The Bowen Technique
For a Breath of Fresh Air
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The Bowen Technique - For a Breath of Fresh Air
Author: Janie Godfrey, Sarah Lonsdale
Published in Nurse2Nurse June 2001, Vol 1 Issue 12
“Every summer, it’s the same. From the beginning of June until the end of August, I greet each new morning with runny nose, itchy eyes and a sneeze. I never used to be a hay fever sufferer, but then, all of a sudden, I was, and over the past six or seven years, the symptoms have gradually worsened.”
So wrote journalist Sarah Lonsdale in her article about The Bowen Technique, which appeared in the Daily Telegraph in August 2000.
Just as
her hayfever was developing into its usual summer misery, she went to
see Bowen practitioner Jill Lebor for quite a different complaint. She
was feeling constantly tired - the result, most likely, of being the
mother of two small children. She was astonished to find that, after her
Bowen treatment, her hayfever vanished. When she phoned Jill, in great
excitement, with this news, Jill told her that her patients often report
a disappearance of hayfever as a side effect of the Bowen treatment.
People usually seek Bowen for things like frozen shoulder, back pain or
bad knees - not imagining that it could have an effect on allergic and
respiratory problems like hayfever and asthma.
A casual Bowen treatment brought spectacular results to six year old
Tim. He had developed hayfever just after recovering from chicken pox,
and this recurred over the next two years, steadily becoming worse;
hayfever is carried in mother’s side of the family. Aged eleven he was
given a Bowen treatment by practitioner Tim Willcocks on the spur of the
moment in a school break, and two days later all the symptoms
disappeared, not reappearing during that summer or the next, though many
friends suffered for another month or two.
It's not just pollen allergies that Bowen helps. Rachael, who works as a
restorer of antique rugs and carpets, received Bowen treatment. She was
using ‘puffers’ sometimes every hour and looked terrible - black rings
round her eyes, no energy and a grey complexion. It was discovered
during treatment that she was highly allergic to wool and course dust.
She had to seriously consider whether she could continue with her chosen
career after years of study and apprenticeship. This was 5 years ago.
Rachael started having weekly Bowen treatments and was often sick after
the Bowen asthma moves but felt better for it. She now has maintenance
Bowen treatments every four to six weeks. Although she still has asthma
it no longer plagues her life and her use of ‘puffers’ is minimal unless
she is treating a really dirty rug. The only treatment that Rachael has
is Bowen.
Bowen therapist, teacher and coach, Paula Esson, has found the Bowen
Technique to be an invaluable tool with athletes. She tells the story of
a young woman's response to Bowen. Katharine is a member of the England
Junior Basketball Team Member and was involved with the multi-stage
fitness test used to analyse an athlete’s aerobic performance. A
standard is expected at this level and the peer pressure to achieve the
necessary grade is immense. Katharine was struggling for breath soon
into the test causing some concern early on. Determination kept her
going until she had to stop because she could not gain a breath at all
and had commenced a panic attack, which complicated the situation.
Katharine was removed from the concerned crowd and Paula carried out the
Bowen emergency asthma move. Immediately, a normal breathing pattern
resumed and after 30 minutes Katharine carried on training with no
further symptoms.
Six year old Oliver’s asthma was worsening and his mother did not tell
him that his visit to Bowen therapist Carole Railton was connected to
his breathing problems. As he is normally quite a stubborn little boy
and wary of anything new, his mother was surprised when he accepted the
treatment and did as he was told. The next evening, when she reminded
him to take his usual dose from his inhaler, he announced: “I don’t need
my puffer any more”. He then enjoyed a summer free of asthma, including
hour-long football practices with his brother, and a mountain-biking
holiday in Scotland.
Bowen treatment seemed to sort out a number of things for Keith, a
teenager. He had had asthma, a constant backache and severe ‘morning
motivational’ problems for years. He often had problems getting to
sleep, but after a 6.30 p.m. Bowen treatment he fell sound asleep till
next morning. After two Bowen treatments he complained of little result,
but carried on. The third treatment made him want to drink a lot of
water (a common reaction to Bowen) and he has not looked back since. His
backache and asthma are gone and, amazingly, for the first time in his
life he is experiencing a sustained motivation to get up and going in
the mornings.
The Bowen Technique also seems to resolve problems even when the
therapist can't conduct a full, normal treatment because the patient is
a squirming two-year-old sitting on her mother's lap. In February 2000,
Bowen therapist Alastair Rattray had this experience with Tania who is
aged 2 years and suffers with asthma. At her first treatment she was
very wheezy and had been prescribed steroids, which her mother was
reluctant to use. Both her parents smoke. The wheezing reduced after the
first treatment and then disappeared, though there was a period of mucus
being produced. Her breathing improved after 4 treatments, so much so
that her pre-school commented on it. The steroids were discontinued
before the first treatment. Alastair commented: "It is very difficult to
treat a two-year-old child who is sitting and squirming on her mother’s
knees. However, it seemed to do its work well despite those
difficulties. Normally, the child has had asthma attacks every two weeks
or so during the winter. She has had none for months now.
"Tania's mother, who was successfully treated with Bowen for a
degenerative disc disorder) writes: “My 2 ½ year old daughter has
suffered from asthma and also an over-production of mucus from birth.
She had Ventolin and also Becotide on occasions. In November 1999, her
asthma worsened and the GP advised restarting steroids at a higher dose.
My daughter took a severe reaction to steroids so we stopped them
immediately. That week she received her first Bowen and has had
treatment once or twice a month since. She has not needed any medication
since. She has a very slight period of wheezing occasionally which is
managed with essential oils. It has been a remarkable improvement,
particularly as she is a lively two year old who doesn’t always stay
still for the treatments. Bowen has changed my life - I no longer live
with back pain and do not have to worry about asthma attacks with my
daughter or watch her fight to get her breath.
"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.
For further information, a full course prospectus or a list of
accredited practitioners contact:
European College of Bowen Studies, 38 Portway, FROME, Somerset BA11 1QU
Tel/Fax: 01373 461 873
email: info@thebowentechnique Web: www.thebowentechnique.com
About the author:
Article written by
Janie Godfrey
Email address: [email protected]
Web site: http://www.thebowentechnique.com
copyright © Janie Godfrey
