Positive Health Online

In my practice as an Aromatherapist (and Tutor for the Association of Natural Medicines), as with most other forms of complementary medicine, people come to me for help after exhausting all other avenues of orthodox medicine. They are often quite negative and sceptical, but are willing to try anything to alleviate the pain. The most common problem that walks through my door is back pain, to varying degrees. Although massage and essential oils can relax and ease muscle tension and give considerable relief, where there is a mis-alignment in the skeletal system, the problem always remains. Many of my patients have tried other forms of skeletal alignment without success.

About 18 months ago I met an Australian who was visiting the UK. He had studied a form of spinal alignment that I had never heard of before. I was intrigued by his claims and investigated it further. After his return to Australia, I wrote to the Neuroskeletal Dynamics Institute in South Australia to find out more information. Earlier this year, I flew out to Australia to study and train in this therapy with its creator, and am now the first qualified practitioner in the Northern Hemisphere to hold the Associate Diploma.

The Background

Neuroskeletal Dynamics was devised by Diana Hunter in Adelaide, South Australia about 17 years ago. She and a chiropractic friend were concerned that so many back problems could not be entirely healed, and instead patients constantly had to return for ongoing treatment. They were also concerned that continuous physical spinal adjustments over long periods of time, could possibly add to the degeneration process, and it is no fun to have to take pain-killers and anti-inflammatories for the rest of your life. Diana herself had been born with rickets in the 1940s, and was suffering from osteo-arthritis by the time she was in her early thirties, so the research she did was very self-motivated.

The research involved looking at what was already available, and studies were done with Kinesiology, Polarity Therapy and Zone Therapy. From this research, it was discovered that by accessing the body's electrical system, a way could be used to promote correct alignment. It is a fact that our nervous system operates on a very minute electrical current, and a lot of work had already been done with regard to stimulation or suppression of nerve function with electrical voltages.

After 15 years, the Neuroskeletal Dynamic Institute was born, and everyone who has learned this technique, including myself, has had great success. The Associate Diploma Course, which I am in the process of setting up in the UK, involves learning medical terminology, orthopaedics, pharmacology and basic radiology, with some 500 hours of study, including writing a Research Paper of a minimum of 10,000 words. The prerequisite for this course is a 60 hour certificate in Anatomy & Physiology, and is aimed at health care practitioners in the fields of chiropractors, osteopaths, physiotherapists and massage therapists, who wish to enhance their therapy and the benefits to their patients.

How it Works

The most important aspect of NSD (for short) is that it is a gentle, non-manipulative therapy and uses only very light touch. There is no bone crunching or cracking of bones. It is so relaxing that a lot of my patients have fallen asleep during the procedure. It is also very non-invasive, and patients need only remove their shoes before settling down on the treatment couch.

The Central Nervous System is accessed through "neuro- transmission" points. A pad of fluid appears to sit above the nerve and by pressing carefully on this pad, an electrical reaction occurs, thereby causing stimulus in the brain to activate the related muscle groups. The associated muscles contract, realigning the spine back into the genetic pattern of the patient. The whole treatment is controlled by the brain of the patient, the therapist acting purely as a catalyst for the whole operation. Because of this, you cannot do any physical damage or intensify the problem. It is the natural inclination of the body to heal itself and will not support movement away from balance, only assist in the promotion of homoeostasis.

The neuro-transmission points have been mapped out, and must be performed in a strict sequence from start to finish. There is no place for "Band-Aid" therapy with this technique. When the fingers are on the correct point, I can feel either a pulsation or a tingling sensation. The fingers are placed on the point for about 30 seconds before moving on to the next one. The pulse felt has no relation to the circulation of the blood, it is quite distinct and different. We start at the hips and sacrum, then proceed up the vertebral column, finishing at the cranium. There are also points which have been mapped out on the skull sutures and the ribs.

The patients I have worked on have felt sensations from heat and tingling, to actual movement of the vertebrae. The heat felt is actually being produced by the Central Nervous System of the patient, this being a purely physical therapy. A lot of patients are surprised that it feels as if nothing much is being done, especially if they are used to being physically manipulated. I am having to re-educate people as the "no pain, no gain" syndrome does not exist with NSD!

After the treatment, which takes about 45 minutes, the patient will often feel light- headed when sitting up. This is especially noticeable where there has been some cervical realignment, and pressure has been relieved off the vertebral artery, allowing an increased oxygen supply to the brain. Once this feeling has passed, I ask the patient to stand, and every patient that I have worked on so far has marvelled at how different they feel.

