of assessing and locating "Spinal Gateways™." The concept of the Spinal Gateway™ is represented in Section IV.

II. THEORETICAL BASIS FOR THE EPSTEIN MODEL OF VERTEBRAL SUBLUXATION.
Dr. Epstein first recognized in 1982 that the formation of vertebral subluxation was more complex than had been originally described (Palmer, 1934) or as later developed in the concept of the Vertebral Subluxation Complex (Stiga, 1982). The original description depicted the formation of vertebral subluxation as a process initiated by vertebral misalignment, followed by a progressive series of "effects" leading to an end-point. The etiology of vertebral subluxation is associated with a plethora of factors (Leach, 1986); however, since the original description, vertebral subluxation has remained a "sequential" or "unidirectional" concept.

That vertebral subluxation has been described using a unidirectional model is not surprising. Although humans can simultaneously process and conceptualize a wide range of sensory information, only one thought can be expressed at a time. The challenge, therefore, has been to develop an effective model to communicate the dynamics of a multi-directional phenomenon (Boone and Dobson, 1996, 1997).

To apply this new model clinically, it became apparent that a shift in traditional cognitive practices needed to take place. Practitioners would have to first learn to conceptualize vertebral subluxation as a non-linear, multi-directional event. Consistent with these concepts, practitioners would also need to evaluate findings regarding the functional state of the spine and its specific actions interpreted as being involved in the dissipation of energy. Those mental impressions could then be transformed into a sequential application of appropriate actions, including assessing parameters indicative of vertebral subluxation, introducing force into the spine, and evaluating the body's responses to the corrective force applications.

Before applying his initial concepts in the clinical setting, Dr. Epstein proposed the idea that factors associated with subluxated vertebrae were inter-linked as part of a quasi-sequential, non-linear continuum. For example, the existence of a state of subluxation is a result of the net effect of interactions happening sequentially at times or simultaneously at other times. Consequently, it is implausible to assign one particular "cause" to the condition of subluxation and, more importantly, any singular action in its correction. In reality, it is likely that the net effect of many interacting variables is eliciting or resolving the subluxated state. This line of reasoning may further be extrapolated to viewing vertebral subluxation as an adaptive strategy to any given combination of endogenous and/or exogenous events that threaten the survival of the individual. That is, while a state of subluxation is, in and of itself, detrimental to the body as a short-term strategy, it represents a lesser threat to survival than if the body imbibed the collective factors without subluxating.

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