FAQ
What is the SONIK treatment?
The treatment is sonic – sound-based focal pulsed stimulation. Sound is essentially vibration or rhythmic pulses. Living beings are filled with pulsations and respond to pulsed stimulation with specific frequencies having particular effects. We scientifically select frequencies and target pulsed stimulation for scientifically identified medical conditions. Using data guided placement, angle, inclination, and exact micro-force, the precision engineered stylus technology applies a patient personalized protocol of ALKINDI pulses.
How does SONIK work?
The SONIK treatment device uses ALKINDI pulses to relieve pain by improving spinal alignment and the back, shoulders. and pelvis, while enhancing the health of the spinal discs, ligaments, and muscles. SONIK philosophy is to focus on treating the underlying causes that result in pain.
What are ALKINDI pulses?
The SONIK device delivers Accelerated Audible Low-frequency Kinetically Directed Impulses (ALKINDI) explained as: “accelerated” – a rapidly increasing frequency curve, “audible” – perceptible by normal hearing, “low frequency” – at the lowest level of human audibility in the 10 – 200 Hz range, “kinetically directed” – very specifically angled and directed at body targets, and “impulses” – sound-initiated micro-force percussion waves delivered through a stylus.
What is pulse stimulation in medicine and how does SONIK fit into it?
Pulsed stimulation in medicine often involves electrical pulses as in rTMS - repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation or in TENS – Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation. It can also be mechanical with intense acoustic percussive waves as in Shockwave therapy. It can be whole body vibration where the person stands on a shaking platform. Or it can be acoustic stimulation with gentle sound waves that activate a cellular response from the sound wave action applied to large parts of the body or as in the case of SONIK, to a very focused point on the body. Acoustic stimulation of the body was developed 40 years ago, was FDA approved to increase general blood circulation, reduce pain, and improve joint mobility in 1996, but NSI has now taken the field to its most precise application though its ground-breaking research with focal pulsed stimulation using precise body imaging data to achieve spinal adjustment, nerve cluster stimulation, and ligament rejuvenation.
How does SONIK treat pain?
SONIK’s treatment plan targets the underlying cause of pain. Once the body is placed in proper alignment and the spinal discs, ligaments, and muscles are stimulated, the body’s natural healing capabilities enable long-term relief from pain.
What type of conditions does SONIK treat?
The SONIK treatment has been clinically proven to be effective for almost all types of chronic muscle, nerve or joint pain, including back pain.
• Back Pain – Herniated Disc, Arthritis, Sciatica, Scoliosis, Spinal Stenosis, Spinal Degeneration (Spondylosis)
• Neck and Joint Pain – Neck pain, Whiplash, Arthritis, Shoulder Pain, Rotator Cuff (Shoulder), Hip and Knee Pain (Posture related)
• Nervous System – Numbness & Tingling, Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, Nerve Damage
• Head Conditions – Headaches, Migraines, Vertigo (dizziness), Concussions
How do ALKINDI pulses affect the position of my bones?
The ALKINDI pulses are sound waves focally applied to your body. Picture a calm pool of water. When you drop a ball into the water at the side, you will see ripple waves move across the whole pool. If there is a floating object on the other side of the pool, it will begin to move from the wave. Similarly, when you apply a jack hammer to a concrete sidewalk, you see objects quite far from the jack hammer move. So in liquid or solid material pulses are transmitted through the material. When we repeatedly tap your skin and muscle close to a bone, that “movement” is transmitted to the bone and the bone moves. The precisely directionally focused ALKINDI pulses make bones move.
How do ALKINDI pulses align my spine?
We know a repeated tapping aimed at a vertebra causes it to move. Therefore, a specific vector of ALKINDI pulses aimed precisely can change the angle of C1. A change in the angle of C1 in turn creates a force on each of the vertebrae in the spine. If the C1 angle is out of alignment because of an accident or misuse, the spine will go out of alignment and may cause serious physical damage and pain. If the C1 angle is corrected, the spine will go back into alignment and pain will subside.
Do ALKINDI pulses have an effect on the bone material itself?
Healthy bones are constantly in a balanced process of renewal by getting rid of old cells and building new cells to replace the old. When the process is out of balance and getting rid of old cells is more active than the process of building new ones a person develops weak bones. Pulsation applied to bone cells (such as ALKINDI pulses) causes the process of getting rid of old cells to slow down and building new ones to speed up allowing the process to rebalance and to build stronger bones.
The spine is not just bones. How do ALKINDI pulses affect discs and ligaments?
ALKINDI pulses do not just shake and move bones, they also shake up other cells. For example, when blood vessels are “shaken” by pulsation, the cells on the inside called endothelial cells release nitric oxide and that makes blood flow better. When cells of the spine are “shaken” they release proteins that have a positive healing effect on discs and ligaments. For example, when the spine is “shaken” by ALKINDI pulses, the proteins aggrecan, collagen type I and II, decorin, and versican are all affected in a way to make the discs and ligaments healthier. In addition, pulsation applied to the body creates a positive environment for cells by releasing more proteins Annexin A2 and prolyl 4 hydroxylase.
