Bowen technique

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about a type of physical manipulation in alternative medicine. For the
sheep shearing technique see sheep shearing. For the athletic director, see Tom
Bowen (athletic director).
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The Bowen technique (or Bowen therapy) is an alternative type of physical
manipulation named after Australian Thomas Ambrose Bowen (Tom Bowen) (1916
1982).

There is no clear evidence that the technique is a useful medical intervention.[1]

Contents [hide]
1

History

Method

Effectiveness

References

History[edit]
Bowen had no formal medical training,[2] and described his approach as a "gift from
God".[3] He referred to himself as an osteopath and tried to join the Australian
register of osteopaths in 1981, but did not qualify for the title.[4] He died as an
unlicensed practitioner of manual therapy.[5] At the same time, in 1975, several
years before his death, a public inquiry (government of Victoria, Australia) reported
that Bowen treated an estimated 13,000 patients per year, with an 80 percent
success rate in symptoms that were associated with a wide range of conditions.[6]
[7] In 1973 Bowen himself had referred to his ability to "average 65 patients per
day," yet the technique as it is commonly practiced today is unlikely to achieve that
volume.[5]

Bowen did not document his technique, and as a result its practice after his death
has followed one or other differing interpretation of his work.[5] It was not until
some years after his death that the term "Bowen Technique" was invented. The
technique goes by a wide variety of other names including: Smart Bowen, Fascial
Kinetics, Integrated Bowen Therapy, Neurostructural Integration Technique (NST),
Fascial Bowen and Bowenwork.[5] The technique has been popularized by some of
the six men who observed him at work including Oswald Rentsch, an osteopath[8]
whose interpretation has become the dominant, but not unchallenged, form.[5]
Learning the technique requires 120 hours of instruction,[9] or as little as a
weekend workshop.[10]

Method[edit]
Recipients are generally fully clothed. Each session typically involves gentle rolling
motions along the muscles, tendons, and fascia.[11] The therapy's distinctive
features are the minimal nature of the physical intervention and pauses

incorporated in the treatment.[12] Proponents claim these pauses allow the body to
"reset" itself.[3]

Effectiveness[edit]
In 2015 the Australian Government's Department of Health published the results of
a review of alternative therapies that sought to determine if any were suitable for
being covered by health insurance; Bowen Technique was one of 17 therapies
evaluated for which no clear evidence of effectiveness was found.[1] Quackwatch
includes "Neuro-Structural Integration Technique (Bowen Therapy)" in its list of
"questionable treatments."[13]

References[edit]
^ Jump up to: a b Baggoley C (2015). "Review of the Australian Government Rebate
on Natural Therapies for Private Health Insurance" (PDF). Australian Government
Department of Health. Lay summary Gavura, S. Australian review finds no benefit
to 17 natural therapies. Science-Based Medicine. (19 November 2015).
Jump up ^ Walsh, Nancy (2002). "Touch therapy may thaw frozen shoulder (Small
Study of Bowen Technique)". Family Practice News (15).
^ Jump up to: a b Young, J (2007). Complementary Medicine For Dummies. For
Dummies. pp. 2578. ISBN 0-470-02625-1.
Jump up ^ Matthews, K (1999-04-03). "Healing Hands - About Tom Bowen". Geelong
Advertiser.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e Pennington, Katrina (2012). "Bowen Therapy: a review of the
profession". Journal of the Australian Traditional-Medicine Society. 18 (4): 217.
Jump up ^ Hansen, Christine; Taylor-Piliae, Ruth E. (2011). "What is Bowenwork? A
Systematic Review". The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 17
(11): 1002. doi:10.1089/acm.2010.0023. PMID 22087611.
Jump up ^ Klotter, Julie (January 2005). "Bowen Technique". Townsend Letter for
Doctors and Patients. via HighBeam (subscription required). Retrieved 2013-01-17.
Jump up ^ Shealy, C. Norman (1996). The complete family guide to alternative
medicine: an illustrated encyclopedia of natural healing. Barnes Noble Books. p. 47.
ISBN 978-0760702390. In 1974 he invited osteopath and manual therapist Oswald
Rentsch to study and document the method.

Jump up ^ Knaster, M (1996). "Bowen Technique". Discovering the Body's Wisdom.

Random House. pp. 33841. ISBN 0553373277.
Jump up ^ Clarke, Stephen (2012). "A Textbook of Bowen Technique (Book review)".
Journal of the Australian Traditional-Medicine Society. 18 (4): 245.
Jump up ^ Bowen Unravelled, A journey into the Fascial Understanding of The
Bowen Technique, Lotus Publishing, 2013 ISBN 978-1-58394-765-4
Jump up ^ Andrea, Kargel-Schwanhaeusser (2012). "General features and quality of
Bowen therapy". European Journal of Integrative Medicine. 4: 189.
doi:10.1016/j.eujim.2012.07.919.
Jump up ^ "Index of Questionable Treatments". Quackwatch. Retrieved 4 August
2016.
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