Bowen Therapy

First, common pathological conditions of the upper extremities (UE) come from repetitive stress injuries. Traditionally, the treatment of these conditions often uses a localised approach, which may temporarily reduce pain and dysfunction but rarely produce lasting change and healing. An imbalanced pattern of facia will almost always produce pain, inflammation and dysfunction. If this imbalanced pattern is not addressed globally, lasting improvements are unlikely to occur. Furthermore, the pain may move to another location and the cycle of discomfort or continue.

Conventional medical treatment of preventers (steroids) and relievers (beta-agonist bronchodilators) work to decrease inflammation and thereby increasing gas exchange, but this only targets one small area of the problem. Without air being drawn by the diaphragm, there will be no gas exchange!

Initially, relievers and preventers will help asthmatics increase gas exchange and breathing. But if the tightness in the diaphragm and intercostal muscles is not addressed, the muscles will remain tight, and the tension will only increase with each further asthma attack. This is why medication does not seem to work and why even the slightest change can set the asthma attack off. 

If the muscles involved are treated and relaxed after the asthma attack, they will be much less likely to go into a spasm, and if they do, they can be treated again very easily. It does not mean that the person will be cured of their allergies by Bowen therapy alone, but it does mean that it is possible to prevent asthma symptoms from escalating into asthma attacks.

There is also a relationship between allergic reactions and stress response. Allergies are strange things. We can grow up without any and slowly acquire them or stop being allergic to what we used to be. Why does this happen? 

This may depend on the nervous system. Think about the nervous system as the body’s central processing unit (CPU). If there is an imbalance, this affects every system in the body, including inflation response, which is what causes an allergic reaction.

The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for getting the body ready for a potentially dangerous situation and plays a huge role in promoting a strong inflammation response when exposed to stress (physical or psychological). 

Bowen treatments are able to reduce the effects of allergies on sufferers and in some cases cure them completely due to rebalancing of the autonomic nervous system which tones down the inflammation response in the body.

Facia has many types of sensory nerves with different densities depending on where it is in the body and any potential pathology involved in particular areas. Bowen moves initially involve moving the skin  (we call it skin slack) before actually activating the connective tissue. Touch of any kind will activate certain sensory receptors in the skin, such as Merkel’s discs (which relay information about pressure and texture), Meissner’s corpuscles (which are sensitive to very light touch) and free nerve endings (which sense mechanical stimuli and pain).

Moving the skin also seems to affect the Langerhans cells, which are macrophage-like cells living in the Malpighian layer of the dermis. Interestingly, these cells appear to have the function of preventing excess immune responses in the skin, something that is a problem in autoimmune conditions and allergies. This is the reason Bowen seems to have a beneficial effect on people with autoimmune conditions, but only if light pressure is used. Strong pressure can overstimulate the immune response in these individuals which can potentially have undesirable side effects in the short term.

Perhaps two of the main factors that affect sacroiliac joints, the intervertebral discs and the facet joints, are poor posture and ergonomics – in other words, what people have inherited and habituated and what they are doing at work or at home to aggravate their symptoms.

Acute back pain is usually fairly straightforward to treat with Bowen, and the sooner someone can have the treatment after injuring themselves, the better because it stops the body from going into protective and compensating patterns. More often than not, someone’s back pain has been caused by lifting something awkwardly, particularly in situations where they have lifted and twisted simultaneously. This is a disaster for the lower back as the lumbar vertebrae are not designed to twist in relation to each other (unlike the neck vertebrae). 

Bowen practitioners pul a lot of emphasis on treating the imbalances in posture, and the changes can be dramatic after even a few Bowen sessions. Certain types of posture tend to put excessive strain on the lower back, particularly the kind normally referred to as “head forward posture”. This is endemic in our culture and effectively means that many people are leaning forward all the time. Although this puts massive pressure on the lower back, the key to successful treatment requires the reasons behind it to be addressed, which are sometimes not so obvious.

Chronic back pain that started in the teens can also, quite commonly, be related to a problem with a bite. There are reasons why small imbalances in the cranium have such a big effect on posture and back pain. One reason is that most of the connective tissue and fascia are attached to the base of the cranium, so imbalances at the top end tend to get magnified down below in the spine and pelvis. Specific Bowen works at the TMJ have a powerful effect on helping to realign the jaw, which will have ramifications throughout the body.

