An alternative therapy based on the theory that muscles and organs are connected anatomically (by blood vessels) or energetically, and that weakness in certain muscles is a sign of illness or imbalance in the corresponding organ or body system. Applied kinesiology is also used to detect sensitivities or intolerances to food and other substances.
Practitioners of applied kinesiology typically test muscles by asking a person to resist the pressure they apply against a limb. The substance being tested is often placed directly on the person's tongue (if it's a food) or skin, or is placed in a vial and held against the person's body. Changes in muscle strength with and without the substance are noted, and muscle weakness is considered to be a sign that the person has a sensitivity to that substance.
Applied kinesiology was developed in the United States by a chiropractor named George Goodheart, DC. There is no reliable evidence that applied kinesiology can help diagnose food or environmental sensitivites or detect illnesses. Very few conventional medical doctors consider it to be a reliable diagnostic method.