Bowen for Backs

Yesterday kicked off Back Care Awareness Week, and this year the theme is ‘Back Pain in Golf’.

This year, the charity focuses awareness week on back health among golfers whether they are junior/seasoned, men/women, amateur/professional and provides healthy tips to enjoy the sport.

Golf is a more dangerous sport than Rugby!
‘Low back injuries account for 15.2% to 34% of all golf injuries, followed by injuries to the elbow (7% to 27%), shoulder (4% to 19%) and wrist 10%’according to the National Centre for Health Statistics (USA).
Golf is a repetitive strain sport – With an average of 300 swings per golf-playing-day, a golfer repeatedly experiences minor traumatic injuries to the spine

There is a distinct lack of awareness regarding the prevention of back related injuries among golfers which hinder their play and performance in the sport.

Commons back problems in golfers include non-specific low back pain, stress fractures, lumbar disc herniation, early degeneration of discs, repetitive stress disorder and facet irritation.

From our previous blogs, you’ll know that Bowen practitioners help many sportspeople including golfers.

Bowen Therapy is a natural, drug-free, non-invasive, complementary therapy that has had some marvellous results with back-pain sufferers and sports injuries.

A national study, carried out by The Bowen Therapy Professional Association (BTPA) in the summer of 2006, showed that 95 per cent of back pain sufferers experienced either complete relief or a marked improvement, after a series of no more than three Bowen treatments.

Bowen therapy for sports can help:
Enhance performance
Provide remarkable relief from acute injuries
Prevent injuries before they happen
Increase flexibility
Prevent any pre-existing injures from reoccurring with age

If you play golf or suffer from back pain and are interested in how Bowen Therapy can help you, visit http://www.bowentherapy.org.uk

Bowen for Migraines

Last week was Migraine Awareness Week; seven days dedicated to a neurological condition that affects over eight million people in the UK.

This makes it more prevalent than diabetes, epilepsy and asthma combined.

Migraine is one of the top 20 causes of disability, and the World Health Organisation recognises it as one of the most disabling lifetime conditions.

However, awareness and understanding is low.

Migraine headaches result from a combination of blood vessel enlargement and the release of chemicals from nerve fibres that coil around these blood vessels.

During the headache, an artery enlarges that is located on the outside of the skull just under the skin of the temple (temporal artery).

This causes a release of chemicals that cause inflammation, pain, and further enlargement of the artery.

The Bowen Technique has had some great results with migraine sufferers.

Bowen is a natural, drug-free, non-invasive, complementary therapy that ‘asks’ the body to recognise the ailment and make the changes it requires as opposed to ‘forcing’ the body change.

During the 30-60 minute treatment, the Bowen practitioner makes small, rolling, movements over muscles, tendons, ligaments and soft tissue at precise points on the body, using only the amount of pressure appropriate for that individual.

No hard-tissue manipulation or force is needed or used.

Between each set of moves, the body is allowed to rest for a few minutes, to allow it to absorb the information it has received and initiate the healing process.

One Bowen client said: “I just wanted to let you know how grateful I was for the kindness you showed me when I had a migraine. I slept really well on the night of the treatment and haven’t had a headache since!! Thanks again!”

Another said: “Bowen has helped to reduce the frequency of my migraine headaches.

“I have slept better and feel more relaxed generally.

“I understand the trigger for the headaches and Bowen has helped me to adjust my lifestyle accordingly (preventative measures).”

If you are interested in how Bowen Therapy can help you, visit http://www.bowentherapy.org.uk to find a Bowen therapist near you or call 07713 552 858.

With the Tennis Season in Full Swing, Bowen Therapy proves a hit!

With the tennis season in full swing, sport related injuries start to become an increasing pain. Every year people around the country are inspired to get up off the couch and get down to the tennis courts – sometimes with disastrous results! Even top sportspeople at peak fitness can be prone to injury. Defending champion Kevin Anderson had to withdraw from the New York Open because of a right elbow injury. Britain’s two-time singles champion Andy Murray will make a welcome return to Wimbledon in the doubles after missing last year’s Championships with a career-threatening hip injury. This year the Wimbledon championship runs from 1st -14th July.

