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Top 10 Holistic Traps

By Narda G. Robinson, DO, DVM, MS, FAAMA

Dr. Robinson demonstrates an applied kinesiology test for allergies by noting muscle strength in a client’s outstretched arm as she touches her animal.

Many of us get snowballed sometimes by the hype that alternative treatment providers heap onto the airwaves and Internet. Here are 10 of the most common holistic traps to avoid.

1. Dubious Allergy Diagnostics and Treatments
In January 2008, the Washington state attorney general and Department of Health secretary asked the FDA to block the sale and distribution of unproven and dangerous “energy medicine” devices, citing several, including Bicom, Bodyscan and VEGA.¹ Other dubious allergy-testing techniques include applied kinesiology (AK), pulse testing, and hair analysis.

AK tests for allergies by noting muscle strength alterations in an individual’s outstretched arm when they hold “test” vials.²,³ ²,³ Veterinary AK employs a human surrogate who touches the animal and gets tested on behalf of the animal, since animal patients cannot follow instructions as well. More bizarre is treating the surrogate in place of the animal: “Once the sensitivities are identified, a quick, painless and noninvasive acupressure treatment through the surrogate is used to rebalance the pet's nervous system response to the identified allergens. Muscle testing is also utilized in the prescriptive phase to identify any additional necessary medications and to individualize dosages.”⁴

2. Glandulars
Authors touting glandular lore advise consumers to feed thyroid tissue to hyperthyroid cats, spinal cord extract to dogs with degenerative myelopathy and adrenal tissue for Cushing’s as the “principal natural treatments.”⁵ Glandular products may transmit disease such as transmissible spongiform encephalopathy.⁶,⁷ No proof exists that they work; active hormones in the products may in fact worsen disease.

3. Chinese Herbs
In 2007, the FDA recalled 12 Chinese herbal mixtures containing ephedra, aristolochic acid or human placenta due to serious health hazards.⁸ Aristolochic acid causes nephropathy and potentially cancer.⁹ Chinese herbs like ephedra can damage the liver, sometimes leading to fulminant liver failure and death.¹⁰,¹¹,¹² Human placenta and animal parts found in Chinese herbs introduce biosecurity concerns.¹³ Western pharmaceuticals hidden within Chinese herbs remain an ongoing danger; a 2007 study evaluating Chinese herb safety in products obtained from New York City’s Chinatown found nine different Western pharmaceutical drugs in five samples.¹⁴

4. Colloidal Silver
Hawked by the unscrupulous as “very successful for veterinary use,” “for daily oral ingestion” and “works on pets of all kinds,” colloidal silver has no place in veterinary medicine. Ingested silver accumulates in every organ and can induce irreversible neurologic toxicity.¹⁵ Per the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine, “FDA is not aware of any substantial scientific evidence that supports the safe and effective use of colloidal silver ingredients or silver salts for any animal disease condition.”¹⁶

5. Pennyroyal for Fleas
Natural flea treatments containing pennyroyal may kill fleas and their host. Even small quantities of the oil or tea have led to human deaths.¹⁷,¹⁸ A 1992 case report of pennyroyal toxicosis in a dog illustrated the lethal hepatic and neurologic consequences that ensue after topically applying only 60 cubic centimeters.¹⁹

6. Craniosacral Therapy
Human craniosacral therapists say that releasing dural strains can resolve hosts of behavioral and physical problems ranging from autism to scoliosis.²⁰ Patterned after the human approach, dog and horse craniosacral therapists claim similar results.²¹ But the fundamental premise of craniosacral therapy requires human-like cranial bone mobility, not ossified sutures, which means the craniosacral dynamic fails to translate across species. Somehow, this key feature has failed to deter dog and horse “cranialists.”

7. Gold Bead Implants
As noted in Chest 2007: “Migration of embedded acupuncture needles is associated with life-threatening consequences. The practice of embedding acupuncture needles is now considered malpractice and is discouraged by professional acupuncture associations.”²²

8. Relabeling Myths and Metaphors with Legitimate-Sounding Buzzwords
Noting veterinarians’ hunger for more rational foundations for the complementary modalities they learn, continuing education programs are adding the words “scientific” and “evidence-based” to course material that has no such merit. Caveat emptor! Find out whether old metaphysical material has simply been repackaged before enrolling. Faculty background and publications may lend further insights.

9. Chiropractic for Everything
Brochures advertising animal chiropractic indicate that nearly every animal needs chiropractic, whether they are experiencing behavior changes, chronic health problems, advanced age or surgery.²³ Until evidence emerges supporting chiropractic as a valid technique in nonhumans, indications for its safe and appropriate inclusion in veterinary practice remain elusive. ²⁴

10. Holistic Cancer Care
No alternative cancer treatments have been shown to cure cancer. Combining herbs with chemotherapy may interfere with metabolizing enzymes and drug transporters.²⁵ <HOME>

FOOTNOTES
1. Device Watch. FDA urged to curb bogus “energy medicine” devices. Obtained at www.devicewatch.org/eav/letter_to-fda.shtml on 04-27-08.

