DR. MOSHER'S BOOK ABOUT BOWEN THE POWER OF BOWEN THERAPY: PLEASE EMAIL: [email protected] FOR A FREE COPY
This young lady was treated with 3 weekly Bowen Therapy sessions. These were followed by a 6 week break. Then, 3 more weekly sessions were performed. Following those, she had once a month sessions. All totaled 8 months. This was a total of about 15 sessions.(Photos available via e-mail)
Amazing that a simple series of Bowen Therapy sessions could do this. But, they did.
Not only is she better physically, but mentally and emotionally too. Think about the domino effect this deformity has on other body parts in later years of life? Now, her posture is aligned she is reducing those other pains and disabilities.
July 2000 13 years old
January 2001
March 2007 19 years old
This lucky girl’s mother learned how to do the Bowen Therapy Technique so she could do the treatments to her daughter herself. She’s been a Bowen Therapist ever since.
This technique is based upon the gentle movements over the muscles and surrounding soft tissues. The movements create a release of the tightened structures by way of reflex arcs. During the session there are rest periods which allow the body to re-set. As the tightened tissues release, there is an increased flow of Chi, (chemicals & electrical impulses) during the rest periods. This book is ABOUT BOWEN THERAPY.
A BOOK ABOUT Bowen Therapy
A LUCKY PODIATRIST’S
EXPERIENCEs
Volume 5
Mitchell R. Mosher, DPM, LMBT
www.DrmitchellMosher.com
www.bowen4life.com Video Demonstration
www.DrsDiscoveries.com
Health Education - Medical Bodywork - Retired Podiatrist
Phone: 704-778-1740
Email:[email protected]
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A BOOK ABOUT BOWEN THERAPY
Acknowledgements ------------------------------------------ 6
Prologue ---------------------------------------------------------- 7
About This Book ------------------------------------------------- 9
Feedback from Students and Practitioners --------------- 10
My Discovery of Bowen Therapy --------------------------- 14
My Journey as a Bowen Therapist ------------------------- 19
Origin-Evolution and History of Bowen Therapy---------- 22
About Bowen Therapy ----------------------------------------- 23
General Rules of Bowen Therapy --------------------------- 25
Conditions Helped by Bowen Therapy -------------------- 27
A LIST OF BASIC PROCEDURES ----------------- 31
A LIST OF SPECIAL PROCEDURES ---------------32
COMMENTS ON SOME PROCEDURES
Bunions -------------------------------------------- 33
Emotional Clearing ------------------------------ 34
Hammertoes --------------------------------------- 35
Migraines ------------------------------------------- 36
Standing Procedure ------------------------------ 38
Substance Dysfunction -------------------------- 39
More of My Discoveries –
The Missing Chapters from the Doctor’s Books--- 39
The Fascial System – Connective Tissue ----------- 41
The Direct Current System – Micro-currents-------- 44
The Meridian System / Ductules and Points--------- 54
The Emotional System ------------------------------------ 58
The Body – Mind System -------------------------------- 65
The Irrigation System ------------------------------------- 71
Medical Investigation – Looking Outside
the Box ------------------------------------------------------- 72
Some of My Successes-------------------------------------------- 81
Intent and Healing -------------------------------------------------- 93
Epilogue --------------------------------------------------------------- 96
Patient Feedback---------------------------------------------------- 97
References ----------------------------------------------------------- 105
Links -------------------------------------------------------------------- 107
Video Demo ----------------------------------------------------------- 107
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv-_FFZckag ------
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Tom Bowen developed his remarkable bodywork system and passed it down so we could find it via our healers and teachers. The late Milton Albrecht was mine. Milt was a California Redneck of sorts. In his first calling he was a machinist and builder of race car engines and hot rods. He learned how to do Bowen Therapy circa 1987. He then was anointed the teacher of the technique in the US in 1989 or thereabouts. During our fireside chats he shared lots of tidbits of information with me, for which I am very thankful. He had a profound distrust of doctors but he trusted me, and only two or three other physicians.
At one of our fireside chats, he told me that ganglionic cysts were caused by an overload of caffeine. He told me that when he "popped" the cysts for his clients, many times they had sleepless nights following. There was a large one behind my ankle when he told me this. I thought, "Oh yeah-sure." At the time, I drank eight to ten cups of coffee a day. After that, I cut down to two cups and about three months later, the cyst was 80% reduced in size. After three more months, it was gone! He was right-on once again. He told me lots of other things that didn't add up. But, down the road they often came to fruition.
Speaking at his memorial services in 2003, I brought forth that, not only had he performed some 80,000 treatments since 1990 on his clients, but he had taught hundreds of practitioners worldwide to perform the technique. And, they were also having significant influences on their client's lives also. I alone have treated over 12,000 different people over the years, and I helped most of them. You will meet some of them in this book.
Deni Larimore – Albrecht, for her voyage to Australia in the 1980’s where she found Bowen Therapy, brought it to the US, and showed her husband, Milton.
Bowen Therapists worldwide who have communicated with me on the internet as a result of my postings to The Bowen Technique Forum Groups @ yahoo.com., and some of the Face Book groups. Their positive comments and feedback have inspired me to complete these books on Bowen Therapy.
And, my new friends in South Carolina, Julia and Eugene Vickery who motivated, guided, and helped me to finish my books about Bowen Therapy.
PROLOGUE
AN INCREDIBLE JOURNEY
My hands on classes, notes, ideas, thoughts, readings, and dreams about the world renowned Bowen Technique have been compiled into a huge bunch of files in my Word documents. The information spans 19 years of experience, education, observations, and communications. They are all included in my five book volumes. This book is an introduction to the technique and what it can accomplish for you.
Early on in my podiatry practice I strayed from the mainstream. I thought that acupuncture and chiropractic were the main alternative physical modalities of choice. I referred many patients to those practitioners, until I discovered Bowen Therapy. I still refer to natural health practitioners, but the need is greatly reduced now that I do the Bowen Technique.
Hardly a day goes by, since beginning the practice of Bowen Therapy, that I am not humbled, awed, amazed, and glowing as a result of what my patients tell me after their Bowen sessions.
I treated 12 to 16 patients a day with Bowen in addition to 25 to 30 podiatry patients. I offer a huge thanks to my office staff for helping me to do this.
The personality traits that allowed me to take my journey are:
· Divine Discontent = Looking for a better way.
· Open Mindedness = Possibilities for a Better way.
· Creative Imagination = Creating that better way.
· Behavioral Analysis = People watcher.
· Connect the dots = Ah Ha’s.
· Unafraid to question authority.
My First Week of Bowen:
I treated about 12 to 14 of my patients with Bowen sessions the week after my class. Full body sessions were done on five or six that I felt comfortable with because this was outside my podiatry license inclusion. The others were done from the waist down. Waist down was within my podiatry license scope of practice. The following week about 6 or 7 of them came back for another session. The ones I did from the waist down reported a reduction of foot and leg symptoms. Some of the ones who received a full session said;
“Dr. Mosher, I don’t know what you did, but you’ve changed my life.”, “Dr. Mosher. After that treatment you did last week - you won’t believe what happened.”, “I felt a runner’s high all day after your treatment. And now, I have a sense of peace and well-being.” This pretty much got me hooked on the system.
More of What Patients Said:
“Oh, Dr. Mosher, If only the medical people would take this holistic and natural approach to our health issues.”
“I wish that I had met you two years ago, my life would have been different. I’ve been through two years of hell. Your treatments have fixed my problem.”
More Observations
As the months rolled by, I noticed that cortisone injections, prescription of drugs, and surgeries went down. Plus, favorable podiatry outcomes went from 75%-80% up to at least 95%.
Researching the Literature
In the many Bowen classes that I attended the answer to the question as to why Bowen Therapy eliminates this or that was always, “Oh. Bowen re-sets the body so it can heal itself.” That wasn’t good enough for me. I needed to know some of the physiological mechanisms of action down to the cell level. This led me to the research of a number of books, classes, internet information, and research papers which would lead me to some of the answers.
The Missing Chapters
Splicing together the information my patients gave me with the information in the literature, the big picture began to emerge.
The Epiphany – “Ah – Ha”
Western medicine, due to a number of reasons, is missing some chapters from their repair manual.
Actually, it’s maintenance manual. “We have your blood pressure under control. Just keep taking your medications.” Or, “Your diabetes is in the normal range. Keep taking your metformin.” Better yet, “Your cancer is in remission. However, you have to take the tamoxifen for the next five years. Then, we will see what the studies show.”
Putting it all together
Connecting the dots, the big picture began to emerge. What my patients told me, what I observed, other Bowen Therapist’s experiences, and what I learned from the vast amount of literature led me to some of the information that is revealed in my books about Bowen Therapy.
ABOUT THIS BOOK
This book is intended to introduce Bowen Therapy to the people who want to obtain relief from acute and chronic aches, pains, and health issues from a fairly simple natural and holistic approach. It is another option for health and wellness besides drugs, injections, and surgery. A lot of the information may be over your head. Just digest whatever you can so that you can improve your life. When you find a Bowen Therapist he or she might be able to answer your questions and concerns.
This book is for educational and informational purposes only. It is based on my own and other Bowen Practitioners personal experiences, my patient's experiences, observations, studies, and my conclusions from all of these.
It provides information about medical conditions and the therapies which have anecdotally shown to be effective in the reversal of some medical issues. However, these concepts are not a substitute for professional medical evaluation, assessment, and care.
This book does not make any recommendations to any reader, on what to do for their medical conditions. It only illustrates what these therapies have been witnessed to accomplish.
To my knowledge, none of the contents of this book have been evaluated or approved by the Medical Community, or the FDA.
No assertions, guarantees, representations other than as a teacher of the Bowen Technique, and a recipient of some of the modalities mentioned in this book.
Readers of this book are encouraged to use the information for help in choosing the pathways they wish to take in their quest of optimal health, only after, proper medical evaluation and intervention.
FEEDBACK FROM STUDENTS AND PRACTITIONERS
After having read Dr. Mosher’s information, I became re-energized and absolutely inspired with regards to Bowen Therapy. The recent increase in the effectiveness of my treatments since I have been studying Dr. Mosher’s material has amazed me, my staff and my clients. I have had the moves memorized since my initial training in the Bowen technique, but it’s not until now that I finally understand just what is going on; being able to relay this to my clients makes it a lot easier for them to believe in the process.
Thank you Dr. Mitchell Mosher! Amber G.
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Hello Dr.
I am a Bowtech therapist in NSW Australia and I am always interested in anything you write, to be truthful I actually read this site mainly for your input to further my knowledge.
So yes please I am very interested in your thoughts on Food Allergies both for my families and any clients that come to me.
My children were highly allergic to foods back in 1980 so I have been on this trail for 30 years, problem solving their and now my 16mth granddaughter’s intolerances.
Thank you for all you input.
Regards
Kerry D.
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Hi Mitchell,
It is 4.35am. I went to bed early last night and awoke at 1am. I thought I would look at a webinar that I have been meaning to get around to on the Body/Mind connection and emotional release. As I was checking something else on my desk top, your book that you generously shared through the Bowen yahoo group, popped up. So I have been engrossed in it since.
I am 1/2 way through and feeling sleepy now but I just felt compelled to drop you a line and say thank you. You are answering, in simple straightforward ways, a lot of questions that I have had and giving me the language to pass on to people in shorter concise ways.
Best regards, Jackie O.
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Thanks so much Mitchell
I can already see a change in the work that I am doing because of your input.
My clients are having much deeper healing responses. I am much more mindful of what I am doing.
I am very grateful to you for this.
Thanking you
Kind regards
Linda
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Hey Mitchell, I don't know what I missed, but whatever you are offering, I want one!! Your explanations/papers are wonderful. So many of us seemed to have not gotten the email you refer to; I wonder if it somehow got filtered out somewhere...? Lynn
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Hello, Doctor Mosher,
I just finished listening again to your CDs that came with the home study course I bought 4 or 5 years ago. I really resonate with your understanding and approach. I found your DVD invaluable for review. I was wondering if you ever visit the Roseville area, because I would love to do your advanced class. I never met you, but I bought your manuals and DVD and use the techniques. They are great! I also really enjoy the other modalities and discoveries you mention such as emotional and allergy clearing, craniosacral stretch (etc.). And your clarity when explaining the more esoteric theories and making them concrete. Anyway, I am finally going to get a website going and I feel a certification from you would be helpful in the Auburn area because you are so well-respected. My good friend, Cindy B, was like a mentor for me when she was here in the states, and Diane H, another good friend, really praised your wonderful treatments. Soooo...I would appreciate it if you notify me of any visits to this area. Thanks! Lori B.
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Read your book while waiting for the DVD - enjoyed it very much, thanks!! Received the DVD and it is great just what I needed for a better understanding. I Read your book while waiting for the DVD - enjoyed it very much, thanks!!
The DVD was very helpful to actually see the moves being performed and the general Bowen Info. Is so informative and helped me understand Bowen so much more. I have had the Bowen done, and I found great results so I am in hopes to learn and master it so I can share with others the benefit and to help them feel good. I am totally fascinated in the Bowen procedure. And your book Straying from the Mainstream is a must to read. For me it brought a lot to light. Thanks again, Donna
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Sept. 22, 2008
It’s been over a year and a half that I was introduced to Bowen and like many … it was at a time where the pain was so great and the options were getting slim. I was diagnosed with reverse curvature of the cervical vertebra. I had tried Chiropractic, Massage, Traction etc. … and then while on a trip to Florida, at the request of a friend, I experienced Bowen. After my first treatment, I was a bit skeptical due to the gentle nature of the treatment and the pain was still there… but I listened and continued. It was after the third treatment that I noticed that I slept through the night for the first time in months. I have gone over a year with no pain at all.
It was when I got back home that I was so impressed that I wanted to know more about this Bowen treatment. I searched and found a home study course from Mitchell Mosher. When I got the info, I began by reading the booklet, listening to the CD and then watching the DVD. He was very consistent with the Bowen therapist in Florida (Both learned from one of the legends in Bowen’s history). I found Mitchell to be very helpful in the fact that he did not just sell the program and say “good riddance”. He was always helpful in answering questions. His instruction was VERY detailed, if that’s what you desire but to his credit he simplified the technique to allow you to share with others.
Now please understand that there is no substitute for HANDS ON TRAINING.
With the help of Mitchell’s course as well as Cheryll H. in Florida, I was able to share the Bowen experience with others. To help someone get relief from pain, to hear their words of thanks, and to hear them say … thank you … is beyond words. The Bowen technique has been a blessing to me and some dear friends and family. I am so thankful for Mitchell, he is a man that is genuine and cares about others. You owe it to yourself to meet Mitchell and see for yourself. His home study course is a lot like the man himself … Not a lot of Flash but full of SUBSTANCE. It is a great introduction to the Bowen technique and will give you a great base to begin your own Bowen experience.
Sincerely, Michael H.
Entertainer for over 30 years.
MY DISCOVERY OF BOWEN
OH MY ACHING BACK
Upon awakening one Monday morning I could barely get out of bed. It was about one week after my third annual marathon. I sensed that something serious was going on, although I didn't know the half of it at the time. The pain was more intense than anything I'd ever endured before. My favorite Chiropractor was able to see me before patient appointments that day. After the adjustment the pain remained the same. Previous chiropractic visits had usually rendered prompt relief of pain. So, I went to see my family doctor. Since I worked closely with him, plus he was my landlord, he worked me into his busy Monday morning schedule. Following an examination and a full set of lab tests and X-Rays he diagnosed "muscle spasms". He gave me prescriptions for a muscle relaxant, narcotic pain medication, and a referral to Physical Therapy.
After attending the therapist’s office for approximately an hour each day for five days straight for ultrasound with cortisone cream, cross frictional massage, and inversion (hanging upside down on a teeter totter for 20 minutes) ,by then, the pain may have reduced by 10%.
Leaving my office that Friday afternoon, I spotted the Acupuncturist’s car in the empty parking lot across the street. Why hadn’t I thought of this before? Acupuncture is supposed to relieve all kinds of different pains and, is even used in China as an anesthetic in surgery. Limping into Peter’s waiting room he was reading the morning paper. He looked up and said, "Hello. You look like you're in pain." I replied, "Yes, and lots of it due to muscle spasms." I asked, "Is there anything you might be able to do for me this afternoon to relieve the pain?" His 5:00 patient hadn't shown up and it was 5:15 so, he took me into the treatment room. After 30 minutes of tiny needles in my back and some moxibustion, which smelled like a 1960s rock concert, I got off the table 80% pain free. By the next morning I was 100% pain free until a year later.
The second annual episode of spasms struck two weeks after my fourth annual marathon. Now I'm starting to think that the marathon was causing the back problems. But, my back didn't hurt when while running, the notion was discounted. I called Peter first thing Monday morning (there you go again – Monday morning), to see if he had any openings that day. He told me to come at 9:30. This time he placed two needles in my right hand and one needle in my leg below the knee on the outer side. The leg needle got extremely hot when he twirled it. After five or so minutes when he twirled it again it was not as hot. Another five minutes later he pulled the needles out and I was 95% pain free. By the end of the day, the pain was completely gone. I then declared, "Acupuncture is a Miracle."
The next year, a week after the fifth and final marathon, almost to the day, the third annual back pain reared its ugly head. Now, I'm pretty sure there is a connection between the marathon and the back pain. But, the connection wasn’t discovered until 12 years later. Peter was on vacation at the time, and so I called the other Acupuncturist in town. He was gracious enough to get me into his office for a treatment that very day, however, it didn't work. That’s explained in the section on, how’s Your Healer? So, I went to another Acupuncturist in Sacramento who performed an effective treatment. Sadly, my friend Peter died as a result of a motor vehicle accident shortly after that, so I went to the Doctor in Sacramento from then on.
After 12 years of the intermittent spasms of my lower back muscles and daily aching in by back, groin, legs, and feet, I thought that all of conservative options, (three acupuncturists, six chiropractors, physical therapy on two occasions plus exercises, massage therapy twice, and stretching exercises) had been used up. The thought of having to see the Neurosurgeon, was pretty depressing. Patient's feedback on back surgery and neurosurgeons wasn’t very good over the years. I also found out what my patients meant when they said, "When your feet hurt, you hurt all over." You could also say that, "when your back hurts you hurt all over." You can't sit, stand, walk, or lie down. At this point, I awakened in the mornings with aching in my right foot and groin, stiffness in the lower back, and fatigue from a poor night’s sleep. Also, my right shoulder and TMJ were out. When first going to sleep at night I'd awaken with twitching and restlessness in my leg an hour or so later, and around 2:00 AM, cramps would occur in the calf muscle in my right leg.
WHEN THE PATIENT IS READY TO HEAL - A HEALER WILL APPEAR
One afternoon a patient was telling me about her foot pain, which sounded like an atypical sciatic nerve problem that was just showing up in her foot. I mentioned this and asked if she’d had any lower back problems? She said, "Oh no, it’s not my sciatic nerve. I’ve had that before. This is different. I got that fixed two years ago." I inquired as to how she, "Got it fixed?" She told me that she'd had Bowen Therapy. I said, "I've never heard of that therapy. What's it about?" She replied, "It's kind of new here and most people don't know about it. The man who does it learned from the Australian people about two years ago, so that's why most people haven't heard of it." She told me about a practitioner in Auburn, California who'd been trained to do the treatments by the, "Australian People." I asked if he was a chiropractor. She informed me that he was a Massage Therapist, but that he didn't do massage, only this Bowen technique. I volunteered to her that I was suffering from lower back pain and sciatic nerve problems. She said, "Oh, you must go and see my friend. Not only has he helped me, but I’ve referred my boss, and my sister, and two of my neighbors, and he’s helped us all with our back pains." I asked how to spell the gentleman’s name so I could get his number from the phone-book to make an appointment. She said, “Oh no, you won’t find him in the phone-book. He's got an unlisted number. I've got his card out in my car in the glove-box, I’ll go get it for you.” After I finished my business with her foot she went out to her car and got the card. My receptionist copied it and gave me the copy and gave the patient back her card. Then she said, "Oh yeah. By the way, you must call him Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM. That's the only time of the day he answers the phone to make and change appointments, and if you call any other time and leave a message on his answering machine, he doesn't return calls." I thought, "That's a little odd?" This took place on a Friday afternoon. So on Monday morning, I saw the note on my desk and glanced at the clock. It was 8:10 and I thought, “Good. I'm within the window of opportunity", so I dialed the number. It was busy, so, a few minutes later I tried again. Still busy, so I handed the task over to my receptionist with instructions to get me an appointment as soon as possible. About five minutes past nine o’clock my receptionist informed me that he had a cancellation that afternoon at five o’clock: which I could have; otherwise the next available time was three weeks out. Not wanting to wait that long, I took the cancellation. That was the third clue something was up; unlisted phone number, doesn't return calls, booked up three weeks out.
When I arrived in his driveway that afternoon, there was an elderly lady sitting in one of those plastic $9.99 lawn chairs, missing a front tooth, and smoking a Camel cigarette. She said with a slight lisp, "If you’re here to see Milton, you ring the bell he answers it himself." I thought to myself, "She’s quite a receptionist, but I guess he doesn't let her do the phones?" The front door was open, while the screen door was shut. About a minute after ringing the chime, a man shuffled to the door to greet me. He was bare footed, wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a Hawaiian shirt, which was unbuttoned to the breastbone. He had a pack of cigarettes in his shirt pocket. He'd not shaved yet that day, and his hair was all mussed up. All in all, he made quite a first impression on me. He said, "Are you Dr. Mosher?" I replied, "Yes, I am." He said, "How do you do? I’m Milton Albrecht. Come on in." As he led me through his house to a back bedroom I spotted a couple biker-looking guys on the patio working their way through a 12 pack of beer. The room was adorned with a map of Australia, a couple of boomerangs on the wall, an ammo belt on the chair, and a rifle standing in the corner. Now I’m thinking, "What did I just get myself into?" He asked me where I was hurting. I told him that my lower back on the right side around the lumbar-sacral area was the problem. He said, "Cool. I’ll fix ya. Just lay on the table with your feet on the pillow, your butt in the air, and your face down in the cradle." I apprehensively complied.
During the treatment, many thoughts were racing through my mind. What was I doing here? How was a simple plucking of my muscles here and there going to relieve my back pain? Why'd he pluck a couple of muscles and leave the room for 3 to 5 minutes? Oh well, Ann my patient had relief, as well as all of the others she'd referred to this mystical man. After 10 to 15 minutes very deep relaxation set in and I almost fell asleep. One time he put his hand close to my low back and I could feel lots of heat radiating from me. He commented, “Ah Ha. You’re cookin now!” After he turned me over onto my back, he moved a muscle in my inner thigh and I thought I was going to hit the ceiling it hurt so much. I asked him if this was Rolfing, and he assured me that it wasn't. After he left the room for me to rest following the procedure, my palms started to sweat. It wasn't the usual watery kind of sweat, but a sticky - syrupy kind of discharge. When he came back in the room and saw that I was patting my palms together, he touched my hand with his fingers and commented, "Ah Ha. That’s toxins working their way out." I said, "Oh yeah. What kind of toxins?" a little facetiously. He sniffed his fingers and said, "Probably lactic acid cause it don't smell." I left it at that. Then he had me open my jaw and close it and said, "Your TMJ'S out." I recalled that I'd been nipping the inner side of my right cheek when chewing food the past few weeks. He had me make a knuckle with my index finger and place it between my teeth. He then tweaked a number of muscles around the jaw and temple area. Upon opening my jaw afterward, I could sense that my jaw was completely realigned. He then instructed me to sit up. Upon arising from the table, I was a little light - headed. Standing up after my head cleared, I couldn’t believe how good I felt. I sensed more energy; my muscles all over the body were loose. My back didn't ache. Wow! My patient was right about the therapy. She'd referred her boss, sister and three friends to the therapist and he'd helped all of them, and now, me too. I commented that while he did nothing major to my back, but the pain was gone. He said, "There’s nothing wrong with your back. Your Adductor Magnus muscle was all locked up." That’s the muscle in the inner thigh that hurt when he released it. I said, "What’s that got to do with my back?" He said, "Everything. When that Adductor tightens the Iliotibial band, Tensor Fascia Lata, and Gluteus Medius muscles all tighten on the outer side of the hip in order to compensate. When you lift something and twist those tissues get strained, and then your back muscles go into spasm." I said, "That’s exactly what's been happening. Whatever made that Adductor muscle lock up?" He said, "Dunnow. Must have built up lactic acid in them some time ago."
I was so amazed at how good I felt and was so relieved to be rid of the pain, I didn't figure out the lactic acid issue till a few days later. I asked how much I owed him for the treatment. He said, "Oh, just give me twenty bucks." As I handed him a $20 dollar bill, I asked, "How much do you usually charge? I'll be sending you some clients, as I grabbed a hand full of his business cards." He told me that his usual charge was $35.00, but he gave seniors a discount. I asked if he was always booked three weeks out, and he said, "Yeah, except in the flu season and during the bad weather when the older folks don't like to drive, it slows down a little." Then I sprung the main question that was on my mind, "How many people do you treat every day?" He replied, "25 or 30!" I thought, "That’s pretty good considering his business practices."
While walking out to my car on my way to go home, I noticed that I was walking differently than before the treatment and the arch supports in my shoes were pressing up into my arch. So, I removed them and walked better without anything inside the shoe. The night of the treatment I had such a good night’s sleep I didn't move my head on the pillow at all. In the morning when I got out of bed my back wasn't stiff, the feet, legs and groin didn't ache, and I felt like a new person. I recalled that I didn't have jumpy-restless legs awaken me shortly after falling to sleep, and I didn't wake up with cramps in my calf muscles at 2:00 to 3:00 AM as I usually do.
A week later as I was dressing one morning, I saw that the hammertoes on my left foot had vanished, sometime between the morning of discovery and the day of the treatment! I had to do a second take in order to believe my eyes. Mind you, I do complicated surgical procedures on hammertoes and sometimes they don't stay straight following surgery. Traditional stretching and physical therapy never helps them so, I realized that this might be the missing piece to the puzzle. I couldn't wait to get to the telephone and call Milton in order to tell him about these miracles, plus to find out how I might learn how to perform some of the technique. After I told him all about what had happened since his treatment, he laughed and said, "That happens all the time". I jokingly told him, "I won’t turn you in for practicing podiatry without a license if you'll show me how to do this for my patients." He asked me for my fax number so he could send me a brochure on a Bowen workshop he was teaching in January 1995, and so I could sign up for it. After I sent him my application and deposit for the class, I couldn't wait for January to come.
MY JOURNEY AS A BOWEN THERAPIST
WHEN THE STUDENT IS READY TO LEARN - A TEACHER WILL APPEAR
Before the Bowen class began in January 1995, about 20 people were milling around the room as I entered to register for the class. I later discovered, most of them were massage therapists. They were talking in excited voices about things such as "Ethereal Energy", "Chakras", "Grounding", "Aroma Therapy", and all kinds of "Woogy-like stuff." I felt quite out of my comfort zone, but as the weekend wore on I found them to be very dedicated therapists who all had a passion for their work. At the very beginning of the class Milton said, "I'm not really a teacher, but I’m going to show you all how to do this therapy, and it will probably change the course of some of your lives." How little did I know, that my life was about to change for the better. As we practiced on each other that first morning, a twinge of apprehension passed through me as I realized that I was touching someone’s body, and that I was outside of my Podiatry license boundaries. Our license allowed us to treat the muscles of the leg that affect the function of the foot. But not the Pectorals, Trapeziuses, Para spinals and all of those upper body muscles. I decided to learn all that I could, and that I'd figure out how to incorporate some of it into the podiatry practice. I looked forward to Saturday afternoon and Sunday, during which we were going to cover the leg and foot muscles. This is the part of the program that would apply to my skills enhancement as a podiatrist. When we finished the class on Sunday afternoon, I was fairly exhausted from the rigors of learning so much new information. However, I couldn’t wait to go to work Monday morning and begin my new journey. Little did I know where that journey was going to take me?
BEGINNING MY BOWEN PRACTICE
Arriving to the office on Monday morning, the very first patient needed a Bowen treatment. She’d had a sciatic nerve problem in the past and she was certain that it had reoccurred because she had been performing floor exercises for long periods of time and now her left foot had a tingling sensation like the previous bout with sciatica.
After informing her about the new therapy I'd just learned, It took her less than a nanosecond to ask if she could have a treatment that morning? She was escorted her into the operating room which I had transformed into a temporary therapy room and placed her on the surgical gurney which would serve as a massage table until one could be purchased. After checking my seminar notes I began the treatment. I only performed the treatment in the waist, legs, and feet to stay within the boundaries of my Podiatry license. When the session ended, she got up and stood on her feet she said, "It sure feels better. Not all the way, but at least 50%."
The next morning she called me to report, "That by noon Monday all of the symptoms had disappeared. The next time she got the sciatica back she would call me for treatment." I said, "To be sure she had a foot problem. And, thank you."
I eagerly began incorporating Bowen Therapy into the podiatry practice. The first week I treated 12 patients with it. Six of them returned the following week for a second session. One of them said, "Dr. Mosher, I don't know what you did? But, you've changed my life!" Then, he explained how. Another said, "Dr. Mosher, you won't believe what happened after that treatment you did last week!" Then, she told me what happened. One other said, "I had a runner's high all day after the treatment. And, now I feel a sense of wellbeing and balance." (I'll explain this in the section - The Meridian System). Another one said, ''If only the medical doctors would take this holistic and natural approach to our health care issues."
As the months passed by, many would say, the same things or, "I sure wish that I had met you sooner so that my life could've been better. I've been through years of hell."
During the next month or so, I performed whole body treatments on a few patients, when they asked me to, and when I felt comfortable doing so. I quickly learned that these patients did remarkably better than those that were treated from the waist down, which was within my scope of practice. "When in Rome do as the Romans do." Therefore, I enrolled in a school of massage therapy and received a certificate so that I could give people a full treatment without fear of reprisals from the establishments. I continue to observe better overall results from a holistic full body sequence compared to a symptom oriented session.
My practice took on a new persona. There were traditional mainstream podiatry patients. There were the holistic podiatry patients. These received traditional modalities plus the Bowen and other natural health therapies. This latter group many times had other pains that haunted them, and my holistic approach often resolved these other issues as well as their foot problems. The patients, with resolved headaches, would often refer someone else with headaches. Someone with shoulder pain referred a friend with suffered shoulder pain. There was one patient who suffered with "Tennis Elbow" and she referred thirty six new patients at last count. And, hardly a one had a foot problem. I was and still am very careful, in that I don't treat headaches, "Tennis Elbow", or any other sign-symptom-disability. Therapy is for stress reduction, relaxation, and postural realignment. It can't be helped if their headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel, TMJ problems resolve during the process.
The first two or so years that I was performing the Bowen treatment for my patients and their referrals I was a little, or maybe a lot on edge. On one hand, I was very enthusiastic and excited to be able to do the therapy that was so beneficial to my patients and their loved ones. However, the other side of me was very apprehensive about what my peers might think about me doing the seemingly far out stuff. In addition, some of my patients experienced complete resolution of signs, symptoms and disabilities, which were way outside of my "Podiatry Box". This made me a little nervous about how the medical community would react to my helping their patient’s medical problems. So far, no direct negative comments or actions from either group have been issued.
ORIGIN – EVOLUTION
AND
HISTORY OF BOWEN THERAPY
Tom Bowen was an Australian lay-man who was pretty much a self-taught practitioner of sorts, who had no formal training or credentialing. He dropped out of school at about age fifteen.
Between WW1 & WW2, sometime in the 1920’s or 1930’s an Australian named Ernie Saunders, who was well known as a “Physical Manipulator”, took a steam ship to the USA. Here, he learned a method of Japanese Acupressure.
After his return to Australia and using this new information, he became even more famous.
Tom Bowen studied with Ernie during the late 1940’s or 1950. They both spent some time together on the weekends at the local athletic clubs. They treated the athletes for their injuries and pains. Also at the clubs were, “Physios” who also treated the athletes. Some were known as “Crackers”. Others were called, “Strokers”. The other group was called ‘”Flickers”. Crackers did manipulation. Strokers did massage. Flickers did some massage mixed with little flicks with their fingers.
Tom apparently mixed some portion of the “flicks” with the acupressure point therapy and some Shiatsu techniques that he studied. Hence, the “Moves” probably evolved from a combination of these. Tom practiced part-time during the 1950’s until 1961. Then, he quit his job as a laborer at the cement factory and opened his office full time.
Over the years Tom let a number of practitioners come to his clinic one at a time for a half day once a week. Over time, he acknowledged that six of them were proficient in the understanding and practice of his technique. These became known as, “Tom’s Boys”.
In or about 1987, Deni Larimore Albrecht who lives in Auburn, California went to visit her family in Australia. She was in need of some prescription refills, but her mother took her to Ossie Rentcsh’s Bowen clinic instead of the doctor’s office. Ossie’s Bowen session relieved her pain. Deni visited Ossie on a few more occasions during her stay. When it was time to come home Deni inquired about any Bowen Therapists in Northern California? Ossie told her that he hadn’t taught anyone in the USA yet. Deni then asked if she could somehow show her husband how to do the procedures so she wouldn’t have to go back on the medications? Ossie gave her some drawings with arrows showing which way the moves were to be made.
Her husband Milton, became very adept at performing the moves and procedures on Deni and his friends. He spoke with Ossie by telephone on a few occasions with questions about some of the procedures. He then met Ossie at a convention in California which led to their first class in the US, maybe in 1989.
Milton obtained a massage certificate, sold his machine shop where he built race car engines and hot rods, and began his full-time practice in Auburn, California around 1990.
ABOUT BOWEN THERAPY
My theory is based on anecdotal evidence, a variety of research of books and publications, information from other Bowen Practitioners, and direct observations of my patients.
The "Moves" are a gentle rolling of muscles, tendons, and occasionally a nerve or ligament. They are much like a pluck of a guitar string. The moves must cause reflex arcs from the receptors in the soft tissues to the nervous system which results in the myofascial (myo=muscle / fascia = gristle and fat) unwinding. The unwinding process results in elongation and softening of the tightened myofascia. This is palpable after the moves are repeated after a few minutes rest.
Ninety seven percent of the moves are made over acupressure points. The points are receptacles for a multitude of bio-chemicals including beta endorphins. These are discussed in the Meridian section. Endorphins have been documented to have an influence on communications between the endocrine, immune, and central nervous systems. Patients often experience a runner’s high following a session. Some patients feel a euphoric state during the session. Subsequently they will experience a sense of well-being and balance.
The trickle down effects of these are more than likely to cause:
· Pain relief.
· Postural realignment.
· Improved circulation of extracellular water, lymph, and blood.
· Improved piezoelectric and thixatropic functions in the fascia.
· Reduction of adrenalin levels relieves its suppression of histamines.
· Improved Qi flow via meridian ductile systems.
· Release of toxins and narcotic residues.
· Releases memory of old traumas and emotional holding patterns that are stored in the myofascia.
· Reduced tension on the dural fascia. This and the endorphins may lead to a better balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems results from the releases. Many patients have a release of tension, anxiety, and stress following their sessions.
Most of these will be illustrated in the Missing Chapters section.
Quite often, patients feel these changes taking place while they are undergoing their treatment. Other times, shortly after. Once in a while after a week, two, or three.
I prefer to perform a series of three weekly sessions. Usually, the first session relieves the primary problem for a day or two. The second session lasts for most of the week, but slips back a little. Then, after the third session all is well. It's best to get a "Tune-up" once every month or two during the next two years so the body permanently remembers the new holding pattern.
On occasion, patients continue to unwind, experience changes in posture, and other sensations for two or more years following their last session. I believe that this is akin to the fact that when the orthodontist removes the braces which straightened the tooth sockets, a retainer must be worn for a year or two to prevent the socket from becoming crooked again. The body retains the image of the last significant position or condition.
Inserting other modalities into the body's recall system following successful Bowen results can undo the process and put the patient back to square-one. This means; Chiropractic, Massage, and other forms of Bodywork.
GENERAL RULES OF BOWEN
Changes a client might experience during treatment:
1. Flare of existing pain.
2. New pain.
3. Tingling, itching, heat, waves and ripples, indescribable sensations.
4. Sweating of hands and feet with a sticky like substance.
5. Relief of pain.
6. Remission of sore throat, sinus congestion, and headaches.
7. Emotional release.
These are good signs. Changes are taking place and indicate positive response, even if uncomfortable. Like spiking a fever before the fever subsides.
Changes a client might experience following treatment:
1. Flare of existing problem.
2. Revisiting of old problems.
3. Postural changes with accompanying aches and pains.
4. Lethargy.
5. High levels of energy.
6. Emotional releases.
7. Flu- like symptoms.
8. Nausea and vomiting if large quantities of narcotics have been used past or present.
9. Complete remission, partial remission, temporary remission, or nothing at all.
Changes, even if adverse, are positive. They indicate that things are happening for the better. Anything unpleasant usually lasts only a few hours, to a day or two.
Post treatment guidelines:
1. Drink lots of water the day of treatment. You may be dehydrated to some extent, and the toxic substances need to be flushed.
2. Walk for 10 to 20 minutes on the day of treatment. This helps to re-educate the muscles and reset a new program. It also encourages lymphatic drainage which further helps eliminate toxins. Dr. Joanne Whitaker, a retired hematologist – oncologist has performed research on the blood pre and post treatment. Whereas normal blood cells are seen microscopically pre-treatment, 20 minutes post treatment she has observed viral bodies, bacteria, spirochetes, and crystals of varying shapes and forms, in addition to the blood cells.
3. Wait 7 days before next treatment.
4. No strenuous muscle activity on the day of treatment.
5. No extreme hot or cold.
6. Warm bathing is all right. One to two cups of Apple cider vinegar in a bath tub of warm water for a 20 minute soak will help remove the released toxins.
7. No hot tub jets.
8. No massage until therapy sessions has been completed. More muscle stimulation will confuse the process that is taking place.
9. No manipulations until therapy sessions have been completed as the muscles will react and protect against the trauma of the thrust.
10.No acupuncture until therapy sessions are completed due to the amounts of energy released by the two techniques. It can be too much for you to accommodate.
11. On the day of treatment get up from sitting positions every 30 minutes and move around. Place both feet on the ground at the same time and arise on both legs evenly.
One of my long-time, regular patients illustrated the no-massage policy rule of Tom Bowen. I always took this a little lightly until Scott had his experience. Scott came to me about 5 years ago with a severe peripheral neuropathy consisting of burning in the soles of both feet. He first entered my office under the power of a wheelchair. He was unable to work, had exhausted a number of medical treatments, and now thought it might be the time to see a foot specialist. Since his pain was out of proportion to anything I had ever seen I did what my intuition told me to do, a Bowen session. His pain decreased slightly by the time the session was finished. The next week he walked in with the assistance of crutches and reported about 20% improvement in symptoms. Altogether it took 12 sessions to render Scott 100% pain-free. Scott came in now and then for a “tune-up” and about 3 years later developed the burning pain again although, not as severe as the 1st episode. This time it took 6 sessions for all the pain to resolve.
Then, he had another relapse. After the 4th or so session he said, “Well, the rule about no massage after Bowen is the real thing. “I’ve been going to the massage therapist about 5 to 6 days after my Bowen sessions, and this time the burning has been getting worse instead of better. I skipped last week’s massage and already I’m 50 % pain free.” The first two episodes he did not do any massage therapy at the same time as the Bowen and, he noticed a dramatic difference between the three experiences.
Another patient who had back pain, which was asymptomatic for a year after her first Bowen session, came in early for her “Tune-Up”, because she had a massage and while in the middle of the massage-her back pain reoccurred. SO, NO MASSAGE THERAPY? Never? No, once all is well and the unwinding has fully occurred, massages can be safely used. The same with chiropractic adjustments and acupuncture. It’s probably not wise to do them at the same time.
After all is said about the no other modality rules, there have been many patients who continue their other treatments and do just fine.
CONDITIONS THAT HAVE BEEN HELPED WITH BOWEN
The Bowen technique has been documented to improve the following medical conditions:
THIS IS NOT A MEDICAL TREATMENT!
The following, frequently improve
Ankle sprains
Anxiety
Apophysitis / Epiphysitis
Bunions
Chemotherapy side effects
Circulatory problems
Colic
Coccyx pain
Headaches
Infertility
Low & upper back pain
Neck pain
Plantar fasciitis
Postural symptoms and misalignments
Pregnancy side effects
Sacral pain
Sciatica
TMJ problems
The following, often improve
Bell’s palsy
Carpal tunnel
Colds – prodromal
Diarrhea
Digestive disorders
Fibromyalgia
Foot pain
Gallbladder problems
Hip pain
Insomnia
Knee pains
Migraines
Neuroma
Night cramps
Parkinson’s
PMS
Post Concussion syndrome
Restless legs
Short leg
Shoulder pain & loss of motion
Sinusitis
Sleep disorders
Stress disorders
Tarsal tunnel
Tendonitis
Tennis Elbow
Test anxiety & improved recall
Vasospasms / Raynaud’s
The following occasionally improve
A.D.D. / ADHD
Allergies
Arthritis
Asthma and breathing problems
Cysts
Depression
Hammertoes
Hay fever
Hypertension
Infections (viral & fungal)
In toeing gait
Irritable bowel syndrome
Lumps and bumps
Neuropathy
Reflex sympathetic dystrophy
Toe walking
Tourette’s syndrome
Vascular problems
FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF THE DIFFERENT BOWEN THERAP Y PROCEDURES – NOT ALL OF THEM ORIGINATED WITH TOM BOWEN
BASIC BOWEN PROCEDURES
BASIC RELAXATION PROCEDURE 1 - LOW BACK
BASIC RELAXATION PROCEDURE 2 - UPPER BACK – SHOULDERS
BASIC RELAXATION PROCEDURE 3 - NECK
HAMSTRINGS PROCEDURE
MID BACK & THORACIC LUMBAR aka KIDNEY PROCEDURE
LOWER RESPIRATORY aka ASTHMA
KNEE PROCEDURE
ANTERIOR PELVIS PROCEDURE
ANKLE PROCEDURE
UPPER RESPIRATORY aka HAY FEVER ALLERGY
TMJ PROCEDURE
PECTORAL aka BREAST PROCEDURE
ADVANCED - SPECIAL BOWEN PROCEDURES
ANTERIOR TIBIAL PROCEDURE
ARM 1 PROCEDURE
ARM 2 PROCEDURE
BUNIONS PROCEDURE
CERVICAL RELEASE PROCEDURE
CHAIRSIDE RE-BOOT PROCEDURE
COCCYX PROCEDURE
DIAPHRAGM RELEASE PROCEDURES
DIGESTIVE - ABDOMINAL PROCEDURE
EMOTIONAL RELEASE PROCEDURE
HAMMERTOES PROCEDURE
HEADACHES PROCEDURES
LONG EXTENSORS PROCEDURE
NECK PROCEDURE 2
OPTIONAL – STANDING PROCEDURE
PERONEALS PROCEDURE
POSTERIOR PELVIS PROCEDURE
POSTERIOR TIBIAL PROCEDURE
SACRAL PROCEDURE
SCIATIC PROCEDURE 1
SCIATIC PROCEDURE 2
SHOULDER 1 PROCEDURE
SHOULDER 2 PROCEDURE
SUBSTANCE DYSFUNCTION RE-SET PROCEDURE
TORSO PROCEDURE.
COMMENTS
BUNIONS
Wow! If I only knew then, what I know now, my life-and many of my patients lives would have been better. For reasons unknown, I wasn’t ready to learn about the effects of the myofascial system and foot deformities until I did, beginning in 1995.
Bunions are caused by a combination of deforming forces. Some are from shoes and stockings, d some are from musculoskeletal dysfunctions. I often pondered why the surgical correction I performed was often impeccable, but the results were less than desired. Many times, the bunion and hallux deformity recurred, months after successful surgery! Most often, surgery remained successful. So why, were there a percentage of failures?
One of my favorite cases is illustrated by the following:
Chuck’s mother, who was a regular patient, asked me if I would see if I could help son’s foot problems. She said, “Chuck is studying Nursing and he has feet like mine. I'm afraid he won’t be able to stand and walk on concrete floors as required during the normal work shift.” When I first saw Chuck he had all of the foot problems his mother had informed me about. He had bunions, hammertoes, and flat feet. He also had the familiar hip and low back pain that many times follows the unstable feet. I introduced him to my foot rehabilitation and Bowen combination.
After the first week he noted marked improvement. After the second week he returned with improved skin color and a sparkle in his eyes which were not there before. He informed me that he'd gotten his first “A” in a test after 2 years of nursing school. He told me how he “crammed for exams, and on the day of the test would kind of choke, and thus “B’s” had been about the best he could do. Also he said, “While I was at my internship last night I was charting patient notes, and all of a sudden I seemed to get everything together.” He went on to say,” I was afraid that I wasn't going to be a very good nurse because even though I could memorize the material and pass the tests, it didn't make a lot of sense. Now it's all come together.” I finished his treatments, made him orthotics, and told him to come back once in a while for a tune-up.
