Today’s Therapist International Trade Journal   -   Issue 42  Sep Oct 2006    

The Bowen Technique Temporo mandibular joint                                         

by Janie Godfrey   

A Bowen Technique practitioner had an alarming occasion arise in which to practice her skill.  Her son, F, then aged 30, had had a nasty bicycle accident.  He had come off his cycle at high speed on the Bristol cycle path, and slammed the left side of his face into a wall. 

The cause of the accident is still a mystery, and as F was knocked unconscious for somewhere between 40 minutes and an hour, he was unable to say what caused him to go over the handlebars at speed.   He was treated at Frenchay hospital in Bristol, thankfully a renowned centre for the treatment of head injuries, and spent 4 hours having some 60 stitches, mostly to the inside of his mouth.  

For the next 9 days, all food had to be taken through a straw, and on day 14 the stitches were removed.   F’s own notes recall that after the stitches were removed he found he could not close his mouth properly, as the left incisor which had been badly knocked and was loose, was hitting on another tooth, as the whole jaw had become misaligned.  

Photos taken at that time show F’s whole jaw shifted over to the right, due to the severe impact on the left of the face.  He was due to go for an appointment at the dentist to discuss treatment to realign the jaw.   

His mother saw F the day after the stitches came out, and took him in for a Bowen treatment straight away, in an effort to prevent his having any dental intervention the next day.  

After having his treatment, which had been focused on the Bowen temoro mandibular joint (TMJ) procedure, F sat up on the couch, looking somewhat strange.  His mother wondered if he was going to be sick, but he was just sensing the changes in his mouth.   

His own words say it all:  “After this first Bowen treatment, I could close my mouth properly and the molars were aligned properly too – the effect was nothing short of miraculous.”  

Photos taken just before and straight after treatment clearly show this.   This treatment was followed with two more, at weekly intervals.  He never needed any intervention from the dentist.   

His mother did some follow-up work in the ensuing months for knock-on effects to the left shoulder and neck area, but he has had no long-term problems as a result of this nasty accident.   

The Bowen Technique TMJ procedure is, like the Coccyx Procedure, a big gun and is a major balancing tool for the entire body.  The list of areas that can be addressed by the TMJ is almost endless as it provides a structural reference point for the entire body.  

In addition it is one of the four lymphatic drainage procedures and provides an excellent form of drainage for the face and head, ideal for clients suffering with sinus or hay fever problems.   

Shoulders and RSI type problems respond very well to the TMJ, as it gives a balance to the upper back area and affects the nerves of the neck. All dental problems, including wisdom tooth compaction, bite differences, abscesses in gums, as well as many others can be addressed with TMJ work.   

Case History   

A mother of 3, in her early 30’s, took her children for Bowen treatment for their asthma.  The eldest (age 9) said his mother was “having a breakdown today!”  Actually, she was having a migraine.  

She had been suffering frequent migraines lasting several days, usually every 2 weeks or so.   She returned for Bowen treatment herself later that same day.  

The practitioner noticed her jaw was out of line, pointing left.  Her main migraine pain was on the right side of the face/head.  Asked about the possibility of a blow to the right side of the jaw/head, she said she had had a fall one night, away from home, when she tripped going to the bathroom and hit her jaw on the basin.  The migraine had been there for about the same amount of time.  

When the practitioner checked the temporo-mandibular joint, he could feel a large lump, rather like a lump of glue, on her right TMJ.   By the end of the treatment, 80% of her migraine had disappeared and thereafter the frequency and length/intensity reduced greatly.  

She only has occasional migraines now and needs a bit more treatment to complete the job. The alignment of a person’s jaw will tell you a lot!  

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]  

Today’s Therapist International Trade Journal   -   Issue 61    

December 2009 January 2010   

The Bowen Technique - Magic for most migraines                                     

by Janie Godfrey  

It has been seven years since the Bowen Therapists’ European Register (the independent professional regulating body for Bowen therapists in the UK) conducted a nationwide study on the effect of Bowen on migraines, using volunteers who had a significant history with the condition.  

The results of the study were very positive, with most everyone in the study experiencing a mild to spectacular reduction in the frequency and/or severity and/or duration of their migraines.    Even with such promising results, it was a small study and it is hard to get the word out to the world that Bowen treatment might really help with this debilitating affliction.  