Bowen is fast becoming one of the world’s top sports therapies. An increasing number of athletes and sportspeople use regular treatments to enhance their performance and reduce their risk of injury.

The benefits of Bowen for sports?

· It can provide remarkable relief from acute injuries

· It can help to prevent injuries before they happen

· Encourages optimum performance

· Can help to reduce recovery time between sessions

· Can help to prevent pre-existing injuries from reoccurring with age

Tennis elbow is caused by a strain to tendons in the forearm. The tendons become inflamed where they join the bony part on the outside of your elbow joint. Any activity that involves gripping and twisting of the forearm can cause this type of strain – in fact most cases aren’t actually related to tennis or any kind of exercise. Client feedback from Bowen for tennis elbow includes comments such as “The throbbing pain from my elbow to my hand disappeared” and “The results are amazing, the constant ache I had in my forearm has disappeared and what a relief that is.”

It can also help with performance and injuries in other sports as this testimonial demonstrates “I was asked to try Bowen Therapy by my football physio as I had been having problems with my back, groin and upper leg muscles for most of the season. I’d been to a chiropractor a few times and on my last visit she had advised there was nothing really wrong with my bone structure. I continued to play but still felt restricted in my movements, so I decided to give Bowen a try. After a couple of treatments, the problems I had been having virtually disappeared. I was able to touch my toes with the palms of my hands, something I’d not been able to do for a long while, and I seemed to be able to go the duration of a game easily where I had been struggling before. When people ask, ‘does it work?’ I find the best way to tell them about it is my scoring ratio since having Bowen. I’d only scored 5 goals in 27 games before Bowen treatment. From the time I started having treatment until the end of the season, I scored 10 in 12 and from my point of view that says it all! I also didn’t miss a game through injury.”

So as the Wimbledon championship gets underway, take a look at the Bowen Technique so you can start exercising without any aches and strains. To find a practitioner local to you or just to find out more about this gentle but highly effective technique, visit the website for more information: http://www.bowentherapy.org.uk/

Is maintaining your garden leaving you as stiff as the scarecrow?

Today sees the start of national gardening week (30th April – 5th May). This year the RHS are calling on gardeners up and down the country to share their love of home-grown produce with this year’s theme – Edible Britain.

National Gardening Week is the nation’s biggest celebration of gardening and raises awareness of the difference that gardens and gardening can make to the lives of everyone in the UK.
Edible Britain helps to highlight that everyone has space to grow something delicious to eat, whether it’s a single pot of herbs on the windowsill or an allotment overflowing with courgettes and potatoes.

Those of you that are green-fingered will know that gardening and tending to a vegetable plot can be tough on your muscles and joints, causing strain and excess muscle tension.

Back pain is a common problem for keen gardeners and allotment-keepers.

Bowen Therapy is a natural, drug-free, non-invasive, complementary therapy that has had some marvellous results with back-pain sufferers.

A national study, carried out by The Bowen Therapy Professional Association (BTPA) in the summer of 2006, showed that 95 per cent of back pain sufferers experienced either complete relief or a marked improvement, after a series of no more than three Bowen treatments.

As it prides itself on being able to trigger the body’s own healing systems, you wouldn’t suffer any of the side effects that you may with prescribed drugs.

Rather than ‘making’ the body change, Bowen ‘asks’ the body to recognise and make the changes it requires. With primarily fingers and thumbs, the Bowen practitioner makes small, rolling movements over muscles, tendons, ligaments and soft tissue at precise points on the body, using only the amount of pressure appropriate for that individual.

No hard-tissue manipulation or force is needed or used. Between each set of moves, the body is allowed to rest for a few minutes, to allow it to absorb the information it has received and initiate the healing process.

If you suffer from back pain and want to try Bowen therapy, visit http://www.bowentherapy.org.uk to find a therapist near you.

April is IBS Awareness Month

IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) is a highly common digestive condition that can cause many unpleasant symptoms, such as; abdominal pain, constipation, bloating and diarrhoea.