Bowen practitioners often claim that Bowen affects blood pressure (BP) – someone with high blood pressure will experience a lowering of BP after the treatment, with the reverse happening with someone with low BP. This may appear far-fetched and wishful thinking until you understand that research has shown that stimulation of type IV receptors tends to increase BP, whereas stimulation of type III receptors can both increase and decrease BP. 

Several studies have also shown that increased static pressure on muscles, such as in Bowen move, tends to lower arterial blood pressure. It would appear that one of the major functions of the interstitials (space between cells in the tissue) is to influence the autonomic nervous system to regulate blood supply according to local demands, which might be one reason why clients often notice changes in blood supply to the extremities after the treatment.

Traditional diagnostic tests can determine if there is a localised site compression at the carpal tunnel. Still, they will not determine if there are other sources of tractioning or nerve irritation contributing to the distal symptoms.  This makes Bowen therapy an excellent first-line treatment focusing on nerve compressions in the forearm, thorax, neck shoulder, wrist alignment and even pelvis. 

Clients suffering from COPD typically present with increasing breathlessness and a productive, chronic cough. Damage to the lung tissue itself is often irreversible. The feeling of breathlessness is not just due to damage to the lung tissue (reducing gas exchange) but also to a tightness in the breathing muscles that restrict inhalation and exhalation. A chronic cough and the resultant extra work needed to breathe will cause tension in the muscles and these muscles can be relaxed during Bowen therapy. Clients often report the ability to “breath again” immediately after a Bowen treatment.

Another Bowen effect is that clients feel a “shift” in their lungs and are able to cough up more mucus and sputum than before. They also report getting fewer colds that go straight into their chest, probably due to a stronger immune system.

Stress and anxiety play a huge role in COPD. Breathlessness activates the SNS, which then causes a release of stress hormones. The nervous system is always in a heightened sympathetic mode as the body tries to bring more air into the lungs. This is a vicious circle that can lead to depression and hopelessness. Bowen can aid in rebalancing the nervous system and in longer term strengthen the immune system to prevent against chest infections.

One of the problems in patients with chronic pain is that they often develop increased sensation and pain amplification in their greatest areas of pain. This is caused by changes to nociceptive neurons, which are neurons found in skin, joints, muscles, facia and tendon tissues. Concerning fibromyalgia sufferers, their increased sensitivity is also due to higher than normal levels of the neurotransmitter that mediates pain in the cerebrospinal fluid, lower than normal glucocorticoid levels and higher levels of activity in the parts of the brain that mediate the emotional and contextual assessment of pain.

Bowen therapy can lower inflammation and nerve sensitivity as well as create a calmer emotional state by lowering the sympathetic nervous system activation. In particular, using light Bowen moves to stimulate the interstitial receptors can be very effective at allowing the nociceptors to become less sensitive. Interstitial receptors are found everywhere in the body, particularly in the periosteum.

There is a specific strategy for treating chronic pain which needs a more long-term approach. After a few initial sessions designed to lower the sympathetic activation, local hyperactivity needs to be addressed in the spinal cord, and finally, the original cause of the tissue damage/inflammation needs to be tackled. Treatments do not have to be weekly. In many cases, clients with chronic pain actually seem to respond better with longer gaps in between sessions. After an initial series, spacing them monthly works for most people.

Several major structures pass close to the temporal bones and the inner ear that are particularly susceptible to pressure, inflammation or entrapment. These structures include cranial nerves V, VII, IX, X and XI, jugular vein and carotid artery. The two nerves affected in facial palsy and Bell’s palsy are the facial nerve and the trigeminal nerve. 

Looking at various areas where these nerves might get compromised, we realise why Bowen can help these situations by creating more space in the surrounding connective tissue and improving blood supply to the nerves, a crucial factor to their functioning. Some Bowen moves to address the facial nerve directly, and I have seen myself a considerable improvement after Bowen in not only pain  but also facial “Droop” experienced by people with Bell’s Palsy. 

One of the main problems with the body’s response to an allergen is that the production of histamine causes extra mucus to be secreted to trap the allergen, and the mucus builds up in and around the sinuses and the eyes.

