Bowen Technique
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By Liz Selfe
I
first came across the Bowen Technique about four years ago when my
friend told me she was training to become a therapist. I followed
her progress with interest and was intrigued when she treated my
husband just once while we were on holiday together.
He was
complaining of stomach problems and she offered to give him a
treatment, which he described as 'nothing much at all - not
really sure what she did'! Although his stomach didn't respond
as much as he would have liked after that one treatment, the
fascinating part came a couple of weeks later when Greg remarked that
the eczema he had suffered from for many years had improved
immensely, and I can safely say he hasn't looked back since. This
was my first experience of the holistic assets of the Bowen
Technique. During a treatment session we do not make a specific
diagnosis but treat the whole body, and encourage a healing process
or any rebalancing that may be needed.
The
following summer I came across an article in a magazine about an
accomplished athlete who had been plagued by injury for 18 months and
nothing he had tried seemed to help. Someone suggested he try Bowen,
and after just one session he was completely converted and wasted no
time in training as a Bowen therapist himself. After reading this I
thought there must be something in it and decided to see for myself.
Now,
having trained over a 12 month period and practised as a qualified
Bowen therapist since June 2007, my experiences have repeatedly
affirmed to me that the Bowen Technique is a remarkable therapy which
brings about positive and lasting results time and again.
The
Bowen Technique
is a remedial therapy and was developed by an Australian man, Tom
Bowen (1916-1982).
He based his work on his belief in the body's
innate ability for self-recovery:
When we catch a cold, our body fights
the virus;
when we cut ourselves, the cells
heal and
regenerate; when a bone is broken, it is our body's
own healing
process
that knits it back together.
In
most societies it is very hard for people to achieve a clear,
balanced lifestyle. Our exposure
to physical, mental and emotional stress and
the amount that we ask our bodies to do increases by the day. The
fact that The Bowen Technique allows the body to do the work means
that when there is a breakdown
of the system, the process
of readjustment is
an entirely
natural
one. A Bowen
therapist does
not make things happen, but simply allows
the body to ask itself what needs to be done.
When it happens, it can be not only be very quick but very long
lasting.
To
briefly describe the technique: The therapist
uses his or her thumbs
and fingers on
certain points around the body, making rolling
type moves
over soft tissue--muscle,
tendon and ligament.
During the treatment there is a series of short breaks when the
patient is left resting to allow the body time to respond to the
moves that have been made. The moves are very
gentle
and the client should experience little
or no discomfort
during a treatment. As such it is suitable for anyone, including
small babies and the elderly.
As
The Bowen Technique encourages the body to heal itself, there is no
situation where it cannot be used safely and effectively. As well as
structural
or muscular problems,
it also has a profound effect on a whole range of organic
conditions.
The most common presentations are neck
and back
pain, shoulder restrictions (or 'frozen
shoulder')
and the general aches and pains with which we may be afflicted.
In
addition, Bowen can be useful for other less obvious problems such as
ME,
asthma, migraine,
and constipation.
Liz can be contacted on 01442 875841 |
Homoeopathy for Acne
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by Anna Baker
Acne, or "spots"
is one of those supposedly trivial complaints that can ruin a
person's life. They're usually temporary and superficial but there's
no doubt that they are a disaster for sufferers, who feel
uncomfortable and conspicuous for all the wrong reasons. So
homoeopaths take acne and other skin conditions seriously because we
never underestimate the effects that such problems can have on a
person's life.
To make matters
worse they mostly afflict the most sensitive members of society -
teenagers. At almost no other time will the state of their face
matter so much; it's as if, along with everything else in their
lives, their skin goes and lets them down.
It is hormone
changes that stimulate oil glands in the skin; and some can become
clogged with that oil, old skin cells and particles of dirt which
causes infection with pain and inflammation.
The resulting
eruptions can be difficult to clear up and some may even leave
discolouration or scarring. Changes in the diet and medicated creams
and washes are often quite helpful and in extreme cases young women
may be prescribed the contraceptive "pill" to modify
hormonal activity in the body to reduce the stress on the skin.
