June 2003

Annual meeting celebrates AK developer's 85th birthday

SPECIAL: Read what his friends and colleagues say!

The U.S. chapter of the International College of Applied Kinesiology U.S.S. (ICAK-U.S.A.) will celebrate the 85th birthday of AK's founder, Dr. George J. Goodheart, Jr., at its 2003 Annual Meeting, to be held June 26-29 in Chicago.

In a profession filled with fiercely competitive (and occasionally controversial) techniques, Dr. Goodheart has won the admiration of even those who don't practice applied kinesiology, the technique he developed.

Part of the reason for Goodheart's near legendary status as a respected chiropractic leader is his unfaltering dedication to the welfare of his patients, and to the personal charisma that makes every encounter with him an event to be remembered.

The 1939 National College of Chiropractic graduate's career was interrupted by World War II but resumed in 1946 after his discharge as a major from the United States Air Force.

Working alongside his father, Goodheart came to a conclusion every parent will appreciate. As he noted in his book, "You'll Be Better: The Story of Applied Kinesiology," the first lesson he learned was that he had a lot more to learn. "As is usually the case," he wrote, "the further along I got in practice the more intelligent my father seemed to become -- the obvious fact being that I became more aware of my inadequacies and his excellent qualities."

He had learned equally important lessons from his military service, and in practice he combined his father's diagnostic and clinical training with the "taste for innovative opportunities" he'd acquired in the Air Force.

Not long after his father's death, Goodheart began using muscle testing as a diagnostic tool and had significant success with several patients.

"By now I was becoming convinced of a relationship between muscles and particular organs or glands," he recalled in his book. "A muscle moderately weak on testing often appeared to be associated with a weak viscera or organ. Evidence of a weak pancreas, stomach, liver, or kidney that could be measured by x-ray, biochemistry, or by some other accepted test, would correspond to a weakened muscle. This relationship, rather tenuous at first, became more and more evident as time went on. The use of muscle testing gave a diagnostic ability to determine the need to stimulate the reflex and whether the stimulation was effective as observed by the muscle strength immediately improving."

That was the beginning of what would become applied kinesiology, a technique practiced by thousands of chiropractors, medical doctors, osteopaths, podiatrists and dentists in the U.S. and Canada and overseas. Goodheart's reputation quickly spread putting him increasingly in demand as a speaker and instructor. He was the first non-medical practitioner to become a member of the United States Sports Medicine Committee of the U.S. Olympic team during the 1980 winter games in Lake Placid, New York.

The International College of Applied Kinesiology was founded in 1975 to provide instruction on Goodheart's research to interested health care professionals, and in addition to the ICAK-U.S.A. chapter, the organization has chapters representing Australasia, Canada, and Europe.

In late 1996, the European chapter was re-organized. Germany, Italy, England (UK), Scandinavia and BeNeLux are all recognized now as having official chapter status. Many more chapters are being added each year from other countries all over the world.

While not all D.C.s choose to incorporate AK into their practices, almost all appreciate Goodheart's dedication and passionate commitment to the health of his patients.

"The name of the game, to coin a phrase, is to get people better," he stated in his book. "The body heals itself in a sure, sensible, practical, reasonable, observable, predictable manner. 'The healer within can be approached from without.' Man possesses a potential for recovery through the innate intelligence or the physiological homeostasis of the human structure."

For more information on applied kinesiology or the ICAK-U.S.A., visit www.icakusa.com.

His friends and colleagues say ...

"As an extraordinary clinical scientist and a compassionate healer, no other chiropractor has had such a profound health-giving influence throughout today's world. But his influence also reaches across the backyard fence between the homes of our family and his. 'Dr. George' has been the family doctor for five generations of our family members including those born in three different centuries and we have chosen our profession to try to do for others what he has done for us."

 -- Walter H. Schmitt, D.C. and John R. Schmitt, D.C.

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"Dr. George Goodheart is one of the great discoverers of the chiropractic profession. His work spans the bridge from the original pioneers to the present. More than anyone else, he has taken the works of others in the health fields and developed ways to apply them to improve clinical outcomes.

"His original research and findings dealt with applying standard muscle testing as a diagnostic tool. His second finding was that simple therapeutic measures could dramatically change the relative strength of muscles.

"For over 35 years, he has been continuing this research and development of applying specific muscle techniques that augment and compliment a chiropractic practice. Over the years, he has developed many relationships with other medical and dental physicians and has been able to open many doors for the chiropractic profession. This has included being the first chiropractor to be appointed to the Olympic medical team in 1980.

"At the core of all of his findings and treatment procedures is the importance of proper spinal mechanics and the use of spinal manipulation. His development of these concepts has spread around the world, with over 40,000 doctors utilizing procedures researched and developed by Dr. Goodheart."

-- David Leaf, D.C., DIBAK, chairman ICAK-U.S.A.

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"Dr. Goodheart impacts my life every day. Every time I look at a patient's posture, locate an area of involvement, test a muscle, or make some analogy to help the patient identify with a common sense solution, I feel Dr. Goodheart.

"Every time I adjust a patient or look for the non-obvious answer to the patients health problem I feel Dr. Goodheart. Every time I see a patient smile at me because they feel the difference, I feel Dr. Goodheart.

"My involvement with the Board of Directors and being a past Chairman of ICAK-U.S.A. is a result of the support and love I feel from Dr. Goodheart. Serving as a member of the Connecticut Board of Chiropractic Examiners is directly from the confidence and knowledge of our beloved profession I have learned from Dr. Goodheart.

"When I treat my wife and children for their health and well being I feel Dr. Goodheart. However what I feel most is the warmth in my heart when I look at the many pictures hanging in my office of my teacher, my mentor, my friend. George, Happy 85th Birthday."

-- Robert J. Porzio, D.C., DIBAK.

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"Dr. Goodheart has been a mentor, father and friend for over 30 years. There is not a day that I don't find myself using the knowledge that he so graciously gives away, and reproducing his words of encouragement to my patients. We have all been so fortunate to be influenced by what he does so well, seeing with eyes that see, hearing with ears that hear and caring for our patients with our head, hands, and heart. Just as the man with a good heart!"

-- Jerold I. Morantz, D.C., DIBAK

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"This single quote (by Dr. Goodheart) definitively sums up the essence of AK and the man who founded it and serves as a constant inspiration to move forward: 'Man possesses a potential for recovery through the innate intelligence of the human structure. This recovery potential with which he is endowed merely waits for your hand, your heart, and your mind to bring it to potential being and allow the recovery to take place, which is man's natural heritage. This benefits man, it benefits you, and it benefits our profession. Do it, do it with knowledge, do it with physiologic facts, do it with predictable certainty, do it because it has to be done, and we as a profession are the only ones who can to it effectively.'"

-- Marcello Caso, D.C., DIBAK