Contact Reflex Analysis (CRA)

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Category:  Chiropractic Technique

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Description:  (from Steve Barrett)- An offshoot of "Applied Kinesiology, proponents claim that over a thousand health problems can be diagnosed with a CRA muscle test during which the chiropractor's finger or hand is placed on one of 75 "reflex points" on the patient's body. If the patient's arm can be pulled downward, a condition corresponding to the "reflex" is considered present, and dietary supplements (typically made from freeze-dried vegetables or animal organs) are prescribed as  the only therapy. CRA's chief proponent,. Dick A. Versendaal, D.C., taught that 80% of disease is due to allergy; the two main causes of disease are gallbladder disease and staphylococcus infections; and obesity is commonly caused by parasites. Versendaal diagnosed heart disease, prostate disease, and "infections" of the eye, ear, liver, lung, and knee without examining any of the body parts involved-merely by pulling on the patient's arm while touching the corresponding "reflex" points.  Versendaal stated that the front of the hand is electrically "positive," the back is "negative," and the fingers are "neutral." If the arm is weak and can be pulled downward, he had said, the reflex "blows," indicating that disease corresponding to the reflex is present. "Nutritional" products are then prescribed to correct the alleged problems.

The founder claims: 

• Eighty percent of diseases are due to allergy.

• The two main causes of disease are gallbladder disease and staph infections.

• People can only get fat from prostate and ovarian hormones going bad.

• The most common cause of hair loss in men and women is poor blood.

• The kidneys are controlled by the thyroid gland.

• The uterus stores every hormone the body needs.

• Doctors don't know this: The most common cause of juvenile diabetes is parasites.

• Yeast infections cause fibroids of the uterus and breast.

• Most of the skin is made up of calcium (not protein).

• The most common cause of chronic constipation is parasites. Constipation means that the lymphatics have dried up.

• The heart rarely wears out unless you are born with a weak heart.

• Subluxation of the ankle can cause a stiff neck.

• Rheumatism (rheumatoid arthritis) has three causes: too much calcium in the body, too little calcium in the body, and infection.

Versendall sold books containing indexes of 1500 medical conditions that can be diagnosed by his system, and the nutritional treatments for each.  

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History:  Developed by Dick A. Versendaal, DC (1937-2014), a chiropractor

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Touted benefits:  Versendaal claimed that CRA can "test every conceivable condition in the human body,. help that patient, and know how long it will take for that patient to get well." Testing is done by pulling on the patient's outstretched arm while placing one's finger or hand on one of about 75 "reflex" points on the patient's body. The nine main "reflexes", are the "right master allergy reflex," "left master allergy reflex," "metabolic reflex," "master heart/blood quality reflex," "hemoglobin reflex," "coronary reflex," "virus reflex, and "yeast reflex." Others include the "parasite reflex," "vaginal tract reflex," "pineal gland reflex," "virus reflex," "blood quality reflex," "gouty arthritis reflex," "pus reflex," and "yeast infection reflex.

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Training:  In the 1990s, Parker College of Chiropractic sponsored seminars all over the US by Versendaal. It is unclear that courses in this bizarre technique are still being taught in the US

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LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:

There is no published scientific evidence regarding CRA.  It has not scientific literature support, has not had scientific published studies conducted by its proponents nor by its founder.

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HARMS: In 1992, a 50-year-old Pennsylvania woman, in apparently good health, was treated by a chiropractor for hip and leg pain resulting from an automobile accident. When the pain resolved, the chiropractor checked a "thyroid reflex," said she had a "thyroid problem" and recommended dietary supplements that contained iodine. The chiropractor ordered no laboratory tests, standard or otherwise, to measure how well the woman's thyroid was functioning. The prescribed amount of iodine was more than ten times the Recommended Dietary Allowance. Within three months, it stimulated the woman's thyroid to produce excessive amounts of thyroid hormone, which triggered weight loss, severe diarrhea, and other symptoms of thyroid toxicity. The iodine also triggered Graves disease, a thyroid condition in which the eyeballs bulge. The swelling became so severe that, despite medical treatment, the woman's optic nerves were crushed and she is now legally blind. Her lawsuit against the chiropractor was settled out of court with undisclosed terms.

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Several state chiropractic boards have brought disciplinary action against practitioners using CRA

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RECOMMENDATION: Two thumbs down: no science, no studies, may lead to misdiagnosis, inappropriate treatment, and permanent injury.

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www.crawellness.com

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