The Knox (NOx) Framework: Reframing Autonomic Dysfunction as a Dual-Trajectory System
Abstract
This paper challenges the prevailing deterministic interpretation of autonomic dysfunction as an inevitably progressive condition. Drawing on interdisciplinary literature and lived experience, it proposes a dual-pathway framework distinguishing progression- weighted and recovery-weighted trajectories [1-4,5,8-12]. A quantitative model is introduced to structure uncertainty and enable longitudinal interpretation of risk:
The work argues that diagnosis should not be treated as destiny, and that autonomic dysfunction represents a dynamic system with multiple plausible futures [5-8]. Positioned within medical humanities, this paper bridges clinical reasoning, quantitative modelling, and patient narrative to reframe how trajectory is understood [12].