A few weeks later Mildred brought her mother for an appointment. Mother didn’t speak very fluent English so Mildred told me, “My mother is not eating very well and she has no energy. I know that you are a Foot Doctor, but I want you to give my mother one of those treatments that you do - I go to school with Chuck!” She went on to tell me that about a month ago she noticed a change in Chuck’s demeanor. His entire persona had a new character, and she had to ask him what was going on. When he told her that he was having Bowen Therapy and that's all that was different in his life, Mildred concluded that this was responsible in the change in Chuck’s life. Following graduation, I heard via the grapevine that Chuck got 100% on his State Board of Nursing exam. He also has a very good job and has received promotions very quickly. Over the next 2 years Chuck’s mother came in every 2 to 3 months for treatment of her corns and calluses. I often asked how Chuck was doing, and she always said that he was, “Doing real fine and he was planning to come by for a tune up.” One day, he was with his mother during her treatment and we got to talking. I asked,” How are your feet doing?” He replied, “Great. My feet have zero pain, and my toes are all straight on my left foot. The bunion on my right foot is improving. At the first of the year my toe was bent about 30 degrees. Now it’s only about 15 to 20 degrees. I think by the end of the year it will be straight.” Amazing! I hadn’t touched him in well over two years and he is still processing. I looked at his mom’s feet, which were all deformed with hammertoes and bunions. She'd had ‘corrective foot surgery’ by an orthopedist 4 years before, and her toes were straight for a year or so and then began to re-deform. Something's wrong with this picture. She'd had surgery and her feet remain deformed. He had no surgery, and his feet are straight. Now, I can say without any reservation that you can obtain an 80% good result with foot surgery, or you can obtain an 80% or better good results with conservative treatment. This is my conclusion following many similar cases included in my bunion study, (which I decided not to publish).
EMOTIONAL CLEARING PROCEDURE
This case history illustrates; the power of body-mind–body connection. How to Ctrl-Alt-Delete, and how the subconscious mind can be influenced by something in writing connected with a body part. Emoto showed that water crystals can be influenced by; the written word, spoken words, thoughts, music, and pictures. This is one of the Missing Chapters in the Western Medicine Repair Manual.
Jan was referred back to me about three months after I had referred her to a naturopath friend for allergy clearings. Apparently she was holding on to some symptoms due to an emotional holding which was blocking the clearing process. My friend called and asked me if Bowen could help her by inducing an emotional release. I said, “It might. I’ve had a number of patients release spontaneously over the years, so I could give it a try.” This was prior to my learning about emotional release from John Barnes and John Upledger. At this point, my experience with emotional clearing was minimal.
The first session we both intended that she release whatever negative emotion she would like to release at that time. Nothing happened. We attempted this approach a second session, with a little more intent, at least on my part. Nothing happened. We proceeded with a third session, and this time I asked her what the issue was she was trying to release. She told me the details about an incident with her father at age five, who made her very angry, and she had never forgiven him for it. I had her write on a piece of paper, “I release all of my anger toward my father because of what he did to me.” She held this in her left hand during a full body Basic Bowen session. That’s all. Since then, I think that it is more effective to hold the paper in the right hand. The right hand is our giving hand. And what we want to do is to give away the emotional baggage that was given to us by some loved one, or S.O.B.
She returned a week later to report that she had experienced a great deal of anger toward her children for two days following the session. Now it had disappeared along with the physical symptoms she had been dealing with the past years. Last word from her two years after, she had re-married, was living calm and peaceful life without any anger issues.
This is what spawned the idea for me to clear other body-mind dysfunctions which sometimes lead to cravings, allergies, and overweight. I still have not figured out the weight issue completely.
So, all you need to do is discuss with your client the possibility of some emotional holding which they are preserving. If they know what that is, they can write it on a piece of paper. I’ve been told pencil works better than ink? Then, hold it in their hand during their regular Bowen session. You don’t have to be privy to the information, so that they do not have to reveal it to you in order to have a clearing. Sometimes the release takes place during the session, and if it does stay with the client and encourage a complete release. Follow any physical movements they make and prevent any untoward injury. Other times, they will release later on that day or the next few days. More on emotional blocks and clearing is explained in the Missing Chapters section.
HAMMERTOES PROCEDURE
There are variances in, and many causes of hammertoes. A good rule of thumb is that if the toe / toes are flexible, there is a chance they may straighten with the proper release and rebalancing techniques. Remembering that there are many causative factors; elongated bones causing retrograde shoe and stocking pressure with buckling of the joints, weakened interossei and lumbricales muscles from low back denervation, prolonged use of high heel shoes which deviates the axis of the M-P joints and weakens the lumbricales and interossei, post fracture of phalanges and metatarsals, repetitive M-P joint trauma (2nd most often), and idiopathic tightening of the long extensors, and or flexors, are the most common causes of hammertoes. When the boney structure is abnormal, or the joints are fused or dislocated, Bowen Re-Set likely will not correct the deformities.
If you find a podiatrist who will perform a traction manipulation of the toe under local anesthetic you may save yourself from surgery. If they don’t know how to do this procedure, have them write or call me and I will gladly tell them how. It’s very quick, easy, painless, and very effective.
MIGRAINES
The Million Dollar Self Help Migraine Procedure By Peter Short [email protected]
For many Migrainers waiting 5 or 7 days for the next Bowen Treatment has been too long to wait. There is only one person who is Johnny-on-the spot when someone has a migraine so I have modified my system so as these people are able to take charge of their lives and live it to the full.
As this procedure is targeted at the general public who presumably know little about Bowen and only basic anatomy, this Migraine procedure is described in lay persons jargon.
First and most important is the testing procedure. It is most important that you are able to identify that you have a migraine problem so as you know when the correction you are about to make, has been done correctly.
The Test by running the palm of your hand over your head, just above your hair, (and you have a headache or migraine), you should feel a warm spot just over the fontanel. That is the spot about half way between the middle of your eyebrows and the very top of your head. For those who can’t feel any warm spot, (and you have a headache), you may have to get another person to do the test for you. Not all but most people with a headache can feel this warm spot. Having successfully confirmed your “Warm Spot” you are now able to proceed to the “First Correction”.
First Correction:
In a standing position with your feet apart, reach down to the end of your tail bone and feel the depression on each side between there and your buttock (preferably done through light clothing or bare skin). With your middle finger of each hand (one at a time) make a slow firm dragging move up and out on a 45d angle towards each elbow. This completes the first part of the correction. You may notice a small change of intensity of your migraine or headache at this time.
Second test:
By again running your hand over your head you will be amazed that the original warm spot has gone and you will now find it (about 2 inches further back) at the very top of your head. This confirms that your first moves, beside your tail bone were successful. This change usually happens within seconds so if it hasn’t changed as above, repeat stage one and wait for the change.
Second correction:
It may be necessary to ask a second person to help you with this next procedure. It involves taking each arm (one at a time) and take it as far as possible across your chest. Then giving the end of your shoulder (the boney bit) a firm bump with a closed fist towards the spine—always to the comfort of the person being bumped). This can be done by the patient if they are flexible enough but better by a second person.
Third Test:
Your test this time should confirm there are no warm spots now left on your head (or the warm spot is getting less intense) and drink extra water to help flush toxins from your body. For some people there is a lingering ache left above one eye or at the back of the head. This should disappear within an hour or so ( It is sometimes good to rest for a time to let the correction work).
If you have followed the directions and felt the changes to the warm spots as described above you should now be feeling nearer to that MILLION DOLLAR FEELING. This procedure can be repeated once or twice a week or daily, to the comfort of the person concerned.
Note: All those with migraines and headaches will have the warm spot described. Many other people will also have the warm spot and no headache or migraine but usually they will respond positively to the above process.
STANDING OPTIONAL PROCEDURE
Milton first taught me this procedure during one of our fireside chats circa 2000. He told me to, “Use this when your client is in so much pain that they can’t get up on the table. It will relax them so they can move a little better, and then they can get up on the table”. I filed this into my data bank and went about my business. On occasion, this procedure was helpful for patients who were in acute spasms and couldn’t climb up onto the table. It enabled them to be slightly more mobile, and it only took a minute or so to do.
K.C, one of my long time, regular patients said, “Oh my God. I met your guru, Uncle Milty. I went to his house with a friend and he cleared up my gallbladder problem. Just to think, that I was going to have surgery for my gallbladder, and now I won’t!” I was happy for her and we talked a bit about Milton and Bowen during the rest of her podiatry visit that morning.
Milton passed in January of 2003. A few months before I left California and my podiatry practice, K.C. was in for her podiatry appointment. She lamented, “Oh, I sure wish our Uncle Milty was still here. My gallbladder problem has resurfaced and my doctor wants me to have surgery. I am having a second opinion tomorrow. I remember how he (Milton) fixed my problem and that was over 4 years ago.” I mentioned, “I can give you a Bowen session.” She said, “That’s right, I forgot you do Bowen too. I’ll schedule an appointment after I get my second opinion.”
I overheard my nurse bringing K.C. into one of my Bowen rooms. She said, “This is your first Bowen with Dr. Mosher isn’t it? You need to take your shoes off and lay face down on the table with your feet on the pillow and your face in the face cradle.” K.C. replied, “Oh no. I don’t have to lie down, we can just do it standing up.” I was on to what she was referring to so, I quickly stepped in to save an argument. I said, “K.C. you mean to tell me that all Milton did for you that time you saw him was the standing (Optional) procedure?” She replied, “That’s right. He did it right there in his living room and I was fine all those years.” So—I did the standing Optional Procedure for her, and she has been fine ever since. I talk to my former office staff now and then, and they keep me posted on patients I was fond of.
At massage school I performed this procedure on a number of classmates with equally good results.
SUBSTANCE DYSFUNCTION
A friend of mine who practices Naturopathy told me of a technique she uses to remove allergic responses by the mind – body. She learned the technique from Dr. Devi Nambudripad, who is a chiropractor & acupuncturist. Devi accidentally discovered that by holding an allergen in the left hand and stimulating some acupoints along the bladder and governing vessel meridians, up the back and along the spine, the mind-body association to the allergen can be broken.
Eggs - My Introduction to N.A.E.T.
My Naturopathic friend Jean determined that I was allergic to eggs plus some other things. When she told me so, I recalled that whenever I ate eggs, which I really enjoyed, I felt very sluggish and spaced out the rest of the day until around 4:00 PM. She wrote eggs on a piece of paper and had me hold it in my left hand. She then made some little circular moves on both sides of the vertebrae from the lumbar to the occipital base. She repeated a couple of times then had me discard the paper. I was advised not to eat eggs for 4 days during which time I’d be processing. After she did the N.A.E.T. clearing on me, I've had no further symptoms after eating eggs. I will explain this concept further in the Missing Chapters section on the Body-Mind Connection.
My logic was that the moves she made on me were in the same locations as many of the Bowen moves in the Basic Procedures. So I began having my patients hold either the actual substance, or what it was written on a piece of paper. This system works almost every time I use it. It also works to reduce or eliminate cravings.
MISSING CHAPTERS
FROM THE WESTERN MEDICAL REPAIR MANUAL
INTRODUCTION
Let's pretend; your BMW isn't running quite right, it’s hard to start in the morning when it is cold. It dies when you stop at the stop light. The gas consumption is up, and there is a little hesitation or bucking effect as you accelerate. You take it in to the BMW specialist and leave it for the day. They put it on their diagnostic analyzer and get a read-out. It does not show anything out of the normal ranges. So, they adjust the fuel injectors, since that seems to be one of the symptoms. They call you at work and tell you that they think they have it resolved and, for you to pick up your vehicle on your way home.
You drive your BMW home and it seems to run a little better. But, the next morning it does the same old things. So, you take it back to the specialist and they do some more research and dig a little deeper. They adjust some more settings and fiddle a little more with the fuel injectors. You pick your car up and the next morning the same things happen again.
At this point, you become dissatisfied and go to another mechanic for a second opinion. One of your co-workers sings the praises of this other BMW Repair Shop. She has the hottest shop in town. She has all of the latest bells and whistles. She tells you that she can most certainly solve your car's problems. Only problem, same ole-same ole. You pay her and drive off to find your BMW runs about the same.
Here is the crux of your pretend dilemma. They, and their analyzers, are both missing two important sections of the BMW repair manual; timing systems and exhaust systems! No wonder they can't get your prized BMW running right.
Well, when the medical doctor says," We've performed all the tests, and examinations, but do not know what you have?" Or, "You have Fibromyalgia because you have 12 of the 21 points that are tender. We can't fix your problem, but we hope to be able to keep you comfortable. Let's try this or that." Or, "Oh, there's a Fibromyalgia Support Group that meets on Tuesdays at the YMCA." This is analogous to the BMW scenario. The labs, x-rays, MRI's, CT scans, PET scans, Ultrasounds, Endoscopes, and Arthroscopes can't analyze these missing systems, and the doctors aren't trained in the assessment and treatment of them either. Keep in mind that doctors couldn't believe in, or deal with bacteria, viruses, funguses, parasites, and spirochetes in the 1800's. They couldn't see them, so they wouldn't believe that there were such things! That is, until Leuwenhoek invented the microscope.
I once listened to an audio cassette tape titled, "Dead Doctors Don't Lie", by a Dr. Joel Wallach. As my enlightenments unfolded, I realized that, "Live Doctors Don't Always Tell the Truth!" I can say this because I've been there and done that. I didn't always tell the truth, just as other doctors don't always tell the truth. That's because we didn't learn it. I thought that I was most of the time, but not always. In defense of the Medical Profession, the establishment via the university systems and professional organizations teach doctors what they want to teach us. The teachings are about; surgical procedures, pharmaceuticals, and other technological devices which are usually about income for the presenters. Doctors must follow the standard of care for fear of peer pressures, loss of licensure, and liability issues. So, we do what we're told to do and we don't question authority. Acceptance and utilization of unorthodox methods can mean professional and financial ruin.
THE MISSING CHAPTERS ARE:
The Fascial System - the largest organ system in the physical body, aka Connective Tissues. THE FAT AND GRISTLE ON THE ROAST BEEF
The Direct Current System - the 3rd dimension of the nervous system, aka electromagnetism. YOUR 9 VOLT BATTERY GENERATOR.
The Meridian System - The most extensive system in the body.
The Emotional System – The least understood system of the body-mind.
The Body – Mind – Body Connection – The next least understood system.
The Irrigation System – The Perfect Water.
Medical Investigation - Thinking and looking outside of the box. What the doctors don’t or won’t do.
MISSING CHAPTER 1
THE FASCIAL SYSTEM
Fascia is a loose connective tissue compared with bone which is dense connective tissue. There is a ditty that goes, "The foot bone’s connected to the leg bone - the leg bone’s connected to the thigh bone - the thigh bone’s connected to the hip bone - ya dee ya ya ya. The hip bone’s connected to the back bone-the back bone’s connected to the shoulder bone - the shoulder bone’s connected to the neck bone - the neck bone’s connected to the head bone - ya dee ya ya ya."
Besides a chain of connections between the skeletal parts of the musculoskeletal system, there is an even larger network of connective tissue which is interconnected amongst it called the fascial system. It’s the gristle and fat on the steak and the little white specks inside the meat. This system covers all structures, organs, and cells from head to toe, front to back, side to side and inside to outside. Think about piling thousands of full-body thermal suits on top of one another and connecting them together. That’s about how the fascia system is. There is a superficial fascia from the base of the skull to the tips of the fingers and toes. Fat, more connective tissue, is attached to the outer layer, Panniculus Adiposus which is adjacent to an inner elastic layer both of which makes up the superficial fascia. There is fascial surrounding the muscle compartments, muscle fascicles, muscle fibers, and myofibrils collectively called the myofascia, Paramysium, Epimysium, Endomysium. It has been estimated that the average human body contains approximately 65,000 linear miles of striated muscle fibers. Each fiber contains hundreds to thousands of myofibrils and myofilaments. Take an average of 1,000 and multiply X 65,000 = 65 million linear miles of myofascia in the average human body.
Fascia surrounds the brain, the brainstem, and spinal cord called the Dural fascia. As the spinal nerves pass through the vertebral foramen the dural fascia is re-named the myelin sheath of nerve. The lungs are coated with pleural fascia, the heart with pericardial fascia, the abdominal organs peritoneal fascia, the uro-genital organs with perineal fascia, the bone with periosteal fascia. Then, there are transverse bands of fascia from front to back and side to side; 1. In the floor of the pelvis, 2. The respiratory diaphragm, 3.Under the collarbone- the thoracic inlet, 4. Under the chin with hyoid fascia, 5.At the base of the cranium with cranial base fascia, and 6.Joint capsules. In addition there is a thin veil of fascia adjacent to the cytoskeleton of every non-circulating cell in the body as well as para tendons, and retinaculums. That’s a whole lot of tissue all connected to one another. These connective tissues allow the body to maintain shape, protect the structures from outside forces, and some scholars feel it aids in cellular functions such as respiration, digestion, reproduction, and excretion. I believe that the fascia is a component of the 3rd dimension of the nervous system which is described in the next section on the direct currents.
HISTOLOGY & PHYSIOLOGY OF FASCIA
The fascia is made up of three significant structures; collagen, elastin, and a ground substance consisting of a colloid gel matrix which contains hyaluronic acid and mucopolysaccharides. The collagen part provides the protective-supportive function. The colloid gel acts as a shock absorber. And, the elastin allows for stretch. It’s like a balloon filled with orange marmalade. The elastin is the balloon. The jelly is the colloid gel. The orange rind is the collagen.
There are two properties of the fascia that are of vital importance, neither of which is discussed in medical physiology books at my last search. First, the collagen has three protein strands, one of which is a crystalline band. All crystalline structures can generate piezoelectricity. "Piezo" means push in Greek. When the fascia is stretched, direct currents positive cations are pushed out of the crystalline strand, and when the fascia is compressed negative anions are pushed out of the crystalline strands. Secondly, the colloid gel is "thixotropic". This means that the gel can convert to a liquid when heated or stretched, and then returns to a gel when cooled. Therefore, we have within us a liquid, conductor - crystal, generator system, which can generate and conduct D.C.’s, direct currents. These are discussed in the next chapter.
Orthodontia is based on this piezoelectric effect. When the bands are applied to the teeth and stress is transmitted through the tooth down into the boney socket, piezoelectricity is generated from two structures. One, is the periosteum, connective tissue/fascia, which has a crystalline strand in the protein part of the collagen. The second is the hydroxy apetite crystalline part of the bone, also connective tissue. Dr. Becker applied stress to dead bones and found that they were capable of generating direct currents. Thus, the production of positive and negative electromagnetic charges stimulates the cellular activities which are instrumental in the remodeling of the bone. See section on Direct Currents for all of these effects.
MYOFASCIAL UNWINDING
Which comes first, the chicken or the egg? In the myofascial system, which comes first? The myo or the fascia? During my surgical career, when dissecting the fascia, it was very difficult to separate the muscle tissue from the fascial tissue without sacrificing a little of one or the other. Grilling experiences have been the same. When trying to remove the gristle and fat from the steak, there’s always; a little steak on the gristle. Or there’s a little gristle left on the steak. It matters not which is which, but that they both unwind as a result of the Reflex Arcs caused during the Bowen Therapy. This can be witnessed frequently on the Rhomboid Muscles after the "Boomerang Moves" in the upper back procedure. While doing the first movements to the muscles, nodules can often be palpated. When the movements are repeated a few minutes later, the nodules are usually gone completely, or at least significantly reduced in size.
I’ve also witnessed the unwinding to continue for many years after the patient's last session. I believe that two important things occur during and after the unwinding; 1. The muscles elongate and develop improved function, 2. The fascia becomes anatomically aligned. Multiple other changes follow these first two; A. there can be a release of lactic acid build-up, B. the meridians that pass through the fascia can flow more freely, C. emotional memories can be released from the fascia, D. piezoelectric and thixotropic function is restored, E. endorphins are released and communication between the immune-central-endocrine systems are improved, and F. entrapped energies, energy cysts, are freed up.
For a visual of the fascia connective tissue, watch, STROLLING UNDER THE SKIN on You Tube. While you're there, watch John F. Barnes, MYOFASCIAL UNWINDING.
MISSING CHAPTER 2
THE DIRECT CURRENT SYSTEM
MICRO-CURRENTS
My interest in this chapter began when I started using TENS transcutaneous, electrical, neural stimulation units on my patients to control post-operative pain following foot surgery. Later in my career, MENS - micro-current, electrical neural stimulation units were used to help patient’s foot problems. My interest in how these trickles of electricity could have such amazing effects on patient’s foot problems and healings led me to a lot of information in the archives.
Two experiences that led me down this trail follow. When performing bunion surgery we placed sterile TENS electrodes on both sides the skin incision. The wires came through the gauze dressing for attachment to the TENS unit. Inside the units were dials to adjust the currents. Two modulations were used, one for pain control as needed, and the other setting for healing. These were used at least three times a day for 20 minutes each. In most all cases, post-surgery X-Rays three to four weeks later revealed that the line which shows where the bone was transected was non-apparent. Meaning, the bone had healed back together. In cases when we didn't use the TENS units, at this point in time post-surgery, the radiolucent line was quite visible on the X-Ray.
My second experience was when the physiatrist doctor an M.D. who specializes in Physical Medicine came to my office to set up my new MENS machine, which was quite pricey. He opened the back of the machine and placed six "C" cell batteries in the unit much to my surprise. I asked, "Is that what powers this machine?" He said, "Yep. That's all it takes." I then questioned him on how often did they have to be replaced? He replied, "They'll last a year or two." This amazed me, especially in light of how much my patients benefited from the use of the loaner machine I used during a two week trial period. Pain was relieved by the end of a 20 minute session. Foot problems that usually took a month to resolve got better in a week or two.
This was pre internet, so I asked the hospital librarian to do a "Med-Line" search of the available literature on electrical current and wound healing. She called me later that day and asked, "How far back in time do you want me to search?" After a moment’s thought I told her, "How about 20 years." The next day, my mail box at the hospital was crammed with a rolled up sheet of computer paper. There were summaries of over two hundred studies on electrical current and wound repair, most of which were favorable.
In the mix were a number of studies done on laboratory animals which researchers implanted cancer cells. When the lesions grew to a certain size, electrical currents were placed over the tumors. In all cases where positive polarity was applied, the lesions either reduced in size, or were eliminated. Whereas in the negative polarity groups the tumors continued to grow. The last study was in 1977. This was the date when chemotherapy was introduced to the medical profession by Dr. Bender.
I used to build my own electrical generators which I called "Little Black Boxes." Small plastic battery receptacles that held four "C" cell batteries were what were used. I lengthened the wires and added alligator clips to the ends of the black negative and red positive wires. We applied the currents to lesions on patients in my practice. I had removed a toenail and bone spur from the large toe of a teenage patient. About two weeks after surgery it appeared to be infected. Mother refused antibiotics, so I had them apply the positive currents three times a day for the bacteriostatic effect. A week later the infection had cleared, but the skin edges had not closed together. So, I had them apply the negative current to the wound site. Two weeks later, the toe was quite swollen, so we took x-rays. Lo and behold, there was a large square patch of calcium on the top of the toe bone where it was still healing from the surgery done four weeks prior. Bone takes six to eight weeks to heal. I didn't think of that when I instructed them to use the negative current for healing, and it caused the build-up of calcium!
Our body electric is much like our homes; 110 Volt & 220 Volt systems operate many of our household appliances, computers, heaters, water pumps, lights and stereos. Direct Current D.C. with positive and negative polarities powers the smoke detectors, doorbells, intercoms, and stereo speakers. These electrical currents travel via wiring systems which are turned on and off with switches and breakers and are modulated by transformers, capacitors and resisters, and reducers.
Our body operates in a similar fashion. The 1st dimension is the central nervous system. The 2nd dimension is the peripheral nervous system consisting of the; Voluntary nervous system sensory and motor nerves and the involuntary/autonomic nervous system sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves. There is a 3rd dimension which is the Direct Current D.C. system = micro-currents. The D.C system is probably conducted via the meridian ductule system, the nerve sheaths myelin sheath, intra-cellular and extra-cellular water, and the colloid gel matrix of the fascia. This colloid gel turns to a liquid form when heated and stretched, called "thixotropic". Some data has been gathered by Dr. Robert O. Becker and Bruce Lipton, PhD, which supports this probability.
The collagen within the fascia is made up from proteins which contain crystalline strands. These crystalline structures generate micro-currents called "piezoelectricity". This is one of the systems that create micro-currents. Another generator is the cell membrane system. The cell membrane has a liquid crystal component. The micro-currents are instrumental in modulating wound and tissue repair, healing of fractures, bone and scar remodeling, and cellular regeneration by way of influencing cellular activities.
Our body electric has been measured and has shown a positive polarity through the central nervous system and the central part of the physical body. The extremities and peripheral tissues consist of negative polarity. An unfertile egg also is positive in the middle and negative on the perimeter.
The effects of positive and negative polarity on cellular and tissue activities have been studied extensively around the world during the past 50 years, or more.
POSITIVE / CATIONS = MOSTLY ANTIBIOLOGICAL / CATABOLIC
*1. Anti-carcinogenic – reverses cancer.
2. Attracts macrophages – cells that clean up
debris / release endorphins.
3. Bacteriostatic – stops reproduction of
organisms.
4. Bactericidal if combined with silver ions –
kills organisms.
5. Causes bone to reabsorb = Wolf’s Law of
Bone. Orthodontia
6. Denatures protein.
7. Prevents post ischemic lipid per oxidation.
8. Promotes epithelial growth and
organization.
9. Reduces keloids and scars.
10. Reduces fibrosis.
11. Reduces tensile strength of wounds.
12. Repels mast cells – inflammation and
allergy cells.
13. Retards biological growth.
14. Stimulates osteoclastic activity- cells that
reabsorb bone.
15. Vasoconstrictive.
NEGATIVE / ANIONS = MOSTLY BIOLOGICAL / ANABOLIC
1. Attracts neutrophils – cells that fight infection.
2. Decreases edema – swelling.
3. Increases fibroblastic activity - cells that form
collagen.
4. Increases fibroblastic proliferation and
collagen formation.
5. Increases growth factor receptor sites on
fibroblasts.
6. Increases repair and regeneration.
7. Induces epidermal cell migration.
8. Lyses necrotic tissue – dead tissue.
9. Stimulates granulation tissue.
10. Stimulates osteocytes bone marrow cells to
migrate to a fracture site in order to form
crystalline hydroxy apatite for the formation
of calcium for fracture repair or bone
remodeling.
11. Stimulates osteoblastic activity-cells that
form bone matrix. Orthodontia
12. Stimulates dendrite formation directionally.
13. Vasodilatation.
Dr. Robert O. Becker, M.D. found that when one cuts a finger, the negative polarity shifts to positive for about five days. Following that, the polarity shifts back to negative and increases in amperage until day 21, at which time the polarity gradually returns to its normal resting state. Wound repair takes place, generally as follows. At the time of the cut platelets clump together, we usually place a band aid and a little compression, and the cations constrict the capillaries all of which help to stop the bleeding. The cations also help to keep the wound from infection due to its bacteriostatic effects. A thrombin clot with aid of fibrinogen seals the wound and forms a scaffold for further healing by collagen. Cations stimulate macrophages which clean up the dead cells and debris at the wound site. Macrophages release endorphins which reduces pain. All of this transpires during the first 5 days. Next, negative anion micro-currents intensify during the next 14 to 16 days and attract the fibroblasts to come to the wound site, proliferate, open receptor sites on the fibroblasts for hormone peptide growth factors. The fibroblasts then form pro-collagen and collagen which is our very own supply of super-glue. All, as a result of the anions. This intensification of micro-currents explains why wounds often tingle and itch around two weeks after the injury. I used to tell my patients, "Oh, that's the nerves reconnecting." That sounded good to me, and they always accepted my explanation, but it wasn't the truth. Usually at about day 21 the wound has its maximum tensile strength so the anions lower back down to the normal basal resting state. Then, for the next six months to one year the scar re-organizes remodeling phase. If you check the effects of the currents they pretty much correlate to the phases of wound repair. I speculate that if Dr. Becker had carried on his measurements at the wound site for months after the initial healing process, he probably would have charted intense positive charges which are responsible for the absorption of scar tissue. The chart on the following page shows the process.
Doctor Becker wanted to know what structures or circuits these currents flowed through and performed the following experiment. He removed a section of the sciatic nerve from the leg in a rat and then confirmed the de-nerving by nerve conduction studies to the distal fibula. He then fractured the distal fibula - outer ankle bone. He noted that even though the nerve had not reconnected by the time the fractures had healed, the fracture healed in spite. Although, the fracture healing time was delayed two to four weeks.
He then studied three groups of rats, where the first group he sectioned the nerve and waited five days to fracture the bone, the second group he waited 10 days, and the third group he waited 15 days. All three groups healed in the usual four weeks’ time. He concluded that something happened those first five days. He then severed the nerve in another rat, waited 5 days, and then took the wound apart. He visualized a thin film of tissue bridging the gap between the cut nerve ends. When he looked at the tissue with a microscope he observed Schwann cells, which are the main cells of the nerve sheath myelin sheath.
Therefore, the nerve sheath probably conducts the D.C. flow or, possibly the meridian that runs along the nerve as we will discover later. Or, possibly the fascia is the conductor, as the fascia surrounds every cell in the body, and the nerve sheath is really a brand of connective fascial tissue.
Doctor Becker made an interesting observation. Over all of the years that he performed experiments on animals, fracturing bones and observing them heal they never had any non-unions of the fractures. He didn't immobilize the limbs either. No casts, no pins, plates, or screws. He let the animals run around the cages, and there were only mal-unions and delayed unions. He said, "Only people get non-unions." About 1 non-union per 1,000 fractures. Even though, they are immobilized internally, and or externally. He didn't pursue this notion, but I have pondered it and my theory is that animals; have less stress than people, follow a natural diet, and they do lots of stretching. The stretching maintains fascial integrity and resultant "piezoelectricity" & "thixotropic". How many times a day do you see the average person stretch? How many times a day do you stretch? Animals stretch every chance they get.
Following is an interesting case which corresponds with some of these findings:
16 YEARS POST ANKLE FRACTURE
Big John came to my office for his initial visit. He said, "I need one of those Bowen treatments you do. My friend Peter says they are a miracle. You fixed his back pain with one treatment and my back is killing me, so can you fix me too?" I replied, "First of all I am a Foot Doctor and I don't treat back pain. Secondly, who's Peter?" He said, "I can’t remember his last name, but he brought me here, he’s waiting in the car out front." He went on to say, "Now I remember, he came to you with a foot problem and when you treated him for that his back got better. I have a pain in my foot right here, as he pointed to a spot on the top of his arch, you could give me a treatment for that, right mate?" I then said, "All right, lay on the table with your feet on the pillow and your head in the face cradle", and I began a session. When I returned to the room after the customary three minute rest between the procedures to the muscles, he said, "I remember Peter’s last name mate, it’s Hubbard." After I completed the next series of movements, I went to the chart files and pulled Peter Hubbard’s chart. When I glanced at my chart notes I remembered the patient and the incident. Peter had been in a car-motorcycle accident at age sixteen. His right ankle had been badly fractured. He'd had many surgical procedures, two years of physical therapy, a set of custom foot orthotics, and done home therapy exercises over the years. He was told at age nineteen that what he can see is what he’s got and he was stuck with a permanent clubfoot deformity. He also had post-traumatic arthritis in the ankle and subtalar under the ankle joints.
On the day of Peter’s first visit he told me his story, and was concerned about his orthotics not fitting properly as he had them for many years. His leg muscle was in spasm, and he was walking differently due to these problems. I don't remember, nor did I note in the chart anything about back pain. But, it's very frequent that when one favors a foot deformity or pain they will experience back pain. I gave Peter a Bowen treatment for the muscle spasm and the other postural pains he was experiencing. I kept his orthotics for a week in order to refurbish them, and he came for a second appointment a week later. I gave him a second Bowen treatment, placed the orthotics in his shoe and reappointed him for one week for a follow up visit which he failed to keep.
When I finished looking at his chart my curiosity got the best of me and I walked out of my office to the parking lot and saw him sitting in the passenger seat reading a book. I said, "Hi Peter. Thanks for bringing Big John for a treatment. What's going on?" He looked up and replied, "Oh, Dr. Mosher! I’m sorry I never came back to thank you for taking care of me. I know that you’re very busy and I didn’t want to bother you and I am lousy at writing letters." I inquired as to what had transpired and he told me the following. He didn't return for the follow up visit because he didn't notice any difference in the symptoms and pain he was experiencing after the two Bowen sessions. However, four weeks after the treatments, while retiring to bed one night his ankle started to itch quite badly. Not in the skin, but, "way down deep." It had kept him awake for a couple of hours, and then subsided enough for him to dose off. During the night the itching would wake him up, but then he would go back to a light sleep. When he got up the next morning his foot and ankle were noticeably more limber, and slightly less painful. The same thing happened four weeks later, and four weeks after that. He said that, "About every four weeks for about 14 months his foot would itch at bedtime for one night only, and each time he noticed better range of motion and lessened pain upon arising the next morning." Presently, he had no further foot deformity, no leg muscle spasms, and no more back pain. I have seen Peter off and on over the years for minor "tune-ups" and he remains just fine with regards to his ankle. He recalled on one occasion, that when he told me that afternoon at my office parking lot that he was all better, he really was only about 90% better. It took another year to a year and a half to get all the way well.
So, that shows he went through a three to four year unwinding process. Also, it is interesting that the majority of his recovery took 14 months, and he was 14 years post injury? That’s one month for every year, and on a monthly cycle? I grilled him on two occasions, one in the parking lot, and another on the visit when he told me it took another year and a half to get the rest of the way back to normal; did he do any other modalities, change diet, take supplements, or herbs. And, he responded with a definite, "No."
FOUR YEARS POST BUNIONECTOMY
Shortly after the previous case unfolded, a lady came to my practice with a postoperative bunionectomy performed by another foot surgeon. She had problems healing the surgery which resulted in sesamoiditis, inflammation of the small bone beneath the large toe joint. She was four years following surgery that she was not sure she should have undergone. She said that, "The surgery never healed right, and I have had stiffness in my joint, aching, swelling in my 2nd toe, and now this pain under the joint." She also complained of pain in her hip and lower back from favoring the painful foot problems. Examination revealed restricted joint motion, fibular sesamoid pain, and sub 2nd metatarsal capsulitis and swelling beneath the metatarsal head, ball of the foot. Not wanting to do more than one thing at a time, otherwise I wouldn’t know which one was doing what, I gave her a Bowen session that 1st visit in order to relieve the back and hip pain. Guess what she told me when she came back the next week for follow-up? She noted off and on itching down in the joint all week long and most of the pain had resolved. The 2nd and 3rd weeks she did not experience any pruritus / itching, but the range of motion gradually improved, and the aching resolved, so she was discharged totally asymptomatic.
I conclude that the surgical repair site was stuck on a negative polarity and was not switching to positive for some unknown reason. Positive polarity is responsible for scar remodeling.
ANOTHER POSTOPERATIVE BUNIONECTOMY
I had an experience many years prior with a nurse who worked at the hospital, which I was on staff. She was one of the first Austin osteotomy break the bone and re-set it- bunionectomy procedures that I performed. As the months went by postoperatively she had persistent swelling, pain in the interspace and sub sesamoidal area, and joint stiffness. X-rays showed normal healing and alignment. Physical therapy, home exercises, strappings, orthotics, immobilization, NSAIDS, and a steroid injection all were wasted time. Radiographs were normal with regard to alignments and osteotomy union. I felt really badly for her, and I saw her at the hospital frequently on my rounds. Whenever I inquired how she was doing she always relied, "Oh, about the same." Then one day, she came to my office without an appointment. My receptionist told me she wanted to tell me something interesting. She had a recent inner ear infection and went to the local ENT Doc., and he gave her a prescription for some kind of “cillin”. During the 1st 24 hours on antibiotics she had a pronounced tingling and itching in the 1st interspace and sesamoid area. Following which, the pain, swelling, and stiffness all resolved. Now her foot was perfect and she was happy.
I believe that she had a low-grade infection from the surgery, and the positive cations were holding the infection in check however, the healing process needs negative anions. It just couldn’t happen until the “cillin” took care of the infection and the body’s defense mechanism could shut down. I have witnessed many similar events following ingrown toenail surgeries. Patients came back four to six weeks following surgery with redness and swelling around the proximal nail fold (cuticle) area and non- healing and drainage along the nail margin where the edge of the nail was removed. I'd place them on an antibiotic and have them back in one week. Almost every time their comment is about the same. "I took those antibiotics and a couple of days later my toe began to itch. Now look at it. It’s almost healed." Sure enough, I would then note that the side of the nail margin was all closed over. Again, the D.C. must have been stuck on positive to keep the bacteria from multiplying and as soon as the bacteria were taken care of by the antibiotic, the currents shift to negative, perceived as itching, and then there is the subsequent healing. Therefore, when the integrity of the fascia is restored by the reflex arc causing the unwinding process, the liquid-crystal system is reestablished and healing can go on to completion.
MISSING CHAPTER 3
THE MERIDIAN SYSTEM
MERIDIANS AND MERIDIAN POINTS
The meridians are; .5 to 1.5 micron (1/1,000 mm.) in diameter ducts which carry bioenergy; Qi - pronounced "Chee" in China, Ki - pronounces "Key" in Japan and Korea, Pranna - pronounced "Prah Na" in the Mid-East, and Life force - in North America.
Qi consists of electrical currents, probably direct current, D.C., chemicals, and maybe more. There are 14 main meridians, 12 of which have peak cycles during 2 hour time spans during the course of the day. The meridians cycle as follows; Liver (1:00 A.M. to 3:00 A.M.), Lung (3:00 to 5:00), Large Intestine (5:00 to 7:00), Stomach (7:00 to 9:00), Spleen (9:00 to 11:00), Heart (11:00 to 1:00 P.M.), Small Intestine (1:00 to 3:00), Urinary Bladder (3:00 to 5:00), Kidney (5:00 to 7:00), Pericardium (7:00 to 9:00), Triple warmer (9:00 to 11:00), and Gallbladder (11:00 PM to 1:00 A.M.). The other 2 main meridians are the conception vessel in the front of the body and the governing vessel in the back. These meridians cycle continuously around the clock. There are numerous other collateral and distribution meridians throughout the body.
The meridians are anatomically laid out like our freeway, hi-way, by-way, street, alleyway, cull de sac systems. The meridians function like an irrigation canal system, a very slow flowing non-pressurized system. They've been measured to flow at a rate of approximately 12 inches in 4 to 8 minutes depending on which meridian is measured. This is very slow compared to the blood circulatory system, which circulates from ventricle to atrium in 14 seconds, in a normal person at rest. The meridians have been observed in chick embryos, with the aid of high-resolution microscopy and a gamma ray scanner following injection of a radioisotope. The entire system is laid out and is fully developed within 15 hours following conception. Dr. Gerber cites studies that suggest that the etheric energy field directs the formation of the meridian system. And, that the development of the body parts and organ arrangement is determined by the meridians. Otherwise, how would the heart know to develop here and the liver over there? These channels appear before any vessels, nerves, organs, or limb buds.
In another study performed in Korea, the researcher removed a portion of the liver meridian and followed up with fine needle biopsies of the liver tissues. He noted the beginning of degeneration of hepatocytes (liver cells), after 3 days. Therefore, the meridians are crucial for development and regeneration and repair.
The meridians have been isolated by a French researcher who injected a radioisotope (technetium 99) into humans at the meridian points and at random meridian points in the skin. He observed the ductile systems with a microscope connected to a gamma ray camera and notes that there is a superficial system under the skin and 4 deep systems; (1.along the vessels and lymph channels, 2. along the nerves, 3. inside the blood vessels, and 4.through the spaces around the internal organs) all of which are interconnected with each other and the superficial system by way of collaterals. Following is a photograph from this study in a 1982 edition of the National Inquirer, one of the other medical journals. Too bad it wasn't published in the Journal of the American Medical Association! The white (actually yellow-orange), is the radioisotope in the tissue space in the left frame. The right frame shows the technetium in the point and then diffusing into the ductule channel.
The meridian points have been biopsied by several researchers and the following is a summary of their findings:
1. The points are adjacent to a corpuscle diaphragm.
2. Beneath the corpuscle is a plexus of nerves and blood vessels.
3. Biochemical analysis of tissue fluids reveal;
10 times the amount of adrenalin than is in the blood.
Amino acids.
Cortisone.
DNA & RNA.
Hyaluronic acid.
16 different free nucleotides.
Estrogens, endorphins, and kinins.
Diagram of Meridian System
Additionally, Dr. Becker studied the meridians with respect to their electrical activity. There is a measurable direct current flowing throughout, at some points positive and others negative. The amperage dropped as the probe was moved along the meridian pathway and when the probe reached a meridian point the amperage increased. It is thought that the points are like transformers, which boost the flow of the currents, because electrical current loses velocity as it travels distance.
As the meridians and nerves pass through the fascial structures and while the fascial-periosteal structures conduct the liquid-crystal system, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that prolonged fascial / myofascial dysfunction may cause occlusions in the direct current bioelectrical system. Prolonged bioelectrical dysfunction will lead to cellular and biochemical dysfunction. Prolonged cellular and biochemical dysfunction may cause signs, symptoms, deformities, and disabilities. Additionally, fascial / myofascial dysfunction can lead to neuromuscular pain and skeletal misalignments. Therefore, removal of myofascial and fascial dysfunctions will improve the bioelectrical / biochemical functions which in turn will affect the cellular and biochemical functions, in addition to relieving neuromuscular pain, and deforming forces on the tissues. The reflex arcs from Bowen moves probably do all of this.
It makes you wonder how the Easterners knew all about the systems without any high- tech. They appeared to have mapped out the meridian and meridian point system about 4,000 years ago. However, when the frozen Eastern European hunter named “Itzy” sic, (discovered in a thawing glacier in Easter Europe), was carbon dated it was found that he was 5,500 years old. He had rheumatoid arthritis of the spine when they did the autopsy. Rheumatologists became very excited to learn that rheumatoid arthritis was not a modern age illness. They also found tattoos on his body placed over the meridian points which you would treat for pain in the areas where he had the arthritic processes. So, this was known about approximately 1,500 years before Qi Boy convinced the emperor of the Yellow Dynasty that acupuncture should be added to the Chinese Medicine formulary! A case that will reveal the re-establishment of meridian flow and subsequent healing of a chronic problem follows:
One Monday morning, a few months following my first Bowen class, a patient presented with a lump the size of an almond beneath the arch on the right foot. She told me that there was very little pain involved however, she was favoring it and this was causing pains in her hip and lower back. She was also concerned because we are all suspicious when a "lump" appears. I reassured her that the lump was a classical benign plantar fibroma. Only if it grew rapidly or became painful should she consider having it removed. I informed her about the therapy that I had recently discovered and that it could help her back and hip. She immediately took me up on my offer. When we were all finished, she arose from the table and said, "Oh my, I feel so good. Can I come back tomorrow for another treatment?" I told her that we should wait one week before another session and for her to make an appointment. When she returned the following week, the lump had reduced to the size of a pea and she said that she couldn't wait for another Bowen treatment. She scheduled another check on her foot and Bowen session one week later. I began the therapy prior to looking at her foot. During a point where the muscles are released on the inner thigh area she asked, "Is there any connection between that lump on my foot and my stomach?" I said, "I don't think so. Why?" She replied, "On the first visit when you released those muscles in the inner part of my thigh and left the room for me to rest, I immediately felt like a gush of worms crawling around in my stomach. All day long, I had a queasy feeling in my stomach. In addition, when I got home from work that night my stomach and gallbladder pain completely disappeared. I've not had to take any of my stomach medications for the past three weeks. I flushed $200 worth of prescriptions down the toilet this morning. When I get to work, I'm calling the gastroenterologist who has been taking care of me the past two years and canceling my appointment for the endoscope procedure at the surgery center next week." She had an endoscopy procedure done every six months to keep a check on her problem! She added, "I won’t need him anymore." I begged her not to mention my connection with any of this, as I didn't want to be in any trouble with the medical community or lose any referrals due to my deviating from the main stream. She assured me that she wouldn't and then she said, "Look at my foot." As I looked for the lump, it was almost completely gone. Now, it was about the size of a grain of rice! I found an old foot reflexology book and opened to the foot chart. Sure enough, the lump was right in the middle of the stomach and liver zone. I told her about that and she laughed, left the office quite happy, and has never returned.
Two years later, I was studying Acupuncture and recalled the incident. When I looked at the meridian chart, I saw that two of the four meridians that pass through the inner thigh and groin are the Stomach and Liver meridians. I could chalk it all up to coincidence or spontaneous remission. Or, I could believe that there was some kind of obstruction in that muscle tissue of the adductor canal and inguinal ligament which was blocking the flow of energy. When the blockage was released due to the immediate unwinding as a result of the reflex arcs, she then felt the “Gush of worms into her stomach”. Then, she healed herself. I tend to believe in the later. What is most perplexing is that the pathology reports following biopsy of these fibrous lesions in the plantar foot area always state, "Benign fibroplasia. Multiple fibroblasts and swirls of collagen." I'm not sure as to how this scar-like tissue could recede in three weeks. But, it did.
