The Bowen Technique
Gentle and Effective Antidote to Pain
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The Bowen Technique
- Gentle and Effective Antidote to Pain
Author: Janie Godfrey
Published in Nurse2Nurse June 2001, Vol 1 Issue 12
In an article about The Bowen Technique which appeared recently in
Therapy Weekly, Bowen practitioner Paula Esson noted: “More and more
physiotherapists and doctors are incorporating the technique into their
working lives as an excellent additional or primary tool for addressing
dysfunction. The collaboration between Bowen and conventional, orthodox
medicine is indicative of a subtle shift away from a drug-dependent
medical culture to one that recognises the benefits of treating the
whole person.” Paula has a very busy Bowen practice at Claypath Medical
Centre in Durham, which acknowledges Bowen’s important role in a busy
practice. The Durham clinic will see between 40 and 50 people a week,
mostly by word of mouth and referral. Individuals who have visited it
specifically for Bowen have provided case studies such as this one from
32 year old David Jacobs who was experiencing significant pain from an
Achilles tendon inflammation.
“I recently changed my running shoes and began to notice an
uncomfortable strain down my left Achilles. On finishing each run the
area would burn and be painful for some hours later. This developed
until running became impossible without pain. Direct work with massage
and other hands-on approaches to the area created little relief. On
seeing a Bowen practitioner a suggestion was made that the problem could
be coming from the sacroiliac joint in the lower back. Three sessions
working in this area gave permanent relief. I now see the practitioner
only if I am preparing for a big race.”
Lympheodema nurse and Bowen practitioner, Eilish Lund has used Bowen
with great effectiveness in her practice and wrote, in an article for
the British Lymphology Society Newsletter: "I have treated two patients
with bilateral groin dissection and radical vulvectomy who were referred
within 3 months of surgery who achieved wonderful volume reduction in
both legs, even though they presented with class 2 hosiery which did not
seem to be addressing the problem. For me the most amazing results are
not the reduction in limb volume but the effect this treatment has on
pain."
Eilish tells of a 58 year old lady who developed lymphoedema following a
varicose vein operation and was referred from another lymphoedema
clinic, in class 3 rigid hosiery with severe pain which was present most
of the day and was at 7 - 9 on the pain scale. She was not compliant
with the garment as she found it too difficult to wear. Eilish treated
her only with Bowen, and the lady was pain free after two sessions and
does not wear any hosiery now.
Another case history of Eilish and Bowen is of a 35 year old female who
was referred by her GP at the request of her Macmillan Nurse. This lady
had been referred to the Macmillan Service for pain control as she was
having uncontrolled pain and was very reluctant to resort to opiates.
She had developed swelling of her right side after her pregnancy and
when she stood you could see that the skin colour on one side of her
trunk was different to the other. She had severe pain in her leg and arm
and had been informed that her lymph system on the right side was barely
functioning. Eilish fitted her with a class 3 garment and commenced
Bowen Technique treatment. Within two days, the pain level reduced and
after 3 Bowen treatments, she was pain free. She stopped wearing the
stocking long ago and her leg has reduced from being 25% greater to 18%.
She is now maintained with one ½ hour Bowen treatment a month.
The side effects, cost, discomfort and invasiveness of some of the pain
remedies on offer lead many people to search for relief with
complementary therapies. Margaret, a woman in her 40s, is a typical
case. She had been limping for 4 months due to a painful foot. Her
doctor diagnosed her problem as Interdigital Neuritis (Morton’s Foot
Pain) and made an appointment for her to see an orthopaedic specialist,
saying that surgery might be the answer. After only one treatment with
The Bowen Technique the pain disappeared and Margaret happily cancelled
her hospital appointment.
17-year-old Samantha, from Jersey, was experiencing extreme pain in her
shoulder and arm and her GP diagnosed a suspected trapped nerve. She
went Bowen practitioner Peter Lebreuilly and he noted that an area
around her right scapula was raised, appearing to be in spasm. After the
first treatment, Samantha experienced extreme pain. However, within 2
days that had subsided. After the second treatment she reported no
apparent pain or problem but just a slight stiffness. After the third
treatment the stiffness had gone and pain free state was holding.
U.S. medical doctor and Bowen Technique practitioner Joanne Whitaker
headed a 1997 study into the effect of The Bowen Technique on
fibromyalgia by clinical assessment and also by the measurement of Heart
Rate Variability (HRV) which is a relatively new, non-invasive
methodology that can evaluate both cardiac and Autonomic Nervous System
(ANS) function. In her paper she wrote: "In our clinical practice, we
have had the opportunity to observe numerous positive effects following
both the basic and more advanced Bowen protocols. Examples of presenting
symptoms that have responded to Bowen work are: acute and chronic lower
back pain, frozen shoulder, TMJ discomfort and dysfunction, and Tic
Douloureux. Sports- and work-related symptoms, which have improved
following Bowen work, include: runner's knee, tennis elbow, hamstring
and rotator cuff injuries. There are specific sets of moves that were
developed by Mr Bowen which address the muscles and connective tissue in
each of these areas. Other incidental symptoms that have shown
improvement with Bowen work include gastrointestinal reflux, sinus
congestion and associated headache pain and bronchoconstriction
secondary to allergic response or reactive asthma." In their study,
subjects with moderate Primary Fibromyalgia were diagnosed by a
rheumatologist and were characterised by the presence of widespread
chronic pain and tender joints as per criteria for diagnosis by the
American College of Rheumatology. It has been hypothesised that
fibromyalgia is an energy deficient state in the muscle tissues due to
reduced circulation. It is known that fibromyalgia subjects convert
muscle protein to glucose at an unusually high rate and this has been
interpreted as one of the main reasons for pain, aching and fatigue. At
present there is no ideal conventional medical treatment for
fibromyalgia. The use of an antidepressant (such as amitriptyline) or an
anti-inflammatory (such as ibuprofen) has yielded poor to moderate
results. Amongst the fibromyalgia subjects in Whitaker's study, two
things were clearly evident. First, all experienced some immediate
relief post-Bowen treatment. Second, this decrease in symptomology
persisted over widely varying time periods ranging from a few days to
several weeks. One subject reported that her fibromyalgia symptoms
continued to be relieved over a six-week period. Dr Whitaker and her
team concluded their study by stating that they feel there is also a
need to document the value of the Bowen Technique in emergency medicine.
“There are specific moves reserved for acute and emergent conditions
such as asthma attacks, severe migraine headaches and angina pain which
would lend themselves to easy documentation with short-term HRV studies
of the ANS balance.” District Nurse Ann Offord, from Essex, says: “What
nurses are crying out for is a treatment they can use in the context of
their typical hectic workloads which is portable, safe, and effective.
There is no other therapy I know which fits these needs like Bowen
does.” Anne is trained in several other complementary therapies, but
chooses Bowen every time. It does not require equipment, it is
time-effective and there are no side effects. Bowen is so adaptable
that, even with just a few moments of time available, Anne can offer
patients something that really helps.
About the author:
Article written by
Janie Godfrey
Email address: [email protected]
Web site: http://www.thebowentechnique.com
copyright © Janie Godfrey
