This blog post is both a look back at where Touch for Health came from, and a glimpse into how I am building on its wisdom today through movement, sound, colour, frequency, and the Five Elements of Chinese Medicine.

The Origins of Touch for Health

The story begins in the early 1960s with Dr. George Goodheart, a chiropractor in Detroit. Dr. Goodheart began experimenting with muscle testing to evaluate strength and injury, drawing on the earlier kinesiology research of physical therapists Kendall & Kendall from the 1940s.

What he discovered was revolutionary: muscles that tested “weak” did not always show signs of atrophy or disuse. Instead, he noticed that muscle performance could improve dramatically when he applied certain touch reflexes. These included:

• Neurovascular reflexes identified by Dr. Terrance Bennett in the 1930s.
• Neurolymphatic reflexes developed by osteopathic physician Dr. Frank Chapman in the same era.
• Acupuncture points, meridians, and energy pathways described in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Dr. Goodheart’s work laid the foundation for Applied Kinesiology, a system that connected muscles, organ systems, and reflex points through energy balancing.

Making it Accessible: Dr. John Thie

While Goodheart’s discoveries were initially shared among chiropractors and other health professionals, Dr. John Thie, a chiropractor from California, saw the potential to make these tools available to everyone.

He created Touch for Health in the early 1970s as a self-care system for families, individuals, and communities. His vision was simple yet profound: to empower ordinary people with practical tools they could use to feel better, restore balance, and support healing in themselves and others.

Through the publication of his book Touch for Health: The Complete Edition and the training of instructors around the world, Dr. Thie sparked a movement that continues to thrive today.

Scientific Expansion: Dr. Charles Krebs

As Touch for Health grew, researchers and practitioners sought to understand the science behind muscle response testing. One of the most recent influential figures in this area is Dr. Charles Krebs, who brought his expertise in both neurobiology and biophysics to the field.

Dr. Krebs identified the energetic loop between the nervous system and biophysical processes, helping explain why muscle testing could provide accurate biofeedback about the body’s state. His LEAP program (Learning Enhancement Acupressure Program) demonstrated how targeted acupressure and reflex techniques could rewire the body’s electrical system, improve neurological integration, and restore optimal function to both muscles and cognitive processes.

Clinical Validation: Dr. Anne Jensen

In more recent years, Dr. Anne Jensen, a researcher at Oxford University, has provided important clinical evidence for muscle response testing. Her controlled trials have demonstrated its effectiveness and reliability, helping validate what practitioners and clients have experienced for decades. Her research is building bridges between clinical science and energy-based practices, strengthening the credibility of Touch for Health within the broader health community.

My Journey with Touch for Health

For me, Touch for Health has been the root system from which all of my professional and creative branches have grown. I’ve had the privilege of studying and mentoring with leaders such as Dr. Gregory Webb, Dr. Wayne Topping, Dr. Charles Krebs, Dr. Sheldon Deal, Dr. Svetlana Masgutova, Dr. Mary Jo Bulbrook, and many others. These experiences helped me refine my ability to listen to the body’s biofeedback through muscle response testing and to apply bioenergetic tools that bring the body into balance.

But my natural curiosity pushed me further. I wanted to know not just that these techniques worked, but how and why they worked — and how they could be integrated with movement, music, and colour to enhance healing.

Movement, Music, and the Spine

One of the results of this inquiry was the development of a spine reflex chart that links together:

• Music and frequency
• The spine and nervous system
• Emotions and energy
• The spiritual essence of the organ systems

This chart now supports two of my signature programs: Qi YINtegration and Movement and Music. These programs help participants experience firsthand how movement and frequency can harmonize the body’s systems and support healing.

From this foundation, I created two movement-based choreographies:

• The Five Element Set – weaving Touch for Health with Chinese Medicine, sound, colour, and the BioField.
• The Kundalini Rising Set – designed to awaken energy and bring alignment through layered movement and sound.

These sets invite participants to feel how movement can balance energy and activate healing in a way that is both powerful and joyful.

