Not only did Seventy-six percent of the patients studied report improved combined wellness changes in all categories assessed, but the longer the individuals were in care, the greater the level of improvement. After over 3 years of care, no limit or ceiling was found to the benefits. This is remarkable.

Findings from the retrospective study showed that all measured characteristics of care exerted a pronounced impact on perceived improvements in wellness. Individuals who had experienced significant "life stress (change in job, etc..)" and trauma were more likely to report perceived improvements in wellness than those with less stress or trauma.

Statistical analysis using multivariate regression has allowed the development of a "model" to analyze the influence of a number of factors on a given outcome. The influence of the variables on the outcome portion of the overall model is referred to as the R2. If only the variables considered account for all of the variance around a predicted outcome the R2 would be equal to 100%. Relative to the retrospective study, a number of factors were tested to find out the extent to which they influenced the outcome variable "wellness." When a patient reports a perceived change in their health a number of factors could be contributing to that change. A regression model tests what influence personality factors, social status factors, and other social conditions may have on a person’s perceived wellness. Through this process, it is possible to construct an overall model which shows what impact the actual care had on respondent’s perceived wellness independent of other demographic characteristics such as age, gender, income, lifestyle, and amount of stress due to change in life activities.

Following this logic, the retrospective study showed that sociodemographic factors such as age, gender, education, and income contributed very little to explaining the large change in "wellness" experienced by respondents under Network Care. However, the indicators of potentially "stressful" life circumstances such as change in marital status, job, residence, etc., or experiences of past trauma collectively explained 16% of the variance in improved "wellness." This is interpreted to mean that patients reporting a significant change in life circumstances and past traumatic experiences report a greater perceived improvement in wellness. This further suggests that those who "needed" stress buffering the most (holding all other variables constant) had the highest perceived benefit from Network Care. Interestingly, when duration of care, awareness of the wave, awareness of change in breathing , and whether or not respondent’s expectations were met, were added to this regression model, explained variance rose from 16% to 24%, a 50% increase. This suggests that even when holding other variables such as external social factors and interpersonal factors constant, Network Care had an additional effect on the respondent’s perceived improvement in health and wellness.

To understand the effect of lifestyle behaviors on present wellness, another regression model was constructed. This model showed that higher present wellness was predicted, (explaining 3% of the variance) by being younger, having a job, and being married. Moreover, when other variables such as having no ailments, reporting a higher emotional state score, and higher perceived prior wellness, the explained variability rose to 36%. When adding Network Care Characteristics; such as, time under care, awareness of the wave, awareness of breathing, and expectations met, the explained variance rose to 38%.

Patients were also asked about health promoting changes in lifestyle practices such as exercise, relaxation, meditation, yoga, diet, vitamins, vegetarianism; and health risking lifestyles such as smoking, beef and caffeine consumption. However, when change in lifestyle was included in a regression model predicting a perceived improvement in wellness (before care minus present wellness), it accounted for only 5% of the variance. Future analysis will likely explain the dynamic between lifestyle habits, the use of NSA, and perceived wellness. That is, does using NSA lead to a change in lifestyles, and if so, do these lifestyle changes, rather than NSA, account for the improvement reported by patients?

The Retrospective questionnaire is being utilized at the New Zealand Chiropractic Association School of Chiropractic, in Auckland. The Epstein model of spinal and neural integrity is part of the curricula at the school, as well as Network Spinal Analysis™ being taught as an elective at the school and practiced in their clinical program.

Two chiropractic colleges in the USA have showed an interest in utilize this revolutionary patient self reported wellness assessment tool.

A Longitudinal Study was performed, also at the Medical College of the University of California- Irvine, which tracked patients over time in care, with some patients still in care after one year. The questionnaire developed for the Retrospective study, was repeatedly completed. This study, soon to be submitted for publication appears to support the conclusion of the Retrospective study, further validating the questionnaire and the effectiveness of care. Interesting unique factors associated with care will be highlighted in this study.

A study by Miller and Redmond (1998), evaluated changes in digital skin temperature, sEMG, and electrodermal activity in subjects receiving NSA. The NSA group demonstrated a significant decline in electrodermal activity and constancy of sEMG activity compared to controls, thus prompting the authors to proposed that a "sympathetic quieting effect" was in effect during the clinical application NSA. These authors also suggested that these findings were consistent with the self-reported improvements in mental/emotional state and stress reduction in patients receiving Network Care in the retrospective study.