2. Haas M, Cooperstein R, and Peterson D. Disentagling manual muscle testing and Applied Kinesiology: critique and reinterpretation
of a literature review. Chiropractic & Osteopathy. 2007;15:11. Available from www.chiroandosteo.com/content/15/1/11.

3. Hall S, Lewith G, Brien S, and Little P. A review of the literature in applied and specialized kinesiology. Forsch Komplement Med (2006). 2008;15(1):40-46.

4. Veterinary NAET. What is Veterinary NAET and How can it help in the treatment of domestic pets? Obtained on 04-25-08 at www.vetnaet.com/about.html.

5. Messonier S. Natural Health Bible for Dogs & Cats. Prima Publishing, 2001.

6. Norton SA. Raw animal tissues and dietary supplements. NEJM. 2000;343(4):304-305.

7. Detention without physical examination of bulk shipments of high-risk tissue from BSE-countries. Import alert#17-04. Department of Agriculture, revised 24 January 2000. Cited in: Norton SA. Raw animal tissues and dietary supplements. NEJM. 2000;343(4):304-305.

8. Food and Drug Administration. Recall – Firm Press Release. Herbal Science International, Inc. recalls twelve dietary herbal supplements nationwide because of possible health risk associated with ephedra, aristolochic acid and human placenta. April 10, 2007. Obtained at www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/herbalscience04_08.html on 04-26-08.

9. Debelle FD, Vanherweghem JL, Nortier JL. Aristolochic acid nephropathy: A worldwide problem. Kidney Int. 2008 Apr 16 [Epub ahead of print].

10. Seeff LB. Herbal hepatotoxicity. Clin Liv Dis. 2007;11(3):577-596.

11. Pittler MH and Ernst E. Systematic review: Hepatotoxic events associated with herbal medicinal products. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2003;18(5):451-471.

12. Chitturi S and Farrell GC. Hepatotoxic slimming aids and other herbal hepatotoxins. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2008;23(3):366-373.

13. Beunnion BJ and Daggett V. Protein conformation and diagnostic tests: the prion protein. Clinical Chemistry. 2002;48:2105-2114.

14. Miller GM and Stripp R. A study of western pharmaceuticals contained within samples of Chinese herbal/patent medicines collected from New York City’s Chinatown. Legal Medicine. 2007;9:258-264.

15. Mirsattari SM, Hammond RR, Sharpe MD, et al. Myoclonic status epilepticus following repeated oral ingestion of colloidal silver. Neurology. 2004;62(8):1408-1410.

16. US Food and Drug Administration, Center for Veterinary Medicine. CVM Update: Colloidal silver not approved. February 12, 1997. Obtained on 04-26-08 at www.fda.gov/cvm/CVM_Updates/silver.html.

17. Bakerink JA et al. Multiple organ failure after ingestion of pennyroyal oil from herbal tea in two infants. Pediatrics. 1996;98(5):944-947.

18. Anderson IB et al. Pennyroyal toxicity: measurement of toxic metabolite levels in two cases and review of the literature. Ann Intern Med. 1996;124:726-734.

19. Sudekum M et al. Pennyroyal oil toxicosis in a dog. JAVMA. 1992;200(6):817-818.

20. Upledger Institute. Obtained at www.upledger.co.uk/CS_whatis.htm on 04-28-08.

21. Caroline Pope – Animal Communicator & Craniosacral Therapist. Obtained at: www.ozdoggy.com.au/ozdoggy/profile.jsp?ozdoggyid=78 on 04-28-08.

22. Von Riedenauer WB, Baker MK, and Brewer RJ. Video-assisted thorascopic removal of migratory acupuncture needle causing pneumothorax. Chest. 2007;131:899-901.

23. American Veterinary Chiropractic Association brochure. Routine chiropractic care can benefit your animals. Obtained at www.avcadoctors.com on 04-26-08.

24. Morandi X, Riffaud L, Houedakor J, et al. Caudal spinal cord ischemia after lumbar vertebral manipulation. Joint Bone Spine. 2004;71:334-337. [See references at the end of text.]

25. Marchetti S, Mazzanti R, Beijnen JS, et al. Concise review: clinical relevance of drug-drug and herb-drug interactions mediated by the ABC transporter ABCB1 (MDR1, P-glycoprotein). The Oncologist. 2007;12(8):927-941.

Give us your opinion on
Top 10 Holistic Traps

Industry Professional Site: Comments from non-industry professionals will be removed.