MISSING CHAPTER 4
EMOTIONAL BLOCKS
I've not yet learned even a possible explanation for the storage of emotional information in the muscles and fascia. I've had numerous patients undergo emotional releases while performing Bowen Therapy, and also in the days, weeks, and months following a session. In addition, I learned of a technique taught by John F. Barnes, PT., which he's titled, "Myofascial Unwinding", and I've facilitated a number of emotional clearings using his techniques. John Upledger, D.O., titles it, "Somato-emotional Release." I'll pass on some of the more interesting cases for you to ponder.
MY INDOCTRINATION.
An interesting experience occurred with a patient and his response, which took place the very first week I started doing Bowen Therapy. Bernard was the patient who had the arthritic large toe joint in the section on some of my successes.
When I returned to the room after I released his lower leg muscle, he was curled up in a fetal position and was quite pale and cold. My first thought was that he had fainted and was going into shock. I checked his pulse and was going to take his blood pressure when he said, "I’m okay. I’m a little cold. May I have a blanket?" I covered him up and left him alone to settle down for a few minutes. When I returned to the room, his color was a little better, but he was still chilled. I left him to lie on the table for a few more minutes. The next time I returned to check on him, he was sitting on the edge of the table looking a little haggard, but much better. I gave him his post-treatment instructions.
When he returned the following Friday, I asked how he was doing and he said, "I'm doing fantastic. I don’t have any more stress, I'm more focused, and I feel like I’ve been liberated from something that had a hold of me." He went on to tell me that the day before he had given notice at the job he had loathed, and was moving to Costa Rica within the next month to open a restaurant. This was something that he had wanted to do for quite some time but something was holding him back. He said, "Whatever you did that treatment last week released whatever it was that was holding me down." At the time, I wasn't quite sure about what had just transpired because they didn't teach us at the Bowen Workshop I took, anything about this emotional release stuff. After a couple of more experiences, and conversations with other therapists, I finally got a clue about it all. When I checked his right EHL (Extensor Hallusis Longus) Muscle, the rope was gone.
LEARNING A LITTLE MORE.
Another somato-emotional release experience was with a young lady who was referred to me by a foot surgeon a few miles away. He knew that I did Bowen Therapy, and his patient was suffering with chronic back pain. She'd been examined and treated by competent doctors, and nothing had relieved her pain. So, she wanted to try a Bowen treatment. She had heard about Bowen Therapy, since she was a Massage Therapist. Her first session was uneventful. She felt only minimal relief of the pain.
She returned two weeks later for another session. I began with the basic relaxation moves, and then did the kidney and lower respiratory moves. Then, when I returned to the room following the four minute rest after releasing the abdominal muscles, she was quietly weeping. I asked if she was all right and if she needed a blanket. She said that she was little cold and a blanket would be nice. I said, "It looks like you are releasing something. Do you want to talk about it or keep it to yourself?" She said, "I’ll tell you what it was. I had a caesarian section two years ago and it was against my will. My mother and the doctors pretty much forced me to have it, and I’ve been angry ever since. I felt like I was invaded by aliens."
After the session she was completely pain free, relaxed and has been fine ever since. This illustrates how the abdominal area is the "Front of the Back". And, how that the entire fascia is interrelated.
For those of us who are involved with bodywork, we all need to keep in mind that all of the musculoskeletal structures, including the fascia and myofascia are all connected to one another. The position and motions taking place in the feet; affect the legs, hips, pelvis, back, shoulder, neck, and head. And, twists, tilts, angulations of the pelvis; affect the feet and ankles, as well as proximal structures. Therefore, when a practitioner stimulates a release in the front, it results in a change in the back. When a release takes place at the bottom, a change takes place at the top. Lastly, when there are releases to superficial structures, changes take place in the deeper parts. This also explains why the Bowen Coccyx locks and Kidney moves help digestive disorders in adults and colic in babies. I do these along with other abdominal and torso moves for patients undergoing chemotherapy. As long as I do them once a week, they have zero nausea symptoms. If we skip a week, they experience severe nausea, and they can't wait for their next session.
MARCIA – MY VERY OWN FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE WITH EMOTIONAL RELEASE.
I suppose that it would be best to tell you just how I became aware, experienced, and enlightened on the subject of Body-Mind emotional release. By a synchronous series of events, a massage therapist came to me to have Bowen Therapy for her foot problem. At the conclusion of her first session I asked, "What types of massage therapy do you do?" She replied, "I do Myofascial Release and Myofascial Unwinding." I told her that I was familiar with Myofascial Release. I wasn't really, I just thought I was however; I wasn't acquainted with Myofascial Unwinding. When she told me about this therapy and how it helps release emotional holding patterns I felt a strong desire to have a session or two. My mother had passed a year ago, and although I was feeling over the grief and all, there was something unfinished. We arranged a trade of services at her office beginning the following week.
After I performed a Bowen treatment on her she had me sit on the edge of the massage table. Then she turned on some kind of tribal chant music on the stereo, placed the palm of one hand on the top of my hair without touching, and the other palm toward the right side of my neck. Within a minute or two I began a series of strange gyrations throughout my entire body, and, before long I was rocking back and forth from side to side. I'm not at all aware how long a time I was moving back and forth, but at some point I started to laugh. I continued laughing for quite some time, and as a few tears came to my eyes, I let out a sigh and said, "Rock a bye baby." I continued with two other series of weird movements and each time I laughed uncontrollably and let out a sigh afterward. As I was driving home I tried to figure out what had just happened. By the way, the entire session lasted 50 minutes, and it seemed like just a few. The only thing I could think of at the moment was, during my childhood we used to swing back and forth in the small, slender Bay trees to see how far we could come to touching and transferring to an adjacent tree. I was never really very good at it and my friends always kidded me about my ineptitude. A few months later as I was telling a patient about the experience, it dawned on me that I no longer have a fear of heights nor have I had any bad dreams about perilous high places. I had about 6 dreams that had repeated themselves over my entire adult life. These would occur at least twice to three times a week. I've not had one since, and this has been going on 15 years after the session. I then recalled that my mother often would sing the "Rock a Bye Baby" Nursery rhyme to me at bed- time. I can't tell you that there was any scientific explanation for this occurrence, but it sure made an impression on me.
JOHN F. BARNES – MY FIRST CLASS.
One day I received a flyer announcing a new book titled, "Healing Ancient Wounds", by John F. Barnes. John was my therapist Marcia’s teacher/guru and she always sang his praise. I immediately ordered the book, and after reading the first two chapters, I dropped everything and signed up for one of his classes in Sedona, Arizona. During the weekend of the class, I had a strong desire to experience a session at John’s clinic, so I scheduled an hour session one afternoon after the meeting. I won’t go into the details of the session, only to say that it was one of the most profound experiences I've ever had, and with a total stranger (Therapist).
MY FIRST INTENTIONAL CLEARING.
When I returned to my office the week after the seminar, I met with my office staff and told them all about the new therapies I'd learned, and of my experience. After the meeting, one of the young ladies who worked for me asked if she could try a session or two to try and release some emotional childhood sexual abuse issues. She had chronic right hip pain. She'd had acupuncture, cortisone injections, and chiropractic none of which helped. Bowen therapy only relieved her pain for a day or two. We scheduled a late afternoon session for a week later. At that time there were no apparent releases so, we scheduled another session the following week. Right away, as I was holding her feet slightly elevating her legs off the table, her feet started pointing toward each other and then her legs started swinging back and forth. After a minute she felt a pop-like sensation in her left hip (her good hip), then she started to cry. As she wept her skin got very sweaty and slimy. I had a hard time holding on to her feet as my hands kept slipping as her legs swung back and forth. After a few minutes she stopped crying and let out a sigh, that's the "Still Point" which signals the end of the release. When I approached her head and neck, they too were all sweaty and slimy. I asked, "How do you feel?" She looked up and replied with a big smile, "Great!" I sensed that this was enough for this day, so we went home.
The next morning when she came to work she told me what had transpired that night. When she got home, her entire body was sweaty and sticky so, she took a shower to wash it off. Almost immediately her right knee became quite swollen and painful (her bad hip side) and she was very tired, and so retired early. When she got up in the morning the knee was sore but not swollen and her right hip pain had gone away. She didn't experience her usual early morning, "bitchies", and she felt a tremendous burden of weight off of her. Her chronic hip pain has never returned and her life has been quite a bit better since this dramatic release. She told me that her father had molested her until the age of thirteen and she's sure that she was holding the emotional trauma in her hip and pelvic region. She relocated a few months later. A little over a year later, she came by our office proudly holding her newborn baby. She told me that she'd been trying for the past 2 years to have children, and she had 3 miscarriages prior to her "Great Release."
MY INTUITION WORKS.
One morning I was performing Bowen on a patient whom I'd treated two to three times, and we got on the subject of emotional holdings and how they affected our lives. She said, "I think that I need to release something." My schedule was light, as fate would have it, and I said, "I can do something for you now if you'd like." She took me up on my offer. I intuitively placed one hand below her rib cage, solar plexus = 3rd chakra, and the other hand behind her back in the same area. Wow! I felt turbulence under my hand which was over her solar plexus. I would best describe it as if you could palpate the ocean waves coming in and going out, while at the same time swirling around in eddies, clockwise and then counterclockwise. After a minute or two she began to sob and cry. As she did, my hand felt like a suction cup on her skin. As my hand became more and more cupped, she started moving back and forth in a rocking-like motion. My hand felt even more “Stuck”, to her skin. As she let out a sigh, the still point at the end of the release, my hand released from her skin. I detected a definite calm and peace in her demeanor. I said, or asked, "All done?" She said, "Yeah. All done." When she stood up, she placed her hands on the table and leaned over, rocking back and she said, "I see lights - I see feathers - I see a face." After a few of these comments, she stood erect and said, "Thank you. Fifty years of anger and fear are gone from my life. Wow!"
When she returned the following week for a follow-up, she said, "I recall what that was about last week. When I was five years old, I was at a Catechism class and I hadn't memorized my part. When the Nun found out, she slapped my wrist with a ruler and said, “If you don't please God he'll punish you, and you'll burn in hell". She then drew a picture on the blackboard with "Heaven" above-"God" in the middle – "Fire and Hell" down below." My patient had remembered this for her entire life up until now.
Can you imagine what you might have stored in your emotional system, (the 4th dimension of the nervous system)?
MORE EXPERIENCE
Bev came to see me with a foot problem. During her diatribe, it seemed that she needed a Bowen release. I did my podiatry gig and a Bowen session, which she enjoyed. On her follow-up visit, it was apparent that she liked the Bowen, but would prefer a female therapist. So, I gladly referred her to a lady that I knew who could take care of her other needs besides the foot stuff which I could take care of.
A few years later she returned with one of her daughters, who had a planter’s wart. We talked about how things were going, and she said, "My Bowen Therapist's gone, and I don't know what to do?" Then, I told her about and all the things I had learned since our last encounter, which included somato-emotional release. This sparked her interest, and so she made an appointment for an emotional clearing the following week. Somehow, she was all of a sudden okay with me working with her? Bev then told me that she'd been fondled by a college professor when she was eighteen. He'd sworn her to secrecy, and threatened her with a failing grade should she tell anyone about the incident. This had affected her entire adult life and marriage. I did my thing which intuition led me to, and she did a release.
The following week, I did another clearing, and she released some more. The next week, she revealed that she'd had sexual relations with her husband like never before. After that, life has never been so good for Bev. Then, she referred her clinical psychologist, as he needed a clearing too.
HEALING THE HEALER.
Bev's therapist had struck his head on a flight departure / arrival board at the airport during a moment of haste and carelessness. I'm not sure what emotional grief he had stored in him. Immediately after I began some of Upledger's Cranio Sacral holds, he began to violently shake his head from side to side. As he moved back and forth he began to sob, and did some deep exhales as if to remove something from his lungs. He gave a little sigh, indicating the still point and that we were through for this visit.
When he returned the following week, the same sequence occurred only more so. After the sigh indicating he had reached the still point, he smiled and said, "Thank you. It's gone!" Whatever "It" was?
NOW, FOR THE REST OF THE STORY
In January of 1999, I received a phone call from a hospital in Marin County. A suburb of San Francisco, California. I was told that my mother had suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage, and it was "iffy" at best that she would survive. I immediately left the office and drove 100 miles to the hospital to see her. Doctors told me of the pathology, the prognosis, and their treatment plan for the next few weeks.
I went to the hospital every other day for two weeks to see my mom. Her only audible spoken words were, "No & Don't." She didn't improve. So, I moved her to an extended care facility a block away from my office in Roseville, California. This way I could see her twice a day, plus I knew the track record of the facilitie’s quality of care. Every time I saw her, she did some really weird gyrations, and some nonsensical jibber-jabber plus she'd say, "No and don’t", followed by a sigh (still point).
The night before she passed, she went on a real "rant." It lasted about ten minutes. Her body twisted and turned in all kinds of directions. Following which, she said after a very long pronounced sigh (still point) - very clearly - while staring into my eyes - "I want my mama. I want my mama."
I know my mom wants me to share this story with you.
Jean (My Mom) wanted to attend Stanford University since grammar school. She studied and received top grades throughout grammar and high school. My grandfather was a successful dentist in Monterey, California, until his divorce from my grandmother. My grandmother was a flapper girl during prohibition, and subsequently spent my mother's college money on her personal indulgences. On the day my mom was to depart for Stanford University, her mother informed her that there was no money left for her tuition.
This resulted in depression and anger, which lasted my mother's entire life. My mom and step-dad spent well over six figures in counseling, psychiatric, psychology, and hypnotherapy fees. Not to mention, the gas money, parking charges, and time to go to these supposed therapies. Isn't it amazing that my mother went through a myofascial unwinding and emotional release the night before her death. Too bad, she couldn't have released all this 50 years earlier in her life.
MISSING CHAPTER 5
BODY MIND RESET
INTRODUCTION TO THE BODY – MIND – BODY STUFF.
A Naturopathic practitioner named Gene, who was a Bowen classmate, told me of a technique to remove allergies. He told me that if you know what you are allergic to, you can hold that substance in your left hand and shine a red laser light on the allergy point at the apex of the right ear for 30 seconds. Then, continue holding the substance for 20 minutes, and then discard it, but don't come in contact with it for 25 hours. I asked. "Why 25 hours?" My friend told me that there are 12 main meridians which have 2 hour cycles during the 24 hour day. You don't know which meridian is affected by the allergen, and if you come in contact with the substance while the affected meridian is processing it will make you sick in some way or another. You'll see when you come to the Rosemary part.
My first experience with the technique proceeded as follows. Monday mornings I always sneezed and got a runny nose upon arriving at my office. I guessed that I was allergic to the toenail dust that is ever present in a podiatry office, even though we have vacuums attached to our nail drills. So, one Friday afternoon I caught some nail dust on a piece of adhesive tape. After patients I did the treatment with the helium beam on my CO2 laser and drove home holding the tape, which took exactly 20 minutes. When I went to the office Monday and Tuesday I was unaware of anything different. Then on Wednesday, it occurred to me that I had done the allergy treatment the previous Friday and, that I had no runny nose or sneezing so far that week. As I write this, I no longer have any toenail dust symptoms.
Eggs - My Introduction to N.A.E.T.
See substance Dysfunction – Advanced Procedures section.
Rosemary – A lesson in the body processing process.
My third significant experience came from a self-treatment which turned out to be rather bizarre. I learned that I was allergic to sillymarin and rosemary, both of which were in my multiple vitamins. One afternoon I used the laser light on the ear point technique, held on to the vitamin tablet for 20 minutes, then discarded it. The following morning I made sure not to take the multiple vitamins which had not passed the 25 hour mark, so I took all of my other morning supplements. I was in a bit of a hurry so I didn’t fix anything for breakfast but grabbed a piece of leftover fish from the fridge, and was on my way. When I arrived at my office, all of a sudden I felt like I’d been hit by a truck. I got achy, my head pounded, I got chilled, and my nose bled. We had to cancel my morning appointments. I laid down for a rest on one of my massage tables and covered with a blanket. When I awoke at 11:00 AM, I felt better. And, as I got up, I detected a strange taste in my mouth. ROSEMARY! The fish had been breaded with seasoned bread crumbs and I ingested them as the stomach meridian was cycling from 7:00 – 9:00 AM.
Another visit with N.A.E.T.
Another unusually interesting case occurred with a patient of mine. She was diagnosed with Morton’s neuroma, which is an enlarged nerve between the 3rd and 4th metatarsals. This is a fairly common foot condition, and I felt quite proficient in its diagnosis and treatment options. She had the usual numbness, tingling, and occasional burning in her 2nd, 3rd, & 4th toes in both feet. I performed my usual and customary non-surgical treatments and she seemed to improve. I then made her orthotics to keep pressure from the nerves and instructed her to return in two months if any problems still occurred and we would discuss surgical treatment. About two years hence a friend of hers was seeing me for a foot problem, and she told me the rest of the story. Apparently my patient with the neuromas experienced progression of symptoms up the ankles and legs. Her family doctor referred her to a neurologist who diagnosed Multiple Sclerosis and prescribed drugs for this. She went to Stanford University for a second opinion, and was again diagnosed with M.S. She tried other medications which did not help. Then, a year or so later it began affecting her hands. At this point she went to the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, and again she was diagnosed with M.S., and was given some other medications. About the time she lost the use of her thumbs, she went to my naturopath friend, Jean. After Jean completed her work-up she was surprised that the lady did not show any of the usual findings that go along with neuropathies. She then asked our patient about what was happening in her life when all of this began. As it turns out she was building her dream home at the time of a real estate slump, and she was the not so proud owner of two houses built on speculation, which were not selling. All kinds of stress were abundant in her life at the time. She recalled the first sign of the tingling in her toes when she walked bare footed across the Mexican pavers tiles in the hallway of the new home. Jean then tested her for allergy to the tile, and sure enough, she was. Within days following a clearing her symptoms began to reverse, and within a month she was totally symptom free. However, as soon as she went back to walking on the tile floor the tingling in the toes returned so, she ended up selling the house.
My version of N.A.E.T.
I got thinking one day about the N.A.E.T. technique. It occurred to me that many of the Bowen Therapy moves are over the same meridian points along the spine.
I discussed my allergy theory with a patient whom I was doing some Bowen sessions on. Her 12 year old son had multiple allergies and was seeing the local allergist for allergy shots. One of his main allergens was shellfish. If he ate any shellfish whatsoever, he suffered laryngospasms and hives. He also often craved shellfish. The allergist was afraid to give him allergy shots for shellfish for fear of a serious reaction. I had mother bring him for a Bowen session during which I had him hold a shrimp in his left hand during the treatment. When mother came back the following week she told me that his allergy skin test for shellfish had reduced by 80%. Unfortunately, they moved to Texas shortly after, so I did not get to follow up with them.
Emotional clearing with Bowen / N.A.E.T.
Although this experience did not involve a substance, I include it because it seems to be relevant. My naturopath friend Jean referred me a patient that she was having trouble keeping cleared of the issues which were causing her headaches. Jean suspected that there might be an emotional block that was keeping her from attaining lasting relief. The patient had an anger issue with her father. It came from an incident when she was five years old. Her father and his friend went duck hunting and locked her in the car at the hunting spot for about four hours. She recalls the fright and feeling of abandonment which resulted in a long and deep anger toward her father. Although she had forgiven him and was at peace on a conscious level, she knew that there was some inner resentment that lingered. The first Bowen session, my intent was for me to initiate a somato-emotional release if that was what she needed. Nothing happened. The next visit, on a hunch, I had her write her desire to be rid of the anger toward father on a piece of paper. She held it in her left hand while I performed a full Bowen session on her. She returned a week later and was over it. She had experienced two days of extreme anger, especially with her two children. She was a single mom who doted over her kids, and hardly ever got upset with them. But, for the two days just about everything they did or said upset her. The last I heard, she was still pain free, and her life was good.
Other Cases of interest.
Another of my patients mentioned that whenever she drank a glass of red wine she developed a panic attack right after. This didn't happen to her with white wine. However, she didn't like white wine. She only liked red. So, we wrote red wine on a post-it note. She held this in her left hand while I did an abbreviated Bowen session using procedures 1-2-3. When she returned a month later for her Bowen “Tune-up”, she was no longer sensitive to red wine.
A friend of mine began experiencing headaches after drinking only a sip of red wine. I performed the same clearing for him, and he has been fine ever since.
My naturopath friend, Jean had a client who she was treating. She suffered headaches during the week. But, not on the weekends. After it was all said and done, Jean found that her client was sensitive to the color orange. She worked for Cal Trans and they had to wear orange vests while at work on the freeways and roads in California. She had the option to wear purple instead, and as soon as she switched colors, her chronic headaches cleared.
Another interesting case occurred recently at the cancer clinic where I used to do therapy. Mandy had sugar cravings, and I cleared her of those. Then she told me that she was unable to tolerate fried eggs. She could eat eggs in any other form, but she vomited after eating fried eggs. I did the clearing, and she now can eat fried eggs with no problem.
Cravings.
I was moderately addicted to potato chips. I always ate a small bag on my way home from work. I went to the pantry soon after arriving home and got more chips, and then some more. This went on most every day. After a hypnotherapy session, I was okay with it for a couple of years, but the cravings came back. I wrote potato chips on a small piece of paper and had a Bowen session with a practitioner whom I traded with. The same day I drove home empty handed. When I got home I did not feel even slightly inclined to go to the pantry and get some chips! To this day, some 15 years hence, I don't crave potato chips at all.
One of my Bowen patients confessed to craving diet sodas. She drank upward to 12 a day. We wrote "diet soda pop" on a piece of paper and did her Bowen session as she held the paper in her left hand. When she returned the following week, she had not had but three diet sodas all week. The next week she had none!
I also eliminated my cravings for crackers and cheese a couple of years ago.
Other cravings eliminated in patients.
Marijuana
Cookies
Cake
Chocolates
Coffee
Doesn't work for nicotine
THE SUGAR CONNECTION
After breast milk, one of the first substances we come into contact with is SUGAR! If there is a moderate amount of stress and turmoil during infancy, there is a possibility that sugar may turn out to be a stressing substance for that individual throughout the years. I have released the craving for sugar in a number of my adult patients. I am looking forward to doing a study on children for the release of the sugar connection. My theory is that this disconnection process to sugar may be responsible to ADD and ADHD. I surmise that we all might be afflicted by the sugar connection to some degree. It may be possible, that the more the stress was at first contact, the greater the subsequence reactions
How can any of this be possible?
I bet that the process works like this. First, let’s assume that you have never been in contact with root beer. Then during a time of stress and duress you eat your first dose of root beer. From now on your mind associates root beer with stress. And, even though you now are stress free, whenever you come in contact with root beer the body goes into a stress reaction pattern. Depending on which meridian was initially affected symptoms will be the same each time of exposure to root beer. I may be sensitive to root beer and experience headaches from it. You may be sensitive to root beer and you experience diarrhea when you come in contact with it. This is a different type of allergy than the poison oak type, whereby the substance causes the formation of antibodies which attack the allergen and thus cause an inflammatory reaction.
My problem with eggs: I remember eating eggs while in high school without any problems. But, they affected me my entire adult life. Here’s why. It came from my stint in the U.S. Army. I ate eggs for breakfast at least five days a week. I was under stress for most of the two years I served. I was home-sick, love-sick, overworked, underpaid, and harassed by the "Officers." So, it was a repeated exposure over a long time frame under stress in this instance.
For patients, I have performed this for all kinds of actual food allergies as well as emotional holdings, and it almost always works. How it really works is beside me, but I remember that my patients really only care if it works, not how. For those of us who must have an explanation, I propose one. I stumbled on to a book titled, "The Molecules of Emotion", by Candace Pert, Ph.D. She points out the endorphins which are our very own narcotic/tranquilizer substance, are in part, contained in the nodal points along the spine. These are the precise locations for many of the Bowen moves. My patients tell me quite often that during the Bowen session and the day following their treatment, they felt a kind of "Runner’s High", and for the remainder of the week a sense of well-being. Dr. Pert further discovered that the endorphins are one of the mechanisms by which the immune, central, and endocrine systems network with each other. In other words the mind-body connection, maybe. So, if you have a negative mind- body connection to a food, chemical, substance, or color that becomes a stressor and the meridian system will react to the stimulus of it. If you hold that same substance in your left hand in the presence of endorphin release that substance is now equated with a sense of wellbeing and the old negative program is cancelled out, or over-ridden. In some circles it is accepted that one craves what one is allergic to, i.e. sugar / alcohol.
MISSING CHAPTER 6
THE IRRIGATION SYSTEM
THE PERFECT WATER
This topic doesn’t fit with the content of these books, but it is very important in the grand plan. The body is made up of water to the extent of about 65%. Our extracellular water becomes acidic from foods and drinks and is harmful to the cells. It also promotes cancer.
Our body’s pH is around 7.3. Cells make tissues and tissues make organs. Organs make us run.
The main reasons we suffer from premature accelerated physiological aging problems are; dehydration, oxidation, and acidity. The Perfect Water reverses these problems.
Bowen Therapy enables the water, better yet, the Perfect Water to circulate and percolate. So, they go hand in hand.
Check out a YouTube Video: Strolling under the Skin. See how it’s quite possible that the fascia helps circulate the water.
For more information on the perfect Water: www.drmitchellmosher.com
And, for a demonstration video: www.kangendemo.com
MISSING CHAPTER 7
MEDICAL INVESTIGATIONS
LOOKING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX
I will give medical doctors credit on the evaluation of one condition. If a patient has indigestion and numbness in the left arm, they will not order endoscopy and nerve conduction studies. An EKG or Echocardiogram will be the first order of business. However, if a patient has foot pain we look at the foot. If a patient has knee pain, the orthopedist looks at the knee. If the patient has digestive problems the G.I. Doc looks at the gut. When a patient has back pain, the neurosurgeon looks at the back. You will see that this is completely off base. Yes, the area of the chief complaint needs to be investigated. But, so do other areas need to be, at least, considered.
One spring afternoon I was introduced to a new patient who had been to see my replacement doctor while I was on vacation in Tahiti. After I introduced myself she replied, "Nice to meet you, but I don’t know whether to jump for joy, cry, or sue somebody?" Sensing an emotional situation, I closed the door and asked, "Why would you want to sue somebody?" After all, my replacement doctor just trimmed off a callus beneath her big toe. Hardly enough to warrant a lawsuit? She went on to tell me that when she left the office her left leg immediately stopped hurting, and when she got up the next morning her back pain was all gone. She then said, "I’ve been through 5 years of hell", then began to cry. When she regained her composure, she told me the following history. Low back pain began intermittently about five years ago. The pain progressed and became intense and permanent. She was admitted to the hospital on two occasions for traction and narcotic analgesia. On a third admission myelograms and a papaya enzyme injection into the bulging disk were performed. Neither helped, so later she underwent a discectomy and laminectomy. The pain continued, and she was taking frequent Demerol injections, and was placed on a heavy dose of Valium. Three months prior to her visit to my office, she'd gone through rehabilitation to get off the Valium addiction. Apparently, the withdrawal symptoms from Valium are second to none. She'd just been released from the hospital for venograms to rule out blood clots in the leg veins, which might be responsible for the newly acquired leg – calf pain. She said, "I’m just sick to think that all this time my back was caused by my foot. Why didn’t the neurosurgeon look at my foot?" I mentioned that it was probably just a coincidence that her pain went away following the callus removal, so we should wait and see what happens if the callus grows back.
Two months later she returned to have the callus removed again as it had grown back and the pain in the leg was beginning to return, as was pain in her low back. The callus was no thicker than a nickel or bigger than a dime in size. It didn't have a "root" or any pathological component. So, like clockwork, every two months the callus grew back, and the pains returned in the back and leg, until she could get in to the office to have the callus trimmed.
As I reflect on this case me too, wonder why the neurosurgeon never looked at her feet, or anyone else's. Many people have chronic lower back pain because of foot problems. In fact, I've seen six different foot and ankle problems repeat themselves in many patients as the cause of their lower back pain. The following lists all of the causes of back pain that I've seen over the years both as a Podiatrist and Myofascial Therapist.
ADDUCTOR MAGNUS TIGHTNESS
*ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS
AORTIC ANEURYSM
ARTHRITIS FIRST METATARSAL AND COMPENSATED GAIT
*BULGING DISK / HERNIATED DISK
C—SECTION EMOTIONAL HOLDING
CALLOUS 1ST TOE WITH COMPENSATED GAIT
CHILDHOOD MOLESTATION EMOTIONAL HOLDING
*COMPRESSION FRACTURE
DURAL FASCIA DYSFUNCTIONS
ILIACUS TIGHTNESS
FIBROMYALGIA
KIDNEY INFECTION
METASTATIC CARCINOMA
NEUROMA WITH COMPENSATED GAIT
ORTHODONTIA
OVARIAN CYST / GYN PROBLEMS
POST-OP SPINE SURGERY FOR ONE OF THE CAUSES THAT ARE OUTSIDE THE BOX
PSOAS TIGHTNESS
RESPIRATORY DIAPHRAGM CRUS LIGAMENTS ATTACHED TO TO L5
SPHENOID DYSFUNCTION
*SPINAL STENOSIS
TRAUMATIC ARTHRITIS ANKLE / CLUB FOOT WITH COMPENSATED GAIT
*ACTUAL BACK PROBLEM.
LOOK HOW MANY CAUSES ARE OUTSIDE OF THE BOX – 19 OUT OF 23!
ONLY four WERE WITHIN THE BOX!
MAY BE THIS IS THE REASON THE SPINE SURGEONS TELL THEIR PATIENTS PRE-OP THAT THERE IS ONLY A 25-30% CHANCE OF SUCCESS FROM SPINE SURGERY!
THE LACTIC ACID CONNECTION
As mentioned in an earlier section, I had lower back pain for a number of years.
On my birthday in August, 1980 I ran my first marathon. It was a "Happening". I invited a bunch of my running friends to take part in my celebration. The months before, I took one of those distance marking wheels and measured segments of the American River 50 mile run on a horse and hiking trail from Auburn, California down to Folsom Dam. On the morning of the marathon, we started at 6:00 AM and got to the destination between 10:00, supermen/woman, and 10:30-11:00 AM the rest of us. Around 20 miles down the trail, I suffered cramps from lactic acid build-up in the right inner thigh Adductor Magnus muscle. I massaged the cramp out and continued on to finish the run. My family, office staff, friends and neighbors greeted us at the finish line. We had great refreshments and food, and upon returning home, I took a four hour nap. The inner right thigh muscles burned and ached for a few days afterward, and then disappeared. In 1981, I ran my second annual marathon. The same thing occurred. The following months I noticed a very slight tightness and aching on the outer side of the knee, compensation for Adductor Magnus dysfunction. In 1982, I ran my third annual marathon and suffered the same cramps from the lactic acid build-up, followed by an aching in the knee for a few days (compensation for Adductor Magnus muscle dysfunction). A week later, I had the first episode of back spasms. I didn't make any connection between the marathon and the back pain. The day before the back pain occurred I was lifting a pick-up truck load of rocks to fill a culvert and figured it was the lifting that did the number on my back. During the fourth annual marathon, I had the same inner right thigh cramps and a week later had the second annual back spasms. Now I'm beginning to think that there's some connection between the marathon and the back problem. However, I discounted this because my back didn't hurt when I ran. A typical Western medical thought process. If your foot doesn't hurt when you climb the ladder, then the ladder isn't a part of the problem. Also, what was one doing on the days prior to the onset of the problem? Not, what happened 20 years ago? In addition, the pains both had come on the day after doing some heavy lifting and twisting. This time it was from doing some fence work on my property. The same thing occurred during and after my fifth and final marathon. Now I'm pretty convinced there's a connection between running and the back spasms, but not quite sure why, because running didn't cause any pain in the back. When my guru Milton mentioned the build-up of lactic acid in my inner thigh Adductor Magnus muscle after that first Bowen session, followed by tightening of the outer hip structures, which were then - just waiting to get injured, it now all makes sense. In addition, since I no longer run marathons, I've never had another twinge in my lower back.
THE TALES OF MANY KNEES
In my traditional podiatry career, I treated countless patients who had knee pain, by simply applying adhesive tape strappings to their arches to stop over- pronation. Once their knee pain stopped, usually within a week or two, I made them Orthotics for long term prevention.
In my non-traditional (holistic) podiatry journey from 1995 to 2006, treatment of even more patients who had knee pain by using Tom Bowen's Medical Bodywork Technique was successful. Sometimes as a stand-alone procedure, and sometimes with my strappings and orthotics combined.
My ongoing water drinkers survey shows, that people who regularly drink Kangen ™ restructured, micro-clustered, anti-oxidant, oxygen rich, alkaline water, have excellent results with knee pain. As a matter of fact, 100% have had reduction or resolution of their knee pains! It is amazing that more people have knee pain than back pain, at least in my survey.
So, after one has their knee checked to rule out any morbid pathology, but before consenting to cortisone or Synvisc ® injections, Arthroscopic, or other invasive procedures, they should try the following:
Orthotics
Tom Bowen's Medical Bodywork
A Solution that offers many solutions - Water! Yep, Water.
Combinations of the above
All of the above
#1: Once upon a time, there was a patient who presented with a club-foot deformity which had ulceration beneath the 5th metatarsal head. His lower leg looked like it had been run over by a train. The ulcer penetrated down to the tendon which overlaid the bone. Fortunately, it was not infected.
He told me that he had arthroscopic knee surgery 3 years ago. The surgeon accidentally penetrated the joint capsule and nicked the Common Peroneal Artery, on the outer side of the leg. A recovery room nurse discovered his cold, swollen, and purple left foot, about 15 minutes post-operative and promptly called the surgeon.
They found the bleeding artery and tied it off. Then, they opened his lower leg in the 4 compartments in order to drain the blood that had pooled within the muscle compartments.
Subsequently, over a 2 year time period, he went through a series of plastic surgeries, antibiotics for infections, and physical therapies to make him as good as he could be.
He was 32 years old and stuck with this condition for the rest of his life!
Too bad he didn't know about, Orthotics, Tom Bowen's Medical bodywork Therapy, or the Perfect Water!
#2: Just before I retired from my practice and was moving to North Carolina, a patient came by to say goodbye. He raised his tee shirt and showed me a long, red scar from his sternum to the naval. He had worked overtime as an iron-worker a few weeks before. When he wakened on the following Saturday morning, his knee was sore, so he took 3 Advil tablets (not something that he customarily took). Sunday afternoon he experienced excruciating stomach pain and went to the emergency room.
His stomach lining had perforated from the three Advil’s, and he had an acute infection in the abdominal cavity. He had his belly opened and drained, I.V. antibiotics, and hospitalized for 10 days, while the infection subsided.
Too bad he didn't know about, Orthotics, Tom Bowen's Medical bodywork Therapy, or the Perfect Water!
#3: From 1999 until 2004, 50,000 people in the US, died over that 5 year span, as a result of intestinal bleeding from taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Some of them must have had knee pain?
Too bad they didn't know about, Orthotics, Tom Bowen's Medical bodywork Therapy, or the Perfect Water!
#4: An estimated 50,000 people died from cardiac complications from the drug Vioxx ® before it was taken off the market. Many of them must have had knee pain?
Too bad they didn't know about, Orthotics, Tom Bowen's Medical bodywork Therapy, or the Perfect Water!
#5: My wife complained daily about her knee pain, even more so, after she did yard-work. She often said, "I think that I'm going to have arthroscopic knee surgery. Will you ask Dr. Johns who I should see"? I told her to start drinking the, restructured alkaline water. She replied, "Oh, what's that going to do"? I said, "It stopped my chronic shoulder pain-try it!" Reluctantly, she began drinking the water. After about a week, she stopped complaining about it. Until, she went back to California to visit family. About 4 days later she called and reported that her knee pain had returned with a vengeance - she had not drunk the water since leaving North Carolina. When she returned home, and began drinking the water, the pain was gone within 24 hours, and has remained gone since 2009. So, no surgery -- or anti-inflammatory drugs.
Glad she drank the Perfect Water!
#6: My associate's mother, who is 96 years young, had arthritic knees which were, "Bone on Bone"! Every step she took was, "Ugh"!
All she did was make her coffee with 9.5 alkaline Perfect Water. Six months later, her gray hair was turning red again, and he knee pains were gone.
You know what her doctor said? "Well. Whatever you are doing? Keep doing it!"
Glad she drank the Perfect Water!
#7 One of the first patients that I treated with Tom Bowens Medical Bodywork for a foot problem (she didn't tell me about her knee problem at the time), came back a week later for a follow up session. She said, "Whatever you did in that treatment for my foot, my knee pain disappeared. Yesterday, I cancelled my arthroscopic knee surgery appointment that was scheduled for next Tuesday."
Glad she found out about Tom Bowen's Medical Bodywork Therapy. Even though, it was by accident.
#8. One Saturday, I treated a man who continued to have severe knee pain in spite of two knee surgeries, cortisone injections, and physical therapy the past 12 months. He only got partial and temporary relief when he took strong narcotic pain medication. Physical therapy made him worse. On his first session, I did the good knee procedure first with my usual touch. Then, the bad knee procedure with such light touch, it was almost no touch.
After his session I gave him 3 gallons of 8.5 restructured alkaline water to drink also. I heard a few days later from his cousin, who had referred him to me that his session was so successful that he went to the Carolina Panthers football game the next day. That entails a whole lot of walking and climbing up the stairs. On his follow up visit the following Saturday, his knee was a little sore, but no pain. He had not taken a pain pill all week. I could apply the normal amount of pressure while doing the Knee Procedure. His cousin was at my office with her daughter for a session as we were ending his treatment. She couldn't believe the difference in his skin color, facial appearance, and gait as compared to before his Bowen sessions. The previous Saturday he labored in his plodding gait from favoring his knee. This week he was walking completely normal.
On his second session I used my usual pressure and touch on both knees since the bad knee was not in pain. When he returned a week later he reported that he had three great days right after the session. But, after that the pain came back.
On this third session I again used my usual pressure and touch on both knees. When he returned a week later, his pain was almost back to square one.
On this fourth session, I went back to the almost no pressure making the moves on the bad knee.
He called me two weeks later and reported that he’s had no pain since the day of his last session! = Less may be best. Many months later I asked his cousin about him and she reported that he is still pain free.
He's glad he found out about Tom Bowen's Medical Bodywork Therapy! His orthopedist should reimburse him for my fee!
He’s glad he drank the restructured alkaline Perfect Water!
#9. My brother-in-law has had 3 knee replacements and he's only 60 years old. He had the first one in his mid-forties. The next was in his 50's, and he had the first one re-done about three years ago. About a year ago, he discovered the Egoscue Technique. He has followed the exercises daily and has had so much improvement in his knees and lower back he said, "I'm sure that if I had known about this beforehand, I wouldn't have needed replacement surgeries."
MORAL: Be sure you look outside the box, if your doctors won’t.
Most of the time, the medical specialist is so honed in on the anatomical part that has the symptom, the other possibilities are left out of the equation. One of the most common symptoms where they do look outside the box is when a patient has chest pressure / pain / indigestion and tingling in the left arm. Immediately, an EKG is ordered, not an X-Ray.
During my Podiatry / Bowen practice, I saw countless patients who had foot pain which cleared up after I released the back, pelvis, and leg muscles. Here's a good one with Plantar Fasciitis (fash-ee-itis), often pronounced (face-ee-itis).
One of my patients, whom I had treated off and on for about three years for plantar fasciitis, came in for her semi-annual cortisone injection. I had tried all of the other standards of care for her, except surgery. When I informed her about Bowen Therapy, and that there was a chance it could relieve her pain instead of the injection, she quickly agreed to it. This was about two months after I had taken my first Bowen workshop in January, 1995. At this point, I was still referring to my cheat sheets which helped me to do the sequences without omissions or errors.
Lorna was a very large lady, who weighed in at about 260 pounds. Muscle mass was very large and taut, beneath gobs of adipose fat tissue. She was wearing a dress, which inhibited my doing the pelvis and hamstrings procedures properly. So, I did the best as I could. I probably did my full body sequence for her; Low back, Upper back, Neck , Kidney area, Lower respiratory area, Hamstrings, Anterior pelvis, Knee, Ankle, Upper respiratory area, and TMJ. I don't remember if I did coccyx or sacral procedures, probably not on that first session. When I finished up with her, I said, "Rest for a couple minutes, the get up and walk around a minute or two before you put your shoes back on. I'll see you before you leave." While I was in Podiatry room # 2 seeing a patient, I heard a yell from the back of the office by Lorna, "Yahoo!" I got up and went back to the Bowen room and asked, "Is everything okay?" She said, "Yeah. I got up to walk over to your desk to get my glasses and the pain's completely gone. Wow!"
We hired Lorna shortly after to clean our offices once a week. When I said, "Goodbye", upon retiring in 2006, she was still pain free. I never treated her one time with any modality since that day in March, 1995. So, for three years I failed to look outside of the box with her.
Please re-read the cases in which involved; chronic hip pain, Multiple Sclerosis, and Anger toward father. The causes of all of them had nothing to do with where the symptoms were located
Also, how many of the stories my patients told were outside the box?
Moral to the stories: By all means, have your problems and your client’s problems checked by a competent medical professional. Make sure that there is not a serious medical issue involved. But, if the medical physician won't also look outside the box, look for one who will.
SUCCESS STORIES
ARTHRITIS
One of my more interesting experiences occurred with a patient and his responses, which took place the very first week I started doing Bowen. Another Podiatrist down the road who was not able to help him referred Bernard to me. Bernard had an arthritic large toe joint, which he did not want to have surgery on. He told me that he was favoring the toe and this was making his hip and back painful. He was hopeful that some type of shoe modification would suffice to relieve his problems. His joint was red, swollen, tender, and with movement grated like sand paper crepitus. I informed him that I could accommodate his shoe and for him to leave it over the weekend and I would get it done. Then I also told him about the Bowen treatment, which might relieve the pains in his hip and back. He begged me to also perform the upper back and neck moves and promised he wouldn't tell anyone. This was before I obtained a massage certificate- remember my podiatry license only covered the leg muscles. I felt comfortable with him, so I did a complete treatment from head to toe. When I had finished the procedures that I had learned in class, I examined his Extensor Hallucis Longus muscles, the muscle that draws the big toe upward. The one on the right side was like a rope. So, I figured that if they had taught a procedure on this in class, it would be slack to the table and make an anterior move, good side first. So, I worked on the left side 1st, and then did the right side muscle and he immediately let out a moan. I asked if he was all right, and he said, “I'm alright. It kind of hurt and tickled at the same time”.
I left the room for a few minutes in order to let him rest and for the release to take place. When I returned, he was curled up in a fetal position and was quite pale and cold. My first thought was that he'd fainted and was going into shock. I checked his pulse and was going to take his blood pressure when he said,” I’m okay. I’m a little cold. May I have a blanket?” I covered him up and left him alone to settle down for a few minutes. The rest of his story is in Chapter 3. I gave him his post-treatment instructions and told him to pick up his shoe on Monday.
When I saw him on seated in the waiting room Monday morning prior to appointment times I said, “Hi Bernard. I’ve got your shoe ready”. He said very emphatically, “I don’t care about the shoe. I want to know when I can get another treatment.” I said, “That’s right, I gave you a Bowen last week. How'd it work?” He said, “How'd it work? It changed my life! The past 3 nights have been the only full night’s sleep I have had in years. My back doesn't hurt. The pain in my hip is all but gone and look at my toe!” He commenced to remove his shoe and sock and bent the toe up and down and said, “See. Look at this”. I couldn't help but walk out into the waiting room and look at his toe up close. The swelling, redness and crepitus were completely resolved. There remained a little stiffness, but the toe flexed at least 50% more than it did on Friday. I told him that he could make an appointment for Friday.
CHRONIC NEUROMUSCULAR PAIN
Jenny came to my office with a sprained ankle. She'd been to one of those “Doc in a Box” places, and was placed in a removable cast boot. Because it was lifting her up about one inch on the left side, her back and hip was painful. She wanted to know if there were any other options. I splinted her ankle with adhesive tape and gave her a Bowen session. I later found out that she'd had a standing appointment at her chiropractor’s office every Friday at 4:00 PM to treat her upper back and shoulder pain. She was in the janitorial business and apparently was straining these muscles over and over again. However, following just two Bowen sessions she no longer had to go to the chiropractor.
She was come back to my office for another problem a few years later, and I asked her about her shoulder/back problem. She'd not had a pain in over nine years! Even though she still does the same kind of work.
CIRCULATORY
One December morning a lady came in to get relief for a painful corn on the inner side of her little toe. Her toe was a purplish color with a hard corn on the inner side adjacent to the toenail. She informed me that her toe wasn't always purple. It always got pink when the weather warmed up. She had a condition called Raynaud’s disease. Not really a disease, but a spasticity of the blood vessels, which is aggravated by cold temperatures. I trimmed the corn and informed her about a minor surgical procedure, which could relieve the corn permanently. However, we'd have to wait until the weather warmed for me to check the circulation in order to determine that she could heal the surgery. The corn removal relieved her pain for about a month.
