Network Spinal Analysis - A Research Perspective

Published in The Chiropractic Journal September, 2000

Network Spinal Analysis™: A Research Perspective

NSA is a unique system for advancing spinal and neural integrity; developing new strategies of self-organization, 
and living life from the “inside out”.

By Donald Epstein, D.C.

I am proud to report that studies of NSA patients’ self reported changes span the largest range of health and wellness domains for a non-medical approach. Even more exciting is that this study performed through the University of California, Irvine College of Medicine indicates improvements in all areas surveyed. Strikingly, 76% of the 2,818 patient self-reported retrospective assessments show statistically significant improvement in their Physical, Emotional, Stress, and Life Enjoyment categories of health and wellness as well as their overall quality of life. Even in patients in care for more than 3 years, there appeared to be no ceiling to improvement.

Network Care is associated with significant improvement in self-rated perceptions of “wellness.” Patients who have been under care the longest time reported the greatest improvement in wellness. This retrospective study reflects a large epidemiological group and could be a benchmark for future studies assessing health and wellness related outcomes among patients with a more holistic view of health. 

The completed longitudinal study followed a population in care over a one year period. The data collected further validated the questionnaire used to measure wellness and quality of life, and gave us great insight into the strong changes patients achieve in Network Care.

It was found that patients continue in care long after symptoms reduce or disappear. They make healthier choices in their life and enjoyed life more. The study of people receiving Network Spinal Analysis™ demonstrated that people found reasons other than physical symptoms to continue in care. This was revealed by their improved wellness and quality of life indicators.

Network care is delivered to enhance improvement in the patient’s passive, active, neural, and emotional sub-systems, advancing their spinal and neural integrity. Outcome assessment revealed predictable and reproducible development of new strategies of self-organization as one progressed through a series of Levels of Care.

Each Level of Care appears to be accompanied by an increase in self- awareness and self-responsibility by the patient for his spine, and nervous system, in relationship to his healing and life.

Rather than attempting to fix or control any problem, including nerve tension, pressure, stress, pain, fixation or subluxation, or to return a patient to a previous state, an NSA practitioner will seek to promote new properties within the nervous system and spinal tissues. These properties are believed to assist in advancing spinal and neural integrity, wellness, quality of life and self organization, allowing the expression of a greater degree of wellness. 

Research demonstrates that even if a patient changes diet, exercise, meditates, and performs other health promoting practices, the wellness index questionnaire does not predict greater wellness, unless there is also a greater level of life enjoyment. This is paradigm shifting information. In my opinion, this supports the concept that an internal state of well being helps empower the educated choices we make, and that doing “the right things” does not necessarily produce wellness and health. Increased wellness helps our lifestyle choices to work for us.

The improvement in each of the domains of wellness almost doubled when NSA care was applied, as compared to when only constructive health/lifestyle changes were implemented.

You may have seen, experienced, or heard about the two types of natural body waves, one respiratory and one somatopsychic, that develop uniquely in Network Spinal Analysis™ care. These waves are believed to dissipate tension and re organize the functioning of the spine and nervous system. The awareness of the waves in patients is the most significant predictor of enhanced wellness on all levels measured.

The “somatopsychic wave™” is a consistent, repeatable physiological phenomenon which can be studied as a non-linear mathematical model. This is of interest to other disciplines studying the dynamics of human function. At the University of Southern California, the NSA population is being studied to assess certain mathematical aspects of biological self-organization. Moreover, in a group of people expressing the “somatopsychic wave™”, it has been observed that movements of the larger spinal muscles exhibit synchrony, or “entrain” within the population.

Preliminary studies demonstrate that the organization of the surface EMG signal (recorded on patients possessing the strategy of the Somatopsychic wave™) develops greater levels of complexity as the subjects progressed through subsequent Levels of Care.

An exciting next step in research will be to characterize the mathematics of this wave in relation to each Level of Care. This would permit a correlation between each of the Levels of Care and such aspects of patient progress as enhanced self-organization. 

I am actively supporting further clinical investigation. I believe it is essential to conduct ongoing research to further understand NSA’s mode of action. This will advance our knowledge and improve the quality of service we can provide to the public.

I have clinically dedicated myself to furthering the knowledge of the biological links which will help us express a greater range of our humanity. I believe this will help us make healthier choices for ourselves, be to be a more compassionate, vital, creative, self aware, and responsible human culture. I believe that by optimizing the individual’s biology, NSA will facilitate positive transformation on a global scale, changing the world a spine at a time.

Published in The Chiropractic Journal September, 2000

For more information on Network Spinal Analysis Research please visit the Research section of the Association For Network Care website or Click Here