A recent study by Behrendt h reported a significant reduction in psoriasis in a male patient who had been under medical care for about eight years. While under concurrent NSA care, although at times undergoing personal stress which a known exacerbating factor in psoriasis, the patient maintained a decrease in body coverage to approximately 1.0% in the absence of methotrexate, a common immunosuppressant medication given to control psoriasis. Prior to NSA, he mistakenly withdrew from the medication, only to experience "flares" of up to 15% body coverage. The patient also reported other quality of life improvements. The author proposes that concurrent NSA care may have been helpful to this patient, possibly by positively affecting psychoneuroimmunological pathways.

Dynamical Non-linear Model
The actual neurophysiological processes which take place in patients under NSA care are under investigation. Two wave forms have been described to date. Specific changes have been reported by patients when expressing predominantly the "respiratory wave," while other benefits are reported during periods when patients are experiencing both the "respiratory wave," and the "somatopsychic wave™." The time periods under care when these waves are most likely to be experienced has been described and identified relative to the Levels of Care, or clinical application of NSA.

It is visually apparent that a unique set of muscular contraction patterns are associated with the " somatopsychic wave™," Thus, this neurophysiological phenomenon initiated through the clinical application of NSA was chosen for investigation Observation of the "somatopsychic wave™" reveals that the muscular contraction patterns are unique to each individual, but the overall group of patterns exhibit characteristic movements that seem common to a wide range of individuals expressing the wave. It also has been observed that when a large group of people are expressing the "somatopsychic wave™" that some of the movements of the larger muscle groups exhibit synchrony within the population. Moreover, while certain muscle contraction patterns are characteristic of the process, it is not predictable as to when a given pattern will be expressed by a patient, or if the pattern will be expressed at all. Additionally, the individual patient can consciously arrest the "somatopsychic wave™" but not reproduce it consciously. This combination of characteristics led to the development of a research hypothesis that the neuromuscular process was not only non-linear, but dynamical (chaotic) as well.

Current investigation has provided preliminary information in support of this hypothesis. 

That is, when surface electromyographic (sEMG) data was analyzed by non-linear mathematical algorithms, a non-linear attractor estimated to be of an order between 4 and 10 was predicted. Future study in this area will focus on confirming the suspected "chaotic" non-linearity of the "somatopsychic wave™," and depicting its respective attractor. If predictions hold true, the next step will be to differentiate the wave relative to Levels of Care to see if attractors specific to each Level of Care can be discerned. This would permit confirmation of patient progress as to their respective status relative to the Network Protocol. Patients have been sampled at different Levels of Care. Preliminary mathematics is promising in regards to a potential relationship between progression in NSA Levels of Care and organization state of the signal and therefore the nervous system

Milestone: The "somatopsychic wave™" represents a consistent, readily repeatable physiological model for non-linear mathematical modeling. This characteristic should be of interest to a wide range of disciplines interested in the dynamics of human function.

A Functional MRI (brain scan without X-rays) in a pilot study of only one person suggested a extremely significant increase in brain efficiency via change in blood flow to the cerebral cortex (the thinking brain). This study was sufficient to have a grant awarded to a medical college for further study of the potential enhanced brain function in Network Care. It is hoped that this study will be expanded upon and will be performed at various international institutions

Research Planned
A study of immunologic function associated with NSA care is currently being developed in conjunction with a Professor of immunology at the University of Auckland.

Candace Pert, Ph.D., former chief of brain biochemistry at the Nation Institutes of Mental Health and currently Professor of Research at the department of Physiology and Biophysics, Georgetown University Medical Center is currently involved in developing a further research agenda studying monocyte selectivity for neuropeptide associated with various phases or states of spinal cord tension patterns proposed by Dr. Epstein. Dr. Pert and Dr. Epstein are entering into a cooperation for a theoretical paper bridging the Pert model of neuropeptide (chemicals of emotion) and membrane research with the Epstein model of spinal and neural integrity and model of the Emotional subsystem. It is being proposed that the alteration of membrane tension at the spinal level may be associated with a predisposition to certain neuropeptide binding at the cell membrane. It is further proposed that the Somatopsychic wave™ seen in Network Care is associated with a change in this peptide-membrane relationship as tension is liberated from the nervous system and tissues regain flexibility and compliance.



NSA, through specific clinical methodology elicits an innate response, which through its apparent chaotic character can be surmised to involve inherent neurophysiological processes which are also chaotic in nature. This response appears to link the active, passive, neurological, and emotional subsystems, into a deterministic complex affecting spinal/neural integrity. The results of this process are reflected at the human perception level as improvements over a wide range of physical, mental, and emotional factors; all of which are believe to be components of health. These responses and expressions of improvement have been quantified as a wellness coefficient and measured through a non-medical health questionnaire format which has demonstrated a high level of internal and external validity.