She returned in January for another treatment. At this visit she complained about pain in her hip and back due to favoring the pain in her toe. I immediately offered a Bowen session in addition to trimming and padding the corn.
When she returned the following week her toe was a little less purple and almost pink. I gave her another Bowen treatment, re-padded the corn and advised to come back when necessary.
On a cold, blustery day in February she returned with the painful corn and said, “I think that you can go ahead with the operation because the toe has remained pink since the last Bowen treatment.” I listened to the pulses with my Doppler ultrasound and sure enough her circulation was totally normal. Her toe was nice and pink, and after I blanched the tip of her toe with finger pressure, it pinked up in 1 second. The following week I operated on the toe and it healed very quickly.
Another patient complained about her cold feet, especially in bed. She had to sleep with her socks on most of the time, and if she didn’t her husband complained about her cold feet waking him up all night long. Following 3 treatments her feet warmed up, as well as her hands, and have remained so ever since.
COLDS – FLU – SINUSES
Early in my career as a Bowen therapist a patient was undergoing a session. When I came back into the room following the basic relaxation procedure 3 (neck), she told me that when she got to the office she was experiencing a severe sore throat. Following the neck muscle releases, the sore throat disappeared. When she returned for another session 2 weeks later she said, “Do you remember that sore throat that I had last time which you cleared?” I replied,” yes, what happened?” She told me that when she got home from work that evening her son and husband both had the exact same sore throat and they'd been sick for the past 2 weeks. She didn't get whatever the virus was. I figured that this was some sort of coincidence and went about my business. But, other patients told me about similar occurrences. Then, one day I felt the familiar scratchy throat and punkie feeling one gets when the cold first comes on. So, I performed the neck moves on myself, and within minutes the symptoms cleared. I've been doing this ever since on myself whenever I feel a cold coming on. I also take a dropper full of Echinacea in a glass of water. It works almost every time. I would only guess that the moves to the neck muscles open up the lymphatic drainage system and this reduces the accumulation of viral bodies in the oral pharynx. Mr. Bowen was notorious for finding the relationship of the lymphatic's to the muscles that he moved.
One Friday afternoon after I'd completed the same neck moves on a patient she commented that her sinus infection cleared up while I was out of the room. I commented something or another, and then she asked, “If my husband can get here before closing time, could you give him a treatment too? He has the same sinus infection that I had.”
Approximately one year following my early Bowen experiences it dawned on me that I no longer get those fever blisters on my lip (herpes simplex). I used to get them if the weather changed, allergies flared, got stressed, or if I thought I was catching a cold. I've now not had but two of them during the past 16 years.
Following Bowen therapy I've seen countless warts fall out, fungus nails and skin clear up. What seems odd is that I've performed treatments for patients in an attempt to help these infectious problems and nothing happens. When I’m least expecting it helps. I wish I could get a clue about this phenomenon.
CORNS AND HAMMERTOES
Carol had an extremely painful corn on the inner side of her little toe along the toenail groove. Removal of it only relieved her pain for a week at best. She was ready to schedule surgery at about the same time she entered my bunion study group. As she had her Bowen treatments and foot taping once a week and a set of orthotics, we realized about two months later that her corn had disappeared. It has never returned.
Libby has a hammertoe on her fourth toe left foot. It's one of those that are a little flexed at the first knuckle but, also twisted (adducto-varus). Following treatment the toe un-twists and is totally straight for about four to five weeks. Then, all of a sudden it contracts again. I had hammertoes on my right second and third toes when I first had a Bowen treatment. To this day over 16 years later, my toes are still straight.
BOWEN THERAPY AND INFERTILITY
When this subject was brought forth in my basic Bowen class, I just rolled my eyes, smiled, and thought, "Yeah-sure!" When I questioned my guru, Milton about it later he casually remarked, "That Bowen Therapy straightened the fallopian tubes so the eggs can drop, and thus become impregnated when the timing is right. When the tube is bent because the posture alignment is bent, the eggs can't drop." I took this with a grain of salt, so to speak, and went on with my business. Then, about two years later, three of my patients miraculously became pregnant following Bowen Therapy. All came in a bunch, about one month apart. The first patient came specifically for that purpose as she had read in a magazine publication that Bowen Therapy was successful with infertility issues. The other two had mentioned their infertility problems, but I never said anything to them about Bowen Therapy helping infertility. I found out later that they'd all recently gotten pregnant.
Marcy, one of my podiatry patients, really got me thinking. She'd been favoring her foot pain during the past few weeks, which made her back painful. In addition to caring for her foot pain, I gave her two Bowen sessions a week apart. I did my usual routine, plus what she needed for her back pain. When she returned the third week she was grinning from ear to ear. She said, "Thank you." I said, "Thank me for what? You don't have to thank me for fixing your foot." She replied, "I've been going to the infertility clinic during the past eight months. Every month, I only produce one or two eggs, if that. And, none have been satisfactory for insemination. Last week, I had twenty eight eggs! They harvested three and put twelve in my egg bank."
Eight months later she had twins. She's convinced that the Bowen Therapy was responsible for this. I guess, I am too.
One morning, I met up with the acupuncturist, who practiced next door to me, out in the parking lot. I asked, "How exactly, does acupuncture help infertility?" He replied. "Studies have shown that the stimulation of the meridians and meridian points causes stimulation of the hypothalamus which affects the pituitary gland, which causes the production of gonadotropic hormones, which then stimulates increased sperm and egg production." Then he said, "I'm pretty much specializing in infertility right now. The clinic up the street sends me six to eight new patients per week for acupuncture." Then I commented to him, "That's why I've noticed that almost every patient coming and going from your office is a woman between twenty-something and thirty-something."
This acupuncturist was one of my first people to practice Bowen on right after I learned it. After his first session for a knee problem, he said, "Wow! That's as close to acupuncture as I've ever experienced, only without the needles!" Considering that many of the Bowen moves are over significant meridian points and over the tissues where the meridian ductules have to pass through, it’s distinctly possible that a similar effect as acupuncture takes place, which results in increased egg production.
Fertility issues appear to be focused on the brain-pituitary-ovarian axis among some other events. Stress, negative emotions, and unbalanced FSH disrupt the hormonal communication between the brain, pituitary, and ovaries. Sympathetic overdrive decreases ovarian blood flow and egg production as well.
PCOS = Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is a contributor of infertility.
"We've recently demonstrated that women with PCOS have a highly active sympathetic nervous system, the part that isn't controlled by our will, and that both acupuncture and regular exercise reduced levels of activity in this system compared with the control group, which could be an explanation for the results," said Stener-Victorin.
High levels of FSH in women is a signal of a loss of, or poor ovarian function, polycystic ovary syndrome or can indicate that menopause has begun, or is currently taking place. All of these conditions will have a negative impact on fertility. Low levels of FSH can indicate that eggs are not being produced, that the pituitary gland is not functioning correctly, that there are significant levels of stress present, or that the person is severely underweight which is causing problems to occur.
Acupuncture appears to have an indirect effect on hormonal balancing. Production and release of beta endorphin and peptides into the central and peripheral nervous systems; reduces anxiety and stress, improves sleep, decreases or increases levels of FSH, decreases sympathetic overdrive, increases ovarian and uterine blood flow which aids in endometrial thickness, increased follicles and egg production. Wow! That’s a load.
Candace Pert, Ph.D., points out that her research found; high concentrations of beta endorphin in the node points along the spine, and that beta endorphin mediates communication between the central, immune, and endocrine systems.
Other research using fine needle biopsies of the meridian node points and fluid analysis reveals peptides, beta endorphin, and many other bio-chemicals from these points. Guess where these points are located? Along the Bladder and Governing Vessel Meridians, adjacent to the spine. Exactly where Tom’s BRM moves are placed.
Anecdotally:
· Hundreds of my patients have told me that during the rest periods while on the table they felt euphoric. Or, others felt a runner’s high for a few hours after their session. A result of beta endorphin release from the node points.
· Hundreds of patients came for sessions to help them sleep, relax during a test, reduce their stress level, and improve their overall sense of well-being.
· Thousands of my patients fell asleep during their rest periods, which were sometimes 10 to 15 minutes long.
· Hundreds of my patients went on to healing of old wounds, injuries, and surgeries which were unfinished business.
· Many of my patients who had fertility issues became pregnant following one to three Bowen sessions.
One had only zero to 2 unusable eggs per cycle during the past 8 months. A week after her second Bowen session, she produced 28 eggs!
· Well, my acupuncture instructor back in 1995 was one of my first Bowen recipients. When he got off the table he said with a big smile, “Wow. That feels just like acupuncture, only without the needles!” Back then, he was a traditional Acupuncturist and TCM doctor.
·
My acupuncture instructor now, does nothing but Infertility patients all day long. Acupuncture is already on the map with regards to fertility treatment.
I would like to see someone perform a clinical study on the effects of Acupuncture vs. Bowen Therapy in the improvement of fertility issues. Or, perform Bowen Therapy on patients who failed on the acupuncture protocols and see if they respond or not?
Why not Bowen Therapy too for infertility?
This paper does not address the male issues regarding sperm production. I will research that next.
PROCEDURES AND MY PRESENT PROTOCOL:
BRMS: Low back, Upper back & shoulder, Neck, Lumbar aka Kidney, Para spinal Itsy- Bitsy’s from S-1 to C-1, coccyx, and anterior pelvis with lots of long rests. Total session time = 60 minutes. Another Bowen session, five to seven days before ovulation using the same format. And, remember the word, “Intent.”
FIBROMYALGIA
I was invited to do a presentation and demonstration at a local fibromyalgia support group in Gastonia, NC. My massage therapist friend, (Bowen student and instigator of this trip), told me to just do a chair demonstration, rather than bring a massage table.
After I told the fibromyalgia people all about Bowen and how it can help F.M., plus some case histories, an overweight man in his early 50’s, volunteered to be the victim. I sat him on a chair backwards, and did Milton Albrecht’s “Optional procedure”, plus BRP'S 1-2-3 with rests in between. During the rests, he commented, "I can feel heat coming out of my back." I told him that wasn't too unusual. Then he said, "I feel tingling in my toes and I am getting really relaxed.” I did a total of four sequences to his lower and upper back and neck areas which altogether took about five minutes.
When we were through, he arose from the chair and said, “Wow! My ankle and back pains are gone. My feet have full sensation-I can feel my socks with my toes. Wow. I don't believe this. How could this be?” He made an appointment to have a full- table top session at my office the following week.
When he came for his appointment he was totally pain free and really didn't need a full table top Bowen session, but I did one anyway. During the session, he told me the rest of the story.
His feet had been numb since early adulthood. He developed muscle pains throughout the body circa 2003. Sometime after that, he began experiencing severe ankle pain, stiffness in the feet, wrists, and hands. He also had intermittent low back pain. His family doctor did a preliminary work-up and then sent him to a neurologist who performed many other tests, which were all negative. He then, referred him to a leading neurologist in Chapel Hill, NC. His findings were the same and he referred him back to his doctor in Gastonia. Sometime later, his doctor referred him to a 3rd neurologist in Wake Forest, NC, which provided no information or relief other than a diagnosis of fibromyalgia. During all of this, my patient took high doses of narcotics and consumed alcohol in order to cope with the pain. Three years ago he lost his job due to his dysfunction from addictions. He also attended fibromyalgia support group meetings once a month. A year ago, he successfully went through drug and alcohol rehabilitation, and since has been taking non-steroidal anti- inflammatory medication by the hand full (which only partially relieved some of the pain, and upset his stomach). So, he was, “Just living with the pain.” His sleep patterns were dysfunctional and his couldn’t work full time during the past four years.
There's something wrong with this picture. Rodney went through 10 years of misery which was eliminated with five minutes of Bowen Therapy. He should've had this treatment at the beginning of the trip, not at the end.
KID'S CORNER
A young woman came to my office four months after giving birth to a son. She’d gained a lot of weight, and along with the Elastin hormone to give flexibility during the birthing process, her feet collapsed and had become increasingly painful. As I was adhesive taping her feet to lift the arches back up, her 4-month-old baby began to fuss. Her 12-year-old daughter was holding him trying to give comfort. Mom said that he'd had a continuous bout of colic ever since birth and it was quite a strain on everyone. I recalled a couple of Bowen moves that my guru, Milton told me about a few years back and when one of my granddaughters was experiencing colic and it fixed her. I asked her if it would be okay for me to do a couple gentle movements which might help her. Mom said, "Okay with me." I reached over and moved two muscles across the shoulders twice, and he began to settle a little. I then moved the lower back muscles over the kidneys. And then, did a little arc – like move over the lower abdominal area over the ileum. I showed mom how to do the moves in case she needed to later on if he began to fuss again. He immediately settled down, and his sister fed him a bottle as I performed a Bowen session on the mother. The next week the mother thanked me for giving her son relief. She didn't need to do any of the moves, as what I did in the office took care of the problem for good. As it turns out, he'd only slept for two hours at a stretch and therefore, so did mom and dad. He also was on medication for projectile vomiting, and didn't any longer require any more medication. He was like a completely new child. He also was unable to nap until the mini treatment session, it was really a mini, and now he naps for two hours at a time. He goes to bed now at around nine o’clock and sleeps straight through until eight AM. Three weeks later, all was still well. As I recall, it only took one session with my granddaughter also.
As I performed a Bowen session on a woman one afternoon, we got talking and I told her the story about Chuck, the nursing student, and how his personality blossomed after two therapy sessions. She asked, “Would you please give my 13 year old son some treatments? He's been very angry and withdrawn ever since my divorce.” I told her I could, and to go ahead, and make an appointment for him. On his first visit, he didn't say three words. He barely answered the couple of questions I asked him. I didn't pay any mind to the fact that he was wearing entirely black clothing. Following the session I said goodbye to he and his mother as they made his next appointment. The following week he seemed a little more conversive as I made small talk. During one of the rest periods, I went out to the waiting room and asked mom how the week went. She said,” Allen has really perked up. His anger is less, and he's wearing other colored clothing besides all black.” When I went back into the treatment room I saw that he was wearing a bright, yellow T-shirt with black shorts. As the weeks passed, he became more outgoing, friendly, and became socially active again according to his mother. His next appointment he had made for himself. And, he looked forward to more follow up sessions in the months to follow.
The mother of an 11-year-old child with cerebral palsy asked me to make a new set of foot orthotics for her daughter. I encouraged three Bowen sessions along with taping of the arches in order to relax the tightened Achilles tendon and raise the arches prior to making the plaster impressions for new orthotics. On the first visit, Tami’s heels were well over an inch from touching the floor when she walked. On the second week, her heels almost touched the floor, and by the third visit when we took her plaster impressions, her heel could fully come to the floor. To my knowledge, she has done fine ever since.
A grandmother brought her 13-year-old granddaughter who was extremely pigeon toed. I did a Bowen session on that first visit. A week later, on the follow up visit, she was walking a bit better. On the next visit, she was walking almost straight, and her grandmother said with a huge grin, “not only is she walking better but, she's not crabby any more. She's all mellowed out.” By the third visit her angle and base of gait was 100% normal and, grandma noted that she was still mellow.
I attended an advanced Bowen workshop one weekend and talked with a classmate about our experiences during the previous months performing the therapy. He told me that he'd treated a number of football players at the University of California, Berkeley with acute ankle sprains with the,
Ankle Procedure. He was doing this immediately after the injury. I was amazed that he could do this in spite of pain and swelling that follows an ankle sprain. On Monday morning, a father brought his 14-year-old daughter in who'd sprained her ankle playing soccer on Saturday. Her ankle was extremely swollen, ecchymosed (bruised), and painful. She was using crutches for ambulation and had an ace bandage wrapped around the ankle. Following my examination, which only confirmed the obvious, I thought to myself, “Here goes nothing”, and I began a Bowen session. I explained to father that the muscles enter a state of spasm following the trauma to guard the tissues from further injury, and this can perpetuate pain and swelling. When it came time to do the “ankle procedure” following relaxation of all of the leg and thigh muscles, I noticed butterflies in my stomach. I moved the Anterior Tibial tendon medially. Then I slid my fingers over the lateral malleolus and posterior over the lateral collateral and my thumb over the deltoid ligament. As I dorsi flexed and plantar flexed the first metatarsal my thoughts turned to the last part of the procedure which strikes the ball of the foot to, set the ankle. Much to my surprise, she didn't flinch as I struck the M-P joints with my closed fist. I invited her to stand up on her feet. Following, which she walked out of the room quite normally and said, “Oh dad. You grab the crutches.” I gulped, and thought, “Hooray, it worked!”
I recently volunteered my services at a Hematology and Oncology Clinic in Gastonia, N.C. I treated the employees, patients who are undergoing chemotherapy, and their caregivers. One patient brought her 8 year old foster-child for me to treat. She was suffering from extreme emotional disorders, tantrums, and attention deficit disorder. The girl was so hyperactive, I couldn't even think about doing Bowen on her. So, I held her head in my hands and began a little Cranio Sacral therapy. Within a minute she was breathing differently, smiling, and was very relaxed. I treated a few of the cranial points and then got her up. Altogether, I spent about five minutes with her. When the foster-mother brought her back the following week she told me that, “Sara had only one temper tantrum all week which lasted for only 10 minutes. She used to have one a day which usually lasted two hours or more! ” Sara was amenable to lie on the table so I could do Bowen procedures 1-2-3, in addition to some more Cranial Sacral. When we finished Sara said, “Okay. Dollies’ turn next”, as she placed her doll on the table top. When she returned the third week mother reported that there were no tantrums, and that Sara had sat still for two hours to watch a movie. Unfortunately, Sara was transferred to another home because of declining health of the foster mother that I was caring for, so I lost track of her.
I received a call recently from a distraught mother of a 15 year old daughter. She'd had a very painful coccyx for the past 11 months. She had no injury, it just occurred one day. Medications, injections, chiropractic, and physical therapy were all no help. The medical doctor recommended that she have her tailbone surgically removed.
This was quite disturbing to her mom, who is an R.N. at a local Medical Center. A massage classmate of mine recommended that she call me about Bowen Therapy. The pain was constant, aggravated by arising from a sitting position, and made sleep difficult. She'd been depressed, and had just a plain lousy life the past 11 months as a result.
I did low back, upper back, neck, lower respiratory, thoracic-lumbar triangle, hamstrings, knee, ankle, pelvis, sacrum, anterior pelvis, coccyx (right to left-right side tender), upper respiratory, TMJ, and my version of cervical release. Her pain began to subside after the coccyx lock on the right side, over the iliopsoas. When she got off the table, she was pretty much pain-free for the first time in 11 months, and had a big smile on her face. After some tears and hugs, I gave mom a session too. Her mom said when I called her two days later, that about 50% of the pain was gone, but anti-inflammatory medication got her pain free. Previously it did not. The next week mom told me that the pain had returned a little as the day of treatment wore on, but she did get a good night's sleep. Following her 2nd and 3rd visits she remains pain free.
POST CANCER TREATMENT
My secretary informed me that a patient was on the phone that needed an appointment for Bowen therapy. She was referred by her neurologist, whom I'd never heard of. Since her only problem was neck pain, my secretary wanted to know if I could see her or not. I said absolutely not, especially since I didn't know the patient or the referral source. At that point I didn't possess a massage certificate, so I really couldn't wander outside the scope of my Podiatry practice. The next day the lady called back and said, she'd spoken to her neurologist and he insisted that she have Bowen treatments. And, that I was the only person he wanted to touch her. I gave in, and had my receptionist make her an appointment.
When she came for her appointment we had her sign a waiver that she was fully aware that I was not working as a Podiatrist, but only as a Bowen therapist. As it turned out, she had been going through radiation therapy for breast cancer. She'd had a radical mastectomy with lymph node removal. This had left her with a stiff and painful neck. She was scheduled for a C.T. scan in four weeks to monitor some palpable lymph nodes, so she could only have three weekly treatments. Following which, she would return about a month later for the fourth Bowen treatment after the scan and results were determined, to see if she may need additional surgery for the palpable nodes. After her 1st treatment her range of motion improved about 50%. Following the 2nd treatment her range of motion was about 80 %. After the 3rd session her neck moved pain free in all directions.
When she returned four weeks later she was beaming from ear to ear. Her C.T. scan for the lymph nodes was completely normal. I can't make any conjecture on what transpired other than a spontaneous remission must have occurred. She thought otherwise
SAVING LIVES - IS IT POSSIBLE?
My first experience with a patient who told me that the treatments I did had saved his life. It really took me quite by surprise. At first I thought he was kidding, until tears came to his eyes. Jeff was a Police Chaplin from a nearby town. His main problem was a pain in his heel. He told me that he was favoring it and this made his back and hip hurt (seems to be a common theme). I treated both his foot and the muscles, which were involved with the back and hip with Bowen Therapy. During the third session we got into a discussion on the release of emotional holding patterns during bodywork therapies. Jeff then asked, “Is that why I’ve been so emotional the past few weeks?” I said, “Quite possibly.” He then dropped the bomb, “You know my friend, that you've saved my life!” As tears rolled from his eyes he told me about how he had become suicidal for a number of reasons, with the final straw being about a friend of his who'd had a drug problem. He was trying to help his friend get through the drug addiction. One day, he found his friend dead in his living room from an apparent overdose, and this was about all Jeff could take. I'm not claiming to have had anything to do with Jeff’s desire to continue living. He just told me that's what happened.
I was beginning the third weekly session with Rod. When I asked how he was doing with the treatments he said, “I don’t think that they're helping. I may even be a little worse. It's starting to bother me in bed when I sleep on my stomach.” Rod was experiencing low back pain and his hairdresser had relief of low back pain with one of my Bowen sessions, so she'd referred him to me for Bowen treatments. I asked Rod if he'd been examined and worked up by a physician who's qualified to evaluate back symptoms. He said, “No.” I then asked, “When was your last physical?” He said, “A couple of years ago. I'm overdue for one.” I encouraged him to make an appointment with his primary care physician to get evaluated because there are many pathologies, which can cause low back pain. I've seen patients who were diagnosed with kidney infections, pelvic disorders, cancer, and digestive problems as well as disk and vertebrae pathology. Rod’s wife came into the office to have a treatment just two weeks following our discussion that day, and she thanked me for saving Rod’s life! He went right away for a physical and his Doctor found a 12-centimeter aneurysm on his abdominal aorta, and it was about ready to rupture. By 2:00 PM that day following the diagnosis, Rod had the aneurysm repaired, and within 2 days post op, his back pain was completely gone!
A former Bowen patient who mentioned that the treatments had saved her life referred one other patient. I am not sure what that statement meant.
PRACTITIONER INTENT AND HEALING
After completing my first lessons on the Bowen Technique I returned to my office full of enthusiasm and optimism. As I performed the therapy on as many patients as I could get my hands on, results were surprisingly outstanding the first few months. As a matter of fact, many patients commented that I'd "changed their lives", and lots of others had resolution of many chronic aches, pains, and medical issues. I was totally excited about the outcomes. After six months of on the job experience a Bowen Practitioner becomes eligible to become certified by the Australian Bow Tech ®. I took the two day certification class and demonstrated my skills. Much to my surprise, according to the Aussie Bowen experts, I was performing a number of procedures incorrectly. This made me a little doubtful but, I changed my notes in the workbook, demonstrated my technique again correctly, and got my certification paper. However, during the next two or so months, I noticed a dramatic drop off in the favorable outcomes following my treatments. No more miracles were happening. Most of the time results were only so – so. I even thought about giving it up and converting the treatment rooms back to podiatry rooms. Then, one day I was having lunch with a friend who's a naturopathic practitioner. I observed a massage table off to the side of her office, and I asked, "What are you using a massage table for?" She told me that she'd learned a new technique she was going to incorporate into her practice. I then asked, "How are you going to work that into your schedule? You're already spending over an hour with your clients?" She replied, "I'm changing things around a little and modified the way from what I was taught. You know you can change the teacher’s rules and still get good results, as long as your intentions are good." All of a sudden I had this revelation. During the first six months I'd inadvertently changed the teacher’s rules or whatever. But, my intentions were very good. The next few months after the review class, I was in doubt of my ability to learn the technique properly, I began doubting the system, I was focusing much of the day on one of my children who was undergoing some personal issues, and I was fed up with H.M.O’S, Managed Care, and Medicare. All of these were altering my intentions. I immediately restored my enthusiasm, gave myself a little pep-talk on how good I was at performing Bowen treatments. Especially, thinking back on the first six months. At the outset of each session I cleared my head of any extraneous stuff and focused on doing the best I can for this patient on the table, and to heck with the rest of the world and all of their problems. I did some mental recalls of patients whom I’d helped so much during the first six months. Well, immediately the favorable outcomes started to return. A week or two into my new regime a patient came for a treatment that I'd given two to three treatments the first six months, and one or two treatments during my slump. I asked, "How are you doing? Is there any particular issue to address today or are you just in need of a tune up?" She replied, "I just need a new body." Or, something like that. As I began the treatment with the first two muscle movements she looked up and said, "Welcome back." I thought for a second and replied, "I haven't been on vacation or out of town." She said, "I know. Welcome back." She’d sensed my disconnection during the last couple of sessions, and now could tell that I was back to good condition. I've had a few mini-slumps since then, and I can usually catch myself before too long.
I previously mentioned a book titled, "The Goat Doctor of the Sierras". He was a healing legend in the foothills of the Sierras. Patients drove for miles and miles on one lane roads, and a narrow dirt road down a canyon wall in order to get to his ranch. He worked out of his house down in the American river canyon outside of Placerville, California. He was a "Miracle Healer". I had many patients who recalled being there with their parents. They observed his miracles while they watched him through the open front door to his front treatment room.
The Goat Doctor of the Sierras used a lot of touch technique. This healer was not a doctor, but was able to cure all kinds of problems for people during the 1930’s -1940’s. Cars would begin to line up in his driveway starting at 5:00 in the morning, behind the ones who had spent the night. He would open the gate at 7:00 AM and the first car in line had the first appointment. The second car would wait until the first car pulled out from in front of the house, and they would pull forward and were the next appointment. He quit seeing patients at 5:00 PM. So, anyone left that he had not seen that day could sleep overnight in their car, in a tent, or they could drive back another day. He had a tremendous following over the years. Because of the stories my patients told me about him over the years, I purchased and read the book, "The Goat Doctor of the Sierras". They called him the, "Goat Doctor" because he lived on grains, veggies, fruits, and Goat's Milk. And, he had goats running all over his yard.
One of my patients recalled a time when he was at the Goat Doctor's with his mom. While she was a few cars back and was awaiting her turn, he was playing on the front porch with some other kids. A limousine pulled up to the front steps, which meant it was the next appointment. The driver got out and opened the trunk and got out a wheelchair upon which a distinguished man dressed in suit and tie, got out of the passenger seat. They helped a young lady out of the back seat into the wheelchair and wheeled her into the front room, which was the treatment area. The Goat Dr. asked about the nature of her problems. The man in the suit and tie said that they were from the East Coast, and that she'd had an auto accident two years before, which left her paralyzed from the waist down. They had heard of the Goat Doctor via the grapevine, and came to California for a session. My patient listened to the verbal exchange and the subsequent physical phenomenon. The Goat Doctor placed one hand on the girl's shoulder and touched a few places along her thoracic and lumbar spine. After a few minutes, he invited her to stand. She reluctantly let him help her to a standing position and then he prompted her to take a step. She placed one foot in-front, and then the other. And, while he held her hands, she walked for the first time in two years. The father broke down into tears and took out his checkbook. He asked, "How much do I owe you?" The Goat Doctor said, "Two dollars-you can leave it in the basket by the front door." The father said, "Oh no, I'm giving you a check for $10,000.00." The Goat doctor refused the check, as all the kids on the front porch were saying, "Take the Money- Take the Money!" Finally the father and daughter walked out, while the chauffer carried the wheelchair to the car, and they all drove off into the sunset. All he did was touch the right places!
One of his patients stayed on, and started doing housekeeping for the family, in the latter years of his practice. The Goat Doctor fell in love and married the young lady. A rift occurred between the mother-in-law and the bride. Also, the young lady was at odds with some of the neighbors. All of which caused the Goat Doctor to lose quite a bit of his effectiveness. Many of his patients when interviewed for the book commented that his treatments didn't work as well as they had in the past, before he got married.
Now, how about those three different acupuncturists I saw for my back pain, before I was fixed by Milton's Bowen session?
#1 was a miracle worker. He had a "Hole in the wall" office. He lived in a small house on a fruit orchard. He drove an old beat up 1968 Datsun something or another. His sole mission was to help people - I know that for a fact. He helped almost every patient that I referred to him. He even knew in advance, when he wouldn’t be able to help them. He was a miracle worker too.
#2 was an egotistical, self-engendered man, who bragged about all of his accomplishments. He let me know where he lived, and that he drove a Cadillac. He couldn't touch my pain.
#3 was a nice man. He wasn't caught up in himself. He ran a busy practice in a multiple room office. He was pretty good.
Therefore, it appears that the state of mind that a practitioner is in makes a difference on how well you may respond to their treatments.
Intention is 90% of the result. That's how the Martial Arts people can break a brick with their hand. Their focus is so intense on the outcome and so defocused from other data, that they can achieve super-human fetes. So can you!
EPILOGUE
I've gone through a tremendous and incredulous journey the past few years. The personal explorations, experiences, education, enlightenment, and empowerment process has me in awe. I hope that this book inspires you to take your own journey.
Remember, that different tissues have different issues. So, there's a need for different strokes for different folks. What's good for one isn't good for all. I have my own saying, "If it's going to be - it's up to me."
During the last two years that I was in podiatry practice I performed two clinical studies.
The first was on reduction of bunions and bunion pain. There were 66 patients who entered, complied, and completed the study, which was for a one year treatment period. These were mostly patients who'd come to me wanting surgery, and who thought that surgery was their only option. I only operated on three! All the rest were pain free from one to three weeks on average, and the longest was within three months. All I did for them was adhesive tape for temporary arch support and a Bowen session once a week for four weeks. Followed by, a set of orthotics and a Bowen session once a month. All remained pain free while coming once monthly for the remainder of the year. None returned after the study was completed, so I assume that no news is good news. For a video on my taping technique:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd8pRsoyYXLy3rPNKgbk6IQ?feature=results_main
The second study was on postural pains and headaches which included; knee, hip, lower back, upper back, shoulder, neck, arm, and carpal tunnel. There were about 80 patients in this study which also lasted for a one year period, once a week for four weeks, then once a month. All patients graded their pains on a scale of 1 to 10; 1 = mild – 10 = severe. The results I report are approximate, because I retired before publishing the results, and my papers were lost in the move from California to North Carolina. Lower back pain reduced from 8’s and 9’s to 0’s and 2’s in about 85% of the patients. Upper back pain reduced from 8’s and 9’s to 0’s and 1’s in about 90% of the patients. Neck pains reduced from 8’s and 9’s to 0’s in almost all cases, if not all. The extremity pains reduced at random, but better than 50%. Headaches resolved in about 95% of the patients. It was interesting to see the numbers drop as the weeks went by. I regret to have lost the data, but as soon as I have some free time I will begin a new study.
Recently, I read a book and took a class by Graham Pennington who is a Bowen Practitioner, Acupuncturist, and Naturopathic doctor. The book I highly recommend, A TEXTBOOK OF BOWEN TECHNIQUE. Graham’s book and class reveals how Tom Bowen really worked his magic by assessment of the body and the body’s response to the various “Moves”. When the practitioner can pinpoint the source of the problem and release it, a Bowen session can be successfully completed in a matter of five to seven minutes!
SOME PATIENT FEEDBACK
April 21, 2004
RE: Treatment from Dr. Mosher for bunion and corn
My initial visit to Dr. Mosher was prompted by a painful and persistent corn located between my little toe and its neighbor on my right foot. Dr. Mosher removed the corn and I got relief for a number of weeks. But it returned with a vengeance. This routine continued several times: comfortable for a short time but back to Dr. Mosher in weeks with the same complaint. Regardless of the treatment, the painful corn would return.
Walking was growing more and more painful and difficult for me. I had bunions on both feet, but the one on the right was growing more pronounced. I had developed a hard inflamed callused area under the bunion that raged with a burning sensation after walking a short while especially with shoes on. Thanks to the bunion and the displacement of my big toe, this area became my weight-bearing area while walking. This arrangement caused my knee to feel “twisted” and painful all the time, exacerbating my fibromyalgia pain.
I became quite discouraged one day with another corn and red inflamed foot. It was increasingly altering ability to function due to the pain and inflammation. Dr. Mosher removed the corn once again and then suggested I try regular Bowen treatments to treat the bunion that created the corn scenario. He made me an insert for my shoes and we started the treatments.
I am now walking properly on the ball of my foot [not on the side, “twisting” my knee] and I’m doing it comfortably. The callus is gone and so is the inflammation. Since starting the Bowen treatments, I’ve not had a recurrence of the corn either.
Life is just a whole lot more comfortable now!
Charlene W
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Wednesday, May 19, 2004
I came into the office at 9:00am on May 18, 2004 with a terrible sinus headache. I hurt from the top of my head down my neck and into my left shoulder. Plus I had been dizzy as well. I hadn’t taken anything for it because I knew I was going to get a Bowen treatment. My low back felt like it was out too. My left hip would hurt with certain movements.
After Dr. Mosher asked how I was feeling I told him “not too well”. I was looking forward to this treatment just to see if it would really help me.
I left the office at 10:00am and went to Sacramento to meet friends for lunch. During the lunch I still felt badly. My head hurt and I thought the treatment didn’t do anything for me. I stopped by Bel Air Market on my way home when I noticed that I didn’t have the headache or backache. I wasn’t sure though if it had really gone away. All evening I kept waiting for it to return and if it did then I would take a couple of aspirins. Just to be on the safe side I called for an appointment at the chiropractor’s office for the next day because I knew if my atlas was put back in then I wouldn’t have anymore problems. I have done this in the past. The next morning when I awoke I felt really good so I cancelled my appointment with the chiropractor and still today, May 29, 2004, I have not hurt all day. I am amazed at the results of this treatment. I began the treatments in March and had four treatments (one a week for the month). I left for the month of April and just began the treatments again in May. This is very surprising to me as I feel like nothing is really done to me but a little “strumming” on certain areas. I am impressed. I don’t hurt anywhere at this moment.
Arlene J.
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12-29-95
Last year, while doing floor exercises I injured the sciatic nerve. The pain went down my legs and into my feet. They became so painful, that I could not get my feet comfortable, worse at night. I didn’t sleep well at all.
I made an appointment with Dr. Mosher. He had helped me with a heel spur some years back. Frankly, I wondered what he could do. He talked to me about a method called Bowen he was learning. I was very willing to try it. I’m so glad I did, after only two treatments I was sleeping well!! And, my feet were comfortable again! I consider this treatment great!! A big heartfelt thanks to Dr. Mosher!!
Sincerely,
Myrlene F. S.
This was my very first Bowen Patient!
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May 20, 2004
Dear Dr. Mosher
I wanted to thank you for the wonderful service you have provided me. I came to you in November of 2003 with an extremely painful bunion. The pain in my foot had gotten so bad that my foot hurt nearly all the time. I went to see you in hopes that you could help me without having to perform surgery. When you explained the “Bowen “ technique I have to admit that I was skeptical, but at that point, willing to try anything! After approximately two Bowen treatments, the pain in my foot had gotten much better and after the third visit I was almost completely pain free. I was not only relieved that I did not have to have surgery, but thrilled at the results and wanted to share them with friends and family. By my second month of seeing Dr. Mosher and receiving the Bowen therapy I was pain free. Not only did my foot feel better, but the areas of my body where I normally carry stress had to dissipate also.
I am so thankful to Dr. Mosher and believe full heartedly that this technique should be tried on all patients before they even think of surgery.
Sincerely, Chiara M.
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To Whom It May Concern
12/05/2003
I have bunions on both of my feet that used to cause me great pain. I am not sure where these hideous things came from. I suspect they began forming for a number of reasons, one of which is directly my fault. I used to wear shoes to small for my feet during my pre-teen and teen years. As a result of this disregard for my feet (and other causes) I developed bunions and hammertoes. The left foot bunion was less severe causing my great toe to point toward my little toe by 20 degrees or more. The right foot bunion was much more troublesome causing my great toe to point to over 30 degrees toward my little toe. I went several years this way since I was unaware of any treatment besides surgery. I am very afraid of foot surgeries since I have heard so many negative outcomes from friends and family. By the end of most days my feet would just throb and nothing seemed to help. I tried foot bathes, massagers, warm packs, cold packs and so on. Nothing helped.
My mother was seeing Dr. Mosher since she has similar problems (did I mention inherited above?) with her feet. She also had problems with calluses and corns on various places on the feet and he was helping her by trimming her callused areas and helping her non-surgically to improve the overall alignment of her feet. She seemed to be benefiting from this therapy and encouraged me to go in for a consult.
I was quite skeptical, but agreed to give it a whirl. The doctor examined my feet and told me he felt he could help me. I agreed to try the treatment and he started immediately. He pared the calluses and placed splinting on my feet to help change my gait. Dr. Mosher also talked to me about doing some Bowen therapy, a treatment to help realign my muscles and other systems. I agreed to try this also feeling I needed all the help I could get.
His treatment plan began to provide me relief after only a few treatments. I began to feel better and really didn’t know why. One night after work it hit me; I was really able to relax! The old and ever present throbbing feet were missing! I now had feet that performed well but they no longer complained about it. What a great feeling!
I finished treatments 3 to 4 years ago and remain essentially pain free. I continue to have Bowen treatments whenever I start feeling uptight and know that something is out of balance. My left great toe is virtually straight and the right great toe is 10 degrees or less deviated. The hammertoes also disappeared during the treatment. I have thanked Dr. Mitchell R. Mosher many times over for his treatment of my foot problems and overall sense of well-being. I am so happy for the freedom from pain that I now enjoy. I continue to recommend Dr. Mosher many times to friends and family for problems with their feet and for stress release with the Bowen therapy.
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Dear Dr. Mosher:
For most of my adult life (I am now 49), I have had the ugliest toes. They have always been an embarrassment to me.
Approximately 1 year ago I came to you with a foot injury. After you treated my foot you suggested Bowen.
A month or so after the Bowen, I happened to notice my toes. The fungus was gone, and my toenails were actually turning pink again.
For once in my life, I can wear open toed shoes !
Thanks,
Jan B
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Dr. Mitchell R. Mosher
9/29/97
“ Bowen Technique”
Dear friend,
You are totally generous and charitable in your outlook, in help for people needing this technique.
You do the muscles using this Bowen technique, and are so gentle, so negligible in its’ outward malfestation, that you wonder whether it is really doing any good.
But I really know, I now walk without a cane and have no pain.
Thank you Dr. Mosher
Cordially,
Maurice R.
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Mon. Dec 8 1997
To Whom It May Concern
My name is Robert W. H. In July of 1997 I was involved in a devastating motorcycle accident. The right tibia and fibula were compounded and considerable tissue was ground off in the resulting fall onto the asphalt. This resulted in a sizable gap between the bones and resulted in my leg being encased in various types of casts for a period of 22 months. After a delayed bone graft (I sat on an electronic bone growth stimulator 16 hours a day for 8 months with no success in healing), and eventual bone mending no physical therapy was prescribed. My right foot seemed to be destined to never recover enough for normal function to even allow me to stand or walk for eve as much as four hours a day without producing intense pain that would at times, depending on how much I used it, cripple me for days on end.
Dr. Steven W., an Auburn, Ca. Podiatrist diagnosed plantar fasciitis, capsulitis, and tendonitis as I had orthotics made for my feet, which over the years were sometimes effective, allowing me to work on my feet 4 to 6 hours a day with tolerable pain levels. At other time periods the pain reduction from using orthotics was nil and crippling again became a life circumstance.
In April of 1995, I came to Dr. Mitchell Mosher, also an Auburn, Ca. Podiatrist, to have my orthotics re-made. At this time he gave me a treatment (one) of the Bowen Technique, telling me I may need to have a second treatment in the near future. I never went back for the second treatment and, the nearly full and complete function ability I have today took around 15 months to develop, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the phenomenon of healing in my right foot is the direct result of the applied Bowen Technique. I wholly recommend its trial by anyone who suffers the crippling effects of pain as I did for so many years.
Sincerely,
Robert W. H.
Sept. 28, 1996
Dear Dr. Mosher,
I just wanted to thank you for helping to make the quality of my life (and my daughter’s) better. When I thought I was facing surgery on my toe, I was pleasantly surprised to find Bowen Therapy straightening out my toe! Not to mention, my arm is better, and I’ve been known to get relief from a major sinus headache! My daughter, Kristy looks forward to the relax in stress reducing effects of this therapy, and so do I.
Dr. Mosher, you are a unique and caring physician and humanitarian, I am truly touched by your skill and compassionate ways.
Sincerely,
Liz H
Dr. Mosher,
How can I express my gratitude for how much one treatment of Bowen has helped me. I can breathe thru my nasal passage when lying down. I have always had to breathe thru my mouth. I have had to wear a brace on my arm from tendonitus in my elbow. Which I no longer have to do. I had back surgery in 1977 the scar tissue from that has always bothered me, It doesn’t now! In the past year I have had constant pain from spraining my ankle, breaking my leg and spraining my ankle the second time I no longer have pain.
I am so grateful to you for your concern for people that you have mastered this therapy
GOD BLESS!
Linda R.
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3-15-2000
Dear Doctor Mosher.
I can’t begin to thank you enough for your help. I am much better and hope to be able to again lay on my back for a nights rest in the next few days – I still am a bit gun shy to try it.
Sincerely,
Bill
I am a 51 year old male, for the past 10 years I have suffered from chronic soreness, and or pain all over my body. I have been called an enigma by a nationally known neurologist, miss diagnosed by another neurologist. Finally, another very well- known neurologist gave up and diagnosed me with chronic fatigue syndrome/ fibromyalgia. This led me to numerous attempts to solve my pain issues with narcotics, anti-inflammatory medicines, and muscle relaxers.
Recently, I decided to try the BOWEN TECHNIQUE. I experienced immediate relief from years of muscle and joint pain. When administered, I felt warmth pass through my back and legs. There was also some tingling sensations in my legs and ankles. On the day this was done I could not stand due to pain in my ankles and knees. All pain left my ankles, knees, feet, and muscles throughout my body. I was amazed and could not understand, all that I knew was I felt better than I had felt in many years. The treatment received was only a partial treatment session, which I found to be even more amazing. I have since, followed up with 2 more full sessions. I no longer take any pain medications. The pains have not returned and I continue to improve in areas I did not know I would. I have feeling in my feet that I lost in early adulthood. I have mobility in my hands, wrists, and ankles that I had lost about 5 years ago. It is so nice not to have my stomach upset by anti-inflammatory medicines. This has also helped improve my mental outlook on life. I am more anxious to be involved in daily activities of life that I had previously stayed away from.
I have had a great experience with this technique and would recommend just about anyone to give it a try. It is economical, and all you have to lose is ailments!
Feeling Better Every Day, Rodney S.
REFERENCES
“MYOFASCIAL PAIN AND DYSFUNCTION the Trigger Point Manual”
Janet G. Travell, M.D.
David G. Simons, M.D
VOLUMES 1 & 2
“HEALING ANCIENT WOUNDS The Renegade’s Wisdom”
John F. Barnes, PT
“THE BODY ELECTRIC”
Robert O. Becker, M.D.
“CROSS CURRENTS”
Robert O. Becker, M.D.
“VIBRATIONAL MEDICINE”
Richard Gerber, M.D.
“CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY”
John Upledger, D.O.
“MOLECULES OF EMOTION”
Candace B. Pert, Ph.D.
“BIOLOGY OF BELIEF”
Bruce Lipton, Ph.D.
“BIOGRAPHICAL APPROACH TOWARD TUMOR REGRESSION IN MICE”
Humphrey & Seal: Science, 1959 130: 388-
389
“INHIBITION OF EXPERIMENTAL TUMOR GROWTH IN HAMSTERS BY DIRECT CURRENTS”
Schauble, M.K.et al: Archives Pathol. Lab. Med.
1977, 101: 294-297
“ELECTRICAL STIMULATION FOR DERMAL WOUND HEALING”
Gentzlow, G.D. et al: Clinics in Podiatric
Medicine and Surgery 1991 8:827-841
“ELECTRICAL STIMULATION AND WOUND HEALING”
Weiss, D.S. et al: Archives of Dermatology
1990, Vol. 126: 222-225
“LOW – VOLT PULSED MICROAMP STIMULATION”
Picker, R.I.; Clinical Management Vol 9, No2:
10-13 No. 3: 28-33
"THE HIDDEN MESSAGES IN WATER"
Masaru Emoto
LINKS
My You Tube Channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UCd8pRsoyYXLy3rPNKgbk6IQ
My Books: www.DrsDiscoveries.com
My Websites:
www.Bowen4Life.com
www.drmitchellmosher.com
www.BowenHomeStudy.com
Bowen Directory: www.bowendirectory.com
Video Demonstration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv-_FFZckag
This young lady was treated with 3 weekly Bowen Therapy sessions. These were followed by a 6 week break. Then, 3 more weekly sessions were performed. Following those, she had once a month sessions. All totaled 8 months. This was a total of about 15 sessions.(Photos available via e-mail)
Amazing that a simple series of Bowen Therapy sessions could do this. But, they did.
