Resource Centers:(News, information, and tools to support your practice)
May 2008
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A tribute to George Goodheart Jr., DC
The past 30 years has seen the energetic development of chiropractic research and the beginning of the profession’s participation in the era of evidence-based medicine. Until the 1940s, the chiropractic profession remained largely unfamiliar with research methodology, relying primarily upon testimonials from cured patients to demonstrate its effectiveness for society at large.
Similarly, little interest in scientific publishing was apparent in the first half-century of chiropractic. Several worthy exceptions should be mentioned. First published as a magazine in 1958, Chiropractic Economics published the clinical research of many leaders in the field. One of the best known clinical researchers who presented his findings to the profession for two decades before the appearance of JMPT [Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics] was George J. Goodheart Jr., DC, founder of applied kinesiology.
Goodheart’s first article was published in the July/August issue of 1964, and was entitled “Quick … Simple … Valid … Urinary Testing Methods,” followed by more than 50 articles covering the spectrum of AK methodologies.
Highlights of these early research articles in Chiropractic Economics: “The use of the manual muscle test (MMT) for neuromusculoskeletal diagnosis” (1964); “Neurolymphatic research and its effects on muscular function” (1966); “Neurovascular research” (1967); “Cranial diagnostic methods using MMT” (1969); “Meridian therapy and chiropractic relationships” (1970); “Vertebral challenge methods” (1972); “Therapy localization methods” (1974); “Temporomandibular joint corrections” (1976); and much more.
In the March/April 1980 issue, Goodheart wrote the article “Observations of the Winter Olympics” as the first nonmedical practitioner to become a member of the
Today, almost half of the chiropractic profession uses some style of the applied kinesiology (AK) skills first presented by Goodheart in the variety of peer-reviewed media available in the profession at the time, including association meetings, conferences, and journals, such as Chiropractic Economics.
Goodheart placed AK into the era of evidence-based medicine by publishing a discussion about AK and dentistry in the Journal of the American Society of Psychosomatic Disease in 1976. Many studies investigating AK are now indexed in the Internet databases of the National Library of Medicine, including PubMed and Medline. In fact, AK has its own MeSH [medical subject heading].
Growing from Goodheart’s initial published work in Chiropractic Economics are 35 published textbooks in five languages about AK and eight more textbooks with chapters in them covering AK.
An AK research compendium, as well as Goodheart’s bibliography listing each of his Chiropractic Economics articles, are available at the ICAK’s Web sites and encompass more than 1,500 citations from the peer-reviewed scientific literature relating to AK theory and practice.
Goodheart graduated from the National College of Chiropractic in 1939 and passed away last month at 89 years-of-age, sitting in his easy chair after dinner with his beloved wife Joanne by his side, a smile on his face. His passing ended 68 extraordinary years of practice and a life committed to chiropractic.
— Scott Cuthbert, DC
ICAK-U.S.A. Board Member
Pueblo, Colo.
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