Autonomic Response Testing:
A Reliable and Accurate Biofeedback Method
for
Determining the Root Causes of Your Health Problems |
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Introduction |
Autonomic
Response Testing (ART) is one of a growing
number of ‘functional’ tests available to
practitioners today. Functional tests are
different from standard medical tests in
that they do not diagnose pathology or
disease. Rather, functional tests allow
practitioners to understand how the body is
currently functioning and to determine the
underlying root causes of imbalance. A key
point to understand is that functional
changes occur long before any disease is
manifested. These tests can then be seen as
an early warning system so that health
enhancing practices may be implemented
thereby assisting the body to restore its
own innate health and balance. If you are
already struggling with a disease then
functional tests will help reveal the
patterns and causes behind your health
problems and point to the way forward for
restoring health and balance.
There are several categories of functional
tests including: 1.) Biochemical Testing
(see Bio-Chemical Testing), 2.) Structural
Analysis (i.e. Chinese pulse, face, or
tongue diagnosis), and 3.) Biofeedback
Assessments of the Autonomic Nervous System
(ANS) (i.e. ART, Electro-Dermal Screening,
Heart Rate Variability, etc.). It is this
third type of assessment that we will be
discussing in detail below.
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Autonomic Nervous
System (ANS) |
How does
the ANS relate to functional testing? The
simple answer to this question is that the
Autonomic Nervous System is the functional
nervous system. The ANS is in control of all
bodily functions that occur involuntarily
(i.e. automatically). These are the bodily
functions of which we do not have conscious
control, but occur on a subconscious level,
such as heart and breathing rate, digestion,
immune response, hormone regulation, body
temperature, eye blinking and more. It is
also directly related to the emotional
centers in the brain (limbic) which means
that unresolved mental/emotional traumas and
other emotional conflicts are registered in
the ANS. In addition, the ANS receives
sensory input from all the organs and the
five senses which are then relayed to the
ANS brain sensors.
There are two branches of the ANS: the
Sympathetic Nervous System (SYM) and the
Parasympathetic Nervous System (PARA). These
two branches work together to keep the ANS
in balance and can be thought of as the
‘accelerator’ and ‘brakes’ of the body. The
SYM is the ‘go’ or ‘accelerator’ which is
dominate when we are active and the PARA is
the ‘slow down’ or ‘brake’ which is dominant
when we are resting. If there is an
imbalance in either or both of these systems
then we experience symptoms such as fatigue,
nervousness / irritability, allergies,
immune problems, digestion problems,
hormonal imbalances, muscle pain and
headaches to name just a few. But, most
importantly, when these systems are out of
balance, it directly affects our ability to
heal. In order to determine imbalances in
the ANS, we need a method that allows us to
directly access this system. Autonomic
Response Testing (ART) is one such method.
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The ART Exam: Overview
of Methods and Principles |
ART is a
method of evaluating how the Autonomic
Nervous System (ANS) is functioning. It also
is a means for assessing the benefits of
various treatments. This makes ART more than
just a test of function, but a means with
which to individualize the most effective
health plan for each person’s needs. In
order to measure the function and degree of
balance / imbalance of the ANS we need a
‘detector’ or ‘instrument’. In ART an
‘indicator muscle’ (which is usually the
deltoid or brachioradialis muscle) is used
as the ‘detector’ or ‘instrument’ to measure
the response to various stresses introduced
to the ANS. It is the response to this
muscle resistance test that provides
information about the functional health of
the ANS. A key point to understand is that
this is a muscle resistance test, not a
muscle strength test. In applying a force to
the arm muscle, the practitioner is not
trying to determine how much strength the
client has, but rather to determine if they
can resist a steadily increasing force.
When using ‘muscle resistance’ for ANS
evaluation there are 2 possible responses –
a ‘positive stress’ response and a ‘negative
stress’ response. Either of these responses
is brought about by subjecting the client to
various (and completely painless) ANS
stressors. A positive stress response is
when the formerly strong / resistant testing
muscle becomes weak and loses the ability to
resist the increasingly applied force.
Conversely, a negative stress response is
when the resistant muscle remains strong
while increasing force is applied. Anything
that causes distress, disturbance or
imbalance in the ANS can bring about a
positive stress response. Examples of this
include:
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Food
Allergens
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Chemicals
(all sources – household products,
personal care products, food
preservatives, industrial, etc.)
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Medications (prescription and
over-the-counter)
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Heavy
Metals
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Electromagnetic / Microwave Radiation
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Bacteria
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Viruses
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Fungi,
Molds, Yeast
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Environmental Allergens
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Scars
(surgical and injury)
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Vaccines
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Dysfunctional / Diseased Organs
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Diseased
Teeth and so on
All of the
above plus others are tested for during an
ART exam.