Not only is she better physically, but mentally and emotionally too. Think about the domino effect this deformity has on other body parts in later years of life? Now, her posture is aligned she is reducing those other pains and disabilities.
July 2000 13 years old
January 2001
March 2007 19 years old
This lucky girl’s mother learned how to do the Bowen Therapy Technique so she could do the treatments to her daughter herself. She’s been a Bowen Therapist ever since.
This technique is based upon the gentle movements over the muscles and surrounding soft tissues. The movements create a release of the tightened structures by way of reflex arcs. During the session there are rest periods which allow the body to re-set. As the tightened tissues release, there is an increased flow of Chi, (chemicals & electrical impulses) during the rest periods. This book is ABOUT BOWEN THERAPY.
A BOOK ABOUT Bowen Therapy
A LUCKY PODIATRIST’S
EXPERIENCEs
Volume 5
Mitchell R. Mosher, DPM, LMBT
www.DrmitchellMosher.com
www.bowen4life.com Video Demonstration
www.DrsDiscoveries.com
Health Education - Medical Bodywork - Retired Podiatrist
Phone: 704-778-1740
Email:[email protected]
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A BOOK ABOUT BOWEN THERAPY
Acknowledgements ------------------------------------------ 6
Prologue ---------------------------------------------------------- 7
About This Book ------------------------------------------------- 9
Feedback from Students and Practitioners --------------- 10
My Discovery of Bowen Therapy --------------------------- 14
My Journey as a Bowen Therapist ------------------------- 19
Origin-Evolution and History of Bowen Therapy---------- 22
About Bowen Therapy ----------------------------------------- 23
General Rules of Bowen Therapy --------------------------- 25
Conditions Helped by Bowen Therapy -------------------- 27
A LIST OF BASIC PROCEDURES ----------------- 31
A LIST OF SPECIAL PROCEDURES ---------------32
COMMENTS ON SOME PROCEDURES
Bunions -------------------------------------------- 33
Emotional Clearing ------------------------------ 34
Hammertoes --------------------------------------- 35
Migraines ------------------------------------------- 36
Standing Procedure ------------------------------ 38
Substance Dysfunction -------------------------- 39
More of My Discoveries –
The Missing Chapters from the Doctor’s Books--- 39
The Fascial System – Connective Tissue ----------- 41
The Direct Current System – Micro-currents-------- 44
The Meridian System / Ductules and Points--------- 54
The Emotional System ------------------------------------ 58
The Body – Mind System -------------------------------- 65
The Irrigation System ------------------------------------- 71
Medical Investigation – Looking Outside
the Box ------------------------------------------------------- 72
Some of My Successes-------------------------------------------- 81
Intent and Healing -------------------------------------------------- 93
Epilogue --------------------------------------------------------------- 96
Patient Feedback---------------------------------------------------- 97
References ----------------------------------------------------------- 105
Links -------------------------------------------------------------------- 107
Video Demo ----------------------------------------------------------- 107
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv-_FFZckag ------
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Tom Bowen developed his remarkable bodywork system and passed it down so we could find it via our healers and teachers. The late Milton Albrecht was mine. Milt was a California Redneck of sorts. In his first calling he was a machinist and builder of race car engines and hot rods. He learned how to do Bowen Therapy circa 1987. He then was anointed the teacher of the technique in the US in 1989 or thereabouts. During our fireside chats he shared lots of tidbits of information with me, for which I am very thankful. He had a profound distrust of doctors but he trusted me, and only two or three other physicians.
At one of our fireside chats, he told me that ganglionic cysts were caused by an overload of caffeine. He told me that when he "popped" the cysts for his clients, many times they had sleepless nights following. There was a large one behind my ankle when he told me this. I thought, "Oh yeah-sure." At the time, I drank eight to ten cups of coffee a day. After that, I cut down to two cups and about three months later, the cyst was 80% reduced in size. After three more months, it was gone! He was right-on once again. He told me lots of other things that didn't add up. But, down the road they often came to fruition.
Speaking at his memorial services in 2003, I brought forth that, not only had he performed some 80,000 treatments since 1990 on his clients, but he had taught hundreds of practitioners worldwide to perform the technique. And, they were also having significant influences on their client's lives also. I alone have treated over 12,000 different people over the years, and I helped most of them. You will meet some of them in this book.
Deni Larimore – Albrecht, for her voyage to Australia in the 1980’s where she found Bowen Therapy, brought it to the US, and showed her husband, Milton.
Bowen Therapists worldwide who have communicated with me on the internet as a result of my postings to The Bowen Technique Forum Groups @ yahoo.com., and some of the Face Book groups. Their positive comments and feedback have inspired me to complete these books on Bowen Therapy.
And, my new friends in South Carolina, Julia and Eugene Vickery who motivated, guided, and helped me to finish my books about Bowen Therapy.
PROLOGUE
AN INCREDIBLE JOURNEY
My hands on classes, notes, ideas, thoughts, readings, and dreams about the world renowned Bowen Technique have been compiled into a huge bunch of files in my Word documents. The information spans 19 years of experience, education, observations, and communications. They are all included in my five book volumes. This book is an introduction to the technique and what it can accomplish for you.
Early on in my podiatry practice I strayed from the mainstream. I thought that acupuncture and chiropractic were the main alternative physical modalities of choice. I referred many patients to those practitioners, until I discovered Bowen Therapy. I still refer to natural health practitioners, but the need is greatly reduced now that I do the Bowen Technique.
Hardly a day goes by, since beginning the practice of Bowen Therapy, that I am not humbled, awed, amazed, and glowing as a result of what my patients tell me after their Bowen sessions.
I treated 12 to 16 patients a day with Bowen in addition to 25 to 30 podiatry patients. I offer a huge thanks to my office staff for helping me to do this.
The personality traits that allowed me to take my journey are:
· Divine Discontent = Looking for a better way.
· Open Mindedness = Possibilities for a Better way.
· Creative Imagination = Creating that better way.
· Behavioral Analysis = People watcher.
· Connect the dots = Ah Ha’s.
· Unafraid to question authority.
My First Week of Bowen:
I treated about 12 to 14 of my patients with Bowen sessions the week after my class. Full body sessions were done on five or six that I felt comfortable with because this was outside my podiatry license inclusion. The others were done from the waist down. Waist down was within my podiatry license scope of practice. The following week about 6 or 7 of them came back for another session. The ones I did from the waist down reported a reduction of foot and leg symptoms. Some of the ones who received a full session said;
“Dr. Mosher, I don’t know what you did, but you’ve changed my life.”, “Dr. Mosher. After that treatment you did last week - you won’t believe what happened.”, “I felt a runner’s high all day after your treatment. And now, I have a sense of peace and well-being.” This pretty much got me hooked on the system.
More of What Patients Said:
“Oh, Dr. Mosher, If only the medical people would take this holistic and natural approach to our health issues.”
“I wish that I had met you two years ago, my life would have been different. I’ve been through two years of hell. Your treatments have fixed my problem.”
More Observations
As the months rolled by, I noticed that cortisone injections, prescription of drugs, and surgeries went down. Plus, favorable podiatry outcomes went from 75%-80% up to at least 95%.
Researching the Literature
In the many Bowen classes that I attended the answer to the question as to why Bowen Therapy eliminates this or that was always, “Oh. Bowen re-sets the body so it can heal itself.” That wasn’t good enough for me. I needed to know some of the physiological mechanisms of action down to the cell level. This led me to the research of a number of books, classes, internet information, and research papers which would lead me to some of the answers.
The Missing Chapters
Splicing together the information my patients gave me with the information in the literature, the big picture began to emerge.
The Epiphany – “Ah – Ha”
Western medicine, due to a number of reasons, is missing some chapters from their repair manual.
Actually, it’s maintenance manual. “We have your blood pressure under control. Just keep taking your medications.” Or, “Your diabetes is in the normal range. Keep taking your metformin.” Better yet, “Your cancer is in remission. However, you have to take the tamoxifen for the next five years. Then, we will see what the studies show.”
Putting it all together
Connecting the dots, the big picture began to emerge. What my patients told me, what I observed, other Bowen Therapist’s experiences, and what I learned from the vast amount of literature led me to some of the information that is revealed in my books about Bowen Therapy.
ABOUT THIS BOOK
This book is intended to introduce Bowen Therapy to the people who want to obtain relief from acute and chronic aches, pains, and health issues from a fairly simple natural and holistic approach. It is another option for health and wellness besides drugs, injections, and surgery. A lot of the information may be over your head. Just digest whatever you can so that you can improve your life. When you find a Bowen Therapist he or she might be able to answer your questions and concerns.
This book is for educational and informational purposes only. It is based on my own and other Bowen Practitioners personal experiences, my patient's experiences, observations, studies, and my conclusions from all of these.
It provides information about medical conditions and the therapies which have anecdotally shown to be effective in the reversal of some medical issues. However, these concepts are not a substitute for professional medical evaluation, assessment, and care.
This book does not make any recommendations to any reader, on what to do for their medical conditions. It only illustrates what these therapies have been witnessed to accomplish.
To my knowledge, none of the contents of this book have been evaluated or approved by the Medical Community, or the FDA.
No assertions, guarantees, representations other than as a teacher of the Bowen Technique, and a recipient of some of the modalities mentioned in this book.
Readers of this book are encouraged to use the information for help in choosing the pathways they wish to take in their quest of optimal health, only after, proper medical evaluation and intervention.
FEEDBACK FROM STUDENTS AND PRACTITIONERS
After having read Dr. Mosher’s information, I became re-energized and absolutely inspired with regards to Bowen Therapy. The recent increase in the effectiveness of my treatments since I have been studying Dr. Mosher’s material has amazed me, my staff and my clients. I have had the moves memorized since my initial training in the Bowen technique, but it’s not until now that I finally understand just what is going on; being able to relay this to my clients makes it a lot easier for them to believe in the process.
Thank you Dr. Mitchell Mosher! Amber G.
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Hello Dr.
I am a Bowtech therapist in NSW Australia and I am always interested in anything you write, to be truthful I actually read this site mainly for your input to further my knowledge.
So yes please I am very interested in your thoughts on Food Allergies both for my families and any clients that come to me.
My children were highly allergic to foods back in 1980 so I have been on this trail for 30 years, problem solving their and now my 16mth granddaughter’s intolerances.
Thank you for all you input.
Regards
Kerry D.
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Hi Mitchell,
It is 4.35am. I went to bed early last night and awoke at 1am. I thought I would look at a webinar that I have been meaning to get around to on the Body/Mind connection and emotional release. As I was checking something else on my desk top, your book that you generously shared through the Bowen yahoo group, popped up. So I have been engrossed in it since.
I am 1/2 way through and feeling sleepy now but I just felt compelled to drop you a line and say thank you. You are answering, in simple straightforward ways, a lot of questions that I have had and giving me the language to pass on to people in shorter concise ways.
Best regards, Jackie O.
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Thanks so much Mitchell
I can already see a change in the work that I am doing because of your input.
My clients are having much deeper healing responses. I am much more mindful of what I am doing.
I am very grateful to you for this.
Thanking you
Kind regards
Linda
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Hey Mitchell, I don't know what I missed, but whatever you are offering, I want one!! Your explanations/papers are wonderful. So many of us seemed to have not gotten the email you refer to; I wonder if it somehow got filtered out somewhere...? Lynn
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Hello, Doctor Mosher,
I just finished listening again to your CDs that came with the home study course I bought 4 or 5 years ago. I really resonate with your understanding and approach. I found your DVD invaluable for review. I was wondering if you ever visit the Roseville area, because I would love to do your advanced class. I never met you, but I bought your manuals and DVD and use the techniques. They are great! I also really enjoy the other modalities and discoveries you mention such as emotional and allergy clearing, craniosacral stretch (etc.). And your clarity when explaining the more esoteric theories and making them concrete. Anyway, I am finally going to get a website going and I feel a certification from you would be helpful in the Auburn area because you are so well-respected. My good friend, Cindy B, was like a mentor for me when she was here in the states, and Diane H, another good friend, really praised your wonderful treatments. Soooo...I would appreciate it if you notify me of any visits to this area. Thanks! Lori B.
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Read your book while waiting for the DVD - enjoyed it very much, thanks!! Received the DVD and it is great just what I needed for a better understanding. I Read your book while waiting for the DVD - enjoyed it very much, thanks!!
The DVD was very helpful to actually see the moves being performed and the general Bowen Info. Is so informative and helped me understand Bowen so much more. I have had the Bowen done, and I found great results so I am in hopes to learn and master it so I can share with others the benefit and to help them feel good. I am totally fascinated in the Bowen procedure. And your book Straying from the Mainstream is a must to read. For me it brought a lot to light. Thanks again, Donna
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Sept. 22, 2008
It’s been over a year and a half that I was introduced to Bowen and like many … it was at a time where the pain was so great and the options were getting slim. I was diagnosed with reverse curvature of the cervical vertebra. I had tried Chiropractic, Massage, Traction etc. … and then while on a trip to Florida, at the request of a friend, I experienced Bowen. After my first treatment, I was a bit skeptical due to the gentle nature of the treatment and the pain was still there… but I listened and continued. It was after the third treatment that I noticed that I slept through the night for the first time in months. I have gone over a year with no pain at all.
It was when I got back home that I was so impressed that I wanted to know more about this Bowen treatment. I searched and found a home study course from Mitchell Mosher. When I got the info, I began by reading the booklet, listening to the CD and then watching the DVD. He was very consistent with the Bowen therapist in Florida (Both learned from one of the legends in Bowen’s history). I found Mitchell to be very helpful in the fact that he did not just sell the program and say “good riddance”. He was always helpful in answering questions. His instruction was VERY detailed, if that’s what you desire but to his credit he simplified the technique to allow you to share with others.
Now please understand that there is no substitute for HANDS ON TRAINING.
With the help of Mitchell’s course as well as Cheryll H. in Florida, I was able to share the Bowen experience with others. To help someone get relief from pain, to hear their words of thanks, and to hear them say … thank you … is beyond words. The Bowen technique has been a blessing to me and some dear friends and family. I am so thankful for Mitchell, he is a man that is genuine and cares about others. You owe it to yourself to meet Mitchell and see for yourself. His home study course is a lot like the man himself … Not a lot of Flash but full of SUBSTANCE. It is a great introduction to the Bowen technique and will give you a great base to begin your own Bowen experience.
Sincerely, Michael H.
Entertainer for over 30 years.
MY DISCOVERY OF BOWEN
OH MY ACHING BACK
Upon awakening one Monday morning I could barely get out of bed. It was about one week after my third annual marathon. I sensed that something serious was going on, although I didn't know the half of it at the time. The pain was more intense than anything I'd ever endured before. My favorite Chiropractor was able to see me before patient appointments that day. After the adjustment the pain remained the same. Previous chiropractic visits had usually rendered prompt relief of pain. So, I went to see my family doctor. Since I worked closely with him, plus he was my landlord, he worked me into his busy Monday morning schedule. Following an examination and a full set of lab tests and X-Rays he diagnosed "muscle spasms". He gave me prescriptions for a muscle relaxant, narcotic pain medication, and a referral to Physical Therapy.
After attending the therapist’s office for approximately an hour each day for five days straight for ultrasound with cortisone cream, cross frictional massage, and inversion (hanging upside down on a teeter totter for 20 minutes) ,by then, the pain may have reduced by 10%.
Leaving my office that Friday afternoon, I spotted the Acupuncturist’s car in the empty parking lot across the street. Why hadn’t I thought of this before? Acupuncture is supposed to relieve all kinds of different pains and, is even used in China as an anesthetic in surgery. Limping into Peter’s waiting room he was reading the morning paper. He looked up and said, "Hello. You look like you're in pain." I replied, "Yes, and lots of it due to muscle spasms." I asked, "Is there anything you might be able to do for me this afternoon to relieve the pain?" His 5:00 patient hadn't shown up and it was 5:15 so, he took me into the treatment room. After 30 minutes of tiny needles in my back and some moxibustion, which smelled like a 1960s rock concert, I got off the table 80% pain free. By the next morning I was 100% pain free until a year later.
The second annual episode of spasms struck two weeks after my fourth annual marathon. Now I'm starting to think that the marathon was causing the back problems. But, my back didn't hurt when while running, the notion was discounted. I called Peter first thing Monday morning (there you go again – Monday morning), to see if he had any openings that day. He told me to come at 9:30. This time he placed two needles in my right hand and one needle in my leg below the knee on the outer side. The leg needle got extremely hot when he twirled it. After five or so minutes when he twirled it again it was not as hot. Another five minutes later he pulled the needles out and I was 95% pain free. By the end of the day, the pain was completely gone. I then declared, "Acupuncture is a Miracle."
The next year, a week after the fifth and final marathon, almost to the day, the third annual back pain reared its ugly head. Now, I'm pretty sure there is a connection between the marathon and the back pain. But, the connection wasn’t discovered until 12 years later. Peter was on vacation at the time, and so I called the other Acupuncturist in town. He was gracious enough to get me into his office for a treatment that very day, however, it didn't work. That’s explained in the section on, how’s Your Healer? So, I went to another Acupuncturist in Sacramento who performed an effective treatment. Sadly, my friend Peter died as a result of a motor vehicle accident shortly after that, so I went to the Doctor in Sacramento from then on.
After 12 years of the intermittent spasms of my lower back muscles and daily aching in by back, groin, legs, and feet, I thought that all of conservative options, (three acupuncturists, six chiropractors, physical therapy on two occasions plus exercises, massage therapy twice, and stretching exercises) had been used up. The thought of having to see the Neurosurgeon, was pretty depressing. Patient's feedback on back surgery and neurosurgeons wasn’t very good over the years. I also found out what my patients meant when they said, "When your feet hurt, you hurt all over." You could also say that, "when your back hurts you hurt all over." You can't sit, stand, walk, or lie down. At this point, I awakened in the mornings with aching in my right foot and groin, stiffness in the lower back, and fatigue from a poor night’s sleep. Also, my right shoulder and TMJ were out. When first going to sleep at night I'd awaken with twitching and restlessness in my leg an hour or so later, and around 2:00 AM, cramps would occur in the calf muscle in my right leg.
WHEN THE PATIENT IS READY TO HEAL - A HEALER WILL APPEAR
One afternoon a patient was telling me about her foot pain, which sounded like an atypical sciatic nerve problem that was just showing up in her foot. I mentioned this and asked if she’d had any lower back problems? She said, "Oh no, it’s not my sciatic nerve. I’ve had that before. This is different. I got that fixed two years ago." I inquired as to how she, "Got it fixed?" She told me that she'd had Bowen Therapy. I said, "I've never heard of that therapy. What's it about?" She replied, "It's kind of new here and most people don't know about it. The man who does it learned from the Australian people about two years ago, so that's why most people haven't heard of it." She told me about a practitioner in Auburn, California who'd been trained to do the treatments by the, "Australian People." I asked if he was a chiropractor. She informed me that he was a Massage Therapist, but that he didn't do massage, only this Bowen technique. I volunteered to her that I was suffering from lower back pain and sciatic nerve problems. She said, "Oh, you must go and see my friend. Not only has he helped me, but I’ve referred my boss, and my sister, and two of my neighbors, and he’s helped us all with our back pains." I asked how to spell the gentleman’s name so I could get his number from the phone-book to make an appointment. She said, “Oh no, you won’t find him in the phone-book. He's got an unlisted number. I've got his card out in my car in the glove-box, I’ll go get it for you.” After I finished my business with her foot she went out to her car and got the card. My receptionist copied it and gave me the copy and gave the patient back her card. Then she said, "Oh yeah. By the way, you must call him Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM. That's the only time of the day he answers the phone to make and change appointments, and if you call any other time and leave a message on his answering machine, he doesn't return calls." I thought, "That's a little odd?" This took place on a Friday afternoon. So on Monday morning, I saw the note on my desk and glanced at the clock. It was 8:10 and I thought, “Good. I'm within the window of opportunity", so I dialed the number. It was busy, so, a few minutes later I tried again. Still busy, so I handed the task over to my receptionist with instructions to get me an appointment as soon as possible. About five minutes past nine o’clock my receptionist informed me that he had a cancellation that afternoon at five o’clock: which I could have; otherwise the next available time was three weeks out. Not wanting to wait that long, I took the cancellation. That was the third clue something was up; unlisted phone number, doesn't return calls, booked up three weeks out.
When I arrived in his driveway that afternoon, there was an elderly lady sitting in one of those plastic $9.99 lawn chairs, missing a front tooth, and smoking a Camel cigarette. She said with a slight lisp, "If you’re here to see Milton, you ring the bell he answers it himself." I thought to myself, "She’s quite a receptionist, but I guess he doesn't let her do the phones?" The front door was open, while the screen door was shut. About a minute after ringing the chime, a man shuffled to the door to greet me. He was bare footed, wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a Hawaiian shirt, which was unbuttoned to the breastbone. He had a pack of cigarettes in his shirt pocket. He'd not shaved yet that day, and his hair was all mussed up. All in all, he made quite a first impression on me. He said, "Are you Dr. Mosher?" I replied, "Yes, I am." He said, "How do you do? I’m Milton Albrecht. Come on in." As he led me through his house to a back bedroom I spotted a couple biker-looking guys on the patio working their way through a 12 pack of beer. The room was adorned with a map of Australia, a couple of boomerangs on the wall, an ammo belt on the chair, and a rifle standing in the corner. Now I’m thinking, "What did I just get myself into?" He asked me where I was hurting. I told him that my lower back on the right side around the lumbar-sacral area was the problem. He said, "Cool. I’ll fix ya. Just lay on the table with your feet on the pillow, your butt in the air, and your face down in the cradle." I apprehensively complied.
During the treatment, many thoughts were racing through my mind. What was I doing here? How was a simple plucking of my muscles here and there going to relieve my back pain? Why'd he pluck a couple of muscles and leave the room for 3 to 5 minutes? Oh well, Ann my patient had relief, as well as all of the others she'd referred to this mystical man. After 10 to 15 minutes very deep relaxation set in and I almost fell asleep. One time he put his hand close to my low back and I could feel lots of heat radiating from me. He commented, “Ah Ha. You’re cookin now!” After he turned me over onto my back, he moved a muscle in my inner thigh and I thought I was going to hit the ceiling it hurt so much. I asked him if this was Rolfing, and he assured me that it wasn't. After he left the room for me to rest following the procedure, my palms started to sweat. It wasn't the usual watery kind of sweat, but a sticky - syrupy kind of discharge. When he came back in the room and saw that I was patting my palms together, he touched my hand with his fingers and commented, "Ah Ha. That’s toxins working their way out." I said, "Oh yeah. What kind of toxins?" a little facetiously. He sniffed his fingers and said, "Probably lactic acid cause it don't smell." I left it at that. Then he had me open my jaw and close it and said, "Your TMJ'S out." I recalled that I'd been nipping the inner side of my right cheek when chewing food the past few weeks. He had me make a knuckle with my index finger and place it between my teeth. He then tweaked a number of muscles around the jaw and temple area. Upon opening my jaw afterward, I could sense that my jaw was completely realigned. He then instructed me to sit up. Upon arising from the table, I was a little light - headed. Standing up after my head cleared, I couldn’t believe how good I felt. I sensed more energy; my muscles all over the body were loose. My back didn't ache. Wow! My patient was right about the therapy. She'd referred her boss, sister and three friends to the therapist and he'd helped all of them, and now, me too. I commented that while he did nothing major to my back, but the pain was gone. He said, "There’s nothing wrong with your back. Your Adductor Magnus muscle was all locked up." That’s the muscle in the inner thigh that hurt when he released it. I said, "What’s that got to do with my back?" He said, "Everything. When that Adductor tightens the Iliotibial band, Tensor Fascia Lata, and Gluteus Medius muscles all tighten on the outer side of the hip in order to compensate. When you lift something and twist those tissues get strained, and then your back muscles go into spasm." I said, "That’s exactly what's been happening. Whatever made that Adductor muscle lock up?" He said, "Dunnow. Must have built up lactic acid in them some time ago."
I was so amazed at how good I felt and was so relieved to be rid of the pain, I didn't figure out the lactic acid issue till a few days later. I asked how much I owed him for the treatment. He said, "Oh, just give me twenty bucks." As I handed him a $20 dollar bill, I asked, "How much do you usually charge? I'll be sending you some clients, as I grabbed a hand full of his business cards." He told me that his usual charge was $35.00, but he gave seniors a discount. I asked if he was always booked three weeks out, and he said, "Yeah, except in the flu season and during the bad weather when the older folks don't like to drive, it slows down a little." Then I sprung the main question that was on my mind, "How many people do you treat every day?" He replied, "25 or 30!" I thought, "That’s pretty good considering his business practices."
While walking out to my car on my way to go home, I noticed that I was walking differently than before the treatment and the arch supports in my shoes were pressing up into my arch. So, I removed them and walked better without anything inside the shoe. The night of the treatment I had such a good night’s sleep I didn't move my head on the pillow at all. In the morning when I got out of bed my back wasn't stiff, the feet, legs and groin didn't ache, and I felt like a new person. I recalled that I didn't have jumpy-restless legs awaken me shortly after falling to sleep, and I didn't wake up with cramps in my calf muscles at 2:00 to 3:00 AM as I usually do.
A week later as I was dressing one morning, I saw that the hammertoes on my left foot had vanished, sometime between the morning of discovery and the day of the treatment! I had to do a second take in order to believe my eyes. Mind you, I do complicated surgical procedures on hammertoes and sometimes they don't stay straight following surgery. Traditional stretching and physical therapy never helps them so, I realized that this might be the missing piece to the puzzle. I couldn't wait to get to the telephone and call Milton in order to tell him about these miracles, plus to find out how I might learn how to perform some of the technique. After I told him all about what had happened since his treatment, he laughed and said, "That happens all the time". I jokingly told him, "I won’t turn you in for practicing podiatry without a license if you'll show me how to do this for my patients." He asked me for my fax number so he could send me a brochure on a Bowen workshop he was teaching in January 1995, and so I could sign up for it. After I sent him my application and deposit for the class, I couldn't wait for January to come.
MY JOURNEY AS A BOWEN THERAPIST
WHEN THE STUDENT IS READY TO LEARN - A TEACHER WILL APPEAR
Before the Bowen class began in January 1995, about 20 people were milling around the room as I entered to register for the class. I later discovered, most of them were massage therapists. They were talking in excited voices about things such as "Ethereal Energy", "Chakras", "Grounding", "Aroma Therapy", and all kinds of "Woogy-like stuff." I felt quite out of my comfort zone, but as the weekend wore on I found them to be very dedicated therapists who all had a passion for their work. At the very beginning of the class Milton said, "I'm not really a teacher, but I’m going to show you all how to do this therapy, and it will probably change the course of some of your lives." How little did I know, that my life was about to change for the better. As we practiced on each other that first morning, a twinge of apprehension passed through me as I realized that I was touching someone’s body, and that I was outside of my Podiatry license boundaries. Our license allowed us to treat the muscles of the leg that affect the function of the foot. But not the Pectorals, Trapeziuses, Para spinals and all of those upper body muscles. I decided to learn all that I could, and that I'd figure out how to incorporate some of it into the podiatry practice. I looked forward to Saturday afternoon and Sunday, during which we were going to cover the leg and foot muscles. This is the part of the program that would apply to my skills enhancement as a podiatrist. When we finished the class on Sunday afternoon, I was fairly exhausted from the rigors of learning so much new information. However, I couldn’t wait to go to work Monday morning and begin my new journey. Little did I know where that journey was going to take me?
BEGINNING MY BOWEN PRACTICE
Arriving to the office on Monday morning, the very first patient needed a Bowen treatment. She’d had a sciatic nerve problem in the past and she was certain that it had reoccurred because she had been performing floor exercises for long periods of time and now her left foot had a tingling sensation like the previous bout with sciatica.
After informing her about the new therapy I'd just learned, It took her less than a nanosecond to ask if she could have a treatment that morning? She was escorted her into the operating room which I had transformed into a temporary therapy room and placed her on the surgical gurney which would serve as a massage table until one could be purchased. After checking my seminar notes I began the treatment. I only performed the treatment in the waist, legs, and feet to stay within the boundaries of my Podiatry license. When the session ended, she got up and stood on her feet she said, "It sure feels better. Not all the way, but at least 50%."
The next morning she called me to report, "That by noon Monday all of the symptoms had disappeared. The next time she got the sciatica back she would call me for treatment." I said, "To be sure she had a foot problem. And, thank you."
I eagerly began incorporating Bowen Therapy into the podiatry practice. The first week I treated 12 patients with it. Six of them returned the following week for a second session. One of them said, "Dr. Mosher, I don't know what you did? But, you've changed my life!" Then, he explained how. Another said, "Dr. Mosher, you won't believe what happened after that treatment you did last week!" Then, she told me what happened. One other said, "I had a runner's high all day after the treatment. And, now I feel a sense of wellbeing and balance." (I'll explain this in the section - The Meridian System). Another one said, ''If only the medical doctors would take this holistic and natural approach to our health care issues."
As the months passed by, many would say, the same things or, "I sure wish that I had met you sooner so that my life could've been better. I've been through years of hell."
During the next month or so, I performed whole body treatments on a few patients, when they asked me to, and when I felt comfortable doing so. I quickly learned that these patients did remarkably better than those that were treated from the waist down, which was within my scope of practice. "When in Rome do as the Romans do." Therefore, I enrolled in a school of massage therapy and received a certificate so that I could give people a full treatment without fear of reprisals from the establishments. I continue to observe better overall results from a holistic full body sequence compared to a symptom oriented session.
My practice took on a new persona. There were traditional mainstream podiatry patients. There were the holistic podiatry patients. These received traditional modalities plus the Bowen and other natural health therapies. This latter group many times had other pains that haunted them, and my holistic approach often resolved these other issues as well as their foot problems. The patients, with resolved headaches, would often refer someone else with headaches. Someone with shoulder pain referred a friend with suffered shoulder pain. There was one patient who suffered with "Tennis Elbow" and she referred thirty six new patients at last count. And, hardly a one had a foot problem. I was and still am very careful, in that I don't treat headaches, "Tennis Elbow", or any other sign-symptom-disability. Therapy is for stress reduction, relaxation, and postural realignment. It can't be helped if their headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel, TMJ problems resolve during the process.
The first two or so years that I was performing the Bowen treatment for my patients and their referrals I was a little, or maybe a lot on edge. On one hand, I was very enthusiastic and excited to be able to do the therapy that was so beneficial to my patients and their loved ones. However, the other side of me was very apprehensive about what my peers might think about me doing the seemingly far out stuff. In addition, some of my patients experienced complete resolution of signs, symptoms and disabilities, which were way outside of my "Podiatry Box". This made me a little nervous about how the medical community would react to my helping their patient’s medical problems. So far, no direct negative comments or actions from either group have been issued.
ORIGIN – EVOLUTION
AND
HISTORY OF BOWEN THERAPY
Tom Bowen was an Australian lay-man who was pretty much a self-taught practitioner of sorts, who had no formal training or credentialing. He dropped out of school at about age fifteen.
Between WW1 & WW2, sometime in the 1920’s or 1930’s an Australian named Ernie Saunders, who was well known as a “Physical Manipulator”, took a steam ship to the USA. Here, he learned a method of Japanese Acupressure.
After his return to Australia and using this new information, he became even more famous.
Tom Bowen studied with Ernie during the late 1940’s or 1950. They both spent some time together on the weekends at the local athletic clubs. They treated the athletes for their injuries and pains. Also at the clubs were, “Physios” who also treated the athletes. Some were known as “Crackers”. Others were called, “Strokers”. The other group was called ‘”Flickers”. Crackers did manipulation. Strokers did massage. Flickers did some massage mixed with little flicks with their fingers.
Tom apparently mixed some portion of the “flicks” with the acupressure point therapy and some Shiatsu techniques that he studied. Hence, the “Moves” probably evolved from a combination of these. Tom practiced part-time during the 1950’s until 1961. Then, he quit his job as a laborer at the cement factory and opened his office full time.
Over the years Tom let a number of practitioners come to his clinic one at a time for a half day once a week. Over time, he acknowledged that six of them were proficient in the understanding and practice of his technique. These became known as, “Tom’s Boys”.
In or about 1987, Deni Larimore Albrecht who lives in Auburn, California went to visit her family in Australia. She was in need of some prescription refills, but her mother took her to Ossie Rentcsh’s Bowen clinic instead of the doctor’s office. Ossie’s Bowen session relieved her pain. Deni visited Ossie on a few more occasions during her stay. When it was time to come home Deni inquired about any Bowen Therapists in Northern California? Ossie told her that he hadn’t taught anyone in the USA yet. Deni then asked if she could somehow show her husband how to do the procedures so she wouldn’t have to go back on the medications? Ossie gave her some drawings with arrows showing which way the moves were to be made.
Her husband Milton, became very adept at performing the moves and procedures on Deni and his friends. He spoke with Ossie by telephone on a few occasions with questions about some of the procedures. He then met Ossie at a convention in California which led to their first class in the US, maybe in 1989.
Milton obtained a massage certificate, sold his machine shop where he built race car engines and hot rods, and began his full-time practice in Auburn, California around 1990.
ABOUT BOWEN THERAPY
My theory is based on anecdotal evidence, a variety of research of books and publications, information from other Bowen Practitioners, and direct observations of my patients.
The "Moves" are a gentle rolling of muscles, tendons, and occasionally a nerve or ligament. They are much like a pluck of a guitar string. The moves must cause reflex arcs from the receptors in the soft tissues to the nervous system which results in the myofascial (myo=muscle / fascia = gristle and fat) unwinding. The unwinding process results in elongation and softening of the tightened myofascia. This is palpable after the moves are repeated after a few minutes rest.
Ninety seven percent of the moves are made over acupressure points. The points are receptacles for a multitude of bio-chemicals including beta endorphins. These are discussed in the Meridian section. Endorphins have been documented to have an influence on communications between the endocrine, immune, and central nervous systems. Patients often experience a runner’s high following a session. Some patients feel a euphoric state during the session. Subsequently they will experience a sense of well-being and balance.
The trickle down effects of these are more than likely to cause:
· Pain relief.
· Postural realignment.
· Improved circulation of extracellular water, lymph, and blood.
· Improved piezoelectric and thixatropic functions in the fascia.
· Reduction of adrenalin levels relieves its suppression of histamines.
· Improved Qi flow via meridian ductile systems.
· Release of toxins and narcotic residues.
· Releases memory of old traumas and emotional holding patterns that are stored in the myofascia.
· Reduced tension on the dural fascia. This and the endorphins may lead to a better balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems results from the releases. Many patients have a release of tension, anxiety, and stress following their sessions.
Most of these will be illustrated in the Missing Chapters section.
Quite often, patients feel these changes taking place while they are undergoing their treatment. Other times, shortly after. Once in a while after a week, two, or three.
I prefer to perform a series of three weekly sessions. Usually, the first session relieves the primary problem for a day or two. The second session lasts for most of the week, but slips back a little. Then, after the third session all is well. It's best to get a "Tune-up" once every month or two during the next two years so the body permanently remembers the new holding pattern.
On occasion, patients continue to unwind, experience changes in posture, and other sensations for two or more years following their last session. I believe that this is akin to the fact that when the orthodontist removes the braces which straightened the tooth sockets, a retainer must be worn for a year or two to prevent the socket from becoming crooked again. The body retains the image of the last significant position or condition.
Inserting other modalities into the body's recall system following successful Bowen results can undo the process and put the patient back to square-one. This means; Chiropractic, Massage, and other forms of Bodywork.
GENERAL RULES OF BOWEN
Changes a client might experience during treatment:
1. Flare of existing pain.
2. New pain.
3. Tingling, itching, heat, waves and ripples, indescribable sensations.
4. Sweating of hands and feet with a sticky like substance.
5. Relief of pain.
6. Remission of sore throat, sinus congestion, and headaches.
7. Emotional release.
These are good signs. Changes are taking place and indicate positive response, even if uncomfortable. Like spiking a fever before the fever subsides.
Changes a client might experience following treatment:
1. Flare of existing problem.
2. Revisiting of old problems.
3. Postural changes with accompanying aches and pains.
4. Lethargy.
5. High levels of energy.
6. Emotional releases.
7. Flu- like symptoms.
8. Nausea and vomiting if large quantities of narcotics have been used past or present.
9. Complete remission, partial remission, temporary remission, or nothing at all.
Changes, even if adverse, are positive. They indicate that things are happening for the better. Anything unpleasant usually lasts only a few hours, to a day or two.
Post treatment guidelines:
1. Drink lots of water the day of treatment. You may be dehydrated to some extent, and the toxic substances need to be flushed.
2. Walk for 10 to 20 minutes on the day of treatment. This helps to re-educate the muscles and reset a new program. It also encourages lymphatic drainage which further helps eliminate toxins. Dr. Joanne Whitaker, a retired hematologist – oncologist has performed research on the blood pre and post treatment. Whereas normal blood cells are seen microscopically pre-treatment, 20 minutes post treatment she has observed viral bodies, bacteria, spirochetes, and crystals of varying shapes and forms, in addition to the blood cells.
3. Wait 7 days before next treatment.
4. No strenuous muscle activity on the day of treatment.
5. No extreme hot or cold.
6. Warm bathing is all right. One to two cups of Apple cider vinegar in a bath tub of warm water for a 20 minute soak will help remove the released toxins.
7. No hot tub jets.
8. No massage until therapy sessions has been completed. More muscle stimulation will confuse the process that is taking place.
9. No manipulations until therapy sessions have been completed as the muscles will react and protect against the trauma of the thrust.
10.No acupuncture until therapy sessions are completed due to the amounts of energy released by the two techniques. It can be too much for you to accommodate.
11. On the day of treatment get up from sitting positions every 30 minutes and move around. Place both feet on the ground at the same time and arise on both legs evenly.
One of my long-time, regular patients illustrated the no-massage policy rule of Tom Bowen. I always took this a little lightly until Scott had his experience. Scott came to me about 5 years ago with a severe peripheral neuropathy consisting of burning in the soles of both feet. He first entered my office under the power of a wheelchair. He was unable to work, had exhausted a number of medical treatments, and now thought it might be the time to see a foot specialist. Since his pain was out of proportion to anything I had ever seen I did what my intuition told me to do, a Bowen session. His pain decreased slightly by the time the session was finished. The next week he walked in with the assistance of crutches and reported about 20% improvement in symptoms. Altogether it took 12 sessions to render Scott 100% pain-free. Scott came in now and then for a “tune-up” and about 3 years later developed the burning pain again although, not as severe as the 1st episode. This time it took 6 sessions for all the pain to resolve.
Then, he had another relapse. After the 4th or so session he said, “Well, the rule about no massage after Bowen is the real thing. “I’ve been going to the massage therapist about 5 to 6 days after my Bowen sessions, and this time the burning has been getting worse instead of better. I skipped last week’s massage and already I’m 50 % pain free.” The first two episodes he did not do any massage therapy at the same time as the Bowen and, he noticed a dramatic difference between the three experiences.
Another patient who had back pain, which was asymptomatic for a year after her first Bowen session, came in early for her “Tune-Up”, because she had a massage and while in the middle of the massage-her back pain reoccurred. SO, NO MASSAGE THERAPY? Never? No, once all is well and the unwinding has fully occurred, massages can be safely used. The same with chiropractic adjustments and acupuncture. It’s probably not wise to do them at the same time.
After all is said about the no other modality rules, there have been many patients who continue their other treatments and do just fine.
CONDITIONS THAT HAVE BEEN HELPED WITH BOWEN
The Bowen technique has been documented to improve the following medical conditions:
THIS IS NOT A MEDICAL TREATMENT!
The following, frequently improve
Ankle sprains
Anxiety
Apophysitis / Epiphysitis
Bunions
Chemotherapy side effects
Circulatory problems
Colic
Coccyx pain
Headaches
Infertility
Low & upper back pain
Neck pain
Plantar fasciitis
Postural symptoms and misalignments
Pregnancy side effects
Sacral pain
Sciatica
TMJ problems
The following, often improve
Bell’s palsy
Carpal tunnel
Colds – prodromal
Diarrhea
Digestive disorders
Fibromyalgia
Foot pain
Gallbladder problems
Hip pain
Insomnia
Knee pains
Migraines
Neuroma
Night cramps
Parkinson’s
PMS
Post Concussion syndrome
Restless legs
Short leg
Shoulder pain & loss of motion
Sinusitis
Sleep disorders
Stress disorders
Tarsal tunnel
Tendonitis
Tennis Elbow
Test anxiety & improved recall
Vasospasms / Raynaud’s
The following occasionally improve
A.D.D. / ADHD
Allergies
Arthritis
Asthma and breathing problems
Cysts
Depression
Hammertoes
Hay fever
Hypertension
Infections (viral & fungal)
In toeing gait
Irritable bowel syndrome
Lumps and bumps
Neuropathy
Reflex sympathetic dystrophy
Toe walking
Tourette’s syndrome
Vascular problems
FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF THE DIFFERENT BOWEN THERAP Y PROCEDURES – NOT ALL OF THEM ORIGINATED WITH TOM BOWEN
BASIC BOWEN PROCEDURES
BASIC RELAXATION PROCEDURE 1 - LOW BACK
BASIC RELAXATION PROCEDURE 2 - UPPER BACK – SHOULDERS
BASIC RELAXATION PROCEDURE 3 - NECK
HAMSTRINGS PROCEDURE
MID BACK & THORACIC LUMBAR aka KIDNEY PROCEDURE
LOWER RESPIRATORY aka ASTHMA
KNEE PROCEDURE
ANTERIOR PELVIS PROCEDURE
ANKLE PROCEDURE
UPPER RESPIRATORY aka HAY FEVER ALLERGY
TMJ PROCEDURE
PECTORAL aka BREAST PROCEDURE
ADVANCED - SPECIAL BOWEN PROCEDURES
ANTERIOR TIBIAL PROCEDURE
ARM 1 PROCEDURE
ARM 2 PROCEDURE
BUNIONS PROCEDURE
CERVICAL RELEASE PROCEDURE
CHAIRSIDE RE-BOOT PROCEDURE
COCCYX PROCEDURE
DIAPHRAGM RELEASE PROCEDURES
DIGESTIVE - ABDOMINAL PROCEDURE
EMOTIONAL RELEASE PROCEDURE
HAMMERTOES PROCEDURE
HEADACHES PROCEDURES
LONG EXTENSORS PROCEDURE
NECK PROCEDURE 2
OPTIONAL – STANDING PROCEDURE
PERONEALS PROCEDURE
POSTERIOR PELVIS PROCEDURE
POSTERIOR TIBIAL PROCEDURE
SACRAL PROCEDURE
SCIATIC PROCEDURE 1
SCIATIC PROCEDURE 2
SHOULDER 1 PROCEDURE
SHOULDER 2 PROCEDURE
SUBSTANCE DYSFUNCTION RE-SET PROCEDURE
TORSO PROCEDURE.
COMMENTS
BUNIONS
Wow! If I only knew then, what I know now, my life-and many of my patients lives would have been better. For reasons unknown, I wasn’t ready to learn about the effects of the myofascial system and foot deformities until I did, beginning in 1995.
Bunions are caused by a combination of deforming forces. Some are from shoes and stockings, d some are from musculoskeletal dysfunctions. I often pondered why the surgical correction I performed was often impeccable, but the results were less than desired. Many times, the bunion and hallux deformity recurred, months after successful surgery! Most often, surgery remained successful. So why, were there a percentage of failures?
One of my favorite cases is illustrated by the following:
Chuck’s mother, who was a regular patient, asked me if I would see if I could help son’s foot problems. She said, “Chuck is studying Nursing and he has feet like mine. I'm afraid he won’t be able to stand and walk on concrete floors as required during the normal work shift.” When I first saw Chuck he had all of the foot problems his mother had informed me about. He had bunions, hammertoes, and flat feet. He also had the familiar hip and low back pain that many times follows the unstable feet. I introduced him to my foot rehabilitation and Bowen combination.
After the first week he noted marked improvement. After the second week he returned with improved skin color and a sparkle in his eyes which were not there before. He informed me that he'd gotten his first “A” in a test after 2 years of nursing school. He told me how he “crammed for exams, and on the day of the test would kind of choke, and thus “B’s” had been about the best he could do. Also he said, “While I was at my internship last night I was charting patient notes, and all of a sudden I seemed to get everything together.” He went on to say,” I was afraid that I wasn't going to be a very good nurse because even though I could memorize the material and pass the tests, it didn't make a lot of sense. Now it's all come together.” I finished his treatments, made him orthotics, and told him to come back once in a while for a tune-up.