Reader Comments

Pamela,

There remains no credible evidence that either applied kinesiology or surrogate applied kinesiology is a valid diagnostic tool.

I recommend that readers educate themselves by reading the Quackwatch site on Applied kinesiology at

http://www. quackwatch.org/01Quackery- RelatedTopics/Tests/ak. html

Dr. Narda, Fort Collins, CO
Posted: 8/1/2010 7:33:27 PM

Continuation of Dr. DeStefano's article

challenges are applied to the patient but the muscle testing response is through the surrogate. This same principle has been applied with great success to animals. Surrogate testing allows us access to the animal’s inner physiology. By combining this additional information with what we know about the animal’s status via more traditional diagnostic tools we can more efficiently supply the most appropriate therapy.

How surrogate testing works is not really known at this time. It is hypothesized that neurological information, which is conveyed electrically, is transferred to the mostly salt and water surrogate by contact with the patient. Our lack of understanding of the mechanism of surrogate testing is a great shame. In my experience many gifted veterinary practitioners fail to implement the many procedures taught at our AK seminars simply because of the fear of what their clients and colleagues might say. I would argue that their fear is unfounded and that their clients and colleagues will be mostly excited and intrigued by the application of AK diagnosis and therapies. On the other hand I do wish there was a more objective and less unusual way to muscle test an animal. There has been some research into the area of electronic measurement of muscle strength including EMG but as yet there have been no practical applications that we can use on our animal patients.
Jack of All Trades
One of the benefits of being an applied kinesiologist is that it has forced me to go back and re-learn all those subjects learned and quickly forgotten after graduation. AK applications include being able to pick apart a confusing endocrine problem. This requires a working knowledge of the inter-relationships of the different endocrine organs. Biochemical pathways can be evaluated for efficiency of enzyme function and the need for nutritional co-factors can be deduced. Imbalances in the acupuncture meridian system can many times be traced to their source utilizing applied kinesiological protocols. Knowledge of the cranial respiratory mechanism is necessary before applying a diagnostic algorithm that diagnoses and quickly corrects cranial-sacral faults. You find yourself quickly becoming a better doctor. As your skill and knowledge increase so does your sense of satisfaction. Not only do your patients recover faster but also you find yourself having success with problems that were difficult in the past.

Muscle testing, when applied with knowledge, experience and passion, give the veterinarian an invaluable way to communicate with your patients and ask them the questions you’ve always wanted to ask them.

Pamela, Petoskey, MI
Posted: 6/13/2008 10:29:53 AM

I think Michael has a great point. This information is from Dr. Carl DeStefano, DC, DACNB (website - www.healthpioneers. net)
--------------------
Applied Kinesiology and Functional Neurology in Animal Practice
Carl J. DeStefano D.C.
2006 AVCA Conference

Applied Kinesiology (AK) is the use of manual muscle testing as a functional neurologic assessment tool. Applied Kinesiology procedures are used to evaluate and correct functional imbalances in the structural, chemical, mental and energetic systems of the organism. When teaching AK principles I always begin the seminars by explaining that although Applied Kinesiology utilizes muscle testing, muscle testing is not AK! Applied Kinesiology is a separate field of study governed by the International College of Applied Kinesiology. Their definition of AK is as follows:
"A.K. is an interdisciplinary approach to health care, which draws together the core elements of the complementary therapies, creating a more unified approach to the diagnosis and treatment of functional illness. A.K. uses functional assessment measures such as posture and gait analysis, manual muscle testing as functional neurologic evaluation, range of motion, static palpation, and motion analysis. These assessments are used in conjunction with standard methods of diagnosis, such as clinical history, physical examination findings, laboratory tests, and instrumentation to develop a clinical impression of the unique physiologic condition of each patient, including an impression of the patient’s functional physiologic status. When appropriate, this clinical impression is used as a guide to the application of conservative physiologic therapeutics.

The practice of Applied Kinesiology requires that it be used in conjunction with other standard diagnostic methods by professionals trained in clinical diagnosis. As such, the use of applied kinesiology or its component assessment procedures is appropriate only to individuals licensed to perform those procedures."
There are many people using muscle testing for many things. Some techniques utilizing muscle testing are very good. Some are questionable and some are simply terrible. I have witnessed both lay and professional therapists muscle test with little to no background in the neurology of what they are doing. Many offer poor and often inaccurate conclusions to muscle testing outcomes. For example I often hear lay muscle testers tell their audience that sugar is bad and will always weaken a strong indicator muscle. Their supposed logic is that since white sugar is refined it must be bad for you and so it should conditionally inhibit any strong muscle. Clinically this is not what you find. If a patient is hypoglycemic at the time of the test, sugar will strengthen a weak indicator muscle. If they are hyperglycemic sugar will weaken. If they are normoglycemic a patient will not show a change in muscle strength when tested. If the same patient is allergic to the particular source of sugar they will weaken upon testing. There are different brands of refined sugar, which have undergone different types of processing with different chemical additives and chemical changes. Some patients weaken on pure beet sugar but strengthen on pure cane sugar. Applied Kinesiologists are doctors with training in the clinical sciences. With their combined knowledge of biochemistry, anatomy, neurology etc. the AK doctor will more likely be able to accurately interpret the result of a manual muscle test.