This method of eliciting either a positive
or negative muscle response is more commonly
referred to as ‘muscle testing’. While this
is an accurate common name, ‘muscle testing’
covers a very broad range of methods that
all have their basis in the work of George
Goodheart, D.C. and his development of
Applied Kinesiology. Many related
disciplines have come from his
groundbreaking work, including ART. ART,
unlike some forms of ‘muscle testing’, also
bases it principles and procedures on
bringing together research from the fields
of Neurobiology and Biophysics. In
particular the work of physicians and
scientists such as Dietrich Klinghardt,
M.D., Ph.D., Yoshiaki Omura, M.D., and
Fritz-Albert Popp, Ph.D. have been
instrumental in scientifically validating
and clinically proving the ART method of
assessing the function of the ANS and
evaluating effective methods to restore and
maintain health. What truly makes ART a
unique and effective tool is its ability to
produce accurate, precise, and consistently
reproducible results. This is achieved in
ART by its unique structure and sequence
which is based on the anatomy and physiology
of the ANS from generalized dysfunction /
major disturbance to specific organ and
cellular dysfunction / disturbances. This
also allows for a priority in treatment and
ensures the most effective therapeutic
protocol is implemented and adjusted as the
case warrants.
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The 4 Steps of the ART
Exam |
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Regulation
Test: This test evaluates the overall health
and balance of the Autonomic Nervous System
(ANS). ‘Regulation’ refers to the ability of
the client, through their ANS, to ‘feel’ or
respond to a subtle (painless)
bio-electrical challenge. A healthy ANS
response is called ‘open regulation’. This
is when the benign bio-electrical challenge
is interpreted correctly and the ANS
down-regulates itself. On the other hand,
when the ANS cannot down-regulate itself in
response to this benign stress, it indicates
there is a factor that is blocking its
ability to correctly regulate ANS function.
This is referred to as ‘blocked regulation’
and is of primary importance to be corrected
before progressing any further in the
testing procedure and treatment plan. This
is because when generalized ANS dysfunction
occurs, the body will not be working at its
optimal capacity for healing, thereby
keeping you from optimal health and balance.
When ‘blocked regulation’ is found to be an
issue for a client, all potential stressors
as listed above are evaluated to determine
which are at the root of the problem. When
these factors are identified and treated,
healing can take place at a much greater
rate and can oftentimes be the key to
unlocking an otherwise difficult case.
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Neurogenic
Switching / Acute Focus Test: This test is
evaluating another type of generalized
function of the ANS. An ‘Acute Focus’ is
tissue which continuously emits bursts of
electricity which causes a major disturbance
in the affected area. When someone has a
‘positive switching’ test, there is an
abnormal electrical signal being generated
from a tissue somewhere in the body. As the
term ‘switching’ implies, there is confusion
in the ANS and it can appear that the body
works in the wrong way or opposite
direction. Oftentimes, this leads to a
negative response on treatments that should
work, frequent relapses / never fully
recovering, or continually changing test
results / supplement requirements. Any
stressor can cause switching, but is most
often seen with surgical or injury scars,
EMF, and pharmaceuticals / medications. In
order for the rest of the ART evaluation to
yield accurate and reliable results, both
the Regulation and the Neurogenic Switching
/ Acute Focus Tests must be passed or
corrected before moving forward. These two
tests make ART a unique, more in-depth
evaluation versus any other form of muscle
testing techniques.
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Therapy
Localizing: This test is to evaluate organ
and structure dysfunction in the
extra-cellular (tissue outside the cell)
spaces. Since tissues outside the cell are
over 50% of body mass this is a valuable
test and is oftentimes reflective of what is
going on inside the cells at any particular
area of the body. During this test the ANS
will show a positive response over any area
of the body that is experiencing
dysfunction. This test allows an assessment
of health at the ‘local’ level. This is
because the health of the ANS at the local
level directly relates to the health of the
organs and structures that the local ANS
nerves service. Therefore, by contacting the
skin at various organs and acupuncture
points an assessment of specific areas of
the body can be made.
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Direct
Resonance: This test is to evaluate what is
going on inside or outside the cells. During
this test various substances are placed on
the skin over an area of dysfunction. The
exact substance which causes dysfunction
will elicit a stress response in the
indicator muscle. This happens because the
substance placed on the skin directly
resonates with the substance in the body,
thereby generating the stress response in
the indicator muscle. This same process is
then used to evaluate the correct therapy
for any particular area of dysfunction and
its accompanying stressor(s). This allows
for only the appropriate therapeutic
measure(s) to be used.
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Putting It All
Together – What Does This Mean For You? |
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By
following the protocol discussed above, a
complete and thorough examination for each
person can be done. Since everyone is unique
with their own particular set of stressors
that are at the root of an imbalance or
chronic health problem, then a technique
that can identify, prioritize, and optimize
the treatment plan is of utmost importance.
What this means is that regardless of the
health issue(s) at hand, a consistent method
for determining the underlying causes of
ill-health is the first step to solving the
puzzle. An added advantage to this technique
is that it is appropriate for both children
and adults of all levels of health. It’s
also easy and painless! When the results of
an ART evaluation are combined with the data
from Biochemical and Metabolic Testing, the
Client History, and Symptom Survey, then a
very complete picture of a client’s unique
requirements is obtained. From this
information the most effective health
improvement plan can be formulated, started,
and then adjusted as your health improves
and you reach your potential for optimal
health and well-being.
Please Call the Office Today to Schedule
Your Initial Evaluation and Find the Missing
Links to Solving Your Health Challenges!
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