completely pain free. He looked at the jewel and said, “But jewelry is for girls and for sissies. I won’t 8 wear something like that!” I took out a bandaid and taped the Chrysoberyl onto his thigh. He looked at it and said, “I can do that.” Four weeks later, he returned the Chrysoberyl and said, “With this gemstone, I have been able to play the whole time, pain free. Now I’m all healed up so I don’t need it anymore. Thanks!” This is a real life example of the therapeutic use of gemstones. Sports therapists and trainers take heed: If your work can get a big player back into the game sooner, you will be very popular! I demonstrated the muscle-strengthening effect of Chrysoberyl at one of the first meetings of the International Association for Specialized Kinesiology (I-ASK) near Lake Como, Italy. Three people there invited me to come teach my Gemstone Kinesiology work in their countries of Norway, Ireland and Spain. That one lecture kicked off my international teaching career. After my talk, a mother asked me if I could make a Chrysoberyl ring for her teenage daughter. I said, “Yes, I can. Why do you want this?” She responded, “I want her to be able to hold her legs together strongly when she wants to.” That’s an important use I hadn’t thought of! Chrysoberyl Cat’s Eye and Natural Uncut Crystal ● Scientifically proving my thesis After extensive research and double blind studies demonstrated to me the validity of my findings, I applied to City University, Los Angeles for a doctorate degree. There, the prospective overseer of my project was very skeptical. He didn’t know if this should be in the field of psychology, biology or mineralogy! At first, he rejected my theme. I asked permission to muscle test him. He was a tall and very strong man. His front shoulder muscle (Anterior Deltoid) tested strong – so strong that I could have probably put most of my whole body weight upon upon his arm without it moving. He could also hold his straightened leg up to the front (using the muscles in the front of his leg and his Abdominal muscles) against my test pressure. Then, I tested his arm and his opposite leg at the same time. His strength failed. He could not resist the double test pressure and his arm tested extremely weak. 9 In Applied Kinesiology, this double test of arm plus opposite leg is called “gait testing”. The gaits are patterns of locomotion of the four limbs. These are more easily visible in animals that walk on four legs. The timing of the four legs changes as the speed increases. The four gaits of a horse are, in order of increasing speed: walk, canter, trot and then gallop. You can see the four gaits of a horse here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifKU_kVQhd4 In humans, only the anterior gait is easily visible. In the normal gait pattern, when a human takes a step forward, the opposite arm swings forward at the same time. The double muscle test of arm and opposite leg tests this gait coordination. When the anterior gait tests weak, the subject will be less able to step out from where he is and move forward toward his desired goal. This is an example of one of my personal additions as a psychologist to the field of Applied Kinesiology: the typical psychological effects of particular muscle imbalances. Balancing the gaits enables subjects to more easily make creative changes that they have desired in their lives. They are more able to overcome inertia and all the reasons “why not” that have been holding them back from fulfillment and success in their endeavors. With the gaits turned on, they can actually do what they choose. I tested his Anterior Deltoid alone again and demonstrated how strongly he could resist. Then I had him lift his opposite leg while I tested the Anterior Deltoid - this time with just two fingers. He couldn’t resist even my slight pressure. I asked him, “Do you notice that something is not functioning optimally with your neurology just now?” Although he was black, I noticed he was blushing as he replied, “Yes”= The Anterior Gait Test 10 Then I put a Fluorite into his hand and repeated the double gait test. With the Fluorite, both his leg and arm tested very strong. I had him put the Fluorite down and repeated the test. His arm (Anterior Deltoid) tested weak even with a very gently pressure. Extremely flustered and blushing strongly this time, he blurted out, “But this is not magic or occultism! This is just some kind of science that we do not yet fully understand!” My demonstration put his scientific belief system in question and he was defending it strongly. I agreed with him and said, “Some kind of science that we do not yet fully understand... isn’t that what the theme of a doctorate thesis should explore?” He looked bewildered for a moment, wrinkled