A few weeks later Mildred brought her mother for an appointment. Mother didn’t speak very fluent English so Mildred told me, “My mother is not eating very well and she has no energy. I know that you are a Foot Doctor, but I want you to give my mother one of those treatments that you do - I go to school with Chuck!” She went on to tell me that about a month ago she noticed a change in Chuck’s demeanor. His entire persona had a new character, and she had to ask him what was going on. When he told her that he was having Bowen Therapy and that's all that was different in his life, Mildred concluded that this was responsible in the change in Chuck’s life. Following graduation, I heard via the grapevine that Chuck got 100% on his State Board of Nursing exam. He also has a very good job and has received promotions very quickly. Over the next 2 years Chuck’s mother came in every 2 to 3 months for treatment of her corns and calluses. I often asked how Chuck was doing, and she always said that he was, “Doing real fine and he was planning to come by for a tune up.” One day, he was with his mother during her treatment and we got to talking. I asked,” How are your feet doing?” He replied, “Great. My feet have zero pain, and my toes are all straight on my left foot. The bunion on my right foot is improving. At the first of the year my toe was bent about 30 degrees. Now it’s only about 15 to 20 degrees. I think by the end of the year it will be straight.” Amazing! I hadn’t touched him in well over two years and he is still processing. I looked at his mom’s feet, which were all deformed with hammertoes and bunions. She'd had ‘corrective foot surgery’ by an orthopedist 4 years before, and her toes were straight for a year or so and then began to re-deform. Something's wrong with this picture. She'd had surgery and her feet remain deformed. He had no surgery, and his feet are straight. Now, I can say without any reservation that you can obtain an 80% good result with foot surgery, or you can obtain an 80% or better good results with conservative treatment. This is my conclusion following many similar cases included in my bunion study, (which I decided not to publish).
EMOTIONAL CLEARING PROCEDURE
This case history illustrates; the power of body-mind–body connection. How to Ctrl-Alt-Delete, and how the subconscious mind can be influenced by something in writing connected with a body part. Emoto showed that water crystals can be influenced by; the written word, spoken words, thoughts, music, and pictures. This is one of the Missing Chapters in the Western Medicine Repair Manual.
Jan was referred back to me about three months after I had referred her to a naturopath friend for allergy clearings. Apparently she was holding on to some symptoms due to an emotional holding which was blocking the clearing process. My friend called and asked me if Bowen could help her by inducing an emotional release. I said, “It might. I’ve had a number of patients release spontaneously over the years, so I could give it a try.” This was prior to my learning about emotional release from John Barnes and John Upledger. At this point, my experience with emotional clearing was minimal.
The first session we both intended that she release whatever negative emotion she would like to release at that time. Nothing happened. We attempted this approach a second session, with a little more intent, at least on my part. Nothing happened. We proceeded with a third session, and this time I asked her what the issue was she was trying to release. She told me the details about an incident with her father at age five, who made her very angry, and she had never forgiven him for it. I had her write on a piece of paper, “I release all of my anger toward my father because of what he did to me.” She held this in her left hand during a full body Basic Bowen session. That’s all. Since then, I think that it is more effective to hold the paper in the right hand. The right hand is our giving hand. And what we want to do is to give away the emotional baggage that was given to us by some loved one, or S.O.B.
She returned a week later to report that she had experienced a great deal of anger toward her children for two days following the session. Now it had disappeared along with the physical symptoms she had been dealing with the past years. Last word from her two years after, she had re-married, was living calm and peaceful life without any anger issues.
This is what spawned the idea for me to clear other body-mind dysfunctions which sometimes lead to cravings, allergies, and overweight. I still have not figured out the weight issue completely.
So, all you need to do is discuss with your client the possibility of some emotional holding which they are preserving. If they know what that is, they can write it on a piece of paper. I’ve been told pencil works better than ink? Then, hold it in their hand during their regular Bowen session. You don’t have to be privy to the information, so that they do not have to reveal it to you in order to have a clearing. Sometimes the release takes place during the session, and if it does stay with the client and encourage a complete release. Follow any physical movements they make and prevent any untoward injury. Other times, they will release later on that day or the next few days. More on emotional blocks and clearing is explained in the Missing Chapters section.
HAMMERTOES PROCEDURE
There are variances in, and many causes of hammertoes. A good rule of thumb is that if the toe / toes are flexible, there is a chance they may straighten with the proper release and rebalancing techniques. Remembering that there are many causative factors; elongated bones causing retrograde shoe and stocking pressure with buckling of the joints, weakened interossei and lumbricales muscles from low back denervation, prolonged use of high heel shoes which deviates the axis of the M-P joints and weakens the lumbricales and interossei, post fracture of phalanges and metatarsals, repetitive M-P joint trauma (2nd most often), and idiopathic tightening of the long extensors, and or flexors, are the most common causes of hammertoes. When the boney structure is abnormal, or the joints are fused or dislocated, Bowen Re-Set likely will not correct the deformities.
If you find a podiatrist who will perform a traction manipulation of the toe under local anesthetic you may save yourself from surgery. If they don’t know how to do this procedure, have them write or call me and I will gladly tell them how. It’s very quick, easy, painless, and very effective.
MIGRAINES
The Million Dollar Self Help Migraine Procedure By Peter Short [email protected]
For many Migrainers waiting 5 or 7 days for the next Bowen Treatment has been too long to wait. There is only one person who is Johnny-on-the spot when someone has a migraine so I have modified my system so as these people are able to take charge of their lives and live it to the full.
As this procedure is targeted at the general public who presumably know little about Bowen and only basic anatomy, this Migraine procedure is described in lay persons jargon.
First and most important is the testing procedure. It is most important that you are able to identify that you have a migraine problem so as you know when the correction you are about to make, has been done correctly.
The Test by running the palm of your hand over your head, just above your hair, (and you have a headache or migraine), you should feel a warm spot just over the fontanel. That is the spot about half way between the middle of your eyebrows and the very top of your head. For those who can’t feel any warm spot, (and you have a headache), you may have to get another person to do the test for you. Not all but most people with a headache can feel this warm spot. Having successfully confirmed your “Warm Spot” you are now able to proceed to the “First Correction”.
First Correction:
In a standing position with your feet apart, reach down to the end of your tail bone and feel the depression on each side between there and your buttock (preferably done through light clothing or bare skin). With your middle finger of each hand (one at a time) make a slow firm dragging move up and out on a 45d angle towards each elbow. This completes the first part of the correction. You may notice a small change of intensity of your migraine or headache at this time.
Second test:
By again running your hand over your head you will be amazed that the original warm spot has gone and you will now find it (about 2 inches further back) at the very top of your head. This confirms that your first moves, beside your tail bone were successful. This change usually happens within seconds so if it hasn’t changed as above, repeat stage one and wait for the change.
Second correction:
It may be necessary to ask a second person to help you with this next procedure. It involves taking each arm (one at a time) and take it as far as possible across your chest. Then giving the end of your shoulder (the boney bit) a firm bump with a closed fist towards the spine—always to the comfort of the person being bumped). This can be done by the patient if they are flexible enough but better by a second person.
Third Test:
Your test this time should confirm there are no warm spots now left on your head (or the warm spot is getting less intense) and drink extra water to help flush toxins from your body. For some people there is a lingering ache left above one eye or at the back of the head. This should disappear within an hour or so ( It is sometimes good to rest for a time to let the correction work).
If you have followed the directions and felt the changes to the warm spots as described above you should now be feeling nearer to that MILLION DOLLAR FEELING. This procedure can be repeated once or twice a week or daily, to the comfort of the person concerned.
Note: All those with migraines and headaches will have the warm spot described. Many other people will also have the warm spot and no headache or migraine but usually they will respond positively to the above process.
STANDING OPTIONAL PROCEDURE
Milton first taught me this procedure during one of our fireside chats circa 2000. He told me to, “Use this when your client is in so much pain that they can’t get up on the table. It will relax them so they can move a little better, and then they can get up on the table”. I filed this into my data bank and went about my business. On occasion, this procedure was helpful for patients who were in acute spasms and couldn’t climb up onto the table. It enabled them to be slightly more mobile, and it only took a minute or so to do.
K.C, one of my long time, regular patients said, “Oh my God. I met your guru, Uncle Milty. I went to his house with a friend and he cleared up my gallbladder problem. Just to think, that I was going to have surgery for my gallbladder, and now I won’t!” I was happy for her and we talked a bit about Milton and Bowen during the rest of her podiatry visit that morning.
Milton passed in January of 2003. A few months before I left California and my podiatry practice, K.C. was in for her podiatry appointment. She lamented, “Oh, I sure wish our Uncle Milty was still here. My gallbladder problem has resurfaced and my doctor wants me to have surgery. I am having a second opinion tomorrow. I remember how he (Milton) fixed my problem and that was over 4 years ago.” I mentioned, “I can give you a Bowen session.” She said, “That’s right, I forgot you do Bowen too. I’ll schedule an appointment after I get my second opinion.”
I overheard my nurse bringing K.C. into one of my Bowen rooms. She said, “This is your first Bowen with Dr. Mosher isn’t it? You need to take your shoes off and lay face down on the table with your feet on the pillow and your face in the face cradle.” K.C. replied, “Oh no. I don’t have to lie down, we can just do it standing up.” I was on to what she was referring to so, I quickly stepped in to save an argument. I said, “K.C. you mean to tell me that all Milton did for you that time you saw him was the standing (Optional) procedure?” She replied, “That’s right. He did it right there in his living room and I was fine all those years.” So—I did the standing Optional Procedure for her, and she has been fine ever since. I talk to my former office staff now and then, and they keep me posted on patients I was fond of.
At massage school I performed this procedure on a number of classmates with equally good results.
SUBSTANCE DYSFUNCTION
A friend of mine who practices Naturopathy told me of a technique she uses to remove allergic responses by the mind – body. She learned the technique from Dr. Devi Nambudripad, who is a chiropractor & acupuncturist. Devi accidentally discovered that by holding an allergen in the left hand and stimulating some acupoints along the bladder and governing vessel meridians, up the back and along the spine, the mind-body association to the allergen can be broken.
Eggs - My Introduction to N.A.E.T.
My Naturopathic friend Jean determined that I was allergic to eggs plus some other things. When she told me so, I recalled that whenever I ate eggs, which I really enjoyed, I felt very sluggish and spaced out the rest of the day until around 4:00 PM. She wrote eggs on a piece of paper and had me hold it in my left hand. She then made some little circular moves on both sides of the vertebrae from the lumbar to the occipital base. She repeated a couple of times then had me discard the paper. I was advised not to eat eggs for 4 days during which time I’d be processing. After she did the N.A.E.T. clearing on me, I've had no further symptoms after eating eggs. I will explain this concept further in the Missing Chapters section on the Body-Mind Connection.
My logic was that the moves she made on me were in the same locations as many of the Bowen moves in the Basic Procedures. So I began having my patients hold either the actual substance, or what it was written on a piece of paper. This system works almost every time I use it. It also works to reduce or eliminate cravings.
MISSING CHAPTERS
FROM THE WESTERN MEDICAL REPAIR MANUAL
INTRODUCTION
Let's pretend; your BMW isn't running quite right, it’s hard to start in the morning when it is cold. It dies when you stop at the stop light. The gas consumption is up, and there is a little hesitation or bucking effect as you accelerate. You take it in to the BMW specialist and leave it for the day. They put it on their diagnostic analyzer and get a read-out. It does not show anything out of the normal ranges. So, they adjust the fuel injectors, since that seems to be one of the symptoms. They call you at work and tell you that they think they have it resolved and, for you to pick up your vehicle on your way home.
You drive your BMW home and it seems to run a little better. But, the next morning it does the same old things. So, you take it back to the specialist and they do some more research and dig a little deeper. They adjust some more settings and fiddle a little more with the fuel injectors. You pick your car up and the next morning the same things happen again.
At this point, you become dissatisfied and go to another mechanic for a second opinion. One of your co-workers sings the praises of this other BMW Repair Shop. She has the hottest shop in town. She has all of the latest bells and whistles. She tells you that she can most certainly solve your car's problems. Only problem, same ole-same ole. You pay her and drive off to find your BMW runs about the same.
Here is the crux of your pretend dilemma. They, and their analyzers, are both missing two important sections of the BMW repair manual; timing systems and exhaust systems! No wonder they can't get your prized BMW running right.
Well, when the medical doctor says," We've performed all the tests, and examinations, but do not know what you have?" Or, "You have Fibromyalgia because you have 12 of the 21 points that are tender. We can't fix your problem, but we hope to be able to keep you comfortable. Let's try this or that." Or, "Oh, there's a Fibromyalgia Support Group that meets on Tuesdays at the YMCA." This is analogous to the BMW scenario. The labs, x-rays, MRI's, CT scans, PET scans, Ultrasounds, Endoscopes, and Arthroscopes can't analyze these missing systems, and the doctors aren't trained in the assessment and treatment of them either. Keep in mind that doctors couldn't believe in, or deal with bacteria, viruses, funguses, parasites, and spirochetes in the 1800's. They couldn't see them, so they wouldn't believe that there were such things! That is, until Leuwenhoek invented the microscope.
I once listened to an audio cassette tape titled, "Dead Doctors Don't Lie", by a Dr. Joel Wallach. As my enlightenments unfolded, I realized that, "Live Doctors Don't Always Tell the Truth!" I can say this because I've been there and done that. I didn't always tell the truth, just as other doctors don't always tell the truth. That's because we didn't learn it. I thought that I was most of the time, but not always. In defense of the Medical Profession, the establishment via the university systems and professional organizations teach doctors what they want to teach us. The teachings are about; surgical procedures, pharmaceuticals, and other technological devices which are usually about income for the presenters. Doctors must follow the standard of care for fear of peer pressures, loss of licensure, and liability issues. So, we do what we're told to do and we don't question authority. Acceptance and utilization of unorthodox methods can mean professional and financial ruin.
THE MISSING CHAPTERS ARE:
The Fascial System - the largest organ system in the physical body, aka Connective Tissues. THE FAT AND GRISTLE ON THE ROAST BEEF
The Direct Current System - the 3rd dimension of the nervous system, aka electromagnetism. YOUR 9 VOLT BATTERY GENERATOR.
The Meridian System - The most extensive system in the body.
The Emotional System – The least understood system of the body-mind.
The Body – Mind – Body Connection – The next least understood system.
The Irrigation System – The Perfect Water.
Medical Investigation - Thinking and looking outside of the box. What the doctors don’t or won’t do.
MISSING CHAPTER 1
THE FASCIAL SYSTEM
Fascia is a loose connective tissue compared with bone which is dense connective tissue. There is a ditty that goes, "The foot bone’s connected to the leg bone - the leg bone’s connected to the thigh bone - the thigh bone’s connected to the hip bone - ya dee ya ya ya. The hip bone’s connected to the back bone-the back bone’s connected to the shoulder bone - the shoulder bone’s connected to the neck bone - the neck bone’s connected to the head bone - ya dee ya ya ya."
Besides a chain of connections between the skeletal parts of the musculoskeletal system, there is an even larger network of connective tissue which is interconnected amongst it called the fascial system. It’s the gristle and fat on the steak and the little white specks inside the meat. This system covers all structures, organs, and cells from head to toe, front to back, side to side and inside to outside. Think about piling thousands of full-body thermal suits on top of one another and connecting them together. That’s about how the fascia system is. There is a superficial fascia from the base of the skull to the tips of the fingers and toes. Fat, more connective tissue, is attached to the outer layer, Panniculus Adiposus which is adjacent to an inner elastic layer both of which makes up the superficial fascia. There is fascial surrounding the muscle compartments, muscle fascicles, muscle fibers, and myofibrils collectively called the myofascia, Paramysium, Epimysium, Endomysium. It has been estimated that the average human body contains approximately 65,000 linear miles of striated muscle fibers. Each fiber contains hundreds to thousands of myofibrils and myofilaments. Take an average of 1,000 and multiply X 65,000 = 65 million linear miles of myofascia in the average human body.
Fascia surrounds the brain, the brainstem, and spinal cord called the Dural fascia. As the spinal nerves pass through the vertebral foramen the dural fascia is re-named the myelin sheath of nerve. The lungs are coated with pleural fascia, the heart with pericardial fascia, the abdominal organs peritoneal fascia, the uro-genital organs with perineal fascia, the bone with periosteal fascia. Then, there are transverse bands of fascia from front to back and side to side; 1. In the floor of the pelvis, 2. The respiratory diaphragm, 3.Under the collarbone- the thoracic inlet, 4. Under the chin with hyoid fascia, 5.At the base of the cranium with cranial base fascia, and 6.Joint capsules. In addition there is a thin veil of fascia adjacent to the cytoskeleton of every non-circulating cell in the body as well as para tendons, and retinaculums. That’s a whole lot of tissue all connected to one another. These connective tissues allow the body to maintain shape, protect the structures from outside forces, and some scholars feel it aids in cellular functions such as respiration, digestion, reproduction, and excretion. I believe that the fascia is a component of the 3rd dimension of the nervous system which is described in the next section on the direct currents.
HISTOLOGY & PHYSIOLOGY OF FASCIA
The fascia is made up of three significant structures; collagen, elastin, and a ground substance consisting of a colloid gel matrix which contains hyaluronic acid and mucopolysaccharides. The collagen part provides the protective-supportive function. The colloid gel acts as a shock absorber. And, the elastin allows for stretch. It’s like a balloon filled with orange marmalade. The elastin is the balloon. The jelly is the colloid gel. The orange rind is the collagen.
There are two properties of the fascia that are of vital importance, neither of which is discussed in medical physiology books at my last search. First, the collagen has three protein strands, one of which is a crystalline band. All crystalline structures can generate piezoelectricity. "Piezo" means push in Greek. When the fascia is stretched, direct currents positive cations are pushed out of the crystalline strand, and when the fascia is compressed negative anions are pushed out of the crystalline strands. Secondly, the colloid gel is "thixotropic". This means that the gel can convert to a liquid when heated or stretched, and then returns to a gel when cooled. Therefore, we have within us a liquid, conductor - crystal, generator system, which can generate and conduct D.C.’s, direct currents. These are discussed in the next chapter.
Orthodontia is based on this piezoelectric effect. When the bands are applied to the teeth and stress is transmitted through the tooth down into the boney socket, piezoelectricity is generated from two structures. One, is the periosteum, connective tissue/fascia, which has a crystalline strand in the protein part of the collagen. The second is the hydroxy apetite crystalline part of the bone, also connective tissue. Dr. Becker applied stress to dead bones and found that they were capable of generating direct currents. Thus, the production of positive and negative electromagnetic charges stimulates the cellular activities which are instrumental in the remodeling of the bone. See section on Direct Currents for all of these effects.
MYOFASCIAL UNWINDING
Which comes first, the chicken or the egg? In the myofascial system, which comes first? The myo or the fascia? During my surgical career, when dissecting the fascia, it was very difficult to separate the muscle tissue from the fascial tissue without sacrificing a little of one or the other. Grilling experiences have been the same. When trying to remove the gristle and fat from the steak, there’s always; a little steak on the gristle. Or there’s a little gristle left on the steak. It matters not which is which, but that they both unwind as a result of the Reflex Arcs caused during the Bowen Therapy. This can be witnessed frequently on the Rhomboid Muscles after the "Boomerang Moves" in the upper back procedure. While doing the first movements to the muscles, nodules can often be palpated. When the movements are repeated a few minutes later, the nodules are usually gone completely, or at least significantly reduced in size.
I’ve also witnessed the unwinding to continue for many years after the patient's last session. I believe that two important things occur during and after the unwinding; 1. The muscles elongate and develop improved function, 2. The fascia becomes anatomically aligned. Multiple other changes follow these first two; A. there can be a release of lactic acid build-up, B. the meridians that pass through the fascia can flow more freely, C. emotional memories can be released from the fascia, D. piezoelectric and thixotropic function is restored, E. endorphins are released and communication between the immune-central-endocrine systems are improved, and F. entrapped energies, energy cysts, are freed up.
For a visual of the fascia connective tissue, watch, STROLLING UNDER THE SKIN on You Tube. While you're there, watch John F. Barnes, MYOFASCIAL UNWINDING.
MISSING CHAPTER 2
THE DIRECT CURRENT SYSTEM
MICRO-CURRENTS
My interest in this chapter began when I started using TENS transcutaneous, electrical, neural stimulation units on my patients to control post-operative pain following foot surgery. Later in my career, MENS - micro-current, electrical neural stimulation units were used to help patient’s foot problems. My interest in how these trickles of electricity could have such amazing effects on patient’s foot problems and healings led me to a lot of information in the archives.
Two experiences that led me down this trail follow. When performing bunion surgery we placed sterile TENS electrodes on both sides the skin incision. The wires came through the gauze dressing for attachment to the TENS unit. Inside the units were dials to adjust the currents. Two modulations were used, one for pain control as needed, and the other setting for healing. These were used at least three times a day for 20 minutes each. In most all cases, post-surgery X-Rays three to four weeks later revealed that the line which shows where the bone was transected was non-apparent. Meaning, the bone had healed back together. In cases when we didn't use the TENS units, at this point in time post-surgery, the radiolucent line was quite visible on the X-Ray.
My second experience was when the physiatrist doctor an M.D. who specializes in Physical Medicine came to my office to set up my new MENS machine, which was quite pricey. He opened the back of the machine and placed six "C" cell batteries in the unit much to my surprise. I asked, "Is that what powers this machine?" He said, "Yep. That's all it takes." I then questioned him on how often did they have to be replaced? He replied, "They'll last a year or two." This amazed me, especially in light of how much my patients benefited from the use of the loaner machine I used during a two week trial period. Pain was relieved by the end of a 20 minute session. Foot problems that usually took a month to resolve got better in a week or two.
This was pre internet, so I asked the hospital librarian to do a "Med-Line" search of the available literature on electrical current and wound healing. She called me later that day and asked, "How far back in time do you want me to search?" After a moment’s thought I told her, "How about 20 years." The next day, my mail box at the hospital was crammed with a rolled up sheet of computer paper. There were summaries of over two hundred studies on electrical current and wound repair, most of which were favorable.
In the mix were a number of studies done on laboratory animals which researchers implanted cancer cells. When the lesions grew to a certain size, electrical currents were placed over the tumors. In all cases where positive polarity was applied, the lesions either reduced in size, or were eliminated. Whereas in the negative polarity groups the tumors continued to grow. The last study was in 1977. This was the date when chemotherapy was introduced to the medical profession by Dr. Bender.
I used to build my own electrical generators which I called "Little Black Boxes." Small plastic battery receptacles that held four "C" cell batteries were what were used. I lengthened the wires and added alligator clips to the ends of the black negative and red positive wires. We applied the currents to lesions on patients in my practice. I had removed a toenail and bone spur from the large toe of a teenage patient. About two weeks after surgery it appeared to be infected. Mother refused antibiotics, so I had them apply the positive currents three times a day for the bacteriostatic effect. A week later the infection had cleared, but the skin edges had not closed together. So, I had them apply the negative current to the wound site. Two weeks later, the toe was quite swollen, so we took x-rays. Lo and behold, there was a large square patch of calcium on the top of the toe bone where it was still healing from the surgery done four weeks prior. Bone takes six to eight weeks to heal. I didn't think of that when I instructed them to use the negative current for healing, and it caused the build-up of calcium!
Our body electric is much like our homes; 110 Volt & 220 Volt systems operate many of our household appliances, computers, heaters, water pumps, lights and stereos. Direct Current D.C. with positive and negative polarities powers the smoke detectors, doorbells, intercoms, and stereo speakers. These electrical currents travel via wiring systems which are turned on and off with switches and breakers and are modulated by transformers, capacitors and resisters, and reducers.
Our body operates in a similar fashion. The 1st dimension is the central nervous system. The 2nd dimension is the peripheral nervous system consisting of the; Voluntary nervous system sensory and motor nerves and the involuntary/autonomic nervous system sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves. There is a 3rd dimension which is the Direct Current D.C. system = micro-currents. The D.C system is probably conducted via the meridian ductule system, the nerve sheaths myelin sheath, intra-cellular and extra-cellular water, and the colloid gel matrix of the fascia. This colloid gel turns to a liquid form when heated and stretched, called "thixotropic". Some data has been gathered by Dr. Robert O. Becker and Bruce Lipton, PhD, which supports this probability.
The collagen within the fascia is made up from proteins which contain crystalline strands. These crystalline structures generate micro-currents called "piezoelectricity". This is one of the systems that create micro-currents. Another generator is the cell membrane system. The cell membrane has a liquid crystal component. The micro-currents are instrumental in modulating wound and tissue repair, healing of fractures, bone and scar remodeling, and cellular regeneration by way of influencing cellular activities.
Our body electric has been measured and has shown a positive polarity through the central nervous system and the central part of the physical body. The extremities and peripheral tissues consist of negative polarity. An unfertile egg also is positive in the middle and negative on the perimeter.
The effects of positive and negative polarity on cellular and tissue activities have been studied extensively around the world during the past 50 years, or more.
POSITIVE / CATIONS = MOSTLY ANTIBIOLOGICAL / CATABOLIC
*1. Anti-carcinogenic – reverses cancer.
2. Attracts macrophages – cells that clean up
debris / release endorphins.
3. Bacteriostatic – stops reproduction of
organisms.
4. Bactericidal if combined with silver ions –
kills organisms.
5. Causes bone to reabsorb = Wolf’s Law of
Bone. Orthodontia
6. Denatures protein.
7. Prevents post ischemic lipid per oxidation.
8. Promotes epithelial growth and
organization.
9. Reduces keloids and scars.
10. Reduces fibrosis.
11. Reduces tensile strength of wounds.
12. Repels mast cells – inflammation and
allergy cells.
13. Retards biological growth.
14. Stimulates osteoclastic activity- cells that
reabsorb bone.
15. Vasoconstrictive.
NEGATIVE / ANIONS = MOSTLY BIOLOGICAL / ANABOLIC
1. Attracts neutrophils – cells that fight infection.
2. Decreases edema – swelling.
3. Increases fibroblastic activity - cells that form
collagen.
4. Increases fibroblastic proliferation and
collagen formation.
5. Increases growth factor receptor sites on
fibroblasts.
6. Increases repair and regeneration.
7. Induces epidermal cell migration.
8. Lyses necrotic tissue – dead tissue.
9. Stimulates granulation tissue.
10. Stimulates osteocytes bone marrow cells to
migrate to a fracture site in order to form
crystalline hydroxy apatite for the formation
of calcium for fracture repair or bone
remodeling.
11. Stimulates osteoblastic activity-cells that
form bone matrix. Orthodontia
12. Stimulates dendrite formation directionally.
13. Vasodilatation.
Dr. Robert O. Becker, M.D. found that when one cuts a finger, the negative polarity shifts to positive for about five days. Following that, the polarity shifts back to negative and increases in amperage until day 21, at which time the polarity gradually returns to its normal resting state. Wound repair takes place, generally as follows. At the time of the cut platelets clump together, we usually place a band aid and a little compression, and the cations constrict the capillaries all of which help to stop the bleeding. The cations also help to keep the wound from infection due to its bacteriostatic effects. A thrombin clot with aid of fibrinogen seals the wound and forms a scaffold for further healing by collagen. Cations stimulate macrophages which clean up the dead cells and debris at the wound site. Macrophages release endorphins which reduces pain. All of this transpires during the first 5 days. Next, negative anion micro-currents intensify during the next 14 to 16 days and attract the fibroblasts to come to the wound site, proliferate, open receptor sites on the fibroblasts for hormone peptide growth factors. The fibroblasts then form pro-collagen and collagen which is our very own supply of super-glue. All, as a result of the anions. This intensification of micro-currents explains why wounds often tingle and itch around two weeks after the injury. I used to tell my patients, "Oh, that's the nerves reconnecting." That sounded good to me, and they always accepted my explanation, but it wasn't the truth. Usually at about day 21 the wound has its maximum tensile strength so the anions lower back down to the normal basal resting state. Then, for the next six months to one year the scar re-organizes remodeling phase. If you check the effects of the currents they pretty much correlate to the phases of wound repair. I speculate that if Dr. Becker had carried on his measurements at the wound site for months after the initial healing process, he probably would have charted intense positive charges which are responsible for the absorption of scar tissue. The chart on the following page shows the process.
Doctor Becker wanted to know what structures or circuits these currents flowed through and performed the following experiment. He removed a section of the sciatic nerve from the leg in a rat and then confirmed the de-nerving by nerve conduction studies to the distal fibula. He then fractured the distal fibula - outer ankle bone. He noted that even though the nerve had not reconnected by the time the fractures had healed, the fracture healed in spite. Although, the fracture healing time was delayed two to four weeks.
He then studied three groups of rats, where the first group he sectioned the nerve and waited five days to fracture the bone, the second group he waited 10 days, and the third group he waited 15 days. All three groups healed in the usual four weeks’ time. He concluded that something happened those first five days. He then severed the nerve in another rat, waited 5 days, and then took the wound apart. He visualized a thin film of tissue bridging the gap between the cut nerve ends. When he looked at the tissue with a microscope he observed Schwann cells, which are the main cells of the nerve sheath myelin sheath.
Therefore, the nerve sheath probably conducts the D.C. flow or, possibly the meridian that runs along the nerve as we will discover later. Or, possibly the fascia is the conductor, as the fascia surrounds every cell in the body, and the nerve sheath is really a brand of connective fascial tissue.
Doctor Becker made an interesting observation. Over all of the years that he performed experiments on animals, fracturing bones and observing them heal they never had any non-unions of the fractures. He didn't immobilize the limbs either. No casts, no pins, plates, or screws. He let the animals run around the cages, and there were only mal-unions and delayed unions. He said, "Only people get non-unions." About 1 non-union per 1,000 fractures. Even though, they are immobilized internally, and or externally. He didn't pursue this notion, but I have pondered it and my theory is that animals; have less stress than people, follow a natural diet, and they do lots of stretching. The stretching maintains fascial integrity and resultant "piezoelectricity" & "thixotropic". How many times a day do you see the average person stretch? How many times a day do you stretch? Animals stretch every chance they get.
Following is an interesting case which corresponds with some of these findings:
16 YEARS POST ANKLE FRACTURE
Big John came to my office for his initial visit. He said, "I need one of those Bowen treatments you do. My friend Peter says they are a miracle. You fixed his back pain with one treatment and my back is killing me, so can you fix me too?" I replied, "First of all I am a Foot Doctor and I don't treat back pain. Secondly, who's Peter?" He said, "I can’t remember his last name, but he brought me here, he’s waiting in the car out front." He went on to say, "Now I remember, he came to you with a foot problem and when you treated him for that his back got better. I have a pain in my foot right here, as he pointed to a spot on the top of his arch, you could give me a treatment for that, right mate?" I then said, "All right, lay on the table with your feet on the pillow and your head in the face cradle", and I began a session. When I returned to the room after the customary three minute rest between the procedures to the muscles, he said, "I remember Peter’s last name mate, it’s Hubbard." After I completed the next series of movements, I went to the chart files and pulled Peter Hubbard’s chart. When I glanced at my chart notes I remembered the patient and the incident. Peter had been in a car-motorcycle accident at age sixteen. His right ankle had been badly fractured. He'd had many surgical procedures, two years of physical therapy, a set of custom foot orthotics, and done home therapy exercises over the years. He was told at age nineteen that what he can see is what he’s got and he was stuck with a permanent clubfoot deformity. He also had post-traumatic arthritis in the ankle and subtalar under the ankle joints.
On the day of Peter’s first visit he told me his story, and was concerned about his orthotics not fitting properly as he had them for many years. His leg muscle was in spasm, and he was walking differently due to these problems. I don't remember, nor did I note in the chart anything about back pain. But, it's very frequent that when one favors a foot deformity or pain they will experience back pain. I gave Peter a Bowen treatment for the muscle spasm and the other postural pains he was experiencing. I kept his orthotics for a week in order to refurbish them, and he came for a second appointment a week later. I gave him a second Bowen treatment, placed the orthotics in his shoe and reappointed him for one week for a follow up visit which he failed to keep.
When I finished looking at his chart my curiosity got the best of me and I walked out of my office to the parking lot and saw him sitting in the passenger seat reading a book. I said, "Hi Peter. Thanks for bringing Big John for a treatment. What's going on?" He looked up and replied, "Oh, Dr. Mosher! I’m sorry I never came back to thank you for taking care of me. I know that you’re very busy and I didn’t want to bother you and I am lousy at writing letters." I inquired as to what had transpired and he told me the following. He didn't return for the follow up visit because he didn't notice any difference in the symptoms and pain he was experiencing after the two Bowen sessions. However, four weeks after the treatments, while retiring to bed one night his ankle started to itch quite badly. Not in the skin, but, "way down deep." It had kept him awake for a couple of hours, and then subsided enough for him to dose off. During the night the itching would wake him up, but then he would go back to a light sleep. When he got up the next morning his foot and ankle were noticeably more limber, and slightly less painful. The same thing happened four weeks later, and four weeks after that. He said that, "About every four weeks for about 14 months his foot would itch at bedtime for one night only, and each time he noticed better range of motion and lessened pain upon arising the next morning." Presently, he had no further foot deformity, no leg muscle spasms, and no more back pain. I have seen Peter off and on over the years for minor "tune-ups" and he remains just fine with regards to his ankle. He recalled on one occasion, that when he told me that afternoon at my office parking lot that he was all better, he really was only about 90% better. It took another year to a year and a half to get all the way well.
So, that shows he went through a three to four year unwinding process. Also, it is interesting that the majority of his recovery took 14 months, and he was 14 years post injury? That’s one month for every year, and on a monthly cycle? I grilled him on two occasions, one in the parking lot, and another on the visit when he told me it took another year and a half to get the rest of the way back to normal; did he do any other modalities, change diet, take supplements, or herbs. And, he responded with a definite, "No."
FOUR YEARS POST BUNIONECTOMY
Shortly after the previous case unfolded, a lady came to my practice with a postoperative bunionectomy performed by another foot surgeon. She had problems healing the surgery which resulted in sesamoiditis, inflammation of the small bone beneath the large toe joint. She was four years following surgery that she was not sure she should have undergone. She said that, "The surgery never healed right, and I have had stiffness in my joint, aching, swelling in my 2nd toe, and now this pain under the joint." She also complained of pain in her hip and lower back from favoring the painful foot problems. Examination revealed restricted joint motion, fibular sesamoid pain, and sub 2nd metatarsal capsulitis and swelling beneath the metatarsal head, ball of the foot. Not wanting to do more than one thing at a time, otherwise I wouldn’t know which one was doing what, I gave her a Bowen session that 1st visit in order to relieve the back and hip pain. Guess what she told me when she came back the next week for follow-up? She noted off and on itching down in the joint all week long and most of the pain had resolved. The 2nd and 3rd weeks she did not experience any pruritus / itching, but the range of motion gradually improved, and the aching resolved, so she was discharged totally asymptomatic.
I conclude that the surgical repair site was stuck on a negative polarity and was not switching to positive for some unknown reason. Positive polarity is responsible for scar remodeling.
ANOTHER POSTOPERATIVE BUNIONECTOMY
I had an experience many years prior with a nurse who worked at the hospital, which I was on staff. She was one of the first Austin osteotomy break the bone and re-set it- bunionectomy procedures that I performed. As the months went by postoperatively she had persistent swelling, pain in the interspace and sub sesamoidal area, and joint stiffness. X-rays showed normal healing and alignment. Physical therapy, home exercises, strappings, orthotics, immobilization, NSAIDS, and a steroid injection all were wasted time. Radiographs were normal with regard to alignments and osteotomy union. I felt really badly for her, and I saw her at the hospital frequently on my rounds. Whenever I inquired how she was doing she always relied, "Oh, about the same." Then one day, she came to my office without an appointment. My receptionist told me she wanted to tell me something interesting. She had a recent inner ear infection and went to the local ENT Doc., and he gave her a prescription for some kind of “cillin”. During the 1st 24 hours on antibiotics she had a pronounced tingling and itching in the 1st interspace and sesamoid area. Following which, the pain, swelling, and stiffness all resolved. Now her foot was perfect and she was happy.
I believe that she had a low-grade infection from the surgery, and the positive cations were holding the infection in check however, the healing process needs negative anions. It just couldn’t happen until the “cillin” took care of the infection and the body’s defense mechanism could shut down. I have witnessed many similar events following ingrown toenail surgeries. Patients came back four to six weeks following surgery with redness and swelling around the proximal nail fold (cuticle) area and non- healing and drainage along the nail margin where the edge of the nail was removed. I'd place them on an antibiotic and have them back in one week. Almost every time their comment is about the same. "I took those antibiotics and a couple of days later my toe began to itch. Now look at it. It’s almost healed." Sure enough, I would then note that the side of the nail margin was all closed over. Again, the D.C. must have been stuck on positive to keep the bacteria from multiplying and as soon as the bacteria were taken care of by the antibiotic, the currents shift to negative, perceived as itching, and then there is the subsequent healing. Therefore, when the integrity of the fascia is restored by the reflex arc causing the unwinding process, the liquid-crystal system is reestablished and healing can go on to completion.
MISSING CHAPTER 3
THE MERIDIAN SYSTEM
MERIDIANS AND MERIDIAN POINTS
The meridians are; .5 to 1.5 micron (1/1,000 mm.) in diameter ducts which carry bioenergy; Qi - pronounced "Chee" in China, Ki - pronounces "Key" in Japan and Korea, Pranna - pronounced "Prah Na" in the Mid-East, and Life force - in North America.
Qi consists of electrical currents, probably direct current, D.C., chemicals, and maybe more. There are 14 main meridians, 12 of which have peak cycles during 2 hour time spans during the course of the day. The meridians cycle as follows; Liver (1:00 A.M. to 3:00 A.M.), Lung (3:00 to 5:00), Large Intestine (5:00 to 7:00), Stomach (7:00 to 9:00), Spleen (9:00 to 11:00), Heart (11:00 to 1:00 P.M.), Small Intestine (1:00 to 3:00), Urinary Bladder (3:00 to 5:00), Kidney (5:00 to 7:00), Pericardium (7:00 to 9:00), Triple warmer (9:00 to 11:00), and Gallbladder (11:00 PM to 1:00 A.M.). The other 2 main meridians are the conception vessel in the front of the body and the governing vessel in the back. These meridians cycle continuously around the clock. There are numerous other collateral and distribution meridians throughout the body.
The meridians are anatomically laid out like our freeway, hi-way, by-way, street, alleyway, cull de sac systems. The meridians function like an irrigation canal system, a very slow flowing non-pressurized system. They've been measured to flow at a rate of approximately 12 inches in 4 to 8 minutes depending on which meridian is measured. This is very slow compared to the blood circulatory system, which circulates from ventricle to atrium in 14 seconds, in a normal person at rest. The meridians have been observed in chick embryos, with the aid of high-resolution microscopy and a gamma ray scanner following injection of a radioisotope. The entire system is laid out and is fully developed within 15 hours following conception. Dr. Gerber cites studies that suggest that the etheric energy field directs the formation of the meridian system. And, that the development of the body parts and organ arrangement is determined by the meridians. Otherwise, how would the heart know to develop here and the liver over there? These channels appear before any vessels, nerves, organs, or limb buds.
In another study performed in Korea, the researcher removed a portion of the liver meridian and followed up with fine needle biopsies of the liver tissues. He noted the beginning of degeneration of hepatocytes (liver cells), after 3 days. Therefore, the meridians are crucial for development and regeneration and repair.
The meridians have been isolated by a French researcher who injected a radioisotope (technetium 99) into humans at the meridian points and at random meridian points in the skin. He observed the ductile systems with a microscope connected to a gamma ray camera and notes that there is a superficial system under the skin and 4 deep systems; (1.along the vessels and lymph channels, 2. along the nerves, 3. inside the blood vessels, and 4.through the spaces around the internal organs) all of which are interconnected with each other and the superficial system by way of collaterals. Following is a photograph from this study in a 1982 edition of the National Inquirer, one of the other medical journals. Too bad it wasn't published in the Journal of the American Medical Association! The white (actually yellow-orange), is the radioisotope in the tissue space in the left frame. The right frame shows the technetium in the point and then diffusing into the ductule channel.
The meridian points have been biopsied by several researchers and the following is a summary of their findings:
1. The points are adjacent to a corpuscle diaphragm.
2. Beneath the corpuscle is a plexus of nerves and blood vessels.
3. Biochemical analysis of tissue fluids reveal;
10 times the amount of adrenalin than is in the blood.
Amino acids.
Cortisone.
DNA & RNA.
Hyaluronic acid.
16 different free nucleotides.
Estrogens, endorphins, and kinins.
Diagram of Meridian System
Additionally, Dr. Becker studied the meridians with respect to their electrical activity. There is a measurable direct current flowing throughout, at some points positive and others negative. The amperage dropped as the probe was moved along the meridian pathway and when the probe reached a meridian point the amperage increased. It is thought that the points are like transformers, which boost the flow of the currents, because electrical current loses velocity as it travels distance.
As the meridians and nerves pass through the fascial structures and while the fascial-periosteal structures conduct the liquid-crystal system, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that prolonged fascial / myofascial dysfunction may cause occlusions in the direct current bioelectrical system. Prolonged bioelectrical dysfunction will lead to cellular and biochemical dysfunction. Prolonged cellular and biochemical dysfunction may cause signs, symptoms, deformities, and disabilities. Additionally, fascial / myofascial dysfunction can lead to neuromuscular pain and skeletal misalignments. Therefore, removal of myofascial and fascial dysfunctions will improve the bioelectrical / biochemical functions which in turn will affect the cellular and biochemical functions, in addition to relieving neuromuscular pain, and deforming forces on the tissues. The reflex arcs from Bowen moves probably do all of this.
It makes you wonder how the Easterners knew all about the systems without any high- tech. They appeared to have mapped out the meridian and meridian point system about 4,000 years ago. However, when the frozen Eastern European hunter named “Itzy” sic, (discovered in a thawing glacier in Easter Europe), was carbon dated it was found that he was 5,500 years old. He had rheumatoid arthritis of the spine when they did the autopsy. Rheumatologists became very excited to learn that rheumatoid arthritis was not a modern age illness. They also found tattoos on his body placed over the meridian points which you would treat for pain in the areas where he had the arthritic processes. So, this was known about approximately 1,500 years before Qi Boy convinced the emperor of the Yellow Dynasty that acupuncture should be added to the Chinese Medicine formulary! A case that will reveal the re-establishment of meridian flow and subsequent healing of a chronic problem follows:
One Monday morning, a few months following my first Bowen class, a patient presented with a lump the size of an almond beneath the arch on the right foot. She told me that there was very little pain involved however, she was favoring it and this was causing pains in her hip and lower back. She was also concerned because we are all suspicious when a "lump" appears. I reassured her that the lump was a classical benign plantar fibroma. Only if it grew rapidly or became painful should she consider having it removed. I informed her about the therapy that I had recently discovered and that it could help her back and hip. She immediately took me up on my offer. When we were all finished, she arose from the table and said, "Oh my, I feel so good. Can I come back tomorrow for another treatment?" I told her that we should wait one week before another session and for her to make an appointment. When she returned the following week, the lump had reduced to the size of a pea and she said that she couldn't wait for another Bowen treatment. She scheduled another check on her foot and Bowen session one week later. I began the therapy prior to looking at her foot. During a point where the muscles are released on the inner thigh area she asked, "Is there any connection between that lump on my foot and my stomach?" I said, "I don't think so. Why?" She replied, "On the first visit when you released those muscles in the inner part of my thigh and left the room for me to rest, I immediately felt like a gush of worms crawling around in my stomach. All day long, I had a queasy feeling in my stomach. In addition, when I got home from work that night my stomach and gallbladder pain completely disappeared. I've not had to take any of my stomach medications for the past three weeks. I flushed $200 worth of prescriptions down the toilet this morning. When I get to work, I'm calling the gastroenterologist who has been taking care of me the past two years and canceling my appointment for the endoscope procedure at the surgery center next week." She had an endoscopy procedure done every six months to keep a check on her problem! She added, "I won’t need him anymore." I begged her not to mention my connection with any of this, as I didn't want to be in any trouble with the medical community or lose any referrals due to my deviating from the main stream. She assured me that she wouldn't and then she said, "Look at my foot." As I looked for the lump, it was almost completely gone. Now, it was about the size of a grain of rice! I found an old foot reflexology book and opened to the foot chart. Sure enough, the lump was right in the middle of the stomach and liver zone. I told her about that and she laughed, left the office quite happy, and has never returned.
Two years later, I was studying Acupuncture and recalled the incident. When I looked at the meridian chart, I saw that two of the four meridians that pass through the inner thigh and groin are the Stomach and Liver meridians. I could chalk it all up to coincidence or spontaneous remission. Or, I could believe that there was some kind of obstruction in that muscle tissue of the adductor canal and inguinal ligament which was blocking the flow of energy. When the blockage was released due to the immediate unwinding as a result of the reflex arcs, she then felt the “Gush of worms into her stomach”. Then, she healed herself. I tend to believe in the later. What is most perplexing is that the pathology reports following biopsy of these fibrous lesions in the plantar foot area always state, "Benign fibroplasia. Multiple fibroblasts and swirls of collagen." I'm not sure as to how this scar-like tissue could recede in three weeks. But, it did.
