August 2005

Wellness ‑‑ The living matrix/continuum

by David Prescott, MA, JD, DC, FIAMA

"The Living Matrix is simultaneously a mechanical, vibrational, energetic, photonic, and informational network. The entire composite of physiological and regulatory processes we refer to as the living state takes place within thecontext [1] of a continuously interconnected living matrix." (emphases added) ‑‑Oschman, JL: "Energy Medicine in Therapeutics and Human Performance," 2003, p. 317.

"... the mental and physical condition known as disease is a disordered state because of an unusual amount of tension above or below that of tone." (emphasis added) ‑‑As quoted in Wardwell, WI, "Chiropractic, History and Evolution of a New Profession," p. 180.

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In a prior article, I referred to Ron Watkins, DC as questioning the adequacy of the "all‑or‑nothing" concept of the action potential. It should be remembered that the action potential/synapse communication theory was developed during the 1960s‑'70s and long after DD Palmer approached the body's regulatory capacity, in part, from a vibrational perspective.

Nobel Prize winner Sir John Eccles was the prime developer of the action potential/synapse communication theory. In 1993, as he approached the end of his illustrative career, Sir Eccles concluded that further work was clearly needed in this area, especially at the quantum level. (Oschman, p.317) The Oschman text moves the ball a long way down that track and brings together a large amount of theoretical information to which scant justice can be done in this series of articles. Again, the book itself is a "must read" for all chiropractic educators, students and practitioners.

The times are ripe for an energetic, informational, vibrational (tonal) perspective in medicine; especially at the level of wellness‑early intervention before cellular pathology has manifested itself. Let's take a brief look at some of the structural components of the living matrix.

A structural continuum

The extracellular matrix forms a continuum with the cellular and nuclear matrices. This concept should be compared to Virchow's theory of pathology (the primary principle of traditional allopathy) which was premised on the incorrect belief that the body is composed of an aggregate of individual, independent, units; the cells. One point of clarification relative to the picture. The "integrins" are protein molecules that traverse the cell membrane and they form a direct physical connection between the extracellular matrix and the intracellular and nuclear matrices. I will expand upon some of the implications and applications of the continuum concept in subsequent articles.

My present intent is to correlate the living matrix/continuum concept with two of the early leading lights of chiropractic theory and practice whose work is presently largely ignored within the chiropractic community. First, Terrence Bennett, DC who developed the theory and practice of "neurovascular (reflex) point" therapy (used in "AK") based upon his concept of the "functional unit" which he described as follows: (the nervous system) "the arteriole, the capillary, the tissue space, the cell, the lymph capillary, which also lies in this same area, and we have a functional unit which is common to all tissue in the body." [2]

The correlation between Bennett's concept of the functional unit and the living matrix/continuum is readily apparent. The chiropractic community should undertake a full exploration of the living matrix/continuum concept developed in Oschman's text, and otherwise. (The best source I've found to easily review Bennett's reflex "points" is in chapter 2 of Chaitow, L. "Soft‑Tissue Manipulation, A Practitioners Guide to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Soft Tissue Dysfunction and Reflex Activity," Healing Arts Press, 1988.)

Treatment perspectives

In his text, Oschman focuses on the connection between the theoretical framework he is developing and treatment by body workers such as Ida Rolf. In addition, he spends two chapters drawing out the connections between his theoretical construct and acupuncture theory and practice.

Oschman also teaches seminars dealing with laser therapy. He co‑teaches some of these seminars with Jeff Spencer, DC and Dan Murphy, DC. He does not, however, directly address laser therapy or chiropractic theory and practice in his book. In the future, I will go beyond the body worker/acupuncture perspective developed in Oschman's text and correlate the living matrix/continuum theories with some aspects of the evaluation and treatment perspective of functional therapeutics.

The second early chiropractor I wish to address is J. Shelby Riley who founded the New England College of Chiropractic in 1912. He also wrote and one of the earliest and most comprehensive textbooks on chiropractic entitled, "Science and Practice of Chiropractic and Allied Sciences," published in 1919. His book "Zone Therapy" was published in 1924 and is, in part, based upon acupuncture theory and practice. Dr. Ron Watkins (referred to above and in prior articles) told me a couple of years ago that he based his auricular reflex therapy, in part, on Riley's theory of zone therapy.

I recently purchased a copy of Riley's chiropractic text over the Internet and found something particularly relevant to the connections of early chiropractic with the living matrix/continuum concept and with the acupuncture connections drawn in the Oschman text. Previously, I have followed Fred Barge, DC and Virgil Strang, DC (a former dean of philosophy and director of professional ethics at Palmer) in tracing some of the roots of chiropractic theory back to the 19th‑century French physiologist, Claude Bernard. Riley's text provides an additional string to that particular bow.

Claude Bernard was a protΘgΘ of the famous French physiologist, Dr. Francois Magendie. Riley, in his chiropractic text, correlates certain chiropractic concepts with those of Dr. Magendie and goes so far as to present a picture of Magendie on page 51 of the text. The chiropractic roots go deep.

In another terrific book, "Biolectrodynamics and Biocommunication" (World Scientific, 1994, p.7), it's indicated that Magendie was using electroacupuncture as early as 1835 and that such use had spread to Italy and Germany by the mid‑19th century. Indeed, electroacupuncture did not spread to China until the 1950s. In China, electroacupuncture is, among other things, used for acupuncture anaesthesia.

The connections drawn by Oschman between the living matrix/continuum and acupuncture are equally applicable to early chiropractic theories and practices. Indeed, the theories developed in Oschman's text are more closely aligned with chiropractic than with the Chinese theories of yin and yang. In subsequent articles, I will take a closer look at some of the more specific features of the living matrix/continuum.

References

1. The idea of a healing "context" is very important and is also developed in an important book by a former Parker Chiropractic College professor: Black, D. "Inner Wisdom, The Challenge of Contextual Healing." Tapestry Press, 1990.

2. Martin, RJ: "Dynamics of Correction of Abnormal Function: The Terrence Bennett Lectures." Sierra Madre, 1977, p.6.

(David Prescott is a former prosecutor, law school dean, professor of constitutional law, and a trial attorney with more than 30 years experience. He is also a 1989 Cum Laude graduate of Cleveland Chiropractic College. He may be contacted through The Prescott Group, 888‑989‑0855.)