his brow, looked from side to side and then agreed... and accepted my theme for a doctorate thesis. It felt good – defending my topic by demonstrating its validity upon his own disbelieving body. I completed my thesis upon The Effect of Gemstones on Human Neurological Functioning and received my doctorate in Psychology with Studies in Applied Kinesiology in 1991. With it I put some scientific verification into the field of healing with gemstones. Multicolored Fluorite Slab from China and Natural Cubic Fluorite Specimen ● Kinesiology techniques improve mental functioning Gordon Stokes got permission to experiment using kinesiology with learning disturbed children. He had their teacher administer an unexpected spelling test. The papers were collected. Then Gordon had the children stand, rub their “switching points” and practice “cross crawl” - two basic kinesiology techniques. Afterwards, the same test was given again. The average improvement in test scores was 25% - a very significant improvement in mental functioning indeed! Meridian balancing gemstones have a very similar effect. 11 ● Gemstones are not a panacea It is not suggested that merely carrying meridian balancing gemstones will solve your health, mental and coordination problems. Determining and correcting their causes is required. But gemstones can provide a powerful crutch, giving your energy system a powerful buffer against the debilitating effects of stress of all kinds. With a properly tested gemstone, you will have a much increased capacity to handle stress without going out of energetic balance. With it, you will stay more coordinated and think more clearly, too. Gemstones can indeed be excellent “stress busters”. ● Gemstones that balance the Yin meridians and others that block them Recently, I found the gemstone that balances the Spleen meridian for everyone. I’ve been looking for this for thirty years! Now at last, I have found gemstones which reliably balance each of the Yin meridians for anyone needing this. Although I can most always find a gemstone that balances an individual’s Yang meridian imbalances, I have not found a single instance of a gemstone that reliably balances any of the Yang meridians for everyone. ● Some gemstones block the meridian balancing effect of other gemstones. Why did I not discover the Spleen meridian balancing gemstone earlier? It was in my big bag of gems that I had tested years before. The reason I had not found the Spleen meridian balancing gemstone is that another gemstone, Chrysocolla, blocks its effect. I had tested groups of gemstones together. Chrysocolla was in the same bag of gems. I had been testing groups of gems at the same time. I missed the Spleen meridian gemstone because I tested for it with Chrysocolla in the same group. In fact, there are specific gemstones that block the effect of the others that I have found in my research. Thus, it is not a good practice to simply carry a bag of many different gemstones. The ones that help may be blocked from doing so by others. How then did I find the Spleen meridian balancing gemstone? I did so in a very non-standard manner. I had my research subject and colleague, Masato Nakamura look at a long list of minerals and used the technique of “asking the body questions”. I asked, “Is there a gemstone on this list that will balance the Spleen meridian for everyone?” His strong indicator muscle indicated, “Yes”. We tested through the list and located the one. The gemstone we located indeed has made the Spleen meridian related muscle Latissimus Dorsi test strong for everyone tested so far. I don’t normally use this technique of asking the body questions. I don’t like to admit that I believe it could work. But again, I have to give up my prejudices and accept that at least at times, this method can work. 12 ● Gemstones reliably balance Yin but not Yang meridians Dr. Frost’s research led to the discovery of specific gemstones that strengthen the muscles associated with each of the Yin meridians (Heart, Circulculation-Sex, Spleen, Lung, Kidney and Liver) and also the Central meridian. But I have not yet found a single instance of a gemstone that universally balances a Yang meridian (Small Intestine, Triple Heater, Stomach, Large Intestine, Bladder or Gall Bladder). Why I’ve located specific gemstones that balance each of the Yin but none of the Yang meridians, I don’t know. Gemstones do balance Yang meridians. Almost always, I can find a gemstone that balances an individual subject’s Yang meridian muscles. But I have found no correlation between subjects. The gemstone that balances one person’s Yang, Stomach meridian and its associated Pectoralis Major Clavicular muscle, will not work for another subject with the same imbalance. ● Gemstones