zondag 24 februari 2013

part of life




A lot of people seem to think they are sore because that’s part of life, part of getting older.
This is not necessarily through. Our body doesn’t like being sore, it’s just that it doesn’t know how to make itself better.
The Bowen can help with this.
Each move we do on the body is a signal to the body of how to realign itself.
So after the treatment the body is going to adjust itself and put itself back into alignment. This might take a couple of days, but because the body has done it itself instead of being pushed back into place it is more likely to stay like this.
When the body is pushed back into place the muscles (muscles have a muscle memory) will go back to what they remember before they had the treatment hence your back to being sore again.
I hear all the time: “I have been there or I have had such and such treatment, but it only last a couple of days”.
Now you know why, the body goes back to what it was before that particular treatment because that’s what the muscles remember.
After Bowen the muscles take on a new position by themself and that’s why the muscle memory will be replaced with the new position the muscles are in.
It might take a couple of days for the body to do so as it usually takes a couple of days for the body to get sore again after some other types of treatment.

Martine your Bowen Therapist

donderdag 6 december 2012

HIp pain






Many people will experience hip pain at one point in their life.
We have some great Bowen procedures that will help align the body and give it a chance to reduce inflammation and allow pain signals to relax.
The Bowen pelvis procedure is nothing short of amazing in how quickly leg length discrepancies equalize. Other areas to address for hip pain are how the sacrum is balanced between the pelvic bones, hamstring/quadriceps balance (including taking a look at the semi-known gracilis muscle), nerve pain referred from the coccyx (tail bone), low back tightness, and one of my favorites the psoas muscle.
The psoas (commonly called the hip flexor) attaches to the lumbar spine and discs, wraps around the pelvic bowl (with another muscle called the iliacus) and inserts into inner hip at the lesser trochanter of the femur. Often times tight hip flexors (often caused by prolonged sitting) will change the position of how the femur (upper leg bone) rests in the acetabulum of the femur (hip socket). This often contributes to hip pain and other structural problems. I have found the Bowen psoas release is a very effective and non-invasive technique to relieve the psoas. It is great for not only hip pain, but also sciatica and herniated/bulging disc symptoms (anywhere in the spine, not just the low back!). I have also found this procedure is very effective for people with shoulder and neck problems.
All people who sit a lot should get their psoas muscles released.

dinsdag 16 oktober 2012

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome






Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a problem of the wrists. The median nerve that runs through the middle of the wrist and the carpal bones is compressed. In the tunnel that the median runs is also a group
of tendons that are covered by the transverse ligament. Carpal Tunnel is caused by the
swelling of the membranes that surround and lubricate the tendons as they glide in the tunnel.
A common cause of carpal tunnel syndrome is repetitive motion of the hands and fingers
(i.e. typing, graphic work on pc's, factory work).
The symptoms can be:
  • Numbness in the hand and/or finger tips
  • Disturbed sleep
  • Pain in the hand or wrist which occurs with the use of the hand
  • Pins and needles in the finger tips
  • Radiating pain in the forearm
  • Symptoms generally worsen at night
Usually people with carpal tunnel cannot touch there thumb and pinkie together.
How can Bowen Therapy help with this?

For years now Bowen Therapy has saved numerous wrists from being surgically operated on. We have a specific procedure called the 'carpal tunnel' procedure. This procedure relaxes the muscles in the forearm allowing for greater blood flow throughout the arm. This releases the pressure on the median nerve. There are also several other procedures which work around the hand, wrist and arm which treats carpal tunnel. Many clients have had great success with all symptoms disapearing permanently after only 3 or 4 sessions of Bowen Therapy.
Bowen Therapy has saved many wrists from surgery. For those suffering with carpal tunnel Bowen Therapy is a cheap and extremely effective treatment that may just save your wrist from the knife.
Martine your Bowen Therapist


donderdag 11 oktober 2012

Available now Equine Bowen Thereapy




For the past 2 years I have been traveling to a little place called Tiaro (about 45 min out of Gympie).
This is where I had to go to learn how to do Bowen on Horses, or also called EMRT, Equine Muscle Release Therapy.
It’s a very rewarding thing to be able to help those four legged friends of ours that work so hard for us.
I have found the horses seem to love the treatment. It would calm them down and afterward some of them followed me around like a puppy that was quite funny.
I like to thank everyone that has allowed me to treat their horses for my case studies, without them I wouldn’t have been able to graduate.

