Fibromyalgia Relief At Your Fingertips

A Life-Changing Hands-On Therapy

The Bowen Technique, a healing, often miraculous, life-changing hands-on therapy, is revolutionizing healthcare. A simple yet powerful technique that helps relieve all kinds of pain, it is so gentle that it can be used on anyone, from newborn infants to the elderly.

Jo Anne Whitaker, M.D, a leading Bowen researcher, was facing a hip replacement and back surgery when she discovered the Bowen Technique. After receiving Bowen treatments, not only was she able to walk, but she went back to playing golf... without surgery! She was so impressed that she flew to Australia to train in the Bowen Technique and now treats patients with ailments ranging from bunions to heart disease.

Easy To Learn and Use

The Bowen Technique is not massage, acupressure or chiropractic. There is no manipulation, adjustment or force used. You use thumbs and fingers to gently move muscles, and in between each set of moves, you leave the room. These pauses and the gentleness of the treatment are what make Bowen unique. And because there is only one basic move, it is easy to learn and use.

According to Robert Ullman, a naturopathic and homeopathic physician:

"The Bowen Technique is easy to learn and to apply correctly right after being trained to use it. While most people will go to a practitioner for treatments, the simplicity of the technique allows it to be rapidly learned for self-treatment as well."

Where did the Bowen technique come from?

The Bowen Technique was developed in Australia in the 1950's by Thomas Bowen, a gifted healer. He claimed he could feel tiny vibrations in people's muscles that helped him find the exact location to work on. He dedicated his life to turning his gift into a practical application that has proven to be of great benefit to thousands of people all over the world.

How does it work?

The Bowen Technique helps the body remember how to heal itself. Electrical impulses sent to the nervous system remind the body to regain normal movement in muscles and joints. Two or three treatments are usually enough to achieve long-lasting relief. Even long-term conditions may respond very quickly.

Bowen Research and Fibromyalgia Relief

There is compelling research that the Bowen Technique may be effective in relieving the painful symptoms of fibromyalgia.

American College of Rheumatology

In a study of twenty patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia conducted by Dr. Jo Anne Whitaker at the American College of Rheumatology, almost all participants experienced various degrees of relief which lasted from a few days to several weeks. Most reported immediate relief following a Bowen treatment. For some, repeated Bowen therapy maintained complete clinical remission. The results were statistically significant and correlated with improvement of clinical well-being.

Effects of the Bowen Technique on the Autonomic Nervous System and Heart Rate Variability

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By measuring changes in the value and pattern in heart rate variability before and after a Bowen treatment, this study by Jo Anne Whitaker, M.D., demonstrated that the Bowen Technique affects the autonomic nervous system (ANS). By using Heart Rate Variability to study the autonomic nervous system, early findings demonstrated that Bowen treatments balanced the ANS. The control group consisted of subjects with all types of rheumatological conditions.

Fibromyalgia Pilot Study

A pilot study on the effect of Bowen treatments on fibromyalgia sufferers was carried out by Tim Willcocks (Bowen Practitioner and Trainer). Four participants (aged 39-52) who were diagnosed with fibromyalgia from 3 to 5 years, were given four Bowen treatments over a five week period. All four participants experienced improvement, including better sleep, ease in walking, cessation of vertigo, eased neck pain, improved balance and less exhaustion.

One Woman's Story

Four years ago she had a fibromyalgia flare-up. Each day the pain got worse. Even though she was getting trigger point shots weekly and taking medication twice daily, she lacked energy and mobility and her system was very fragile. If she did too much, she had to lie down and rest.

She and her husband decided to try the Bowen Technique to help her gain some relief from her chronic pain. Although her husband had no bodywork experience, (and was "all thumbs," according to her), he used a Bowen self-help video to help guide his hands.

The morning after her first Bowen session she woke up feeling rather strange and prickly all over. On day two she was mobile in ways she hadn't been in years. And after just three Bowen sessions, spaced one week apart, except for early morning stiffness, she felt great!

"As the success with the Bowen Technique is in most cases so astonishing, people seeking an explanation as to what it is prior to receiving treatment often think you are some incredible charlatan making wild claims when you give an explanation. But it is true. Clients who present with both acute and chronic pain, having often sought in vain treatment from a variety of other experts and specialists, are consistently free of their problems within a very short time by using Bowen. In fact, most clients require only 2 or 3 sessions to achieve long term benefits."

Dr. Michael Buckmann

People with chronic disabilities such as chronic fatigue syndrome, MS and fibromyalgia may want to consider the Bowen Technique. It is always worth trying, because in many cases it has been known to trigger sometimes surprising and unexpected recoveries when nothing else has worked.

Gerri Shapiro, MS Ed, is a leading health educator and Bowen practitioner who has worked with the World Health Organization, Asian Development Bank, USAID and Management Sciences for Health in the areas of alternative and traditional medicine. She is a member of the American Massage Therapy and American Holistic Health Associations. She is the editor of http://www.boweninfo.com, a Bowen information and resource site, and is the producer of the self-help video Miracle Pain Relief - The Gentle Power of Bowen For Family and Friends, http://www.miraclepainrelief.com, designed for lay people who do not have access to a Bowen practitioner.

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