Unfortunately, the drainage channels have often become clogged so that the mucus cannot get away, causing the congestion to build up, blocking the nose and creating building eyes. The Bowen moves for this condition unblock the channels, which allow the mucus to drain. Keeping the channels clear from time to time prevents mucus from accumulation.

There are various causative factors in headaches and migraines, which involve one or more of the following:

• Irritation of the meninges and their blood supplies (dural arteries and pial arteries)
• some of the large veins, such as the temporal artery
• some of the spinal and cranial nerves, particularly the trigeminal
• certain muscles of the head and neck
• intracranial vasodilation and/or vasoconstriction
• neuronal excitability in the cerebral cortex (particularly the occipital cortex) in migraines
• Hormonal changes
• Blocked sinus

The link between the jaw and migraines was supported by a recent study in Israel that discovered a link between chewing gum and headaches. A small-scale study in the UK between 2001 and 2002 looked at the impact of Bowen on people with migraines; 31 out of 39 participants reported a positive change in severity and/or frequency of attacks after Bowen treatment.

Another of the most obvious explanations for why Bowen might help people with headaches and migraines is that the TMJ work directly affects the temporal artery. This artery is known to be a major influence in both migraines and headaches and supplies oxygenated blood to the head and neck.

Bowen TMJ work also addresses the operation of the vagus nerve, having a direct effect on some of the unpleasant side effects of migraine such as nausea and vomiting. In addition, the Bowen neck work affects the sub-occipital muscles in the neck and the dural membranes, both factors in headache and migraine.

Specific Bowen moves affect parasympathetic nerves around the coccyx that innervate the lower bowel and reproductive organs. Bowen affects the nerve supply because it frees up the facia through which the nerves and their blood supply travel. When blood supply is compromised or restricted in the facia, this immediately affects the ability of nerve axons to transmit action potential. 

Bowen can also help regulate the menstrual cycle due to its influence on the pituitary gland, both through rebalancing the body via basic relaxation procedures and through doing work on coccyx. Many clients report that their periods become more regular after Bowen. 

Back pain can often be caused by something simple, such as having a wallet or keys in a back pocket. This will put unnecessary pressure right on the nerve pathway of the sciatic nerve itself, as well as tipping the pelvis at an angle. This ten means that the lower lumbar vertebrae have to compensate. It is not surprising that this results in sciatica.

Nerves are sensitive creatures that hate being compressed, stretched or rubbed. If they are, they tend to get inflamed, and then they swell up, making the symptoms worse. Bowen moves are designed to allow muscles or surrounding ligaments to relax and create more space for the passage of the sciatic nerve.

Most people don’t like to admit they are stressed, but the unfortunate fact is that most of us are pretty stressed a lot of the time. Our fight and flight response is on high alert most of the time because of the high level stimulation in our Western culture. This creates an over-active HPA axis which has a cascade of ramifications for our health.

Briefly, the hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands have a complex interactive relationship which is involved in the neurobiology of mood disorders and can be linked to conditions such as anxiety, insomnia, depression, IBS, CFS, alcoholism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and serious conditions such as bipolar and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). One of the chief functions of antidepressants and mood-stabilising drugs is to try to regulate the HPA axis. Also, it is important to understand that short-term stress stimulates the immune response, but long-term stress suppresses it.

Furthermore, researchers such as Schleip have concluded that when vagal tone is increased through the touch, such as used in Bowen, not only does this trigger a parasympathetic response in the organs (heart, digestion, etc.), but the anterior lobe of the hypothalamus is activated as well. Seminal research by Earnst Gellhorn shows that these sorts of changes in the hypothalamus have a lowering effect on all muscle tonus in the body, as well as quieting the mind and calming the emotional state. 

During Bowen’s treatment, reactions such as trembling or feeling cold can indicate that the nervous system is processing “somatic memory”, usually related to the previously traumatic event. Bowen therapy can be a powerful tool for releasing trauma, which has not been dealt with in psychotherapy sessions.

Conditions that affect the inner ear can be horrible for the sufferers and disturb their life. Labyrinthitis, tinnitus, Meniere’s disease and vestibular problems are all too common, particularly in the elderly, and can affect people’s ability to undertake normal daily activities. 

It is poorly understood why many of these conditions occur, and treatment usually involves long courses of drugs such as betahistine and diazepam. In my experience, Bowen can help considerably to lessen some of the symptoms of these conditions, especially dizziness, nausea and pain.