If you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), you are not on your own – IBS is common and yet many people remain undiagnosed and do not realise that their symptoms are IBS. Between 9 – 23% of the global population is affected by IBS and it is more common in females accounting for 2 out of 3 cases.

Whilst IBS is largely unpleasant, the cause of the condition is predominately unknown and even the healthiest of people can suffer from it. Celebrities that have spoken out about their struggles with IBS include Tyra Banks, Jenny McCarthy and Kirsten Dunst.
IBS symptoms are not predictable and vary from day to day. If IBS is not managed, it can interfere with a person’s life and affect them physically and emotionally.
It is thought that IBS may be caused by a disruption in the interaction between brain, nervous system and the gut, and it is believed to be brought on by stress. We do know that stress can make the symptoms worse or be a trigger. Due to the lack of knowledge of this condition, many people have to suffer as treatments are not guaranteed to be effective.
Bowen Therapy can help to aid IBS alongside other digestive conditions. The Bowen Technique is a drug-free, non-invasive therapy applied primarily by small, rolling movements over muscles, tendons, ligaments and soft tissues. These movements are applied at precise points on the body, using only the amount of pressure appropriate for the specific individual.

There is no force or hard-tissue manipulation needed, and between each set of moves the body is allowed to rest for a few moments. This is done so the body can trigger it’s own healing systems; instead of making the body change, Bowen ‘asks’ the body to recognise what’s wrong and begin to make the changes it requires.

Here are what some Bowen clients say about Bowen and IBS:

“I was very dispirited after nearly 12 months of conventional treatment – painkillers, fibre drinks etc. All of which were pretty ineffective; including diet control. Bowen treatment has given me back control of my life. I can plan ahead and know if I have a relapse there is treatment that will work for me. With IBS there is a treatment that will work for you to treat the cause and not just the symptoms.“
“I initially saw a Bowen therapist when my doctor said I had IBS and it couldn’t be treated. After 3 sessions I had no symptoms and IBS has never returned. That was 11 years ago and I visit my Bowen therapist whenever I have symptoms that need treating. Bowen work goes beyond the treatment that any doctor can give me.”
“After suffering irritable bowel symptoms for some time, I had 4 sessions of Bowen Therapy. Even after the first session, I felt much more relaxed and my energy level increased. I have had some improvement in my IBS although it comes and goes.. I intend to continue with top-up treatments at intervals as I feel Bowen has really helped me.”
“Bowen is a truly amazing treatment, I cannot praise it enough! It cured me of an illness that hospital consultants only scratched their heads at. I still use Bowen to keep me in check. Love it.”

If you suffer from a digestive condition and want to know how Bowen Therapy can help you, then please visit http://www.bowentherapy.org.uk to find a Bowen therapist near you.

A sad but cautionary tale.

Recently a report in the Daily Mail caught my attention. The account was about the death of a gentleman who had attended a clinic for treatment for backache. The gentleman, in his 80^th year was reported to have been generally fit and active.

‘He lost consciousness and appeared to be paralysed from the waist down during treatment.’  

His wife was in the clinic with her husband and witnessed the incident.  Despite every effort to save the gentleman’s life, he died at the local hospital the next day as the result of ‘a traumatic spinal cord injury.’  The police have launched a criminal investigation to establish whether criminal negligence was a factor in his death. The investigation is ongoing. The practitioner was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and has been released under investigation whilst enquiries continue.

I have to emphasise here that the practitioner was not a Bowen Therapist.

Regardless of this fact, lives have been irrevocably changed. The detail provided in the report is superficial and conclusions should not be prematurely reached without full knowledge of the facts.  A responsibility I would not wish to have.

A sobering thought for myself was ‘what if?’ What if that had happened to me? What would I do? What did I not do? From a professional standpoint, I would be asking about skill maintenance and individual support. In addition, I am now thinking about what support I would get from my professional organisation if it had been me involved. Thankfully I am part of a professional organisation, the BTPA, that does provide support and, I believe, would support colleagues in extremis.

As this very sad story conveys, we do not know what the future holds. Be mindful of your knowledge and expertise. A sobering reminder to approach your clinical practice with ‘fresh eyes’.