When I began my studies in applied kinesiology in 1985 it was a world apart from the field of neurology. In the middle 90’s I began a Diplomate program leading to a specialty in Chiropractic Neurology. Rather than focusing primarily on pathology, the training focuses on functional neurology. By understanding neuro-physiological and neuro-anatomical relationships, exam procedures are taught that utilize the output systems of the brain as a window to neurological function. The two output systems from brain are motor systems to somatic muscle and to the autonomics. Somatic muscle function is evaluated with manual muscle testing as well as electrical diagnostics. I was learning AK all over again!

George Goodheart D.C. is recognized as the creator of the field of applied kinesiology. As early as 1964 he recognized that dysfunction of the muscle and tendon receptors in a particular muscle could affect the strength of that muscle and have a negative affect on the stability of a related joint. While most practitioners were treating musculoskeletal problems by addressing the hypertonic muscles, Goodheart saw that most of the time the problems were related to muscle paresis. He came to discover, and has since been supported by research, that muscle weakness could be caused by a large number of factors affecting output from the ventral horn. Dr. Goodheart investigated the affects of many different types of existing techniques on the efficiency of muscle function. These include the following techniques and relationships:
Manipulative therapy.
Neurological relationships.
Chapman’s reflexes which are known in AK as neurolymphatic reflexes.
Bennett’s reflexes which are known in AK as neurovascular reflexes.
Cranial sacral therapy.
Meridian therapy.
Nutritional and biochemical therapy.
Organ- muscle relationships.
Psychological relationships.
Electrical and magnetic relationships to name but a few!
International College of Applied Kinesiology
As more chiropractors became knowledgeable in the field of applied kinesiology a professional organization was formed and was called the International College of Applied Kinesiology (ICAK). Today there are thousands of members world wide in all the professions including chiropractors, medical doctors, osteopaths, dentists, podiatrists, psychologists and veterinarians. There have been over 2100 clinical research papers published by the ICAK membership The ICAK supports, through research grants, studies at various universities, colleges and clinics.

Basic 100-hour certification courses are available to veterinarians through the ICAK. Dr. Dan Martin and myself have taught most of the veterinarians using AK procedures on animals. I now teach 2 and 4-day seminars in basic to advanced course work in AK and functional neurology.
Applied Kinesiology and Animals
Utilizing muscle testing as a means of communicating with my animal patients has proved to be the single most important tool I use in helping them regain their health. We can evaluate their neurological, nutritional, allergic, acupuncture and cranial-sacral status in just minutes. I can test them and then employ a therapeutic correction of some sort and then immediately recheck them to see if my therapy was appropriate and effective. Besides eliciting information that would be otherwise time consuming, expensive or impossible I can prioritize my therapies. I can minimize the problems we all have with over emphasizing our favorite technique. "To a hammer everything looks like a nail"! Sometimes on a particular visit meridian therapy would be the most appropriate approach. On the next visit nutritional testing and correction might be more valuable. With AK my results are much quicker because I am not "slapping at gnats"; I’m getting at the most important aspect of the animal’s imbalance.

In human medicine the application of AK diagnosis requires that the physician be competent in the testing of all accessible muscles of the body. In animal applications the insertion of a surrogate tester reduces the number of muscles tested to 1 or 2.
Surrogate Testing
Surrogate testing involves adding another human being to the equation. When muscle testing adult humans we test their muscles directly. It was discovered early on in AK that babies and quadriplegics could be tested indirectly by having a third person touch them while the doctor tested the surrogate’s muscle for changes in strength. The same test

Pamela, Petoskey, MI
Posted: 6/13/2008 10:26:49 AM

I must admit I'm puzzled by the comments I've read here. First, the author of this column has written a well-researched and referenced piece, which is eminently reasonable. Comments such as:

"Perhaps she sould think about going to Russia or Germany and obtaing additional education on her subject matter"

make very little sense, as the amount of training someone has in an ineffectual technique has very little to do with how well the technique works! Perhaps the people that are unhappy with this article could provide citations to studies showing that the techniques referenced here DO work, and for what conditions?

Michael, Pullman, WA
Posted: 6/10/2008 5:12:07 AM

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