Kinesiology was one of the more alternative things we tried after Stu was diagnosed. I still believe there was value in our experience with it, although five years later I am much more careful about separating what happened to us, what I believe and what the evidence can prove.

WHY WE TRIED KINESIOLOGY

Our route into kinesiology was actually nothing to do with cancer. Years before Stu was diagnosed, I had seen a kinesiologist called Hilary Newman because I knew something wasn't right with me, despite NHS tests not finding anything. Through that process we ended up looking at a parasite I had picked up from water abroad. My experience with Hilary had stayed with me. Then, when Stu and I went to get our marriage licence, we happened to park near Hilary's clinic. By that point my brain was permanently asking the same question about absolutely everything: could this help Stu?

I started thinking about his immune system. Cancer and the immune system are closely connected. Our immune system is capable of recognising and responding to abnormal cells, while cancer cells can develop ways of avoiding, suppressing or manipulating that response. Glioblastoma is particularly good at creating an immunosuppressive environment around itself. What I wondered then, and still wonder about now, was what else Stu's immune system might have been dealing with. That question led us back to Hilary.

WHAT HAPPENED

Kinesiology uses muscle testing as part of its assessment. Hilary tested Stu and identified a number of things which, within her approach, were interpreted as putting additional demands on his body and immune system. These included foods, chemicals, parasites, bacteria, fungal or mould-related issues and other environmental exposures.

At the time, I understood this quite literally: if Stu's immune system was busy dealing with all these other things, perhaps it hadn't been as able to recognise what was happening with the cancer.
I still think the idea of the overall load on our bodies and immune systems is interesting. What I can't tell you is that this was why Stu developed glioblastoma, or that his immune system was “distracted” by these things and therefore failed to detect it. There isn't evidence to establish that chain of events. That's an important distinction.

WHAT WE CHANGED

One of the biggest things kinesiology changed was how much attention we paid to the everyday things Stu was exposed to. We started looking at toiletries, cosmetics, cleaning products, laundry detergent, scented candles and other products we used around the house. We changed quite a lot of them and became much more conscious about ingredients and what we were bringing into our home.
We weren't trying to create a completely chemical-free existence. That's impossible. Everything is made of chemicals and environmental exposure is part of being alive. But there are substances in our environment that are known to affect human health, and some environmental exposures are established carcinogens. For me, reducing unnecessary exposure where we reasonably could made sense. I still do this now.

That doesn't mean I think a particular shampoo, washing powder or scented candle caused Stu's glioblastoma. I have absolutely no evidence for that. Nor do I believe swapping your cleaning products is a treatment for cancer. It was one of the things we could control in a situation where almost everything felt completely beyond our control, and it made us think much more carefully about what we were exposing ourselves to every day.

Yuka

I still use the Yuka app now. You can scan the barcode on food, toiletries and cosmetic products and it gives you a breakdown of the ingredients and explains how the product has been rated. I find it really useful when I'm comparing products or trying to make more informed choices about what we use at home. As with any consumer app, I wouldn't treat its rating as a definitive assessment of whether something is “safe” or “unsafe”, but I find it a useful tool for understanding what's actually in the products I'm buying.

We also changed some foods, mostly temporarily, and Stu took supplements recommended through the process. As with all the supplements we considered, I checked them against his other treatment and discussed what we were doing with members of his medical team.

EBV, TOXOPLASMA AND WHAT HAPPENED NEXT

This is one of the reasons I haven't completely dismissed our experience with kinesiology. During one of Stu's appointments, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Toxoplasma came up through Hilary's testing. I'd already started reading about infections and viruses and whether there might be connections between them, the immune system and cancers of the central nervous system.

Later, as part of our work with Dr Callebout, we had conventional medical blood tests carried out. Some were done privately because there was a national shortage of blood collection tubes at the time and we were told the tests couldn't be done through the NHS. Those tests showed evidence relating to EBV and Toxoplasma. Stu was also tested for CMV, which wasn't found. I found that extraordinary then and I still find it interesting now. But I need to be careful about what that tells us. It doesn't prove that kinesiology can diagnose EBV or Toxoplasma. It doesn't prove that either contributed to Stu's glioblastoma. And it doesn't prove that treating them would treat his cancer.

It is just what happened to us: they came up during the kinesiology process and they subsequently appeared in conventional medical testing. I'm not going to turn that coincidence into scientific proof. I'm also not going to rewrite our experience five years later and pretend it didn't happen.

THE IMMUNE SYSTEM & CANCER

This is one area where science has continued to move enormously since Stu was diagnosed. We now understand a great deal about the relationship between cancer and the immune system. Tumours aren't passive collections of rogue cells sitting unnoticed while the immune system gets on with something else. They interact with their surroundings and can actively manipulate immune responses.

Glioblastoma is particularly difficult in this respect. Research describes a profoundly immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment involving dysfunctional T cells, tumour-associated macrophages and other mechanisms that help the tumour evade an effective immune response. That is established cancer biology. It is not, however, evidence that parasites, fungal issues, environmental chemicals or other things we identified through kinesiology had overloaded Stu's immune system and allowed his glioblastoma to grow. Those are two different things.