Why would you apply ALKINDI pulses to the center of the head (Cz)
There are several types of pain. When you get a cut on your foot, there is an obvious reason for the pain. But sometimes pain is more general and has been there for a long time – we call it chronic pain. Chronic pain often is sustained by a malfunction of the circuits in the brain that process the signals from the nerves – the pain signal may not be coming in from your leg but the brain still makes it feel like the leg is hurting. One of the major intersections of brain circuits is on top of your head – at Cz. These brain circuits send important communication signals at gamma frequencies (30 – 80hz). We apply the ALKINDI pulses with gamma frequencies at the major intersection to try to get the circuits to regulate themselves so that they will adjust their signals and turn off the pain.
Can applying ALKINDI pulses to the head cause brain damage?
We apply vibration to our head on a constant basis – this is called sound. We have a mechanism for turning the vibration of sound waves (compressions and decompressions of air molecules) in the air into audible sound with our ear and its parts. We do not suffer brain damage from this. With the carefully controlled micro-force of the SONIK device that applies ALKINDI pulses and the very short treatment time of 3 or 4 minutes we do not risk concussive damage to the head. We simply very subtly nudge the neurons to fire in response to the pulses. By comparison, the length of time of treatment and the invasiveness of electrical signals from transcranial magnetic stimulation that is now widely used by neurologists is considerably more invasive.
Can the application of ALKINDI pulses to my head affect what I say and do, or anything else?
Circuit function involves speed and strength of signal processing – not what specific signal the circuit carries. The ALKINDI pulse treatment may improve the internal processing of the brain and how it deals with nerve signals but will not change the content of your thoughts. For example, when your cell phone only has a single bar of connectivity strength with the cell tower it may occasionally “drop” the signal. But it does not in any way affect the voice message content – that is, what you say does not change whether you have one bar of connectivity or 4 bars. But it may change the “bandwidth” – the amount of data content you can send – so it may not send a video but it still sends a text message. Also, the ALKINDI signal is transmitted by bone conductance through the skull which makes it less than pin-point precise. So even if we placed the SONIK device stylus precisely over the part of the brain associated with the region on the left side of the brain that handles your words (which we do not do), the pulses would not “freeze up” the words and affect your speech the way a stroke does. But what the treatment does is contribute to the healthy functioning of the circuits and so regulate pain processing.
Is the application of ALKINDI pulses to the head certified safe?
NSI currently has an application in to the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in the USA for approval of the use of the ALKINDI pulses on the skull, on joints, and on the abdomen. The basis of this approval is that the treatment has no negative or adverse effects. NSI has supplied extensive research evidence that the applications are safe and have been used in many treatments and no adverse effects have occurred.
How effective is the SONIK treatment?
Multiple studies, including randomized control trials, have been conducted to determine the degree of effectiveness of the SONIK Treatment. In general, the studies found that patient’s self-reported level of pain reduced by 60%, on average, after the application of SONIK Treatments over a period of 6 months. Studies have also reported that, after the SONIK Treatment, many patients experience an increase in activity level and range of motion. Many participants in the trials were able to drastically reduce or eliminate the need for pain medications after undergoing the full cycle of SONIK treatments. Keep in mind, that although the results of these studies look very promising, individual results may vary depending on a variety of individual factors, such as comorbidities and underlying condition. It is important to talk to a SONIK practitioner to see if the SONIK treatment is right for you.
How quickly could I experience relief?
While results may vary, the SONIK treatment typically starts to deliver pain relief between sessions 1-6.
Why do I need multiple treatments and follow-up treatments?
The SONIK treatment has recovery stages. The initial 6 or so sessions are quite frequent and initiate the spinal alignment and pain reduction. During this stage there is a serious shift away from how your body developed pain and takes time to complete. During this “initiation” stage you should see considerable pain reduction. The second stage of about 6 treatments is the “consolidation” stage where the realignments settle in and stabilize but treatment still needs to be quite frequent to maintain gains made and catch any reversals. The third stage is one of “sustainment” where pain is basically gone, treatments are less frequent, and the body has adjusted to the new alignment but the structure is still not as settled and strong as it can become to sustain the new alignment to prevent recurrence of the pain condition.
How long will the benefits last?
After the recommended treatment plan is completed, the pain relief will last for many months and years. The pain relief can be permanent depending on the condition and lifestyle of the patient. Patients work with SONIK’s patient care coordinator to design an ongoing lifestyle and wellness plan to compliment the SONIK treatment in order to foster long-term pain relief.
What if it doesn’t work for me?
The SONIK Medical Team is trained at conducting a thorough consultation and diagnostic exam to determine which patients are candidates for the SONIK treatment. If a patient is not a candidate, the SONIK Medical Team will work with the patient to find a solution outside of the SONIK center. If a patient has undergone the SONIK treatment and their condition has not improved after the completion of the treatment plan, the SONIK Medical Team will inform the patient when to discontinue treatment and work with the patient to find a solution outside of the SONIK center. In some of these cases, surgery or other more invasive procedures can no longer be avoided or the SONIK Medical Team may think there is another type of treatment outside of the SONIK center that may be more appropriate for the patient. In these cases, the SONIK Medical Team will refer the patient to the best health care professionals outside of the SONIK center and advise on the patient’s overall care plan. SONIK is committed to helping its patients to find a solution to their pain conditions.