When people think of Bowen therapy they tend to think of it as a specialised treatment for physical problems like bad backs, unresolved neck and shoulder problems or arthritic conditions. Bowen Therapy is a versatile healing modality that aids many different issues such as relieving hormone imbalances and infertility, mental health problems and improving the function of our internal organs, just to name a few.
Our internal organs and blood vessels are held in position by a web of connective tissue (fascia) that are supported by muscles and encased by the skeleton for protection and containment. The spine provides stability and an anchorage for these structures.
Fascial adhesions and scar tissue from surgery, injury or trauma can dehydrate and distort organ (visceral) positioning. This means that your organ function will be compromised which can lead to all kinds of health problems, from general tiredness to much more serious conditions.
Bowen therapy helps to break down adhesions and encourages rehydration of your internal surfaces. Adhesions and dehydrated tissues restrict the slip and slide action of the organs against one another in the abdominal and thoracic cavities, so by releasing tension in these areas it will enable better organ positioning and improved cellular function throughout, allowing your organs to function more efficiently.
How can Bowen improve your digestion?
The digestive system processes food so that nutrients can be absorbed into the bloodstream which are then utilised throughout the body’s systems. The digestive system is responsible for food and water ingestion, digestion, absorption and elimination of waste products from the body. This process is both physical and chemical. The physical aspect of digestion takes place in the gastrointestinal tract that includes the mouth, oesophagus, stomach, small and large intestines and the chemical processes are known as enzymatic action and originates in another five areas of the body: the salivary glands, stomach lining, pancreas, liver and the walls of the small intestine. It is vital that all these organs are functioning properly to ensure that you are getting the correct balance of nutrition from the vitamins and minerals in your diet for optimum digestive performance.
Thinking about food activates the salivary glands in preparation for digestion, we have all had the experience where the thought of delicious food which caused us to salivate; this is the beginning of the digestive process, then the body prepares itself by secreting enzymes into the digestive tract to start breaking down the food we ingest.
The Bowen Technique aids in this process by switching our autonomic nervous system from Sympathetic (fight, fright, flight) to Parasympathetic (rest, relax, repair, digest) and addresses fascial adhesions that may be causing imbalances within the body.
The gastrointestinal tract is sensitive and responsive to conditions that effect the internal and external environments of the body, eg. nervousness and anxiety (knots in the stomach) interfere with the stomach and digestion; eating while agitated, fatigued or worried may cause gastrointestinal disturbances, inhibiting digestive secretions resulting in the redirection of blood supply to the muscles (in preparation for fright, fight or flight) rather than to the digestive tract, and the absorption of nutrients.
Weight problems and digestive disorders such as wheat and diary intolerance are becoming more and more prevalent in our modern society and are generally associated with a high stress lifestyle which places tension on the tissues resulting in the inability to assimilate nutrients effectively.
When organs are not functioning properly because they have tight adhered tissues, our body’s won’t be able to assimilate the required nutrients no matter how healthy and nutritious the foods are.
The seven essential minerals required by the body for optimum health are sodium, potassium, phosphorus, chloride, calcium, magnesium and sulphur, with approximately 10 other trace elements. Fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins also work together to keep our bodies functioning. Without all these necessary vitamins and minerals circulating in our blood stream the body won’t be able to function properly which results in disease and dysfunction.
Good digestion is vital for good health. Bowen Therapy can help the body to optimise your nutrient uptake and hydration by reducing tissue tension and allowing the adhered tissues to remember their proprioreceptive positioning hence better digestive processes .
How can Bowen improve your organ function?
There are many reasons why your body may not be functioning adequately. Switching on the parasympathetic nervous system (rest, relax, repair) during a Bowen Therapy session redirects blood supply to the vital organs and optimises internal functions, remembering that there are numerous organs within the body’s thoracic and abdominal cavities:
- Small intestine and Large intestine;
- Stomach, Spleen and Pancreas;
- Liver and Gall Bladder;
- Kidneys, Adrenals and Urinary Bladder;
- Lungs, Heart and Reproductive organs;
The body is made up of numerous systems containing organs and if one is not functioning properly it will ultimately affect the surrounding organs, systems and therefore the body as a whole. Proper organ function relies on a healthy hydrated fascial environment for the internal tissues to slip and slide against one another, tissues to be orientated so electrical impulses may be transferred uninterrupted via the nervous system and the muscular skeletal structures to be in the correct position. Bowen Therapy is a catalyst for this, through treating fascial adhesions and allowing better cellular hydration, nutrition assimilation, increased blood supply, efficient waste elimination and movement of tissues.
You are able to aid your own health by ensuring adequate water intake, making sure you drink the recommended two litres of water daily. Dehydrated and adhered cellular tissue can create dysfunction in a localised region, which over time ultimately affects all surrounding tissues and structures. When left untreated, problems can escalate as the rest of the body is forced to compensate.
This is how Bowen Therapy is used to help correct and then maintain efficient organ and cellular function – digesting food, assimilating vitamins, minerals and nutrients and eliminating waste more efficiently. Only then can your body function efficiently.
Bowen therapy involves a gentle, dynamic system of muscle and connective tissue manipulation which balances the body and stimulates energy flows. It’s a remedial massage therapy that can be used safely on anyone from neonates to the aged and immobile. These moves prompt the body to redress physical imbalances, retrieving cellular information of a preferred balanced way of being, promoting relief from pain and renewal of energy.
Bowen therapy strongly affects the autonomic nervous system, the system responsible for stress reactions and recovery responses. Assisting in reducing the stress-oriented dominance of the sympathetic nervous system, thus reducing muscle tension and nerve hypersensitivity. The body’s integrated response improves circulation and lymphatic drainage and aids in the assimilation of nutrients and elimination of toxins.
During a Bowen therapy session there are frequent but essential pauses that allow the body time to respond and begin the healing process. A specific problem may be targeted or the body may be treated as a whole. Bowen Therapy is a therapeutic technique designed to clear structural, postural and muscular imbalances. It can be used successfully for IBS treatment, R.S.I., Scoliosis, Frozen Shoulder, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, TMJ misalignment and many other major structural complaints.
Contact Elena now to book a Bowen treatment for yourself or a loved one or Book Appointment Online