Hands-On
Approach to Relief
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by Jean Patteson /
Orlando Sentinel
(Reprinted with permission.)
The Bowen Technique is
a series of gentle moves on the body's muscles,
with the goal of helping the body heal itself.
Twelve years ago, Daphne
Cronin was a candidate for the Canadian equestrian team that would
compete in the Seoul Olympics. But a horseback accident
brought that dream to an abrupt end.
At the team trials,
which were held in Florida, Cronin fell at the third-to-last
fence. She broke her neck Now a quadriplegic, Cronin
works as a language speech pathologist in Orlando, Florida, spending
long hours in a wheelchair... often in pain. Over the years,
she sought relief through shots, pills and acupuncture.
But it wasn't until last year, when she
tried a therapy called the Bowen Technique, that she was able to
fully manage her pain.
"I started with one
treatment a week for several months. I took a break last
summer, and now I'm doing it about once every other week. I
don't feel immediate relief, but I always sleep like a rock after a
treatment and wake up with no pain at all," she said.
The Bowen Technique is a
form of muscle manipulation developed by an Australian named Tom
Bowen about 45 years ago, explained Cheryll Hillier, central
Florida's first certified Bowen practitioner. Last year, she
opened a small treatment clinic in, of all places, a tanning salon
in Maitland.
Like many forms of
alternative medicine, the Bowen approach to pain management may
cause some skeptics to raise their eyebrows or shake their heads.
"In the beginning
it sounds weird," admitted Lina Jones, a client of Hillier's
who suffers from pain in her lower back and knees. "Some
lady moves your muscles around and in a few days you start feeling
really well."
"But give it a
try. There's nothing to lose-- except your pain," said
Jones, 29, who lives in Longwood and attends Seminole Community
College.
Proponents say the Bowen
Technique can be used to treat ailments ranging from tennis elbow
and frozen shoulder to headaches and hay fever, to digestive
disorders and stress. Often, just two or three treatments are
needed to remedy a problem.
Hillier charges $45 for
a 60-minute session, or $105 for three sessions. At this
point, the cost is not covered by most medical insurance.
Dennis Martin, a
personal fitness trainer in Orlando, was amazed at how much stronger
he felt after having a single treatment for a knee injury last year.
"It had gotten so bad, I wasn't
able to lift more than about 170 pounds without my knees
buckling. Four days after she (Hillier) worked on me, I was
able to lift 250 again. I've had other kinds of physical
therapy before, but nothing was as effective as this," he said.
Not a whole lot is known
about Tom Bowen. He was born in 1916....Much of his life he
lived in Geelong, in southeastern Australia. He died in 1982
at age 66.
Fairly late in life,
Bowen discovered that he had an unusual gift: he seemed to
know intuitively what was ailing people and how to relieve their
discomfort. He did this by manipulating their muscles and
sinews, using a technique he developed himself. It involved
making brief, intense, rolling motions with his thumbs and fingers,
always allowing a few minutes between manipulations for the body to
respond to the treatment. He sometimes called himself an
osteopath, sometimes a manipulative therapist.
People believed he had
healing hands and flocked to him for treatments from all across
Australia. He never advertised his services, but at one point
it was estimated that he was treating about 13,000 patients a year.
He always was reluctant
to share the hows and whys of his skill. But when his health
began to fail, he was prevailed upon to teach his technique to a few
followers. By the mid-1990s, the Bowen Technique was being
taught and practiced in Britain, Europe, South Africa, Canada and
the United States..
His disciples classify
the Bowen Technique as part of the family of vibrational therapies,
which includes homeopathy and acupuncture. It is thought that
the Bowen Technique works, in part, by realigning the muscles, which
in turn helps realign the bones and organs. Also, that by
disturbing the muscles, it creates an energy surge, or opens up
energy channels, which enables the body to heal itself.
"To some degree,
you have to be a believer," Hillier said. "You have
to be open to the possibilities that this may work for you."
Bowen practitioners are
not healers, but the Bowen Technique does facilitate healing, she
said. "It helps people access the body's natural healing
process."
Hillier speaks from
personal experience. After working for 20 years in film and
television production in England, she decided to make a radical
career change. She trained to become a massage therapist.
But fate -- in the form
of two car wrecks and a serious fall -- intervened. Injuries
to her neck and back left her with severe pain in her upper body and
numbness in her left arm and hand. She tried a variety of
medications and therapies to no avail.
Then, while out
shopping, she saw a flier promoting the Bowen Technique.
"The rest, as they
say, is history," Hillier said. "Two treatments
later, I had no numbness or pain."
Impressed, she and her
husband, David, decided to train to become Bowen
practitioners. Shortly thereafter, they moved to
Orlando. Hillier has already obtained her license as a massage
therapist, which also permits her to offer the Bowen therapy at
their clinic. Her husband plans to obtain his license soon.
Hillier approaches her
work with a convert's enthusiasm and joy, which in itself probably
helps some patients feel better before she even lays hands on them.
"Who wouldn't enjoy
a job like this?" she said. "It's all about making
life more worth living."
© 2000 Orlando Sentinel
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