Bowen Therapy helps roll away chronic pain

[Extracted from Vitality magazine Sept/Oct 2011]

The Bowen Technique is a natural, drug-free, non-invasive complementary therapy, invented in Australia and introduced to the UK in the 1990s. Bowen Therapy has a particularly strong record of success in the treatment of back pain. A national study, carried out by The Bowen Therapy Professional Association (BTPA) in the summer of 2006, showed that 95 per cent of back pain sufferers experienced either complete relief or a marked improvement, after a series of no more than three Bowen treatments.

The Bowen Technique prides itself on being able to trigger the body’s own healing systems. Rather than 'making' the body change, Bowen 'asks' the body to recognise and make the changes it requires.

With primarily fingers and thumbs, the Bowen practitioner makes small, rolling movements over muscles, tendons, ligaments and soft tissue at precise points on the body, using only the amount of pressure appropriate for that individual. No hard-tissue manipulation or force is needed or used. Between each set of moves, the body is allowed to rest for a few minutes,

to allow it to absorb the information it has received and initiate the healing process.

Bowen is generally pleasant to receive, each session lasting 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the age of the client and the nature of their condition. Many clients become so relaxed they fall asleep during the treatment.

Short-term (acute) injury may be resolved in one to three Bowen treatments, while long-standing (chronic) conditions may require longer. A gap of five to ten days is recommended between Bowen sessions; so that the body can process the subtle information it has been given. As well as back pain, Bowen Therapy also may help with a host of other health issues

such as frozen shoulders, sports injuries, whiplash, migraine, hay fever, asthma, IBS

or fertility matters.

Brighton Bowen therapist Sarah Yearsley has treated Channel 4’s Born Survivor Bear Grylls for many years now.  Grylls says of his Bowen treatments with Sarah, “It (Bowen) has helped keep my body together despite the continual bashing it takes. It’s a vital support in putting right a whole range of new aches and pains, making sure that old injuries don’t cause

me problems, and helping me fight stress and fatigue.”

As with many other alternative therapies, the success of a treatment mainly depends on visiting a legitimate, well trained practitioner, who is a member of an organisation like BTPA (The Bowen Therapy Professional Association). Members of this association are qualified in Anatomy & Physiology and First Aid. They are also fully insured, abide by a strict code of conduct and ethics and are committed to a programme of continuing professional development.

Free treatment on offer

Following on from our 'Groupon' offer, if you recently had an Osteopathy treatment, ask us for a voucher - introduce a friend and get one Osteopathic treatment free.


Our clinic relies on word-of-mouth referrals so we are always grateful if you can recommend us to your family, friends or work colleagues.


We are also looking for testimonials - if you have had a great treatment and would like to tell others what benefits you received, we will offer you a £5 gift voucher as a small 'thank you'.

Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)

Repetitive Strain Injury

RSI is caused by repeated overuse and injury to the muscles of the hands, wrists, arms or shoulders. 


E.g. repeated movement of the fingers by a computer user or musician causes micro trauma in the tissues. Cells try to cope by releasing chemicals to limit or repair any damage. But sometimes the ability of the body to repair itself is outpaced by prolonged repetitive movement, causing chronic injury to the tissues. 

Symptoms of RSI may take months, even years, to appear. Initially, only a slight ache may be felt. As the problem gets worse, there's more obvious pain while performing the repeated activity.

Once the problem has become severe, pain may be felt most of the time, even with the slightest movement.

One or both arms, wrists or hands may be affected. As well as the pain, numbness and tingling may make daily activities even more difficult.

The risk of RSI is increased by spending long periods without a break, sitting on an uncomfortable seat, or at a poorly arranged workstation.

At work, the computer keyboard and mouse are often responsible for RSI. Home computers, video games and text messaging also increase the risk. Workers on factory assembly lines, musicians, dressmakers and cleaners are also more likely to develop RSI.

Treatment of RSI may include:

• Rest of the affected area
• Painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs
• Heat and cold packs
• Elastic wrist supports or firm wrist splints
• Acupuncture, physiotherapy or osteopathy

You can reduce your risk of RSI by warming up and cooling down the muscles used, taking regular breaks throughout the day, having an appropriate workstation and seating position, and practising relaxation. If your job puts you at risk of RSI you should seek out expert advice on prevention.

How can Absolute Health help?

The Bowen Therapy Professional Association (BTPA) is currently running a nationwide study into the effects of Bowen Technique for sufferers of RSI. 

If you have a medical diagnosis of Type 1 or Type 2 RSI and have suffered 2 or more years, you could take part in this study, and receive 3 Bowen Therapy treatments at a reduced rate*.

For more information about BTPA, Bowen Technique or the RSI study, visit BTPA website.

Give the clinic a call on 0116 282 7766 now to enquire about the study or Bowen Therapy.

* 1st consultation and treatment £40, 2nd treatment £5, 3rd treatment £5

Pins and needles?

Acupuncture for 'pins and needles'

Pins and needles is a form of paraesthesia resulting in dysfunction or pressure on/around nerves.  This can be felt anywhere around the body.  Occasionally this will occur in the hands or wrists as part of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.


If you are not afraid of needles (very small ones!), you may wish to try a few sessions of medical acupuncture to see if you notice an improvement in symptoms.  A study in Taiwan [1] suggests that acupuncture could be considered as an alternative to steroid treatment for relief of carpal tunnel symptoms.


Acupuncture uses very fine needles (not like the needles used to take blood), inserted into muscles to trigger a reaction within the nervous system.  Some believe this acts as a distraction to the normal (or abnormal) signals being sent from a limb to the brain, interfering with the pain pathways, helping to relieve pain or 'pins and needles' sensations.


