My own story of illness and health

I’m often asked where my interest in Applied Kinesiology began. I had what you would describe today as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I was in school training to be a chiropractor when my energy dropped to a level bordering between fatigue and exhaustion. No matter what I did, I could not increase my energy level. As a side effect, I began to experience depression (today many medical doctors debate whether depression causes low energy or low energy causes depression). Not having energy to continue with my studies, I had to drop out of school.

I sought treatment from both medical doctors and chiropractors. All of them wanted to help, but nothing worked. This created a hopeless situation because I couldn't find a medical treatment to help me. This continued for almost three years.

Then I heard about a chiropractor who practiced something called Applied Kinesiology. I had no idea what Applied Kinesiology was and after seeing so many chiropractors who had not helped me, it was only desperation that got me into his office. After listening to my symptoms, he explained that Applied Kinesiology deals with the body as a whole by dealing with the energy flow in the body. Illness comes about when the "energy" is blocked by physical, chemical, or mental stress. He also pointed out that the Chinese have practiced a similar form of therapy for centuries and it continues to this day.

Theoretically this made sense to me. According to the laws of physics, the entire universe is simply a giant energy grid. I also recalled that Einstein said all things can be reduced to mass and energy, and mass is simple energy.

As I started the treatment, I noticed at times I would see amazing breakthroughs only to be followed by little or no improvement. The treatment produced a jagged graph. The best way to describe the graph would be significant improvement, a step backward, good improvement, a step back, no improvement, and then a major stride forward.

Since I was so desperate to recover my energy level, I was sometimes disappointed that the fatigue didn't simply "go away", but I could see real improvement so I continued. Then during one treatment, I had what would best be described as a major breakthrough. The doctor was going through his usual method of testing and relieving blockages when I had a major physical reaction to the treatment. I had a very strong sensation in my body and then I felt extremely fatigued. He explained that this could be a normal reaction to releasing a blockage in energy. Surprisingly, I felt much better by the afternoon and my energy soared.

This turned out to be a permanent and I have felt full of energy and optimism since (about 10 years). It also determined my path in life. I returned to school, got my degree as a doctor of chiropractic and began concentrating on the area of Applied Kinesiology.

Helping people regain their health has been incredibly rewarding. Often I have been able to help people regain their lives just like mine was regained. The relief from pain is why many patients come to me and it is truly gratifying to them, but helping people regain their energy to live their lives fully will always be most satisfying to me.

Dr. William J. Cohl