Tea and Touch for Health

Even the Cape Breton Tea Company, which I co-founded, has been influenced by Touch for Health. Each blend is crafted not only for flavour but also for its energetic properties — supporting the chakras, organs, and systems of the body in alignment with the principles I’ve learned through TFH. For me, tea is another way to bring balance, comfort, and community into daily life.

What’s Next: Touch for Health Expanded

In November 2025, I will be offering something new: the Touch for Health Expanded course. For the first time, I’ll be opening my movement-based programs through the Touch for Health lens, offering participants a way to explore healing through movement, sound, colour, and the Five Elements.

This will be followed in summer 2026 by a retreat on Cape Breton Island, where we will dive even deeper into this integrative approach.

Whether you are a former student ready to refresh your skills (with 50% savings on repeat classes) or someone who has never studied Touch for Health before, this is the perfect time to join. Together, we’ll explore the connections between muscles, emotions, organ systems, meridians, and elements, with the goal of living each day with greater vitality and self-care empowerment.

Why This Work Matters

What makes this program truly unique is the combination of experiences that inform it. Very few Touch for Health instructors also studied dance and Tai Chi, then spent a Master’s degree exploring how movement and TFH interrelate, and later expanded that into a doctoral dissertation identifying the BioEnergetic Wellness Formula that really is signature to this kind of wellness work.

This blend of scholarship, creativity, and embodied practice means that the insights you’ll gain are not available anywhere else. They are the culmination of decades of study, practice, and passion for bringing energy medicine to life in accessible, meaningful ways.

Join the Journey

Touch for Health has always been about empowerment — giving people tools they can use for themselves and their families. That spirit is alive and well today, and it continues to evolve.

I invite you to join me for this next chapter through the Touch for Health Expanded course in November 2025 and the retreat in 2026. Together, we’ll explore how movement, sound, and colour can become pathways to healing, balance, and joy.

Register in the Events section of the shop at www.greenwellcenter.com.

Here’s to living with energy, vitality, and self-care you can trust!

To deepen this exploration of Touch for Health and the science of muscle response testing, I’ve also been hosting insightful conversations on my Be Well with Dr. Michelle Greenwell podcast. Recently, I featured a trilogy series with Dr. Christina Ross, where we discussed the fascinating intersection of biophysics, quantum change, and musculoskeletal regeneration through frequency and field intensity. In parallel, I hosted another trilogy with Dr. Delphine Rossi, who guided listeners through the role of intuition in wellness, the hidden language of dreams, and the transformative power of spiritual healing. These episodes bring together science, energy medicine, and lived experience, offering practical wisdom and inspiration that beautifully complements the foundations of Touch for Health.

The post Touch for Health: The Foundation for Healing Through Movement, Sound, and Colour first appeared on Greenwell Center for Holistic Health.

Dr. Ross brings a unique perspective as a Board-Certified Polarity Practitioner (BCPP), Registered Polarity Educator (RPE), and biophysicist. She holds bachelor’s degrees in both psychology and physics from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a PhD in Energy Medicine from Akamai University. Her doctoral research focused on the therapeutic effects of low frequency pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) on inflammation, immune function, and pain biomarkers. She also served as a biophysicist at the Wake Forest School of Medicine, studying PEMF effects on cell communication and signal transduction, and continues to consult on clinical trials investigating frequency-based therapies.

Together, we created a trilogy that examines health and wellness from a biophysical lens, showing how energy medicine empowers self-care long before symptoms appear. Each episode is paired with a tea from the Cape Breton Tea Company, chosen for its spiritual essence and healing properties.

Episode 1: The Biophysics of Energy Medicine

Theme: How subtle energy modulates cells and molecules, and how biophysics points us toward whole-person wellbeing.

• Explore how cells communicate through receptors and energy fields.
• Learn how subtle energy influences cellular signaling and molecular function.
• Discover self-care routines grounded in vibrational awareness.