I still believe the overall health of the immune system matters. I still find the idea that the cumulative demands placed on our bodies could matter interesting. But “interesting and biologically plausible to me” is not the same thing as “proven”, especially when we're talking about something as serious as glioblastoma.

WHAT DOES THE EVIDENCE SAY ABOUT KINESIOLOGY?

This is where my view in 2026 is more cautious than it was in 2021. Applied kinesiology and muscle testing have been studied, but there isn't good evidence that the particular muscle-testing techniques used to identify internal diseases, infections, intolerances or problematic substances are reliable diagnostic tests. That matters. If kinesiology suggests that you have an infection, parasite, deficiency or another medical problem, I would want that investigated using an appropriate validated medical test before making treatment decisions based on it.

That doesn't invalidate someone's personal experience of kinesiology. It does mean I wouldn't use muscle testing instead of conventional diagnosis, blood tests, scans or medical care. We didn't use it instead of Stu's oncology treatment either. It sat alongside everything else we were doing.

WHAT I THINK NOW

This is probably the hardest section to write because I don't have a neat conclusion. I still believe there was value in what we did with Hilary. I still think about the fact that EBV and Toxoplasma came up and were subsequently found through medical testing. I still choose to reduce unnecessary chemical exposures in our home and in the products I use. And I still believe that looking after the whole person, rather than thinking only about the tumour growing inside their head, matters.

But I am much less interested now in turning any of those beliefs into certainty. I can't tell you that Stu's immune system was overloaded. I can't tell you that parasites, fungus, bacteria or chemical exposures contributed to his glioblastoma. I can't tell you that kinesiology can reliably diagnose those things. And I definitely can't tell you that doing what we did will change the course of somebody else's cancer. What I can do is tell you exactly what happened to us, what it made us think about and what I would do differently with the knowledge I have now.

HINDSIGHT

Would I still think about Stu's immune system if we were doing this again? Absolutely. Would I still reduce unnecessary exposures, feed him well, look after his general health and investigate things that seemed potentially relevant? Yes. Would I still be curious if something unexpected came up through a complementary therapy? Probably. That's me.

But I'd want medical testing to investigate anything that could affect a treatment decision, and I'd be much more careful about the enormous leap between “we found this” and “this contributed to his cancer.” In 2021 I was trying to find every possible thing that might help keep my husband alive. If someone told me there was another layer of the onion to peel back, I'd peel the fucking onion. Five years later, I don't regret being curious. I just understand much better where curiosity ends and evidence begins.

CURRENT INFORMATION · 2026

GLIOBLASTOMA & THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

Current research describes glioblastoma as having a profoundly immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment. The tumour can influence immune cells and pathways in ways that help it evade an effective anti-tumour response. This is an important and rapidly developing area of glioblastoma research, particularly in attempts to make immunotherapies work more effectively.

APPLIED KINESIOLOGY

Research into applied kinesiology does not currently support using its specialised muscle-testing procedures to diagnose internal disease, infections or reactions to substances. A 2025 systematic review found very mixed reliability across manual muscle testing used within applied kinesiology. Importantly, testing involving non-musculoskeletal “challenges” showed no reliable performance and was not recommended for clinical use. If kinesiology identifies something you are concerned about, ask your medical team whether there is an appropriate validated test to investigate it.

ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES

Environmental exposure and cancer is a field of research. Some substances and exposures are established human carcinogens, while for many others the evidence is uncertain or depends heavily on the type, dose and duration of exposure. Reducing unnecessary exposure to things you don't want in your home is a personal choice. It should not be confused with treating glioblastoma, and a product being described as “natural”, “clean” or “non-toxic” does not automatically make it safer.

EBV & GLIOBLASTOMA

Epstein-Barr virus is associated with several established cancers, but its relationship with glioblastoma remains uncertain. Research has investigated whether EBV may be present or relevant in glioblastoma, but a causal association has not been established. Finding evidence of a previous or current infection therefore does not mean that infection caused the tumour.

Medical disclaimer
This website shares our personal experience of glioblastoma and the information we found useful along the way. It is not medical advice and should not replace advice from your doctors or oncology team. Always discuss supplements, complementary therapies and significant dietary or lifestyle changes with your medical team, particularly during cancer treatment.


FURTHER READING & RESOURCES

Yuka
I still use Yuka to scan food, cosmetic and personal-care products and understand more about their ingredients and how Yuka has assessed them.

Glioblastoma & the immune system
A 2026 review looking at the complex immune environment surrounding glioblastoma and the mechanisms the tumour uses to suppress and evade immune responses.

Applied kinesiology & muscle testing
A 2025 systematic review examining the reliability of manual muscle testing used in applied kinesiology, including the much weaker evidence for testing involving non-musculoskeletal challenges.

Environmental exposures & cancer
The US National Cancer Institute explains what is known about environmental carcinogens and why cancer risk depends on factors including the substance, level and duration of exposure.

Toxoplasma & brain tumours
A systematic review and meta-analysis found an association between Toxoplasma gondii exposure and brain tumours, including glioma, while making clear that further research is needed and the findings do not establish that Toxoplasma causes brain tumours.

kinesiology