The homoeopathic
approach is to get as clear as possible description of the acne, down
to where exactly the spots are located, what they look and feel like
and how long they have been there. It isn't that we are not
interested in the hormonal actions in the body, or that we do not
believe a good diet is helpful for the skin and the whole body, but
rather that we don't rule out more abstract considerations such as
stresses within the sufferer's life, what their health has been for
the whole life and what might run in the family.
As for antiseptic
treatments, most homoeopaths would try to replace them with the most
gentle possible washes and herbal creams such as calendula or
hypercal, which heal the skin and act sympathetically with the chosen
homoeopathic remedy.
The actual remedy
might be one, of many, with a proven reputation in curing skin
problems, or - unique to homoeopathy - it may be one that refers in
some way to something else going on in the patient's life or simply
the way they're made: their constitution. Or both, the general
remedy after the more specific one has done all it can.
Nevertheless, as with most conditions,
homoeopathy usually helps with acne in a simple and gentle way giving
hope to sufferers of this demoralising condition whatever their age.
For a homoeopathy appointment, Tel 01442 800400
That's all for this month. Next month watch out for an article on Iodine - possibly the universal nutrient deficiency!
Best wishes from the team
Naturality Wellness Centre
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News Briefs
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Alison Richardson has added more days to her Natural and Organic skincare practise and is now available Wednesdays and Fridays.
Telephone: 01442 842597 or 07778598530.
Brochure (with prices): Download here (PDF file).
Website: http://www.pure-therapy.co.uk/. Lavera Suncare
With Summer fast approaching, we have decided to stock a full range of Lavera Suncare products. Consistently rated as some of the least-toxic suncare products available (www.cosmeticsdatabase.com)
we recommend you learn about the hazards of commercial suncare products and buy non-toxic versions whenever possible.
But don't use too much - you need lots of sun exposure to raise your Vit D levels.
Kidney Stones: Lemon juice stops them recurring
01 May 2008
If you are suffering from recurring kidney stones, start drinking lemon juice in water. The drink is one of the most effective ways of
stopping the problem, as a small study has discovered.
It's
been tested on 11 patients who had recurring kidney stones caused by
low urinary citrate excretion. Every day they drank two litres of
water that included 120 ml of concentrated lemon juice containing 5.9 g
of citric acid.
After several years of treatment, they reported an 87 per cent decrease in stone formation.
(Source: Journal o Urology, 2007; 177: 1358-62).
PS (Simon King has been advising patients with kidney problems to try the Lemon diet for at least 2 years now. He finds it extremely effective for stones and kidney pain).
Cranioscaral Therapy
Asthma is being successfully treated by craniosacral fascial therapy, a
form of gentle touch. Pennsylvania-based Dr Barry Gillespie, who has
been treating children for years with the technique, says he can
usually clear asthma within 10 sessions.
He explains that
trauma, which is held in the connective (fascial) tissue, affects the
subtle rhythm of the brain and spinal cord; when disturbed, disease and
organ dysfunction occur.
A healthy brain cycle, during which
it fully expands and contracts, lasts 80 seconds or longer. "The
longer the brain 'breathes', the better it functions," he says. In
children with asthma, the brain cycle is often less than 10 seconds,
and so the primary goal of the craniosacral therapist is the
restoration of a healthy brain cycle.
One of Dr Gillespie's
recent successes was a nine-year-old boy who had suffered from asthma
since he was two months old, and had been on various medications for
most of that time.
On his first visit, Gillespie found the
boy had a brain cycle of just two seconds. In seven sessions, he was
able to increase the cycle to 90 seconds. By then, the boy was off all
medication, he was able to play football, and his lungs were clear.
(Source: Explore, 2008; 4: 48-51).
Our New Craniosacral therapist is joining the practice in early July. Phone reception if you would like more information. | |