Linda Birnie MSc, Cert ECBS, MCNHC, MBTPA

Personal reflections of a BTPA Chair

Walk the Talk – the BTPA Way

Encouraged to join the BTPA as a student member in 2006 by my Bowen teacher (Alastair Rattray) and taking up full membership the following year, little did I think that I would end up enjoying the privilege of being its Chair!  But as the sayings go, “Stranger things have happened” and “Someone’s gotta do it ….”.

I am delighted to say that I am thoroughly enjoying every minute of my involvement; the BTPA Committee is a wonderful bunch of proactive capable people to work with, with a real sense of purpose, dedication and fun, the combination of which makes for an extremely productive team.  Opportunities to meet members are greatly valued too – our recent AGM and CPD event inspiring me all over again – the atmosphere so welcoming, open hearted and supportive.  My sincere thanks to all who attended and our wonderful speakers (Ron Phelan, GP Visser and Jo Wortley); everyone’s involvement ensuring the day was a particularly special one for all.

Mind you, I haven’t always been this enthusiastic …. Indeed, I suspect like a number of others reading this, I remember moments early in my practitioner journey when I seriously questioned why should I bother …. Questioning, “what was in it for me?”  As a “newbie”, helping to gain clients from my membership was my sole objective and this seemed likely just pie in the sky. As a real greenhorn to the complementary therapy world, I quickly learnt there is so much more to be gained by holding Bowen professional association membership, with BTPA membership being just the ticket for me.

Initially drawn on board to assist BTPA Working with the Vulnerable guidance preparation; a topic very close to my heart at that time being a former volunteer and trustee with my local children’s charity HomeStart Watford and Three Rivers, I was encouraged to share other skills I had to further develop the Member’s Business Support information, arming our portfolio with health and safety information, risk assessment and testimonial tools.

As you can imagine, whilst obviously flattered, I was somewhat daunted when asked to take on the Chair mantle by my committee colleagues in 2014. However, remembering parental childhood advice and encouragement that has always stood me in good stead, that “if you want to make a difference then you need to step up and be counted”, I took the plunge!

Mindful of the increasing public awareness and interest shown in the work of the BTPA and its members, most evident in social media conversations, I take considerable pride in leading the BTPA to deliver its Mission and Values.

BTPA Mission: The Bowen Therapy Professional Association (BTPA) is an unincorporated not for profit independent Association run by Bowen therapists for Bowen Therapists.  Its purpose is to grow awareness and raise the profile of Bowen Therapy amongst other health professionals and the general public.  The BTPA is dedicated to the promotion of Tom Bowen’s work and techniques in conjunction with other worldwide Bowen Therapy Associations, and to continually improve the practice of these techniques by working with Bowen training establishments to ensure courses offered meet set guidelines, and to set standards for best practice for therapists.

BTPA Values: All that we do is underpinned by professional and ethical integrity, and quality of service.  To that end:

• We strive to be impartial, authorative, trustworthy and transparent;
• We promote diversity, equality, inclusion and respect for others across the Bowen community;
• We seek opportunities to work collaboratively and aim to be recognised as a valued partner;
• We actively champion the highest standards in Bowen practice

With a host of membership benefits as listed below, now so evident to me, my earlier ambivalence seems embarrassing to say the least.   So, if like me, you have reservations about joining a professional association, then my advice would be to seriously think again …. You might just be in for a surprise – I know I have been, and a very pleasant one at that.

BTPA Membership Benefits:

An independent not-for profit organisation, run by Bowen therapists for Bowen therapists

• Support just a phone call or email away
• Quarterly hardcopy journal and regular e-comms
• Business support; information, advice and free downloads
• Merchandise including brochures, posters, pop up banners, clinic wear
• Marketing advice and testimonial tools
• Public Liability insurance discount
• Regional Interest Groups and Children’s Clinics
• Courses, workshops and CPD training, and networking events
• CNHC membership eligibility

Jackie Knott PhD DIC

Chair Bowen Therapy Professional Association

www.bowentherapy.org.uk