MISSING CHAPTER 4
EMOTIONAL BLOCKS
I've not yet learned even a possible explanation for the storage of emotional information in the muscles and fascia. I've had numerous patients undergo emotional releases while performing Bowen Therapy, and also in the days, weeks, and months following a session. In addition, I learned of a technique taught by John F. Barnes, PT., which he's titled, "Myofascial Unwinding", and I've facilitated a number of emotional clearings using his techniques. John Upledger, D.O., titles it, "Somato-emotional Release." I'll pass on some of the more interesting cases for you to ponder.
MY INDOCTRINATION.
An interesting experience occurred with a patient and his response, which took place the very first week I started doing Bowen Therapy. Bernard was the patient who had the arthritic large toe joint in the section on some of my successes.
When I returned to the room after I released his lower leg muscle, he was curled up in a fetal position and was quite pale and cold. My first thought was that he had fainted and was going into shock. I checked his pulse and was going to take his blood pressure when he said, "I’m okay. I’m a little cold. May I have a blanket?" I covered him up and left him alone to settle down for a few minutes. When I returned to the room, his color was a little better, but he was still chilled. I left him to lie on the table for a few more minutes. The next time I returned to check on him, he was sitting on the edge of the table looking a little haggard, but much better. I gave him his post-treatment instructions.
When he returned the following Friday, I asked how he was doing and he said, "I'm doing fantastic. I don’t have any more stress, I'm more focused, and I feel like I’ve been liberated from something that had a hold of me." He went on to tell me that the day before he had given notice at the job he had loathed, and was moving to Costa Rica within the next month to open a restaurant. This was something that he had wanted to do for quite some time but something was holding him back. He said, "Whatever you did that treatment last week released whatever it was that was holding me down." At the time, I wasn't quite sure about what had just transpired because they didn't teach us at the Bowen Workshop I took, anything about this emotional release stuff. After a couple of more experiences, and conversations with other therapists, I finally got a clue about it all. When I checked his right EHL (Extensor Hallusis Longus) Muscle, the rope was gone.
LEARNING A LITTLE MORE.
Another somato-emotional release experience was with a young lady who was referred to me by a foot surgeon a few miles away. He knew that I did Bowen Therapy, and his patient was suffering with chronic back pain. She'd been examined and treated by competent doctors, and nothing had relieved her pain. So, she wanted to try a Bowen treatment. She had heard about Bowen Therapy, since she was a Massage Therapist. Her first session was uneventful. She felt only minimal relief of the pain.
She returned two weeks later for another session. I began with the basic relaxation moves, and then did the kidney and lower respiratory moves. Then, when I returned to the room following the four minute rest after releasing the abdominal muscles, she was quietly weeping. I asked if she was all right and if she needed a blanket. She said that she was little cold and a blanket would be nice. I said, "It looks like you are releasing something. Do you want to talk about it or keep it to yourself?" She said, "I’ll tell you what it was. I had a caesarian section two years ago and it was against my will. My mother and the doctors pretty much forced me to have it, and I’ve been angry ever since. I felt like I was invaded by aliens."
After the session she was completely pain free, relaxed and has been fine ever since. This illustrates how the abdominal area is the "Front of the Back". And, how that the entire fascia is interrelated.
For those of us who are involved with bodywork, we all need to keep in mind that all of the musculoskeletal structures, including the fascia and myofascia are all connected to one another. The position and motions taking place in the feet; affect the legs, hips, pelvis, back, shoulder, neck, and head. And, twists, tilts, angulations of the pelvis; affect the feet and ankles, as well as proximal structures. Therefore, when a practitioner stimulates a release in the front, it results in a change in the back. When a release takes place at the bottom, a change takes place at the top. Lastly, when there are releases to superficial structures, changes take place in the deeper parts. This also explains why the Bowen Coccyx locks and Kidney moves help digestive disorders in adults and colic in babies. I do these along with other abdominal and torso moves for patients undergoing chemotherapy. As long as I do them once a week, they have zero nausea symptoms. If we skip a week, they experience severe nausea, and they can't wait for their next session.
MARCIA – MY VERY OWN FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE WITH EMOTIONAL RELEASE.
I suppose that it would be best to tell you just how I became aware, experienced, and enlightened on the subject of Body-Mind emotional release. By a synchronous series of events, a massage therapist came to me to have Bowen Therapy for her foot problem. At the conclusion of her first session I asked, "What types of massage therapy do you do?" She replied, "I do Myofascial Release and Myofascial Unwinding." I told her that I was familiar with Myofascial Release. I wasn't really, I just thought I was however; I wasn't acquainted with Myofascial Unwinding. When she told me about this therapy and how it helps release emotional holding patterns I felt a strong desire to have a session or two. My mother had passed a year ago, and although I was feeling over the grief and all, there was something unfinished. We arranged a trade of services at her office beginning the following week.
After I performed a Bowen treatment on her she had me sit on the edge of the massage table. Then she turned on some kind of tribal chant music on the stereo, placed the palm of one hand on the top of my hair without touching, and the other palm toward the right side of my neck. Within a minute or two I began a series of strange gyrations throughout my entire body, and, before long I was rocking back and forth from side to side. I'm not at all aware how long a time I was moving back and forth, but at some point I started to laugh. I continued laughing for quite some time, and as a few tears came to my eyes, I let out a sigh and said, "Rock a bye baby." I continued with two other series of weird movements and each time I laughed uncontrollably and let out a sigh afterward. As I was driving home I tried to figure out what had just happened. By the way, the entire session lasted 50 minutes, and it seemed like just a few. The only thing I could think of at the moment was, during my childhood we used to swing back and forth in the small, slender Bay trees to see how far we could come to touching and transferring to an adjacent tree. I was never really very good at it and my friends always kidded me about my ineptitude. A few months later as I was telling a patient about the experience, it dawned on me that I no longer have a fear of heights nor have I had any bad dreams about perilous high places. I had about 6 dreams that had repeated themselves over my entire adult life. These would occur at least twice to three times a week. I've not had one since, and this has been going on 15 years after the session. I then recalled that my mother often would sing the "Rock a Bye Baby" Nursery rhyme to me at bed- time. I can't tell you that there was any scientific explanation for this occurrence, but it sure made an impression on me.
JOHN F. BARNES – MY FIRST CLASS.
One day I received a flyer announcing a new book titled, "Healing Ancient Wounds", by John F. Barnes. John was my therapist Marcia’s teacher/guru and she always sang his praise. I immediately ordered the book, and after reading the first two chapters, I dropped everything and signed up for one of his classes in Sedona, Arizona. During the weekend of the class, I had a strong desire to experience a session at John’s clinic, so I scheduled an hour session one afternoon after the meeting. I won’t go into the details of the session, only to say that it was one of the most profound experiences I've ever had, and with a total stranger (Therapist).
MY FIRST INTENTIONAL CLEARING.
When I returned to my office the week after the seminar, I met with my office staff and told them all about the new therapies I'd learned, and of my experience. After the meeting, one of the young ladies who worked for me asked if she could try a session or two to try and release some emotional childhood sexual abuse issues. She had chronic right hip pain. She'd had acupuncture, cortisone injections, and chiropractic none of which helped. Bowen therapy only relieved her pain for a day or two. We scheduled a late afternoon session for a week later. At that time there were no apparent releases so, we scheduled another session the following week. Right away, as I was holding her feet slightly elevating her legs off the table, her feet started pointing toward each other and then her legs started swinging back and forth. After a minute she felt a pop-like sensation in her left hip (her good hip), then she started to cry. As she wept her skin got very sweaty and slimy. I had a hard time holding on to her feet as my hands kept slipping as her legs swung back and forth. After a few minutes she stopped crying and let out a sigh, that's the "Still Point" which signals the end of the release. When I approached her head and neck, they too were all sweaty and slimy. I asked, "How do you feel?" She looked up and replied with a big smile, "Great!" I sensed that this was enough for this day, so we went home.
The next morning when she came to work she told me what had transpired that night. When she got home, her entire body was sweaty and sticky so, she took a shower to wash it off. Almost immediately her right knee became quite swollen and painful (her bad hip side) and she was very tired, and so retired early. When she got up in the morning the knee was sore but not swollen and her right hip pain had gone away. She didn't experience her usual early morning, "bitchies", and she felt a tremendous burden of weight off of her. Her chronic hip pain has never returned and her life has been quite a bit better since this dramatic release. She told me that her father had molested her until the age of thirteen and she's sure that she was holding the emotional trauma in her hip and pelvic region. She relocated a few months later. A little over a year later, she came by our office proudly holding her newborn baby. She told me that she'd been trying for the past 2 years to have children, and she had 3 miscarriages prior to her "Great Release."
MY INTUITION WORKS.
One morning I was performing Bowen on a patient whom I'd treated two to three times, and we got on the subject of emotional holdings and how they affected our lives. She said, "I think that I need to release something." My schedule was light, as fate would have it, and I said, "I can do something for you now if you'd like." She took me up on my offer. I intuitively placed one hand below her rib cage, solar plexus = 3rd chakra, and the other hand behind her back in the same area. Wow! I felt turbulence under my hand which was over her solar plexus. I would best describe it as if you could palpate the ocean waves coming in and going out, while at the same time swirling around in eddies, clockwise and then counterclockwise. After a minute or two she began to sob and cry. As she did, my hand felt like a suction cup on her skin. As my hand became more and more cupped, she started moving back and forth in a rocking-like motion. My hand felt even more “Stuck”, to her skin. As she let out a sigh, the still point at the end of the release, my hand released from her skin. I detected a definite calm and peace in her demeanor. I said, or asked, "All done?" She said, "Yeah. All done." When she stood up, she placed her hands on the table and leaned over, rocking back and she said, "I see lights - I see feathers - I see a face." After a few of these comments, she stood erect and said, "Thank you. Fifty years of anger and fear are gone from my life. Wow!"
When she returned the following week for a follow-up, she said, "I recall what that was about last week. When I was five years old, I was at a Catechism class and I hadn't memorized my part. When the Nun found out, she slapped my wrist with a ruler and said, “If you don't please God he'll punish you, and you'll burn in hell". She then drew a picture on the blackboard with "Heaven" above-"God" in the middle – "Fire and Hell" down below." My patient had remembered this for her entire life up until now.
Can you imagine what you might have stored in your emotional system, (the 4th dimension of the nervous system)?
MORE EXPERIENCE
Bev came to see me with a foot problem. During her diatribe, it seemed that she needed a Bowen release. I did my podiatry gig and a Bowen session, which she enjoyed. On her follow-up visit, it was apparent that she liked the Bowen, but would prefer a female therapist. So, I gladly referred her to a lady that I knew who could take care of her other needs besides the foot stuff which I could take care of.
A few years later she returned with one of her daughters, who had a planter’s wart. We talked about how things were going, and she said, "My Bowen Therapist's gone, and I don't know what to do?" Then, I told her about and all the things I had learned since our last encounter, which included somato-emotional release. This sparked her interest, and so she made an appointment for an emotional clearing the following week. Somehow, she was all of a sudden okay with me working with her? Bev then told me that she'd been fondled by a college professor when she was eighteen. He'd sworn her to secrecy, and threatened her with a failing grade should she tell anyone about the incident. This had affected her entire adult life and marriage. I did my thing which intuition led me to, and she did a release.
The following week, I did another clearing, and she released some more. The next week, she revealed that she'd had sexual relations with her husband like never before. After that, life has never been so good for Bev. Then, she referred her clinical psychologist, as he needed a clearing too.
HEALING THE HEALER.
Bev's therapist had struck his head on a flight departure / arrival board at the airport during a moment of haste and carelessness. I'm not sure what emotional grief he had stored in him. Immediately after I began some of Upledger's Cranio Sacral holds, he began to violently shake his head from side to side. As he moved back and forth he began to sob, and did some deep exhales as if to remove something from his lungs. He gave a little sigh, indicating the still point and that we were through for this visit.
When he returned the following week, the same sequence occurred only more so. After the sigh indicating he had reached the still point, he smiled and said, "Thank you. It's gone!" Whatever "It" was?
NOW, FOR THE REST OF THE STORY
In January of 1999, I received a phone call from a hospital in Marin County. A suburb of San Francisco, California. I was told that my mother had suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage, and it was "iffy" at best that she would survive. I immediately left the office and drove 100 miles to the hospital to see her. Doctors told me of the pathology, the prognosis, and their treatment plan for the next few weeks.
I went to the hospital every other day for two weeks to see my mom. Her only audible spoken words were, "No & Don't." She didn't improve. So, I moved her to an extended care facility a block away from my office in Roseville, California. This way I could see her twice a day, plus I knew the track record of the facilitie’s quality of care. Every time I saw her, she did some really weird gyrations, and some nonsensical jibber-jabber plus she'd say, "No and don’t", followed by a sigh (still point).
The night before she passed, she went on a real "rant." It lasted about ten minutes. Her body twisted and turned in all kinds of directions. Following which, she said after a very long pronounced sigh (still point) - very clearly - while staring into my eyes - "I want my mama. I want my mama."
I know my mom wants me to share this story with you.
Jean (My Mom) wanted to attend Stanford University since grammar school. She studied and received top grades throughout grammar and high school. My grandfather was a successful dentist in Monterey, California, until his divorce from my grandmother. My grandmother was a flapper girl during prohibition, and subsequently spent my mother's college money on her personal indulgences. On the day my mom was to depart for Stanford University, her mother informed her that there was no money left for her tuition.
This resulted in depression and anger, which lasted my mother's entire life. My mom and step-dad spent well over six figures in counseling, psychiatric, psychology, and hypnotherapy fees. Not to mention, the gas money, parking charges, and time to go to these supposed therapies. Isn't it amazing that my mother went through a myofascial unwinding and emotional release the night before her death. Too bad, she couldn't have released all this 50 years earlier in her life.
MISSING CHAPTER 5
BODY MIND RESET
INTRODUCTION TO THE BODY – MIND – BODY STUFF.
A Naturopathic practitioner named Gene, who was a Bowen classmate, told me of a technique to remove allergies. He told me that if you know what you are allergic to, you can hold that substance in your left hand and shine a red laser light on the allergy point at the apex of the right ear for 30 seconds. Then, continue holding the substance for 20 minutes, and then discard it, but don't come in contact with it for 25 hours. I asked. "Why 25 hours?" My friend told me that there are 12 main meridians which have 2 hour cycles during the 24 hour day. You don't know which meridian is affected by the allergen, and if you come in contact with the substance while the affected meridian is processing it will make you sick in some way or another. You'll see when you come to the Rosemary part.
My first experience with the technique proceeded as follows. Monday mornings I always sneezed and got a runny nose upon arriving at my office. I guessed that I was allergic to the toenail dust that is ever present in a podiatry office, even though we have vacuums attached to our nail drills. So, one Friday afternoon I caught some nail dust on a piece of adhesive tape. After patients I did the treatment with the helium beam on my CO2 laser and drove home holding the tape, which took exactly 20 minutes. When I went to the office Monday and Tuesday I was unaware of anything different. Then on Wednesday, it occurred to me that I had done the allergy treatment the previous Friday and, that I had no runny nose or sneezing so far that week. As I write this, I no longer have any toenail dust symptoms.
Eggs - My Introduction to N.A.E.T.
See substance Dysfunction – Advanced Procedures section.
Rosemary – A lesson in the body processing process.
My third significant experience came from a self-treatment which turned out to be rather bizarre. I learned that I was allergic to sillymarin and rosemary, both of which were in my multiple vitamins. One afternoon I used the laser light on the ear point technique, held on to the vitamin tablet for 20 minutes, then discarded it. The following morning I made sure not to take the multiple vitamins which had not passed the 25 hour mark, so I took all of my other morning supplements. I was in a bit of a hurry so I didn’t fix anything for breakfast but grabbed a piece of leftover fish from the fridge, and was on my way. When I arrived at my office, all of a sudden I felt like I’d been hit by a truck. I got achy, my head pounded, I got chilled, and my nose bled. We had to cancel my morning appointments. I laid down for a rest on one of my massage tables and covered with a blanket. When I awoke at 11:00 AM, I felt better. And, as I got up, I detected a strange taste in my mouth. ROSEMARY! The fish had been breaded with seasoned bread crumbs and I ingested them as the stomach meridian was cycling from 7:00 – 9:00 AM.
Another visit with N.A.E.T.
Another unusually interesting case occurred with a patient of mine. She was diagnosed with Morton’s neuroma, which is an enlarged nerve between the 3rd and 4th metatarsals. This is a fairly common foot condition, and I felt quite proficient in its diagnosis and treatment options. She had the usual numbness, tingling, and occasional burning in her 2nd, 3rd, & 4th toes in both feet. I performed my usual and customary non-surgical treatments and she seemed to improve. I then made her orthotics to keep pressure from the nerves and instructed her to return in two months if any problems still occurred and we would discuss surgical treatment. About two years hence a friend of hers was seeing me for a foot problem, and she told me the rest of the story. Apparently my patient with the neuromas experienced progression of symptoms up the ankles and legs. Her family doctor referred her to a neurologist who diagnosed Multiple Sclerosis and prescribed drugs for this. She went to Stanford University for a second opinion, and was again diagnosed with M.S. She tried other medications which did not help. Then, a year or so later it began affecting her hands. At this point she went to the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, and again she was diagnosed with M.S., and was given some other medications. About the time she lost the use of her thumbs, she went to my naturopath friend, Jean. After Jean completed her work-up she was surprised that the lady did not show any of the usual findings that go along with neuropathies. She then asked our patient about what was happening in her life when all of this began. As it turns out she was building her dream home at the time of a real estate slump, and she was the not so proud owner of two houses built on speculation, which were not selling. All kinds of stress were abundant in her life at the time. She recalled the first sign of the tingling in her toes when she walked bare footed across the Mexican pavers tiles in the hallway of the new home. Jean then tested her for allergy to the tile, and sure enough, she was. Within days following a clearing her symptoms began to reverse, and within a month she was totally symptom free. However, as soon as she went back to walking on the tile floor the tingling in the toes returned so, she ended up selling the house.
My version of N.A.E.T.
I got thinking one day about the N.A.E.T. technique. It occurred to me that many of the Bowen Therapy moves are over the same meridian points along the spine.
I discussed my allergy theory with a patient whom I was doing some Bowen sessions on. Her 12 year old son had multiple allergies and was seeing the local allergist for allergy shots. One of his main allergens was shellfish. If he ate any shellfish whatsoever, he suffered laryngospasms and hives. He also often craved shellfish. The allergist was afraid to give him allergy shots for shellfish for fear of a serious reaction. I had mother bring him for a Bowen session during which I had him hold a shrimp in his left hand during the treatment. When mother came back the following week she told me that his allergy skin test for shellfish had reduced by 80%. Unfortunately, they moved to Texas shortly after, so I did not get to follow up with them.
Emotional clearing with Bowen / N.A.E.T.
Although this experience did not involve a substance, I include it because it seems to be relevant. My naturopath friend Jean referred me a patient that she was having trouble keeping cleared of the issues which were causing her headaches. Jean suspected that there might be an emotional block that was keeping her from attaining lasting relief. The patient had an anger issue with her father. It came from an incident when she was five years old. Her father and his friend went duck hunting and locked her in the car at the hunting spot for about four hours. She recalls the fright and feeling of abandonment which resulted in a long and deep anger toward her father. Although she had forgiven him and was at peace on a conscious level, she knew that there was some inner resentment that lingered. The first Bowen session, my intent was for me to initiate a somato-emotional release if that was what she needed. Nothing happened. The next visit, on a hunch, I had her write her desire to be rid of the anger toward father on a piece of paper. She held it in her left hand while I performed a full Bowen session on her. She returned a week later and was over it. She had experienced two days of extreme anger, especially with her two children. She was a single mom who doted over her kids, and hardly ever got upset with them. But, for the two days just about everything they did or said upset her. The last I heard, she was still pain free, and her life was good.
Other Cases of interest.
Another of my patients mentioned that whenever she drank a glass of red wine she developed a panic attack right after. This didn't happen to her with white wine. However, she didn't like white wine. She only liked red. So, we wrote red wine on a post-it note. She held this in her left hand while I did an abbreviated Bowen session using procedures 1-2-3. When she returned a month later for her Bowen “Tune-up”, she was no longer sensitive to red wine.
A friend of mine began experiencing headaches after drinking only a sip of red wine. I performed the same clearing for him, and he has been fine ever since.
My naturopath friend, Jean had a client who she was treating. She suffered headaches during the week. But, not on the weekends. After it was all said and done, Jean found that her client was sensitive to the color orange. She worked for Cal Trans and they had to wear orange vests while at work on the freeways and roads in California. She had the option to wear purple instead, and as soon as she switched colors, her chronic headaches cleared.
Another interesting case occurred recently at the cancer clinic where I used to do therapy. Mandy had sugar cravings, and I cleared her of those. Then she told me that she was unable to tolerate fried eggs. She could eat eggs in any other form, but she vomited after eating fried eggs. I did the clearing, and she now can eat fried eggs with no problem.
Cravings.
I was moderately addicted to potato chips. I always ate a small bag on my way home from work. I went to the pantry soon after arriving home and got more chips, and then some more. This went on most every day. After a hypnotherapy session, I was okay with it for a couple of years, but the cravings came back. I wrote potato chips on a small piece of paper and had a Bowen session with a practitioner whom I traded with. The same day I drove home empty handed. When I got home I did not feel even slightly inclined to go to the pantry and get some chips! To this day, some 15 years hence, I don't crave potato chips at all.
One of my Bowen patients confessed to craving diet sodas. She drank upward to 12 a day. We wrote "diet soda pop" on a piece of paper and did her Bowen session as she held the paper in her left hand. When she returned the following week, she had not had but three diet sodas all week. The next week she had none!
I also eliminated my cravings for crackers and cheese a couple of years ago.
Other cravings eliminated in patients.
Marijuana
Cookies
Cake
Chocolates
Coffee
Doesn't work for nicotine
THE SUGAR CONNECTION
After breast milk, one of the first substances we come into contact with is SUGAR! If there is a moderate amount of stress and turmoil during infancy, there is a possibility that sugar may turn out to be a stressing substance for that individual throughout the years. I have released the craving for sugar in a number of my adult patients. I am looking forward to doing a study on children for the release of the sugar connection. My theory is that this disconnection process to sugar may be responsible to ADD and ADHD. I surmise that we all might be afflicted by the sugar connection to some degree. It may be possible, that the more the stress was at first contact, the greater the subsequence reactions
How can any of this be possible?
I bet that the process works like this. First, let’s assume that you have never been in contact with root beer. Then during a time of stress and duress you eat your first dose of root beer. From now on your mind associates root beer with stress. And, even though you now are stress free, whenever you come in contact with root beer the body goes into a stress reaction pattern. Depending on which meridian was initially affected symptoms will be the same each time of exposure to root beer. I may be sensitive to root beer and experience headaches from it. You may be sensitive to root beer and you experience diarrhea when you come in contact with it. This is a different type of allergy than the poison oak type, whereby the substance causes the formation of antibodies which attack the allergen and thus cause an inflammatory reaction.
My problem with eggs: I remember eating eggs while in high school without any problems. But, they affected me my entire adult life. Here’s why. It came from my stint in the U.S. Army. I ate eggs for breakfast at least five days a week. I was under stress for most of the two years I served. I was home-sick, love-sick, overworked, underpaid, and harassed by the "Officers." So, it was a repeated exposure over a long time frame under stress in this instance.
For patients, I have performed this for all kinds of actual food allergies as well as emotional holdings, and it almost always works. How it really works is beside me, but I remember that my patients really only care if it works, not how. For those of us who must have an explanation, I propose one. I stumbled on to a book titled, "The Molecules of Emotion", by Candace Pert, Ph.D. She points out the endorphins which are our very own narcotic/tranquilizer substance, are in part, contained in the nodal points along the spine. These are the precise locations for many of the Bowen moves. My patients tell me quite often that during the Bowen session and the day following their treatment, they felt a kind of "Runner’s High", and for the remainder of the week a sense of well-being. Dr. Pert further discovered that the endorphins are one of the mechanisms by which the immune, central, and endocrine systems network with each other. In other words the mind-body connection, maybe. So, if you have a negative mind- body connection to a food, chemical, substance, or color that becomes a stressor and the meridian system will react to the stimulus of it. If you hold that same substance in your left hand in the presence of endorphin release that substance is now equated with a sense of wellbeing and the old negative program is cancelled out, or over-ridden. In some circles it is accepted that one craves what one is allergic to, i.e. sugar / alcohol.
MISSING CHAPTER 6
THE IRRIGATION SYSTEM
THE PERFECT WATER
This topic doesn’t fit with the content of these books, but it is very important in the grand plan. The body is made up of water to the extent of about 65%. Our extracellular water becomes acidic from foods and drinks and is harmful to the cells. It also promotes cancer.
Our body’s pH is around 7.3. Cells make tissues and tissues make organs. Organs make us run.
The main reasons we suffer from premature accelerated physiological aging problems are; dehydration, oxidation, and acidity. The Perfect Water reverses these problems.
Bowen Therapy enables the water, better yet, the Perfect Water to circulate and percolate. So, they go hand in hand.
Check out a YouTube Video: Strolling under the Skin. See how it’s quite possible that the fascia helps circulate the water.
For more information on the perfect Water: www.drmitchellmosher.com
And, for a demonstration video: www.kangendemo.com
MISSING CHAPTER 7
MEDICAL INVESTIGATIONS
LOOKING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX
I will give medical doctors credit on the evaluation of one condition. If a patient has indigestion and numbness in the left arm, they will not order endoscopy and nerve conduction studies. An EKG or Echocardiogram will be the first order of business. However, if a patient has foot pain we look at the foot. If a patient has knee pain, the orthopedist looks at the knee. If the patient has digestive problems the G.I. Doc looks at the gut. When a patient has back pain, the neurosurgeon looks at the back. You will see that this is completely off base. Yes, the area of the chief complaint needs to be investigated. But, so do other areas need to be, at least, considered.
One spring afternoon I was introduced to a new patient who had been to see my replacement doctor while I was on vacation in Tahiti. After I introduced myself she replied, "Nice to meet you, but I don’t know whether to jump for joy, cry, or sue somebody?" Sensing an emotional situation, I closed the door and asked, "Why would you want to sue somebody?" After all, my replacement doctor just trimmed off a callus beneath her big toe. Hardly enough to warrant a lawsuit? She went on to tell me that when she left the office her left leg immediately stopped hurting, and when she got up the next morning her back pain was all gone. She then said, "I’ve been through 5 years of hell", then began to cry. When she regained her composure, she told me the following history. Low back pain began intermittently about five years ago. The pain progressed and became intense and permanent. She was admitted to the hospital on two occasions for traction and narcotic analgesia. On a third admission myelograms and a papaya enzyme injection into the bulging disk were performed. Neither helped, so later she underwent a discectomy and laminectomy. The pain continued, and she was taking frequent Demerol injections, and was placed on a heavy dose of Valium. Three months prior to her visit to my office, she'd gone through rehabilitation to get off the Valium addiction. Apparently, the withdrawal symptoms from Valium are second to none. She'd just been released from the hospital for venograms to rule out blood clots in the leg veins, which might be responsible for the newly acquired leg – calf pain. She said, "I’m just sick to think that all this time my back was caused by my foot. Why didn’t the neurosurgeon look at my foot?" I mentioned that it was probably just a coincidence that her pain went away following the callus removal, so we should wait and see what happens if the callus grows back.
Two months later she returned to have the callus removed again as it had grown back and the pain in the leg was beginning to return, as was pain in her low back. The callus was no thicker than a nickel or bigger than a dime in size. It didn't have a "root" or any pathological component. So, like clockwork, every two months the callus grew back, and the pains returned in the back and leg, until she could get in to the office to have the callus trimmed.
As I reflect on this case me too, wonder why the neurosurgeon never looked at her feet, or anyone else's. Many people have chronic lower back pain because of foot problems. In fact, I've seen six different foot and ankle problems repeat themselves in many patients as the cause of their lower back pain. The following lists all of the causes of back pain that I've seen over the years both as a Podiatrist and Myofascial Therapist.
ADDUCTOR MAGNUS TIGHTNESS
*ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS
AORTIC ANEURYSM
ARTHRITIS FIRST METATARSAL AND COMPENSATED GAIT
*BULGING DISK / HERNIATED DISK
C—SECTION EMOTIONAL HOLDING
CALLOUS 1ST TOE WITH COMPENSATED GAIT
CHILDHOOD MOLESTATION EMOTIONAL HOLDING
*COMPRESSION FRACTURE
DURAL FASCIA DYSFUNCTIONS
ILIACUS TIGHTNESS
FIBROMYALGIA
KIDNEY INFECTION
METASTATIC CARCINOMA
NEUROMA WITH COMPENSATED GAIT
ORTHODONTIA
OVARIAN CYST / GYN PROBLEMS
POST-OP SPINE SURGERY FOR ONE OF THE CAUSES THAT ARE OUTSIDE THE BOX
PSOAS TIGHTNESS
RESPIRATORY DIAPHRAGM CRUS LIGAMENTS ATTACHED TO TO L5
SPHENOID DYSFUNCTION
*SPINAL STENOSIS
TRAUMATIC ARTHRITIS ANKLE / CLUB FOOT WITH COMPENSATED GAIT
*ACTUAL BACK PROBLEM.
LOOK HOW MANY CAUSES ARE OUTSIDE OF THE BOX – 19 OUT OF 23!
ONLY four WERE WITHIN THE BOX!
MAY BE THIS IS THE REASON THE SPINE SURGEONS TELL THEIR PATIENTS PRE-OP THAT THERE IS ONLY A 25-30% CHANCE OF SUCCESS FROM SPINE SURGERY!
THE LACTIC ACID CONNECTION
As mentioned in an earlier section, I had lower back pain for a number of years.
On my birthday in August, 1980 I ran my first marathon. It was a "Happening". I invited a bunch of my running friends to take part in my celebration. The months before, I took one of those distance marking wheels and measured segments of the American River 50 mile run on a horse and hiking trail from Auburn, California down to Folsom Dam. On the morning of the marathon, we started at 6:00 AM and got to the destination between 10:00, supermen/woman, and 10:30-11:00 AM the rest of us. Around 20 miles down the trail, I suffered cramps from lactic acid build-up in the right inner thigh Adductor Magnus muscle. I massaged the cramp out and continued on to finish the run. My family, office staff, friends and neighbors greeted us at the finish line. We had great refreshments and food, and upon returning home, I took a four hour nap. The inner right thigh muscles burned and ached for a few days afterward, and then disappeared. In 1981, I ran my second annual marathon. The same thing occurred. The following months I noticed a very slight tightness and aching on the outer side of the knee, compensation for Adductor Magnus dysfunction. In 1982, I ran my third annual marathon and suffered the same cramps from the lactic acid build-up, followed by an aching in the knee for a few days (compensation for Adductor Magnus muscle dysfunction). A week later, I had the first episode of back spasms. I didn't make any connection between the marathon and the back pain. The day before the back pain occurred I was lifting a pick-up truck load of rocks to fill a culvert and figured it was the lifting that did the number on my back. During the fourth annual marathon, I had the same inner right thigh cramps and a week later had the second annual back spasms. Now I'm beginning to think that there's some connection between the marathon and the back problem. However, I discounted this because my back didn't hurt when I ran. A typical Western medical thought process. If your foot doesn't hurt when you climb the ladder, then the ladder isn't a part of the problem. Also, what was one doing on the days prior to the onset of the problem? Not, what happened 20 years ago? In addition, the pains both had come on the day after doing some heavy lifting and twisting. This time it was from doing some fence work on my property. The same thing occurred during and after my fifth and final marathon. Now I'm pretty convinced there's a connection between running and the back spasms, but not quite sure why, because running didn't cause any pain in the back. When my guru Milton mentioned the build-up of lactic acid in my inner thigh Adductor Magnus muscle after that first Bowen session, followed by tightening of the outer hip structures, which were then - just waiting to get injured, it now all makes sense. In addition, since I no longer run marathons, I've never had another twinge in my lower back.
THE TALES OF MANY KNEES
In my traditional podiatry career, I treated countless patients who had knee pain, by simply applying adhesive tape strappings to their arches to stop over- pronation. Once their knee pain stopped, usually within a week or two, I made them Orthotics for long term prevention.
In my non-traditional (holistic) podiatry journey from 1995 to 2006, treatment of even more patients who had knee pain by using Tom Bowen's Medical Bodywork Technique was successful. Sometimes as a stand-alone procedure, and sometimes with my strappings and orthotics combined.
My ongoing water drinkers survey shows, that people who regularly drink Kangen ™ restructured, micro-clustered, anti-oxidant, oxygen rich, alkaline water, have excellent results with knee pain. As a matter of fact, 100% have had reduction or resolution of their knee pains! It is amazing that more people have knee pain than back pain, at least in my survey.
So, after one has their knee checked to rule out any morbid pathology, but before consenting to cortisone or Synvisc ® injections, Arthroscopic, or other invasive procedures, they should try the following:
Orthotics
Tom Bowen's Medical Bodywork
A Solution that offers many solutions - Water! Yep, Water.
Combinations of the above
All of the above
#1: Once upon a time, there was a patient who presented with a club-foot deformity which had ulceration beneath the 5th metatarsal head. His lower leg looked like it had been run over by a train. The ulcer penetrated down to the tendon which overlaid the bone. Fortunately, it was not infected.
He told me that he had arthroscopic knee surgery 3 years ago. The surgeon accidentally penetrated the joint capsule and nicked the Common Peroneal Artery, on the outer side of the leg. A recovery room nurse discovered his cold, swollen, and purple left foot, about 15 minutes post-operative and promptly called the surgeon.
They found the bleeding artery and tied it off. Then, they opened his lower leg in the 4 compartments in order to drain the blood that had pooled within the muscle compartments.
Subsequently, over a 2 year time period, he went through a series of plastic surgeries, antibiotics for infections, and physical therapies to make him as good as he could be.
He was 32 years old and stuck with this condition for the rest of his life!
Too bad he didn't know about, Orthotics, Tom Bowen's Medical bodywork Therapy, or the Perfect Water!
#2: Just before I retired from my practice and was moving to North Carolina, a patient came by to say goodbye. He raised his tee shirt and showed me a long, red scar from his sternum to the naval. He had worked overtime as an iron-worker a few weeks before. When he wakened on the following Saturday morning, his knee was sore, so he took 3 Advil tablets (not something that he customarily took). Sunday afternoon he experienced excruciating stomach pain and went to the emergency room.
His stomach lining had perforated from the three Advil’s, and he had an acute infection in the abdominal cavity. He had his belly opened and drained, I.V. antibiotics, and hospitalized for 10 days, while the infection subsided.
Too bad he didn't know about, Orthotics, Tom Bowen's Medical bodywork Therapy, or the Perfect Water!
#3: From 1999 until 2004, 50,000 people in the US, died over that 5 year span, as a result of intestinal bleeding from taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Some of them must have had knee pain?
Too bad they didn't know about, Orthotics, Tom Bowen's Medical bodywork Therapy, or the Perfect Water!
#4: An estimated 50,000 people died from cardiac complications from the drug Vioxx ® before it was taken off the market. Many of them must have had knee pain?
Too bad they didn't know about, Orthotics, Tom Bowen's Medical bodywork Therapy, or the Perfect Water!
#5: My wife complained daily about her knee pain, even more so, after she did yard-work. She often said, "I think that I'm going to have arthroscopic knee surgery. Will you ask Dr. Johns who I should see"? I told her to start drinking the, restructured alkaline water. She replied, "Oh, what's that going to do"? I said, "It stopped my chronic shoulder pain-try it!" Reluctantly, she began drinking the water. After about a week, she stopped complaining about it. Until, she went back to California to visit family. About 4 days later she called and reported that her knee pain had returned with a vengeance - she had not drunk the water since leaving North Carolina. When she returned home, and began drinking the water, the pain was gone within 24 hours, and has remained gone since 2009. So, no surgery -- or anti-inflammatory drugs.
Glad she drank the Perfect Water!
#6: My associate's mother, who is 96 years young, had arthritic knees which were, "Bone on Bone"! Every step she took was, "Ugh"!
All she did was make her coffee with 9.5 alkaline Perfect Water. Six months later, her gray hair was turning red again, and he knee pains were gone.
You know what her doctor said? "Well. Whatever you are doing? Keep doing it!"
Glad she drank the Perfect Water!
#7 One of the first patients that I treated with Tom Bowens Medical Bodywork for a foot problem (she didn't tell me about her knee problem at the time), came back a week later for a follow up session. She said, "Whatever you did in that treatment for my foot, my knee pain disappeared. Yesterday, I cancelled my arthroscopic knee surgery appointment that was scheduled for next Tuesday."
Glad she found out about Tom Bowen's Medical Bodywork Therapy. Even though, it was by accident.
#8. One Saturday, I treated a man who continued to have severe knee pain in spite of two knee surgeries, cortisone injections, and physical therapy the past 12 months. He only got partial and temporary relief when he took strong narcotic pain medication. Physical therapy made him worse. On his first session, I did the good knee procedure first with my usual touch. Then, the bad knee procedure with such light touch, it was almost no touch.
After his session I gave him 3 gallons of 8.5 restructured alkaline water to drink also. I heard a few days later from his cousin, who had referred him to me that his session was so successful that he went to the Carolina Panthers football game the next day. That entails a whole lot of walking and climbing up the stairs. On his follow up visit the following Saturday, his knee was a little sore, but no pain. He had not taken a pain pill all week. I could apply the normal amount of pressure while doing the Knee Procedure. His cousin was at my office with her daughter for a session as we were ending his treatment. She couldn't believe the difference in his skin color, facial appearance, and gait as compared to before his Bowen sessions. The previous Saturday he labored in his plodding gait from favoring his knee. This week he was walking completely normal.
On his second session I used my usual pressure and touch on both knees since the bad knee was not in pain. When he returned a week later he reported that he had three great days right after the session. But, after that the pain came back.
On this third session I again used my usual pressure and touch on both knees. When he returned a week later, his pain was almost back to square one.
On this fourth session, I went back to the almost no pressure making the moves on the bad knee.
He called me two weeks later and reported that he’s had no pain since the day of his last session! = Less may be best. Many months later I asked his cousin about him and she reported that he is still pain free.
He's glad he found out about Tom Bowen's Medical Bodywork Therapy! His orthopedist should reimburse him for my fee!
He’s glad he drank the restructured alkaline Perfect Water!
#9. My brother-in-law has had 3 knee replacements and he's only 60 years old. He had the first one in his mid-forties. The next was in his 50's, and he had the first one re-done about three years ago. About a year ago, he discovered the Egoscue Technique. He has followed the exercises daily and has had so much improvement in his knees and lower back he said, "I'm sure that if I had known about this beforehand, I wouldn't have needed replacement surgeries."
MORAL: Be sure you look outside the box, if your doctors won’t.
Most of the time, the medical specialist is so honed in on the anatomical part that has the symptom, the other possibilities are left out of the equation. One of the most common symptoms where they do look outside the box is when a patient has chest pressure / pain / indigestion and tingling in the left arm. Immediately, an EKG is ordered, not an X-Ray.
During my Podiatry / Bowen practice, I saw countless patients who had foot pain which cleared up after I released the back, pelvis, and leg muscles. Here's a good one with Plantar Fasciitis (fash-ee-itis), often pronounced (face-ee-itis).
One of my patients, whom I had treated off and on for about three years for plantar fasciitis, came in for her semi-annual cortisone injection. I had tried all of the other standards of care for her, except surgery. When I informed her about Bowen Therapy, and that there was a chance it could relieve her pain instead of the injection, she quickly agreed to it. This was about two months after I had taken my first Bowen workshop in January, 1995. At this point, I was still referring to my cheat sheets which helped me to do the sequences without omissions or errors.
Lorna was a very large lady, who weighed in at about 260 pounds. Muscle mass was very large and taut, beneath gobs of adipose fat tissue. She was wearing a dress, which inhibited my doing the pelvis and hamstrings procedures properly. So, I did the best as I could. I probably did my full body sequence for her; Low back, Upper back, Neck , Kidney area, Lower respiratory area, Hamstrings, Anterior pelvis, Knee, Ankle, Upper respiratory area, and TMJ. I don't remember if I did coccyx or sacral procedures, probably not on that first session. When I finished up with her, I said, "Rest for a couple minutes, the get up and walk around a minute or two before you put your shoes back on. I'll see you before you leave." While I was in Podiatry room # 2 seeing a patient, I heard a yell from the back of the office by Lorna, "Yahoo!" I got up and went back to the Bowen room and asked, "Is everything okay?" She said, "Yeah. I got up to walk over to your desk to get my glasses and the pain's completely gone. Wow!"
We hired Lorna shortly after to clean our offices once a week. When I said, "Goodbye", upon retiring in 2006, she was still pain free. I never treated her one time with any modality since that day in March, 1995. So, for three years I failed to look outside of the box with her.
Please re-read the cases in which involved; chronic hip pain, Multiple Sclerosis, and Anger toward father. The causes of all of them had nothing to do with where the symptoms were located
Also, how many of the stories my patients told were outside the box?
Moral to the stories: By all means, have your problems and your client’s problems checked by a competent medical professional. Make sure that there is not a serious medical issue involved. But, if the medical physician won't also look outside the box, look for one who will.
SUCCESS STORIES
ARTHRITIS
One of my more interesting experiences occurred with a patient and his responses, which took place the very first week I started doing Bowen. Another Podiatrist down the road who was not able to help him referred Bernard to me. Bernard had an arthritic large toe joint, which he did not want to have surgery on. He told me that he was favoring the toe and this was making his hip and back painful. He was hopeful that some type of shoe modification would suffice to relieve his problems. His joint was red, swollen, tender, and with movement grated like sand paper crepitus. I informed him that I could accommodate his shoe and for him to leave it over the weekend and I would get it done. Then I also told him about the Bowen treatment, which might relieve the pains in his hip and back. He begged me to also perform the upper back and neck moves and promised he wouldn't tell anyone. This was before I obtained a massage certificate- remember my podiatry license only covered the leg muscles. I felt comfortable with him, so I did a complete treatment from head to toe. When I had finished the procedures that I had learned in class, I examined his Extensor Hallucis Longus muscles, the muscle that draws the big toe upward. The one on the right side was like a rope. So, I figured that if they had taught a procedure on this in class, it would be slack to the table and make an anterior move, good side first. So, I worked on the left side 1st, and then did the right side muscle and he immediately let out a moan. I asked if he was all right, and he said, “I'm alright. It kind of hurt and tickled at the same time”.
I left the room for a few minutes in order to let him rest and for the release to take place. When I returned, he was curled up in a fetal position and was quite pale and cold. My first thought was that he'd fainted and was going into shock. I checked his pulse and was going to take his blood pressure when he said,” I’m okay. I’m a little cold. May I have a blanket?” I covered him up and left him alone to settle down for a few minutes. The rest of his story is in Chapter 3. I gave him his post-treatment instructions and told him to pick up his shoe on Monday.
When I saw him on seated in the waiting room Monday morning prior to appointment times I said, “Hi Bernard. I’ve got your shoe ready”. He said very emphatically, “I don’t care about the shoe. I want to know when I can get another treatment.” I said, “That’s right, I gave you a Bowen last week. How'd it work?” He said, “How'd it work? It changed my life! The past 3 nights have been the only full night’s sleep I have had in years. My back doesn't hurt. The pain in my hip is all but gone and look at my toe!” He commenced to remove his shoe and sock and bent the toe up and down and said, “See. Look at this”. I couldn't help but walk out into the waiting room and look at his toe up close. The swelling, redness and crepitus were completely resolved. There remained a little stiffness, but the toe flexed at least 50% more than it did on Friday. I told him that he could make an appointment for Friday.
CHRONIC NEUROMUSCULAR PAIN
Jenny came to my office with a sprained ankle. She'd been to one of those “Doc in a Box” places, and was placed in a removable cast boot. Because it was lifting her up about one inch on the left side, her back and hip was painful. She wanted to know if there were any other options. I splinted her ankle with adhesive tape and gave her a Bowen session. I later found out that she'd had a standing appointment at her chiropractor’s office every Friday at 4:00 PM to treat her upper back and shoulder pain. She was in the janitorial business and apparently was straining these muscles over and over again. However, following just two Bowen sessions she no longer had to go to the chiropractor.
She was come back to my office for another problem a few years later, and I asked her about her shoulder/back problem. She'd not had a pain in over nine years! Even though she still does the same kind of work.
CIRCULATORY
One December morning a lady came in to get relief for a painful corn on the inner side of her little toe. Her toe was a purplish color with a hard corn on the inner side adjacent to the toenail. She informed me that her toe wasn't always purple. It always got pink when the weather warmed up. She had a condition called Raynaud’s disease. Not really a disease, but a spasticity of the blood vessels, which is aggravated by cold temperatures. I trimmed the corn and informed her about a minor surgical procedure, which could relieve the corn permanently. However, we'd have to wait until the weather warmed for me to check the circulation in order to determine that she could heal the surgery. The corn removal relieved her pain for about a month.