So it is well worth mentioning again that in the intervening seven years, there have been probably thousands of people in the UK and around the world who have been treated with Bowen for their migraine problems, with hopeful, helpful and welcome results.    

 There have been many causes of migraines identified by medical specialists and these include:  stress, particular foods, sensations, medications, or hormone levels. Migraines are induced in some people by glaring light, smells, or noise, or by emotional stress. In addition, lack of sleep, hypoglycemia caused by skipped meals, alcohol (especially red wine), excessive exercise, changes in altitude or weather, or MSG, nitrate, or tyramine-containing foods can also trigger the onset of migraine in some people. 

As more women than men suffer from migraines, heightened stress perception and cyclic hormonal fluctuations have been recognized as causes.   Medications such as birth control pills, drugs that dilate blood vessels or alter brain blood flow (for example, nitroglycerin, antihypertensives, anti-inflammatories, or bronchodilators), or chronically used head pain remedies can also cause migraines.  

But despite the wide variety of possible causes, Bowen seems to be able to bring some positive change, whether small or great, regardless of the cause.     

I have just recently treated a young woman, Kathy, for recurrent migraines.  Her trigger seemed to be hormonal, as she had the first one when she was about 11 years old and at first had only a few per year.  However, when she was pregnant (at age 20), she suddenly was having 3 – 4 per week until the baby’s birth and then they died back some with only 1 – 3 migraines per fortnight – which was 1 – 3 migraines too many.  

A friend recommended that Kathy try Bowen after seeing her suffer with a fierce migraine that began with a visual aura and progressed to an episode that lasted several days.    

She followed a response pattern to the Bowen treatment that I have come to see as pretty typical for most people:  during the week following the first treatment, they will have migraine symptoms, but they are always different from the usual progression in at least one respect.  

In Kathy’s case, she had the migraine response about three days after the treatment, but the visual distortions that preceded it were not as severe; she was not sick during this episode; the pain was more severe but only on the left side instead of both sides and, best of all, the whole thing lasted about 3 hours instead of 3 days!!   

She also commented that she felt so much better in herself and all her family had commented on how ‘glowing’ she looked!  After the second treatment, she reported that she had had nothing at all in the way of migraines, headaches or even any visual distortions or auras.  

She had a third treatment to reinforce the resolution and then I didn’t hear from her again for four months.  She rang then to book in for a Bowen top-up as she had had a few little ‘shadows of niggles’ that reminded her of the migraine pattern and wanted to take steps to ensure it wouldn’t re—establish itself.    And this is the way, in my experience of practicing Bowen, in which most people move on from their migraine conditions.  

It doesn’t seem to matter whether they have had them for a few years or decades, or what they think the causes have been or what they know the triggers to be.  

For many people, Bowen seems to be able to offer a drug-free way of managing, if not eliminating, the migraine condition.  

If the migraine pattern continues without relief, either from Bowen or medications, they should be advised to consult with their doctors again (if they haven’t seen them recently) to make sure nothing else is going on that needs attention.   

Another good example of the relief Bowen can give is that of 21 year old David.  He had been experiencing migraines for 15 years - since the age of 6!  

His migraine pattern had worsened over the years and now he was having at least one migraine per week.  The duration of his migraine was anywhere from a few hours to five days, with the ‘normal’ duration being a day or two.  During the attack he would have to be in a dark room and try to sleep.  The frequency of this problem was playing havoc with his job, as he was unable to work while having a migraine and he was close to losing his job – even though his employer was his very patient and sympathetic uncle.  

He had tried any number of treatments and medications to either manage or get rid of the migraines but nothing had worked.   David’s response to his first Bowen treatment displayed the typical change in pattern:  he had 3 migraines in quick succession during the week following the treatment, with the duration and pattern of them being different than usual.    

After David’s second Bowen treatment, a really big change was apparent in that he had another 3 migraines on the three days following the treatment, but they were each gone in a maximum of 3 hours, and after that he didn’t have any.   

After his third Bowen treatment, I didn’t see him for two months and then he returned for a ‘top-up’ Bowen treatment.  He reported that he had only had 2 or 3 very minor migraines and hadn’t been off work at all.    

With results similar to these being quite common, Bowen as one of the first ‘ports-of-call’ for migraine relief seems a sensible proposition.   

With many thanks to Kathy and David for permission to share their case histories 

© E.C.B.S & Janie Godfrey

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]