are not a panacea It is not suggested that merely carrying meridian balancing gemstones will solve your health problems. Determining and correcting their causes is required. But gemstones can provide a powerful crutch, giving your energy system a powerful buffer against the debilitating effects of stress of all kinds. With a properly tested gemstone, you will have a much increased capacity to handle stress without going out of energetic balance. With it, you will stay more coordinated and think more clearly, too. Gemstones can indeed be excellent “stress busters”. ● The gemstones that balance meridians are common Only a very small number of gemstones have been found to have any effect upon the meridian system and the results of muscle testing. Luckily, most of the ones that do are common, inexpensive minerals that are readily available. Only a few are rare and expensive. For example, fine specimens of Chrysoberyl, Sugilite, Precious Topaz and Jade can be quite expensive. However, lower quality specimens of these are available for very little cost and are just as effective for this work. For a particular gemstone to work strengthening muscles, it doesn’t need to be beautiful or flawless. It only needs to be genuine. ● Gemstones don’t need to be large to balance meridians and strengthen muscles For a gemstone to strengthen a meridian and its muscles, it needs to weigh a minimum of about five carats = one gram. For most stones, that’s about ¼” cubic in size. Chrysoberyl is an exception. A tiny Chrysoberyl can have profound effects. For Chrysoberyl to strengthen the muscles of the Circulation-Sex meridian, it only needs to be about a big as this “o”. ● To be effective, gemstones need to be close to the body Gemstones will strengthen their associated meridians as long as they are within ¼” of the body. Direct contact with the skin is not necessary. Placing them in a pocket works fine, even through the fabric of your clothing. 13 ● Meridian balancing gemstones do not work when placed upon the upper chest To strengthen muscles, gemstones may be placed anywhere upon or near the body with this one exception. For some unknown reason, meridian balancing gemstones do not work when they are placed upon an approximately four inch circular area located upon the upper ⅔ of the breast bone. In fact, when meridian balancing gemstones are placed upon that area, most or all of the meridians are put into a state of excess energy which results in many muscles testing weak. And this is where people like to wear gemstones as pendants! Only meridian balancing gemstones disturb the meridian energy when worn there. The great majority of gemstones have no effect upon the results of muscle testing and may be worn there with no imbalancing effect. ● Use these tools and get better therapeutic results After an energy balancing session, subjects typically are in a positive state of mind and intend to make the changes in their lifestyle that the examiner recommended. However, as soon as the first major stress situation arises, they lose their energetic balance and their motivation to make changes. Getting subjects to do their “homework” is one of the greatest challenges for the kinesiologist as well as for doctors, therapists, trainers and counselors of all sorts. In my work with patients in a Swiss medical clinic, I observed that patient engagement and compliance increase when the subject carries the gemstone that balances his meridians. Why might this be? With the gemstone, the subject can withstand far more stress and still remain in energetic balance. This not only improves his coordination. It also makes it easier for him to think clearly and remain in a positive state of mind. Because of this, he is more likely to remember and actually makes the lifestyle changes recommended for his health and optimal functioning. Traditional Chinese Medicine says that health requires a free flow of energy through the meridian system. Stress of all sorts can partially block the meridian energy from flowing. The correct gemstones do keep the meridian energy flowing. This can support the process of healing and recuperation. Use wisely, they can be like a powerful crutch. A crutch takes the weight off an injury so it can more easily 14 heal. The gemstones help hold you in balance while you are healing. They can give you a break from the negative effects of stress. They can assist you to function optimally despite stress. ● The course text and gemstones are available For those who are interested, the complete ~100 page workshop text of Balancing the Yin meridians and the Gaits with Gemstones and a set of all the stones that do so is available from Dr. Frost: http://learnappliedkinesiology.com/ 15 http://learnappliedkinesiology.com/ 16