The Bowen works the same on horses as on humans; the Bowen moves give the body the message of how the body can heal itself.
Unlike with some other therapies where the body is manipulated and put into place, the Bowen allows the body to realign itself.
I have people tell me all the time that when they have had some sort of treatment it only last a couple of days and then they are back to what they were before the treatment.
This is because the muscles have muscle memory, this means the muscles go back into the same state as what they were before the treatment, and this might take a couple of days.
Because the Bowen allows the muscles to go back to their correct position the muscle memory is no longer an issue.
Usually people feel better after the treatment, and in most cases it takes a couple of days before they feel the full effects of the treatment, ones the body has realigned itself it is more likely to stay that way, because the body has realigned itself instead of having been manipulated into realignment.

If you have any questions or want to book an appointment please ring me.

Martine your Bowen Therapist

dinsdag 14 augustus 2012

Slipped disc



A herniated disc or in layman terms “slipped disc” means that the disc in-between the vertebrae’s bulges out towards the spinal cord.
This causes an acute pain in and around the lower back.
If the disc touches the Sciatic nerve, pain can be felt down the leg through the calf and sometimes into the foot.
We also call this Sciatica.

The herniated disc problem usually happens in the lower back because that part of the vertebral column bears most of the weight of the body and it also does most of the bending and flexing.
There are lots of causes that can create this problem, hard physical work, excessive strain or pressure on the spine, accidents, falls and sometimes it just happens with no particular reason.

The Discs in-between the vertebrae are spongy shock absorbers without the discs the bones would grate and crunch every time you move.
The discs are made up largely of water, it’s kind of like tooth paste.
As your disc begins to loose water it’s like letting air out of a tire and the sides begin to bulge
As we get older the amount of fluid in the discs will diminish slightly, this is why it is so important to drink water.

Bowen Therapy has a lot of success with this condition. Every week I get clients with this condition and they respond very well.
The basic Bowen moves relieve the tension in and around the herniated area, and then we have specialised Bowen moves specifically for this problem.

Please ring me with any questions or to book an appointment, and let’s find out if Bowen therapy can relieve you of your pain.

Martine your Bowen Therapist

zondag 15 juli 2012

headaches and migraines


People who suffer from headaches typically suffer from high levels of stress and tension in their neck and shoulders. Often headaches are tension headaches caused by tight muscles in the neck, upper back, shoulders and chest. This tension in the upper body can be a direct result of daily stress, poor postural habits, sitting and working at a computer for long hours, carrying purses, bags and children, sleeping positions, grinding and clenching your teeth, not drinking enough water.
The Bowen not only addresses the tension in the muscles, but addresses the whole body as one.
Example if the pelvis is out of balance that can cause a shift at the shoulders and neck resulting in tightness and pain.
A migraine headache is a type of vascular headache that is caused by an enlargement of blood vessels. When the blood vessels dilate, there is a release of blood and chemicals to the brain. This cause inflammation and pain.
There is a strong connection between a migraine attack and stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system (the fight or flight response), which controls our responses to stress and pain.
We have specific protocols that address headaches and migraines, the way the Bowen moves are performed and their precise locations over muscle, tendon, ligaments and nerves create a reaction that the body allows to rest, relax, and heal so that body can recover or help relieve from a migraine or headache.
Bowen is a very gentle and non invasive therapy that gently reduces overall stress and relaxes your muscles.

Martine your Bowen Therapist