N2N Nurse to Nurse              Vol 1  Issue 12   June 2001 

The proactive interactive nursing magazine, produced by nurses, for nurses    

THE BOWEN TECHNIQUE – gentle and effective antidote to pain 

by Janie Godfrey  

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.   

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 as assessed by clinical observation 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.  

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.

Contents provided by the European School of Bowen Studies (ECBS)   

 For further details about the Bowen Technique please contact Karen on 01954 260 982 / 07714 995 299 or email [email protected]

FaMily Magazine 

Absolutely Everything you need to know about Fibromyalgia 

Published by the Fibromyalgia Association UK 

December 2005   

THE BOWEN TECHNIQUE - A real help with fibromyalgia 

by Janie Godfrey    

Conditions such as fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome (I.B.S.) and myalgic encephalomyelitis (M.E., also known as chronic fatigue syndrome) affect a considerable number of people with a very considerable number of painful, uncomfortable and debilitating symptoms.  

The response of orthodox medicine has varied from, at worst, telling sufferers “it’s all in your head”, to trying its best to alleviate symptoms with a variety of pills, treatments and genuine concern and sympathy.  But there is no clear medical evidence to pin down exactly what is causing these conditions, so no targeted treatment is available.  

Doctors know that they can’t do much for patients and many would welcome anything that helps as, of course, would all who suffer with these baffling and incapacitating conditions.   

The Bowen Technique, however, has had some wonderful successes in controlling the symptoms of these illnesses as well as sometimes restoring the person to a full, healthy lifestyle.  

Bowen works by stimulating the body’s own resources accurately and deeply and the resulting effects reflect this multi-system reaction.  In short, Bowen prompts the body to remember how to heal itself.    

Sam, an active and fit man in his early 30’s found himself with a diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome/ME after a stay in hospital for repair work on an injured knee.  

He had been laid low with CFS about 8 months before he came for Bowen treatment.  He had recovered from the very debilitating stage of the illness but was still far from well.  He was only able to go in to work for two hours a day, and sometimes not even that much.  He had to have a nap in the afternoons and go to bed early.  Socialising was a rare event.  

The nature of his job meant that he would have to face a career change if he was not going to get better.  

Sam began responding almost immediately to Bowen treatment with improvement in a stiff and aching neck, headaches, a feeling of stuffiness in the ears, “woozey” head, and energy levels.  

Each weekly treatment added to the improvement and within a month he was able to do without the naps and begin to accept social invitations again.  

After several months, he undertook two trips abroad and suffered no real ill effects from the plane journeys, climate changes and activities.  

Nine Bowen treatments moved Sam into a continually improving state which held steady as he got back to his regular duties.    

Bowen can have the effect of re-integrating, or re-connecting not only the body’s systems, but also the body-mind-spirit connections that are so crucial to a sense of wholeness as a person.  This is a subtle effect and often difficult to quantify or put into adequate words but nonetheless, this effect seems to be of great importance to someone with fibromyalgia/CFS/ME.   

Jeannette, a woman in her 50’s, had been coping with FM for over a decade.  She had been faithfully following a very exacting exercise regimen - but sadly with little result - to try to regain a sense that her legs were connected to her brain and the rest of her body, as she felt they were weightless and didn’t connect her to the ground properly.  This sensation, of course, constantly made her feel unsure of her balance and steps.  

After her second Bowen treatment, she stood up and started laughing loudly with delight and amazement, saying over and over that her legs felt heavy and solid, connected to her upper body, and she could feel the ground under her feet!  

She has Bowen treatment every two to four months and it has maintained this “re-connection” now for well over a year.  Additionally, her energy levels are tremendously improved and she is living a nearly normal life, very infrequently hampered by the low energy, pain and exhaustion she had for so many years.      

Contents provided by the European School of Bowen Studies (ECBS)   

For further details about the Bowen Technique please contact Karen on 01954 260 982 / 07714 995 299 or email [email protected]