Featured Tea: Marvelous Miss Maple
“Life is truly sweeter when you can drink Maple Syrup.”
A black tea blend with maple and calendula petals, offering both vitality and reflection. Black tea supports focus and circulation, while the spiritual essence of maple inspires grounding sweetness and calendula petals encourage renewal and clarity.

Episode 2: Quantum Change and the Biofield

Theme: How energy medicine transforms health through the biofield, chakras, and hara line—bringing balance and flow at the ultrasonic core.

• Understand how the human energy field connects to whole-body balance.
• Explore how hands-on subtle energy work can harmonize chakras and meridians.
• Learn how quantum change supports deep release, resilience, and vitality.

Featured Tea: Island VitaliTEA
“Be inspired by the power of nature that surrounds you, rest and release into healing.”
This blend of rosehip and cranberry holds a spiritual connection to the energy field. Rosehip nourishes with brightness and vitality, while cranberry clears, strengthens, and protects the flow of subtle energy.

Episode 3: Musculoskeletal Regeneration through Frequency

Theme: The power of frequency and field intensity to support regeneration, reduce inflammation, and enhance self-care.

• Explore how frequencies act as blueprints for cellular and tissue repair.
• Learn about PEMF, ultrasound, and vibrational therapies in musculoskeletal health.
• Discover how energy practices like Tai Chi and meditation support everyday regeneration.

Featured Tea: Golden SereniTEA
“Soften the desire to push through. With confidence and an authentic self-love welcome peace within.”
A calming blend of green tea and lemon balm. Green tea offers renewal and antioxidant strength, while lemon balm carries a spiritual essence of release and peace—together creating a ritual for restoration.

Why This Trilogy Matters

By weaving together science, spirit, and self-care, this trilogy reveals how energy medicine and biophysics expand our understanding of health. Rather than waiting for symptoms, we are invited to step into practices that harmonize our energy field, strengthen resilience, and encourage regeneration from within.

The Power of Tea in the Podcast Episodes

The teas enrich this exploration, providing both physiological support and a deeper spiritual resonance—reminding us that even simple daily rituals can profoundly shift our wellbeing. You can find them in the shop here.

Episode 1 – Marvelous Miss Maple

“Life is truly sweeter when you can drink Maple Syrup.”
This black tea blend celebrates vitality and grounding. The boldness of black tea supports focus, circulation, and mental clarity, while its spiritual essence connects us to strength and perseverance. Maple brings a gentle sweetness that reflects resilience and rootedness, reminding us to savor life’s richness. Calendula petals add a touch of renewal, encouraging clarity, hope, and the brightening of energy fields. Together, this blend uplifts while keeping us centered.

Episode 2 – Island VitaliTEA

“Be inspired by the power of nature that surrounds you, rest and release into healing.”
A restorative infusion of rosehip and cranberry, this tea reflects both vibrancy and cleansing. Rosehip nourishes with vitamin C and antioxidants while its spiritual essence inspires brightness, vitality, and openness to flow. Cranberry supports the urinary system and detoxification while spiritually clearing and strengthening the energy field, offering protection and purification. This tea is a reminder to release into nature’s rhythms and allow healing to unfold.

Episode 3 – Golden SereniTEA

“Soften the desire to push through. With confidence and an authentic self-love welcome peace within.”
This calming blend of green tea and lemon balm brings renewal and gentle release. Green tea is rich in antioxidants, supporting cellular health and regeneration, while its essence symbolizes growth, renewal, and balanced energy. Lemon balm soothes the nervous system, easing stress and tension, while spiritually inviting release, peace, and self-acceptance. Together, they create a ritual of restoration that harmonizes body and spirit.

Spread the Word

We would love for you to help us get the word out about the Be Well with Dr Michelle Greenwell podcast, and specifically this special trilogy. If you can like, follow, subscribe, comment, leave a testimonial etc. this will help us to be noticed and heard. Together we can help lead the way in wellness initiatives that empower people with their self-care.

The post The Resonant Body Podcast Trilogy: Exploring Biophysics, Quantum Change, and Regeneration with Dr. Christina Ross first appeared on Greenwell Center for Holistic Health.