On visiting my GP I was told it was a
After a further week of popping painkillers and being practically paralysed with the pain I decided I would go for the surgery and agreed to go on the waiting list ....it is the NHS you know!!Anyway....another two weeks went by having attempted every single 
I was at my wits end!! Literally......then on the Saturday morning I awoke to a lovely sunny day...very rare in London and decided to toddle down to the park down the road. I did so with pain and a brave face. On arrival I plunked myself down on the first park bench and watched the activities....live entertainment I thought as I watched dogs run circles round their owners.
One dog in particular caught my eye....he was a medium sized pooch with large brown patches and light brown hair...a mix I imagine. I also noticed he had a slight limp and needed rest time in between ball fetching sessions. It's owner was a middle aged lady who was intent on throwing a pink ball with the force of a throw put athlete. As I watched them from the bench, the pooch now sweltering from the midday sun made his way towards my bench and settled himself under the shade of it. Hi Doggie I said... I know what its like to be limp I commented. Just then his owner came over....'Tracy had a stroke 2 months ago she said and couldn't move either of her back legs but she is much better now after her Bowen Therapy' she said.......oh ..my first thought was...dogs get strokes....and the second was Wow...she is much better....and my third I said aloud 'I wish this therapist treated humans too!'......oh she does said the owner ...she works just up the road.....ok hang on I thought firstly a doggie stroke is something completely different and what is Bowen Therapy....never ever heard of it....some kind of New Age thing? Bet it hurts like hell.....'oh no, I dont think she could treat my sciatica....plus it really is too painful to undergo any therapy' I said. 'Bowen is extremely gentle' said the lady....really....hmmmm.....I thought right lets research this thing....I am sure its just the same as all the other things out there!
Having chatted a little more with the lady I limped back to my apartment and began my research on Bowen....ok it took a little longer than I anticipated as I though it was spelt Bone Therapy....that's how its sounds eh?
I searched online for this doggie stroke miracle worker and found her practice, just up the road.....ok close enough to limp too...and hmmm very gentle therapy great for back pain...ok ok ...price? not listed.....hell if it helps with this pain its worth everything....surgery-paralysis vs couple of pounds?...ok SOLD....I picked up the phone and made an appointment.
Dr. X is a medically trained Bowen therapist.....did she treat the dog? Yes but just as a favor as she specialises in humans....ahh...ok great. I arrived at the clinic limping and clutching my back....Dr. X greeted me and was straight to the point....she was quick to assess my condition and questioned me in great detail about the accident that occurred ...at this point I simply murmured does it really matter....YES she said....once you are healed we need to make sure it doesn't recur....Wow I thought you are pretty optimistic. I began to tell her the whole story and how I had paid a visit to nearly every single therapist in Central London searching for some relief. 'Will Bowen at least relieve my pain whilst I await my surgery?', I asked. 'Relieve your pain most definitely but we want to heal it completely' she said. She then went on to explain how Bowen works with the natural healing process of the body and there is no external manipulation involved. Just as a would heals by itself, so the body will heal itself when injured, although it may take a little more time it will heal permanently just as a wound does. Painkillers and other forms of quick fixes act just as a plaster to temporarily provide relief without tackling the source of the problem. Does that mean I may actually heal for good and wont need surgery???Surgery is a last resort explains Dr. X....lets give the body a chance to do its work first. But why didn't my body heal right after the injury I queried? Well, sometimes after an injury occurs the healing process is hampered by muscle constriction which reduces the blood supply and so prevents complete healing. Bowen is simply a trigger of the healing response. I can't promise you the pain will disappear immediately after the treatment, it may take a day or two or maybe even another treatment, it all depends on the rate the body wishes to heal at. There will definitely be some relief though. If the pain persists we will schedule another appointment 5 days or more later with a more targetted approach to the problem. The first session is a general all over body treatment that evaluates the bodies response to Bowen. On many occasions just one treatment is enough. Ok this lady knows her stuff and her professional demeanor was enough for me to hop onto the treatment couch without any more questions.
Dr. X the went on to explain the Bowen procedure and emphasised how gentle it would be.....I heard that before, I thought recalling my excrutiating experience at the chiropractors......but she didn't have any signs of dog bites on her..so she couldn't have hurt our brown patched pooch plus surgery would be much more painful!!She also explained how 'breaks' of 2 minutes in length were taken in between moves to allow the body to respond to the signals without being bombarded and confused with too many signals. During these breaks she would leave the room so I could relax without feeling self conscious and allow the body to respond.
I got onto the treatment table face down and the treatment began. First she made two extremely gentle rolling like moves on my lower back and moved away for the 'break'....she left the room and What was that I thought? Am i wasting my money here....BUT then all of a sudden I felt a gentle rush of heat to my back and as if by magic my whole body was pulsating and tingling yet super relaxed....I can only describe it as being wrapped in a warm fleece with a hot water bottle on a cold night...aahhhhhhh......bliss....the treatment proceeded with more moves in different places.....with the same gentle touch. Throughout the process I felt completely relaxed and very aware of my body. The same warmth travelled throughout my body but was concentrated mainly on my lower back.
After the treatment, I was gently awoken and sat up...YAWN.....that was great.....Now lets treat your sciatica specifically she said......My What? The pain was a mere tingle....I jumped off the bed amazed .......her smile was quickly replaced by a frown and I was quickly reprimanded for jumping off the bed so quickly as it may cause some imbalance.....I felt a little light headed and quickly sank into a chair. After 10 minutes of rest she treated my sciatica with a very simple and quick release move which she has now taught my husband to use whenever I feel a twinge. Following a glass of water I was told not to carry out any strenous activitiy and to drink lots of water to encourage blood flow and lymph drainage. Another big No No is trying any other therapy during now and the second session as any other therapy may interfere with the signals and confuse the healing process.
She advised me to call her if I experienced any pain or was re-injured.
So that is my story and Review of the the Bowen Therapy! I went back for my second session and my monthly migraines are now a thing of the past!! Every 6 weeks I book myself a session just to rebalance myself and keep everything running smoothly...and I called my surgeon to cancel the surgery!!!!
I highly recommend the Bowen Therapy to everybody out there with any ailment!!!
BOWEN worked for me!!!Yay!!
Thanks for reading my Bowen Therapy Review, I will keep updating my blog with other information on Bowen Therapy.