By using NSD, you basically initiate a reaction in the body, and patients may feel reactions for up to 48 hours. To ease any aching muscles, we advise patients to have a hot bath or shower (bathing is better). Although massage therapy works well with NSD to help alleviate aching muscles and ease them into their new positions following alignment, no massage should be done for the 48 hours after a treatment, while the body is settling down. It is very important that NSD is not mixed with other therapies, as this negates the overall effectiveness of NSD.

The amount of treatments required by a patient varies depending on the type of trauma or defect. Obviously congenital defects such as spina bifida occulta and spondylolisthesis, cannot be made perfectly aligned, but we can promote the optimum balance for the individual, achieving a pain-free state. This indeed is preferable to taking long-term medication or surgery. With prostheses, the body will achieve the best position possible. Old injuries will take longer to resolve than a more recent problem. Arthritis cannot be cured, but it can be successfully managed, again achieving optimum mobility and pain relief. So, if the misalignment is of recent origin, very little treatment is required to correct it. If it is chronic and the muscular system has deteriorated correspondingly, then several treatments may be necessary to restore full mobility. Because the entire spine is aligned, the effect of the treatment is permanent, the patient not requiring continual therapy unless there is a severe defect or disease component such as osteo-arthritis, congenital defects, traumatised bone or surgical intervention.

Neuroskeletal Dynamics has been used with success to treat everything from sporting injuries, through chronic injuries, accident trauma, crippling arthritis, paraplegia and strokes. My own Research Paper was on Cerebrovascular Accidents, and I have been working on some stroke patients who have improved as a result. In the case of paraplegia, as long as the spinal cord is not completely severed, then treatment can be effective. This has been documented in Australia where one paraplegic has made a remarkable recovery. His most recent CAT scan now shows a normal spinal cord, and realignment of the vertebrae at T11 & T12 has allowed this to happen. Muscles in the legs are beginning to come back, and he can now swim using flippers. An outstanding achievement by my Australian colleagues.

In practice since the early 1980s, it has been clinically known to be very effective, treating and achieving resolution with such varied problems as:

• Disc herniation, pronation and sequestration.
• Osteophyte encroachment into neural foraminae.
• Spinal cord trauma (if the cord is not severed entirely).
• Disc degeneration, spondylitis and spondylosis.
• Migraine, headache, whiplash trauma, sporting injuries.
• Lumbago, rheumatism, and associated muscle pain.
• Scoliosis, kyphosis and lordosis.
• Congenital defects such as spondylolisthesis, spina bifida occulta, partes inarticulares defects.
• Hip dysplasias (infantile & adult), birth trauma, road traffic accidents.
• Skull trauma, osteoporosis, back pain in pregnancy.

It is totally safe to use in pregnancy and on babies. It can also be just as effectively used on animals. I have used it on cats, dogs and horses, and anything with a vertebral column can be treated, as long as someone guards the teeth end!!

A selection of Case Studies

Case 1: Psoriatic Arthritis

One of the first patients I worked on has suffered with this problem, giving him constant stiff joints and pain. For the last few months he has been receiving a series of gold injections. After his NSD treatments, he was amazed at the amount of mobility he has in his neck, and his knees no longer ache. During the treatments we felt movement in the lumbar and cervical regions of his spine and his scapulae moved considerably.

Case 2: Scoliosis

This patient had developed a double scoliosis at the age of 4 years, when she had a Harrington Rod inserted. This was removed at the age of 14 years. She now has been diagnosed as having osteo-arthritis at the base of her spine and in her neck. She felt immediately better after the first treatment, the pain seemed to just disappear. She will require ongoing treatment but feels happy that she has something to turn to now that really works, without resorting to pain-killers.

Case 3: Stroke

This patient suffered a stroke in 1996 and although recovering well from the hemiplegia, was left with a "drop shoulder" as described by the physiotherapist at the hospital. She was given pain killers but says she has cried herself to sleep with the pain.

The mobility in the shoulder joint was also poor. After the first treatment she could feel the difference. The next time she came for treatment, she had improved quite well and the pain had died down into a dull ache. It has given her great optimism and this "hope" is extremely important in the process of recovery for stroke sufferers.

Case 4: Whiplash Injuries

This type of complaint is quite common and causes all sorts of related problems later in life if left unchecked, including kyphosis (Dowager's hump) rounded shoulders and lower back pain. All the patients I have treated with these problems have benefited from NSD, and treatments are currently ongoing to help reduce the kyphosis and relieve the usual whiplash symptoms.

Case 5: Sciatica

This patient had worked for many years as a care assistant, and after developing lower back pain and sciatica, she had to give up her job. The pain was quite excruciating and felt in the left hip, going down the left leg. She suffered leg cramps and suffered a lot of migraines. After just two treatments the pain is completely gone, and the happy news is that she has resumed her career, taking up a new care assistant post.