She returned in January for another treatment. At this visit she complained about pain in her hip and back due to favoring the pain in her toe. I immediately offered a Bowen session in addition to trimming and padding the corn.
When she returned the following week her toe was a little less purple and almost pink. I gave her another Bowen treatment, re-padded the corn and advised to come back when necessary.
On a cold, blustery day in February she returned with the painful corn and said, “I think that you can go ahead with the operation because the toe has remained pink since the last Bowen treatment.” I listened to the pulses with my Doppler ultrasound and sure enough her circulation was totally normal. Her toe was nice and pink, and after I blanched the tip of her toe with finger pressure, it pinked up in 1 second. The following week I operated on the toe and it healed very quickly.
Another patient complained about her cold feet, especially in bed. She had to sleep with her socks on most of the time, and if she didn’t her husband complained about her cold feet waking him up all night long. Following 3 treatments her feet warmed up, as well as her hands, and have remained so ever since.
COLDS – FLU – SINUSES
Early in my career as a Bowen therapist a patient was undergoing a session. When I came back into the room following the basic relaxation procedure 3 (neck), she told me that when she got to the office she was experiencing a severe sore throat. Following the neck muscle releases, the sore throat disappeared. When she returned for another session 2 weeks later she said, “Do you remember that sore throat that I had last time which you cleared?” I replied,” yes, what happened?” She told me that when she got home from work that evening her son and husband both had the exact same sore throat and they'd been sick for the past 2 weeks. She didn't get whatever the virus was. I figured that this was some sort of coincidence and went about my business. But, other patients told me about similar occurrences. Then, one day I felt the familiar scratchy throat and punkie feeling one gets when the cold first comes on. So, I performed the neck moves on myself, and within minutes the symptoms cleared. I've been doing this ever since on myself whenever I feel a cold coming on. I also take a dropper full of Echinacea in a glass of water. It works almost every time. I would only guess that the moves to the neck muscles open up the lymphatic drainage system and this reduces the accumulation of viral bodies in the oral pharynx. Mr. Bowen was notorious for finding the relationship of the lymphatic's to the muscles that he moved.
One Friday afternoon after I'd completed the same neck moves on a patient she commented that her sinus infection cleared up while I was out of the room. I commented something or another, and then she asked, “If my husband can get here before closing time, could you give him a treatment too? He has the same sinus infection that I had.”
Approximately one year following my early Bowen experiences it dawned on me that I no longer get those fever blisters on my lip (herpes simplex). I used to get them if the weather changed, allergies flared, got stressed, or if I thought I was catching a cold. I've now not had but two of them during the past 16 years.
Following Bowen therapy I've seen countless warts fall out, fungus nails and skin clear up. What seems odd is that I've performed treatments for patients in an attempt to help these infectious problems and nothing happens. When I’m least expecting it helps. I wish I could get a clue about this phenomenon.
CORNS AND HAMMERTOES
Carol had an extremely painful corn on the inner side of her little toe along the toenail groove. Removal of it only relieved her pain for a week at best. She was ready to schedule surgery at about the same time she entered my bunion study group. As she had her Bowen treatments and foot taping once a week and a set of orthotics, we realized about two months later that her corn had disappeared. It has never returned.
Libby has a hammertoe on her fourth toe left foot. It's one of those that are a little flexed at the first knuckle but, also twisted (adducto-varus). Following treatment the toe un-twists and is totally straight for about four to five weeks. Then, all of a sudden it contracts again. I had hammertoes on my right second and third toes when I first had a Bowen treatment. To this day over 16 years later, my toes are still straight.
BOWEN THERAPY AND INFERTILITY
When this subject was brought forth in my basic Bowen class, I just rolled my eyes, smiled, and thought, "Yeah-sure!" When I questioned my guru, Milton about it later he casually remarked, "That Bowen Therapy straightened the fallopian tubes so the eggs can drop, and thus become impregnated when the timing is right. When the tube is bent because the posture alignment is bent, the eggs can't drop." I took this with a grain of salt, so to speak, and went on with my business. Then, about two years later, three of my patients miraculously became pregnant following Bowen Therapy. All came in a bunch, about one month apart. The first patient came specifically for that purpose as she had read in a magazine publication that Bowen Therapy was successful with infertility issues. The other two had mentioned their infertility problems, but I never said anything to them about Bowen Therapy helping infertility. I found out later that they'd all recently gotten pregnant.
Marcy, one of my podiatry patients, really got me thinking. She'd been favoring her foot pain during the past few weeks, which made her back painful. In addition to caring for her foot pain, I gave her two Bowen sessions a week apart. I did my usual routine, plus what she needed for her back pain. When she returned the third week she was grinning from ear to ear. She said, "Thank you." I said, "Thank me for what? You don't have to thank me for fixing your foot." She replied, "I've been going to the infertility clinic during the past eight months. Every month, I only produce one or two eggs, if that. And, none have been satisfactory for insemination. Last week, I had twenty eight eggs! They harvested three and put twelve in my egg bank."
Eight months later she had twins. She's convinced that the Bowen Therapy was responsible for this. I guess, I am too.
One morning, I met up with the acupuncturist, who practiced next door to me, out in the parking lot. I asked, "How exactly, does acupuncture help infertility?" He replied. "Studies have shown that the stimulation of the meridians and meridian points causes stimulation of the hypothalamus which affects the pituitary gland, which causes the production of gonadotropic hormones, which then stimulates increased sperm and egg production." Then he said, "I'm pretty much specializing in infertility right now. The clinic up the street sends me six to eight new patients per week for acupuncture." Then I commented to him, "That's why I've noticed that almost every patient coming and going from your office is a woman between twenty-something and thirty-something."
This acupuncturist was one of my first people to practice Bowen on right after I learned it. After his first session for a knee problem, he said, "Wow! That's as close to acupuncture as I've ever experienced, only without the needles!" Considering that many of the Bowen moves are over significant meridian points and over the tissues where the meridian ductules have to pass through, it’s distinctly possible that a similar effect as acupuncture takes place, which results in increased egg production.
Fertility issues appear to be focused on the brain-pituitary-ovarian axis among some other events. Stress, negative emotions, and unbalanced FSH disrupt the hormonal communication between the brain, pituitary, and ovaries. Sympathetic overdrive decreases ovarian blood flow and egg production as well.
PCOS = Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is a contributor of infertility.
"We've recently demonstrated that women with PCOS have a highly active sympathetic nervous system, the part that isn't controlled by our will, and that both acupuncture and regular exercise reduced levels of activity in this system compared with the control group, which could be an explanation for the results," said Stener-Victorin.
High levels of FSH in women is a signal of a loss of, or poor ovarian function, polycystic ovary syndrome or can indicate that menopause has begun, or is currently taking place. All of these conditions will have a negative impact on fertility. Low levels of FSH can indicate that eggs are not being produced, that the pituitary gland is not functioning correctly, that there are significant levels of stress present, or that the person is severely underweight which is causing problems to occur.
Acupuncture appears to have an indirect effect on hormonal balancing. Production and release of beta endorphin and peptides into the central and peripheral nervous systems; reduces anxiety and stress, improves sleep, decreases or increases levels of FSH, decreases sympathetic overdrive, increases ovarian and uterine blood flow which aids in endometrial thickness, increased follicles and egg production. Wow! That’s a load.
Candace Pert, Ph.D., points out that her research found; high concentrations of beta endorphin in the node points along the spine, and that beta endorphin mediates communication between the central, immune, and endocrine systems.
Other research using fine needle biopsies of the meridian node points and fluid analysis reveals peptides, beta endorphin, and many other bio-chemicals from these points. Guess where these points are located? Along the Bladder and Governing Vessel Meridians, adjacent to the spine. Exactly where Tom’s BRM moves are placed.
Anecdotally:
· Hundreds of my patients have told me that during the rest periods while on the table they felt euphoric. Or, others felt a runner’s high for a few hours after their session. A result of beta endorphin release from the node points.
· Hundreds of patients came for sessions to help them sleep, relax during a test, reduce their stress level, and improve their overall sense of well-being.
· Thousands of my patients fell asleep during their rest periods, which were sometimes 10 to 15 minutes long.
· Hundreds of my patients went on to healing of old wounds, injuries, and surgeries which were unfinished business.
· Many of my patients who had fertility issues became pregnant following one to three Bowen sessions.
One had only zero to 2 unusable eggs per cycle during the past 8 months. A week after her second Bowen session, she produced 28 eggs!
· Well, my acupuncture instructor back in 1995 was one of my first Bowen recipients. When he got off the table he said with a big smile, “Wow. That feels just like acupuncture, only without the needles!” Back then, he was a traditional Acupuncturist and TCM doctor.
·
My acupuncture instructor now, does nothing but Infertility patients all day long. Acupuncture is already on the map with regards to fertility treatment.
I would like to see someone perform a clinical study on the effects of Acupuncture vs. Bowen Therapy in the improvement of fertility issues. Or, perform Bowen Therapy on patients who failed on the acupuncture protocols and see if they respond or not?
Why not Bowen Therapy too for infertility?
This paper does not address the male issues regarding sperm production. I will research that next.
PROCEDURES AND MY PRESENT PROTOCOL:
BRMS: Low back, Upper back & shoulder, Neck, Lumbar aka Kidney, Para spinal Itsy- Bitsy’s from S-1 to C-1, coccyx, and anterior pelvis with lots of long rests. Total session time = 60 minutes. Another Bowen session, five to seven days before ovulation using the same format. And, remember the word, “Intent.”
FIBROMYALGIA
I was invited to do a presentation and demonstration at a local fibromyalgia support group in Gastonia, NC. My massage therapist friend, (Bowen student and instigator of this trip), told me to just do a chair demonstration, rather than bring a massage table.
After I told the fibromyalgia people all about Bowen and how it can help F.M., plus some case histories, an overweight man in his early 50’s, volunteered to be the victim. I sat him on a chair backwards, and did Milton Albrecht’s “Optional procedure”, plus BRP'S 1-2-3 with rests in between. During the rests, he commented, "I can feel heat coming out of my back." I told him that wasn't too unusual. Then he said, "I feel tingling in my toes and I am getting really relaxed.” I did a total of four sequences to his lower and upper back and neck areas which altogether took about five minutes.
When we were through, he arose from the chair and said, “Wow! My ankle and back pains are gone. My feet have full sensation-I can feel my socks with my toes. Wow. I don't believe this. How could this be?” He made an appointment to have a full- table top session at my office the following week.
When he came for his appointment he was totally pain free and really didn't need a full table top Bowen session, but I did one anyway. During the session, he told me the rest of the story.
His feet had been numb since early adulthood. He developed muscle pains throughout the body circa 2003. Sometime after that, he began experiencing severe ankle pain, stiffness in the feet, wrists, and hands. He also had intermittent low back pain. His family doctor did a preliminary work-up and then sent him to a neurologist who performed many other tests, which were all negative. He then, referred him to a leading neurologist in Chapel Hill, NC. His findings were the same and he referred him back to his doctor in Gastonia. Sometime later, his doctor referred him to a 3rd neurologist in Wake Forest, NC, which provided no information or relief other than a diagnosis of fibromyalgia. During all of this, my patient took high doses of narcotics and consumed alcohol in order to cope with the pain. Three years ago he lost his job due to his dysfunction from addictions. He also attended fibromyalgia support group meetings once a month. A year ago, he successfully went through drug and alcohol rehabilitation, and since has been taking non-steroidal anti- inflammatory medication by the hand full (which only partially relieved some of the pain, and upset his stomach). So, he was, “Just living with the pain.” His sleep patterns were dysfunctional and his couldn’t work full time during the past four years.
There's something wrong with this picture. Rodney went through 10 years of misery which was eliminated with five minutes of Bowen Therapy. He should've had this treatment at the beginning of the trip, not at the end.
KID'S CORNER
A young woman came to my office four months after giving birth to a son. She’d gained a lot of weight, and along with the Elastin hormone to give flexibility during the birthing process, her feet collapsed and had become increasingly painful. As I was adhesive taping her feet to lift the arches back up, her 4-month-old baby began to fuss. Her 12-year-old daughter was holding him trying to give comfort. Mom said that he'd had a continuous bout of colic ever since birth and it was quite a strain on everyone. I recalled a couple of Bowen moves that my guru, Milton told me about a few years back and when one of my granddaughters was experiencing colic and it fixed her. I asked her if it would be okay for me to do a couple gentle movements which might help her. Mom said, "Okay with me." I reached over and moved two muscles across the shoulders twice, and he began to settle a little. I then moved the lower back muscles over the kidneys. And then, did a little arc – like move over the lower abdominal area over the ileum. I showed mom how to do the moves in case she needed to later on if he began to fuss again. He immediately settled down, and his sister fed him a bottle as I performed a Bowen session on the mother. The next week the mother thanked me for giving her son relief. She didn't need to do any of the moves, as what I did in the office took care of the problem for good. As it turns out, he'd only slept for two hours at a stretch and therefore, so did mom and dad. He also was on medication for projectile vomiting, and didn't any longer require any more medication. He was like a completely new child. He also was unable to nap until the mini treatment session, it was really a mini, and now he naps for two hours at a time. He goes to bed now at around nine o’clock and sleeps straight through until eight AM. Three weeks later, all was still well. As I recall, it only took one session with my granddaughter also.
As I performed a Bowen session on a woman one afternoon, we got talking and I told her the story about Chuck, the nursing student, and how his personality blossomed after two therapy sessions. She asked, “Would you please give my 13 year old son some treatments? He's been very angry and withdrawn ever since my divorce.” I told her I could, and to go ahead, and make an appointment for him. On his first visit, he didn't say three words. He barely answered the couple of questions I asked him. I didn't pay any mind to the fact that he was wearing entirely black clothing. Following the session I said goodbye to he and his mother as they made his next appointment. The following week he seemed a little more conversive as I made small talk. During one of the rest periods, I went out to the waiting room and asked mom how the week went. She said,” Allen has really perked up. His anger is less, and he's wearing other colored clothing besides all black.” When I went back into the treatment room I saw that he was wearing a bright, yellow T-shirt with black shorts. As the weeks passed, he became more outgoing, friendly, and became socially active again according to his mother. His next appointment he had made for himself. And, he looked forward to more follow up sessions in the months to follow.
The mother of an 11-year-old child with cerebral palsy asked me to make a new set of foot orthotics for her daughter. I encouraged three Bowen sessions along with taping of the arches in order to relax the tightened Achilles tendon and raise the arches prior to making the plaster impressions for new orthotics. On the first visit, Tami’s heels were well over an inch from touching the floor when she walked. On the second week, her heels almost touched the floor, and by the third visit when we took her plaster impressions, her heel could fully come to the floor. To my knowledge, she has done fine ever since.
A grandmother brought her 13-year-old granddaughter who was extremely pigeon toed. I did a Bowen session on that first visit. A week later, on the follow up visit, she was walking a bit better. On the next visit, she was walking almost straight, and her grandmother said with a huge grin, “not only is she walking better but, she's not crabby any more. She's all mellowed out.” By the third visit her angle and base of gait was 100% normal and, grandma noted that she was still mellow.
I attended an advanced Bowen workshop one weekend and talked with a classmate about our experiences during the previous months performing the therapy. He told me that he'd treated a number of football players at the University of California, Berkeley with acute ankle sprains with the,
Ankle Procedure. He was doing this immediately after the injury. I was amazed that he could do this in spite of pain and swelling that follows an ankle sprain. On Monday morning, a father brought his 14-year-old daughter in who'd sprained her ankle playing soccer on Saturday. Her ankle was extremely swollen, ecchymosed (bruised), and painful. She was using crutches for ambulation and had an ace bandage wrapped around the ankle. Following my examination, which only confirmed the obvious, I thought to myself, “Here goes nothing”, and I began a Bowen session. I explained to father that the muscles enter a state of spasm following the trauma to guard the tissues from further injury, and this can perpetuate pain and swelling. When it came time to do the “ankle procedure” following relaxation of all of the leg and thigh muscles, I noticed butterflies in my stomach. I moved the Anterior Tibial tendon medially. Then I slid my fingers over the lateral malleolus and posterior over the lateral collateral and my thumb over the deltoid ligament. As I dorsi flexed and plantar flexed the first metatarsal my thoughts turned to the last part of the procedure which strikes the ball of the foot to, set the ankle. Much to my surprise, she didn't flinch as I struck the M-P joints with my closed fist. I invited her to stand up on her feet. Following, which she walked out of the room quite normally and said, “Oh dad. You grab the crutches.” I gulped, and thought, “Hooray, it worked!”
I recently volunteered my services at a Hematology and Oncology Clinic in Gastonia, N.C. I treated the employees, patients who are undergoing chemotherapy, and their caregivers. One patient brought her 8 year old foster-child for me to treat. She was suffering from extreme emotional disorders, tantrums, and attention deficit disorder. The girl was so hyperactive, I couldn't even think about doing Bowen on her. So, I held her head in my hands and began a little Cranio Sacral therapy. Within a minute she was breathing differently, smiling, and was very relaxed. I treated a few of the cranial points and then got her up. Altogether, I spent about five minutes with her. When the foster-mother brought her back the following week she told me that, “Sara had only one temper tantrum all week which lasted for only 10 minutes. She used to have one a day which usually lasted two hours or more! ” Sara was amenable to lie on the table so I could do Bowen procedures 1-2-3, in addition to some more Cranial Sacral. When we finished Sara said, “Okay. Dollies’ turn next”, as she placed her doll on the table top. When she returned the third week mother reported that there were no tantrums, and that Sara had sat still for two hours to watch a movie. Unfortunately, Sara was transferred to another home because of declining health of the foster mother that I was caring for, so I lost track of her.
I received a call recently from a distraught mother of a 15 year old daughter. She'd had a very painful coccyx for the past 11 months. She had no injury, it just occurred one day. Medications, injections, chiropractic, and physical therapy were all no help. The medical doctor recommended that she have her tailbone surgically removed.
This was quite disturbing to her mom, who is an R.N. at a local Medical Center. A massage classmate of mine recommended that she call me about Bowen Therapy. The pain was constant, aggravated by arising from a sitting position, and made sleep difficult. She'd been depressed, and had just a plain lousy life the past 11 months as a result.
I did low back, upper back, neck, lower respiratory, thoracic-lumbar triangle, hamstrings, knee, ankle, pelvis, sacrum, anterior pelvis, coccyx (right to left-right side tender), upper respiratory, TMJ, and my version of cervical release. Her pain began to subside after the coccyx lock on the right side, over the iliopsoas. When she got off the table, she was pretty much pain-free for the first time in 11 months, and had a big smile on her face. After some tears and hugs, I gave mom a session too. Her mom said when I called her two days later, that about 50% of the pain was gone, but anti-inflammatory medication got her pain free. Previously it did not. The next week mom told me that the pain had returned a little as the day of treatment wore on, but she did get a good night's sleep. Following her 2nd and 3rd visits she remains pain free.
POST CANCER TREATMENT
My secretary informed me that a patient was on the phone that needed an appointment for Bowen therapy. She was referred by her neurologist, whom I'd never heard of. Since her only problem was neck pain, my secretary wanted to know if I could see her or not. I said absolutely not, especially since I didn't know the patient or the referral source. At that point I didn't possess a massage certificate, so I really couldn't wander outside the scope of my Podiatry practice. The next day the lady called back and said, she'd spoken to her neurologist and he insisted that she have Bowen treatments. And, that I was the only person he wanted to touch her. I gave in, and had my receptionist make her an appointment.
When she came for her appointment we had her sign a waiver that she was fully aware that I was not working as a Podiatrist, but only as a Bowen therapist. As it turned out, she had been going through radiation therapy for breast cancer. She'd had a radical mastectomy with lymph node removal. This had left her with a stiff and painful neck. She was scheduled for a C.T. scan in four weeks to monitor some palpable lymph nodes, so she could only have three weekly treatments. Following which, she would return about a month later for the fourth Bowen treatment after the scan and results were determined, to see if she may need additional surgery for the palpable nodes. After her 1st treatment her range of motion improved about 50%. Following the 2nd treatment her range of motion was about 80 %. After the 3rd session her neck moved pain free in all directions.
When she returned four weeks later she was beaming from ear to ear. Her C.T. scan for the lymph nodes was completely normal. I can't make any conjecture on what transpired other than a spontaneous remission must have occurred. She thought otherwise
SAVING LIVES - IS IT POSSIBLE?
My first experience with a patient who told me that the treatments I did had saved his life. It really took me quite by surprise. At first I thought he was kidding, until tears came to his eyes. Jeff was a Police Chaplin from a nearby town. His main problem was a pain in his heel. He told me that he was favoring it and this made his back and hip hurt (seems to be a common theme). I treated both his foot and the muscles, which were involved with the back and hip with Bowen Therapy. During the third session we got into a discussion on the release of emotional holding patterns during bodywork therapies. Jeff then asked, “Is that why I’ve been so emotional the past few weeks?” I said, “Quite possibly.” He then dropped the bomb, “You know my friend, that you've saved my life!” As tears rolled from his eyes he told me about how he had become suicidal for a number of reasons, with the final straw being about a friend of his who'd had a drug problem. He was trying to help his friend get through the drug addiction. One day, he found his friend dead in his living room from an apparent overdose, and this was about all Jeff could take. I'm not claiming to have had anything to do with Jeff’s desire to continue living. He just told me that's what happened.
I was beginning the third weekly session with Rod. When I asked how he was doing with the treatments he said, “I don’t think that they're helping. I may even be a little worse. It's starting to bother me in bed when I sleep on my stomach.” Rod was experiencing low back pain and his hairdresser had relief of low back pain with one of my Bowen sessions, so she'd referred him to me for Bowen treatments. I asked Rod if he'd been examined and worked up by a physician who's qualified to evaluate back symptoms. He said, “No.” I then asked, “When was your last physical?” He said, “A couple of years ago. I'm overdue for one.” I encouraged him to make an appointment with his primary care physician to get evaluated because there are many pathologies, which can cause low back pain. I've seen patients who were diagnosed with kidney infections, pelvic disorders, cancer, and digestive problems as well as disk and vertebrae pathology. Rod’s wife came into the office to have a treatment just two weeks following our discussion that day, and she thanked me for saving Rod’s life! He went right away for a physical and his Doctor found a 12-centimeter aneurysm on his abdominal aorta, and it was about ready to rupture. By 2:00 PM that day following the diagnosis, Rod had the aneurysm repaired, and within 2 days post op, his back pain was completely gone!
A former Bowen patient who mentioned that the treatments had saved her life referred one other patient. I am not sure what that statement meant.
PRACTITIONER INTENT AND HEALING
After completing my first lessons on the Bowen Technique I returned to my office full of enthusiasm and optimism. As I performed the therapy on as many patients as I could get my hands on, results were surprisingly outstanding the first few months. As a matter of fact, many patients commented that I'd "changed their lives", and lots of others had resolution of many chronic aches, pains, and medical issues. I was totally excited about the outcomes. After six months of on the job experience a Bowen Practitioner becomes eligible to become certified by the Australian Bow Tech ®. I took the two day certification class and demonstrated my skills. Much to my surprise, according to the Aussie Bowen experts, I was performing a number of procedures incorrectly. This made me a little doubtful but, I changed my notes in the workbook, demonstrated my technique again correctly, and got my certification paper. However, during the next two or so months, I noticed a dramatic drop off in the favorable outcomes following my treatments. No more miracles were happening. Most of the time results were only so – so. I even thought about giving it up and converting the treatment rooms back to podiatry rooms. Then, one day I was having lunch with a friend who's a naturopathic practitioner. I observed a massage table off to the side of her office, and I asked, "What are you using a massage table for?" She told me that she'd learned a new technique she was going to incorporate into her practice. I then asked, "How are you going to work that into your schedule? You're already spending over an hour with your clients?" She replied, "I'm changing things around a little and modified the way from what I was taught. You know you can change the teacher’s rules and still get good results, as long as your intentions are good." All of a sudden I had this revelation. During the first six months I'd inadvertently changed the teacher’s rules or whatever. But, my intentions were very good. The next few months after the review class, I was in doubt of my ability to learn the technique properly, I began doubting the system, I was focusing much of the day on one of my children who was undergoing some personal issues, and I was fed up with H.M.O’S, Managed Care, and Medicare. All of these were altering my intentions. I immediately restored my enthusiasm, gave myself a little pep-talk on how good I was at performing Bowen treatments. Especially, thinking back on the first six months. At the outset of each session I cleared my head of any extraneous stuff and focused on doing the best I can for this patient on the table, and to heck with the rest of the world and all of their problems. I did some mental recalls of patients whom I’d helped so much during the first six months. Well, immediately the favorable outcomes started to return. A week or two into my new regime a patient came for a treatment that I'd given two to three treatments the first six months, and one or two treatments during my slump. I asked, "How are you doing? Is there any particular issue to address today or are you just in need of a tune up?" She replied, "I just need a new body." Or, something like that. As I began the treatment with the first two muscle movements she looked up and said, "Welcome back." I thought for a second and replied, "I haven't been on vacation or out of town." She said, "I know. Welcome back." She’d sensed my disconnection during the last couple of sessions, and now could tell that I was back to good condition. I've had a few mini-slumps since then, and I can usually catch myself before too long.
I previously mentioned a book titled, "The Goat Doctor of the Sierras". He was a healing legend in the foothills of the Sierras. Patients drove for miles and miles on one lane roads, and a narrow dirt road down a canyon wall in order to get to his ranch. He worked out of his house down in the American river canyon outside of Placerville, California. He was a "Miracle Healer". I had many patients who recalled being there with their parents. They observed his miracles while they watched him through the open front door to his front treatment room.
The Goat Doctor of the Sierras used a lot of touch technique. This healer was not a doctor, but was able to cure all kinds of problems for people during the 1930’s -1940’s. Cars would begin to line up in his driveway starting at 5:00 in the morning, behind the ones who had spent the night. He would open the gate at 7:00 AM and the first car in line had the first appointment. The second car would wait until the first car pulled out from in front of the house, and they would pull forward and were the next appointment. He quit seeing patients at 5:00 PM. So, anyone left that he had not seen that day could sleep overnight in their car, in a tent, or they could drive back another day. He had a tremendous following over the years. Because of the stories my patients told me about him over the years, I purchased and read the book, "The Goat Doctor of the Sierras". They called him the, "Goat Doctor" because he lived on grains, veggies, fruits, and Goat's Milk. And, he had goats running all over his yard.
One of my patients recalled a time when he was at the Goat Doctor's with his mom. While she was a few cars back and was awaiting her turn, he was playing on the front porch with some other kids. A limousine pulled up to the front steps, which meant it was the next appointment. The driver got out and opened the trunk and got out a wheelchair upon which a distinguished man dressed in suit and tie, got out of the passenger seat. They helped a young lady out of the back seat into the wheelchair and wheeled her into the front room, which was the treatment area. The Goat Dr. asked about the nature of her problems. The man in the suit and tie said that they were from the East Coast, and that she'd had an auto accident two years before, which left her paralyzed from the waist down. They had heard of the Goat Doctor via the grapevine, and came to California for a session. My patient listened to the verbal exchange and the subsequent physical phenomenon. The Goat Doctor placed one hand on the girl's shoulder and touched a few places along her thoracic and lumbar spine. After a few minutes, he invited her to stand. She reluctantly let him help her to a standing position and then he prompted her to take a step. She placed one foot in-front, and then the other. And, while he held her hands, she walked for the first time in two years. The father broke down into tears and took out his checkbook. He asked, "How much do I owe you?" The Goat Doctor said, "Two dollars-you can leave it in the basket by the front door." The father said, "Oh no, I'm giving you a check for $10,000.00." The Goat doctor refused the check, as all the kids on the front porch were saying, "Take the Money- Take the Money!" Finally the father and daughter walked out, while the chauffer carried the wheelchair to the car, and they all drove off into the sunset. All he did was touch the right places!
One of his patients stayed on, and started doing housekeeping for the family, in the latter years of his practice. The Goat Doctor fell in love and married the young lady. A rift occurred between the mother-in-law and the bride. Also, the young lady was at odds with some of the neighbors. All of which caused the Goat Doctor to lose quite a bit of his effectiveness. Many of his patients when interviewed for the book commented that his treatments didn't work as well as they had in the past, before he got married.
Now, how about those three different acupuncturists I saw for my back pain, before I was fixed by Milton's Bowen session?
#1 was a miracle worker. He had a "Hole in the wall" office. He lived in a small house on a fruit orchard. He drove an old beat up 1968 Datsun something or another. His sole mission was to help people - I know that for a fact. He helped almost every patient that I referred to him. He even knew in advance, when he wouldn’t be able to help them. He was a miracle worker too.
#2 was an egotistical, self-engendered man, who bragged about all of his accomplishments. He let me know where he lived, and that he drove a Cadillac. He couldn't touch my pain.
#3 was a nice man. He wasn't caught up in himself. He ran a busy practice in a multiple room office. He was pretty good.
Therefore, it appears that the state of mind that a practitioner is in makes a difference on how well you may respond to their treatments.
Intention is 90% of the result. That's how the Martial Arts people can break a brick with their hand. Their focus is so intense on the outcome and so defocused from other data, that they can achieve super-human fetes. So can you!
EPILOGUE
I've gone through a tremendous and incredulous journey the past few years. The personal explorations, experiences, education, enlightenment, and empowerment process has me in awe. I hope that this book inspires you to take your own journey.
Remember, that different tissues have different issues. So, there's a need for different strokes for different folks. What's good for one isn't good for all. I have my own saying, "If it's going to be - it's up to me."
During the last two years that I was in podiatry practice I performed two clinical studies.
The first was on reduction of bunions and bunion pain. There were 66 patients who entered, complied, and completed the study, which was for a one year treatment period. These were mostly patients who'd come to me wanting surgery, and who thought that surgery was their only option. I only operated on three! All the rest were pain free from one to three weeks on average, and the longest was within three months. All I did for them was adhesive tape for temporary arch support and a Bowen session once a week for four weeks. Followed by, a set of orthotics and a Bowen session once a month. All remained pain free while coming once monthly for the remainder of the year. None returned after the study was completed, so I assume that no news is good news. For a video on my taping technique:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd8pRsoyYXLy3rPNKgbk6IQ?feature=results_main
The second study was on postural pains and headaches which included; knee, hip, lower back, upper back, shoulder, neck, arm, and carpal tunnel. There were about 80 patients in this study which also lasted for a one year period, once a week for four weeks, then once a month. All patients graded their pains on a scale of 1 to 10; 1 = mild – 10 = severe. The results I report are approximate, because I retired before publishing the results, and my papers were lost in the move from California to North Carolina. Lower back pain reduced from 8’s and 9’s to 0’s and 2’s in about 85% of the patients. Upper back pain reduced from 8’s and 9’s to 0’s and 1’s in about 90% of the patients. Neck pains reduced from 8’s and 9’s to 0’s in almost all cases, if not all. The extremity pains reduced at random, but better than 50%. Headaches resolved in about 95% of the patients. It was interesting to see the numbers drop as the weeks went by. I regret to have lost the data, but as soon as I have some free time I will begin a new study.
Recently, I read a book and took a class by Graham Pennington who is a Bowen Practitioner, Acupuncturist, and Naturopathic doctor. The book I highly recommend, A TEXTBOOK OF BOWEN TECHNIQUE. Graham’s book and class reveals how Tom Bowen really worked his magic by assessment of the body and the body’s response to the various “Moves”. When the practitioner can pinpoint the source of the problem and release it, a Bowen session can be successfully completed in a matter of five to seven minutes!
SOME PATIENT FEEDBACK
April 21, 2004
RE: Treatment from Dr. Mosher for bunion and corn
My initial visit to Dr. Mosher was prompted by a painful and persistent corn located between my little toe and its neighbor on my right foot. Dr. Mosher removed the corn and I got relief for a number of weeks. But it returned with a vengeance. This routine continued several times: comfortable for a short time but back to Dr. Mosher in weeks with the same complaint. Regardless of the treatment, the painful corn would return.
Walking was growing more and more painful and difficult for me. I had bunions on both feet, but the one on the right was growing more pronounced. I had developed a hard inflamed callused area under the bunion that raged with a burning sensation after walking a short while especially with shoes on. Thanks to the bunion and the displacement of my big toe, this area became my weight-bearing area while walking. This arrangement caused my knee to feel “twisted” and painful all the time, exacerbating my fibromyalgia pain.
I became quite discouraged one day with another corn and red inflamed foot. It was increasingly altering ability to function due to the pain and inflammation. Dr. Mosher removed the corn once again and then suggested I try regular Bowen treatments to treat the bunion that created the corn scenario. He made me an insert for my shoes and we started the treatments.
I am now walking properly on the ball of my foot [not on the side, “twisting” my knee] and I’m doing it comfortably. The callus is gone and so is the inflammation. Since starting the Bowen treatments, I’ve not had a recurrence of the corn either.
Life is just a whole lot more comfortable now!
Charlene W
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Wednesday, May 19, 2004
I came into the office at 9:00am on May 18, 2004 with a terrible sinus headache. I hurt from the top of my head down my neck and into my left shoulder. Plus I had been dizzy as well. I hadn’t taken anything for it because I knew I was going to get a Bowen treatment. My low back felt like it was out too. My left hip would hurt with certain movements.
After Dr. Mosher asked how I was feeling I told him “not too well”. I was looking forward to this treatment just to see if it would really help me.
I left the office at 10:00am and went to Sacramento to meet friends for lunch. During the lunch I still felt badly. My head hurt and I thought the treatment didn’t do anything for me. I stopped by Bel Air Market on my way home when I noticed that I didn’t have the headache or backache. I wasn’t sure though if it had really gone away. All evening I kept waiting for it to return and if it did then I would take a couple of aspirins. Just to be on the safe side I called for an appointment at the chiropractor’s office for the next day because I knew if my atlas was put back in then I wouldn’t have anymore problems. I have done this in the past. The next morning when I awoke I felt really good so I cancelled my appointment with the chiropractor and still today, May 29, 2004, I have not hurt all day. I am amazed at the results of this treatment. I began the treatments in March and had four treatments (one a week for the month). I left for the month of April and just began the treatments again in May. This is very surprising to me as I feel like nothing is really done to me but a little “strumming” on certain areas. I am impressed. I don’t hurt anywhere at this moment.
Arlene J.
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12-29-95
Last year, while doing floor exercises I injured the sciatic nerve. The pain went down my legs and into my feet. They became so painful, that I could not get my feet comfortable, worse at night. I didn’t sleep well at all.
I made an appointment with Dr. Mosher. He had helped me with a heel spur some years back. Frankly, I wondered what he could do. He talked to me about a method called Bowen he was learning. I was very willing to try it. I’m so glad I did, after only two treatments I was sleeping well!! And, my feet were comfortable again! I consider this treatment great!! A big heartfelt thanks to Dr. Mosher!!
Sincerely,
Myrlene F. S.
This was my very first Bowen Patient!
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May 20, 2004
Dear Dr. Mosher
I wanted to thank you for the wonderful service you have provided me. I came to you in November of 2003 with an extremely painful bunion. The pain in my foot had gotten so bad that my foot hurt nearly all the time. I went to see you in hopes that you could help me without having to perform surgery. When you explained the “Bowen “ technique I have to admit that I was skeptical, but at that point, willing to try anything! After approximately two Bowen treatments, the pain in my foot had gotten much better and after the third visit I was almost completely pain free. I was not only relieved that I did not have to have surgery, but thrilled at the results and wanted to share them with friends and family. By my second month of seeing Dr. Mosher and receiving the Bowen therapy I was pain free. Not only did my foot feel better, but the areas of my body where I normally carry stress had to dissipate also.
I am so thankful to Dr. Mosher and believe full heartedly that this technique should be tried on all patients before they even think of surgery.
Sincerely, Chiara M.
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To Whom It May Concern
12/05/2003
I have bunions on both of my feet that used to cause me great pain. I am not sure where these hideous things came from. I suspect they began forming for a number of reasons, one of which is directly my fault. I used to wear shoes to small for my feet during my pre-teen and teen years. As a result of this disregard for my feet (and other causes) I developed bunions and hammertoes. The left foot bunion was less severe causing my great toe to point toward my little toe by 20 degrees or more. The right foot bunion was much more troublesome causing my great toe to point to over 30 degrees toward my little toe. I went several years this way since I was unaware of any treatment besides surgery. I am very afraid of foot surgeries since I have heard so many negative outcomes from friends and family. By the end of most days my feet would just throb and nothing seemed to help. I tried foot bathes, massagers, warm packs, cold packs and so on. Nothing helped.
My mother was seeing Dr. Mosher since she has similar problems (did I mention inherited above?) with her feet. She also had problems with calluses and corns on various places on the feet and he was helping her by trimming her callused areas and helping her non-surgically to improve the overall alignment of her feet. She seemed to be benefiting from this therapy and encouraged me to go in for a consult.
I was quite skeptical, but agreed to give it a whirl. The doctor examined my feet and told me he felt he could help me. I agreed to try the treatment and he started immediately. He pared the calluses and placed splinting on my feet to help change my gait. Dr. Mosher also talked to me about doing some Bowen therapy, a treatment to help realign my muscles and other systems. I agreed to try this also feeling I needed all the help I could get.
His treatment plan began to provide me relief after only a few treatments. I began to feel better and really didn’t know why. One night after work it hit me; I was really able to relax! The old and ever present throbbing feet were missing! I now had feet that performed well but they no longer complained about it. What a great feeling!
I finished treatments 3 to 4 years ago and remain essentially pain free. I continue to have Bowen treatments whenever I start feeling uptight and know that something is out of balance. My left great toe is virtually straight and the right great toe is 10 degrees or less deviated. The hammertoes also disappeared during the treatment. I have thanked Dr. Mitchell R. Mosher many times over for his treatment of my foot problems and overall sense of well-being. I am so happy for the freedom from pain that I now enjoy. I continue to recommend Dr. Mosher many times to friends and family for problems with their feet and for stress release with the Bowen therapy.
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Dear Dr. Mosher:
For most of my adult life (I am now 49), I have had the ugliest toes. They have always been an embarrassment to me.
Approximately 1 year ago I came to you with a foot injury. After you treated my foot you suggested Bowen.
A month or so after the Bowen, I happened to notice my toes. The fungus was gone, and my toenails were actually turning pink again.
For once in my life, I can wear open toed shoes !
Thanks,
Jan B
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Dr. Mitchell R. Mosher
9/29/97
“ Bowen Technique”
Dear friend,
You are totally generous and charitable in your outlook, in help for people needing this technique.
You do the muscles using this Bowen technique, and are so gentle, so negligible in its’ outward malfestation, that you wonder whether it is really doing any good.
But I really know, I now walk without a cane and have no pain.
Thank you Dr. Mosher
Cordially,
Maurice R.
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Mon. Dec 8 1997
To Whom It May Concern
My name is Robert W. H. In July of 1997 I was involved in a devastating motorcycle accident. The right tibia and fibula were compounded and considerable tissue was ground off in the resulting fall onto the asphalt. This resulted in a sizable gap between the bones and resulted in my leg being encased in various types of casts for a period of 22 months. After a delayed bone graft (I sat on an electronic bone growth stimulator 16 hours a day for 8 months with no success in healing), and eventual bone mending no physical therapy was prescribed. My right foot seemed to be destined to never recover enough for normal function to even allow me to stand or walk for eve as much as four hours a day without producing intense pain that would at times, depending on how much I used it, cripple me for days on end.
Dr. Steven W., an Auburn, Ca. Podiatrist diagnosed plantar fasciitis, capsulitis, and tendonitis as I had orthotics made for my feet, which over the years were sometimes effective, allowing me to work on my feet 4 to 6 hours a day with tolerable pain levels. At other time periods the pain reduction from using orthotics was nil and crippling again became a life circumstance.
In April of 1995, I came to Dr. Mitchell Mosher, also an Auburn, Ca. Podiatrist, to have my orthotics re-made. At this time he gave me a treatment (one) of the Bowen Technique, telling me I may need to have a second treatment in the near future. I never went back for the second treatment and, the nearly full and complete function ability I have today took around 15 months to develop, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the phenomenon of healing in my right foot is the direct result of the applied Bowen Technique. I wholly recommend its trial by anyone who suffers the crippling effects of pain as I did for so many years.
Sincerely,
Robert W. H.
Sept. 28, 1996
Dear Dr. Mosher,
I just wanted to thank you for helping to make the quality of my life (and my daughter’s) better. When I thought I was facing surgery on my toe, I was pleasantly surprised to find Bowen Therapy straightening out my toe! Not to mention, my arm is better, and I’ve been known to get relief from a major sinus headache! My daughter, Kristy looks forward to the relax in stress reducing effects of this therapy, and so do I.
Dr. Mosher, you are a unique and caring physician and humanitarian, I am truly touched by your skill and compassionate ways.
Sincerely,
Liz H
Dr. Mosher,
How can I express my gratitude for how much one treatment of Bowen has helped me. I can breathe thru my nasal passage when lying down. I have always had to breathe thru my mouth. I have had to wear a brace on my arm from tendonitus in my elbow. Which I no longer have to do. I had back surgery in 1977 the scar tissue from that has always bothered me, It doesn’t now! In the past year I have had constant pain from spraining my ankle, breaking my leg and spraining my ankle the second time I no longer have pain.
I am so grateful to you for your concern for people that you have mastered this therapy
GOD BLESS!
Linda R.
___________________________________________
3-15-2000
Dear Doctor Mosher.
I can’t begin to thank you enough for your help. I am much better and hope to be able to again lay on my back for a nights rest in the next few days – I still am a bit gun shy to try it.
Sincerely,
Bill
I am a 51 year old male, for the past 10 years I have suffered from chronic soreness, and or pain all over my body. I have been called an enigma by a nationally known neurologist, miss diagnosed by another neurologist. Finally, another very well- known neurologist gave up and diagnosed me with chronic fatigue syndrome/ fibromyalgia. This led me to numerous attempts to solve my pain issues with narcotics, anti-inflammatory medicines, and muscle relaxers.
Recently, I decided to try the BOWEN TECHNIQUE. I experienced immediate relief from years of muscle and joint pain. When administered, I felt warmth pass through my back and legs. There was also some tingling sensations in my legs and ankles. On the day this was done I could not stand due to pain in my ankles and knees. All pain left my ankles, knees, feet, and muscles throughout my body. I was amazed and could not understand, all that I knew was I felt better than I had felt in many years. The treatment received was only a partial treatment session, which I found to be even more amazing. I have since, followed up with 2 more full sessions. I no longer take any pain medications. The pains have not returned and I continue to improve in areas I did not know I would. I have feeling in my feet that I lost in early adulthood. I have mobility in my hands, wrists, and ankles that I had lost about 5 years ago. It is so nice not to have my stomach upset by anti-inflammatory medicines. This has also helped improve my mental outlook on life. I am more anxious to be involved in daily activities of life that I had previously stayed away from.
I have had a great experience with this technique and would recommend just about anyone to give it a try. It is economical, and all you have to lose is ailments!
Feeling Better Every Day, Rodney S.
REFERENCES
“MYOFASCIAL PAIN AND DYSFUNCTION the Trigger Point Manual”
Janet G. Travell, M.D.
David G. Simons, M.D
VOLUMES 1 & 2
“HEALING ANCIENT WOUNDS The Renegade’s Wisdom”
John F. Barnes, PT
“THE BODY ELECTRIC”
Robert O. Becker, M.D.
“CROSS CURRENTS”
Robert O. Becker, M.D.
“VIBRATIONAL MEDICINE”
Richard Gerber, M.D.
“CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY”
John Upledger, D.O.
“MOLECULES OF EMOTION”
Candace B. Pert, Ph.D.
“BIOLOGY OF BELIEF”
Bruce Lipton, Ph.D.
“BIOGRAPHICAL APPROACH TOWARD TUMOR REGRESSION IN MICE”
Humphrey & Seal: Science, 1959 130: 388-
389
“INHIBITION OF EXPERIMENTAL TUMOR GROWTH IN HAMSTERS BY DIRECT CURRENTS”
Schauble, M.K.et al: Archives Pathol. Lab. Med.
1977, 101: 294-297
“ELECTRICAL STIMULATION FOR DERMAL WOUND HEALING”
Gentzlow, G.D. et al: Clinics in Podiatric
Medicine and Surgery 1991 8:827-841
“ELECTRICAL STIMULATION AND WOUND HEALING”
Weiss, D.S. et al: Archives of Dermatology
1990, Vol. 126: 222-225
“LOW – VOLT PULSED MICROAMP STIMULATION”
Picker, R.I.; Clinical Management Vol 9, No2:
10-13 No. 3: 28-33
"THE HIDDEN MESSAGES IN WATER"
Masaru Emoto
LINKS
My You Tube Channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UCd8pRsoyYXLy3rPNKgbk6IQ
My Books: www.DrsDiscoveries.com
My Websites:
www.Bowen4Life.com
www.drmitchellmosher.com
www.BowenHomeStudy.com
Bowen Directory: www.bowendirectory.com
Video Demonstration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv-_FFZckag