There are few contraindications to treatment and it has been reported that nearly 2/3 of patients who try acupuncture get a positive result.  This may only be temporary relief, but in some cases, pain can be resolved completely after a short course of acupuncture treatment.


If you want to try this therapy, mention the Absolute Health website to get 10% off the standard cost for treatment (new patients only).


Give us a call now and we'll do our best to help resolve your problem.
0116 282 7766




[1]  Yang CP., Hsieh CL., Wang NH., et al. Acupuncture in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome: a randomized controlled trial. Clin J Pain. 2009; 25(4): 327-33. 

ABSTRACT:  Taiwanese researchers investigated the efficacy of acupuncture compared with steroid treatment in patients with mild-to-moderate carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). 77 CTS patients were randomly divided into 2 treatment arms – daily prednisolone treatment during 4 weeks for 39 patients and acupuncture administered in 8 sessions over 4 weeks for 38 patients. A standard questionnaire as a subjective measurement was used to rate the 5 major symptoms (pain, numbness, paresthesia, weakness/clumsiness, and nocturnal awakening) on a scale from 0 (no symptoms) to 10 (very severe). 
Results of the study showed that short-term acupuncture treatment is as effective as short-term low-dose prednisolone for mild-to-moderate CTS. For those who have an intolerance or contraindication for oral steroid or for those who do not opt for early surgery, acupuncture treatment provides an alternative choice.

Discount treatments at Absolute Health

Absolute Health will be promoting some of our services on group discount site Groupon.


In September, look out for a great health offer (Osteopathic treatments) - join Groupon to receive daily deals.




Check out their website for details: www.groupon.co.uk/

Inversion therapy for back pain

If you are suffering from back pain, one recommendation may be to try using an inversion table:

Anecdotal evidence suggests this may help relieve symptoms of back pain caused by compression of the lower segments of the lumbar spine (causing reduced space around the spinal nerves).

Little recent scientific research has been performed to back up the claims made, but if you're advised to try this method, you may benefit from short-term relief of your back pain.  It may be worthwhile using this traction method whilst having other treatment (e.g. Osteopathy), to assist your body's repair.  On its own, inversion therapy may not give significant long-term improvements.

One study showed some positive effects (but the study was funded by the inversion chair manufacturer, so this element of bias should be taken into account).  The title of this study is "Inversion therapy: a study of physiological effects", by Vernon, Meschino, and Naiman (published in J. Can. Chiropr. Assoc. 1985. September; 29(3): 135–140)

In this study, a set of physiological parameters including cardiovascular, biomechanical and radiographic were studied in a normal population using the Inverchair. Their results demonstrated a significant increase of forward trunk flexion, a general reduction of paraspinal EMG activity, a significant level of distraction of the L4-5 and L5-S1 disc spaces, as well as a lack of change in heart rate and blood pressure. These findings establish the physiological basis for the clinical effects of Inverchair Therapy and for its appropriate clinical utilization.

A Dr. Shelerud, quoted on the Mayo Clinic website, offers this warning:

Inversion therapy, which involves hanging upside down, doesn't provide lasting relief from back pain, and the head-down position could be risky for anyone with high blood pressure, heart disease or glaucoma.

In theory, inversion therapy takes gravitational pressure off the nerve roots and disks in your spine and increases the space between vertebrae. One form of inversion therapy involves full-body, head-first suspension from a horizontal bar in a stabilizing frame. Another form uses a similar inversion frame with supports that keep your knees bent and hips flexed. In a third form, you lie on an inversion table that gradually tips you into a head-down position.

Inversion therapy is one example of the many ways in which spinal traction (stretching the spine) has been used in an attempt to relieve back pain. Some people find traction temporarily helpful as part of a more comprehensive treatment program for lower back pain caused by spinal disk compression.

Your heartbeat slows and your blood pressure increases when you remain inverted for more than a couple of minutes. For this reason, you should not try inversion therapy if you have cardiovascular disease or elevated pressure in your eye.

If you don't have access to an inversion table/chair and have enough room to house one yourself, you may decide to buy one.  

There are many websites offering inversion tables.  One example is:

http://www.inversiontableuk.com/5-inversion-tables

These range in price from £130 to £180.

Have you tried using an inversion table?  Did it help?  Post your comments below...

Need help to stop smoking?

Stopping smoking can be a real problem.  There are many factors that keep you reaching for the next smoke, but if you're determined to give up, save yourself a load of money and help your lungs get back to health, hypnotherapy is one of the tools that could help you.

Celebrities such as Chloe Madeley, Derek Acorah, Linda Robson, John Burton Race and Paul Danan appeared in the recent channel Five reality TV show 'Celebrity Quitters', 

Hypnotherapy was one of the options to help them quit their addiction to nicotine.  Other celebrities such as Charlize Theron, Matt Damon, Courtney Cox and Kevin Costner have all attributed their quitting to hypnotherapy.

Inspired by these celebrity quitters? 

Follow these handy top five tips to help you on your path to quitting smoking:

1. Getting started won't cost you a thing. Order a free Quit Kit from 0800 169 0 169 to find out about the full range of NHS support available to help you quit.

2. Identify your smoking triggers and plan ahead. Try the Addiction Test at www.nhs.uk/smokefree.

3. Worried about going cold turkey? Use nicotine replacement products or other stop-smoking medicines to cope with the withdrawal symptoms. These are available on prescription from the NHS.

4. For extra incentive, find out how much cash you’re saving by using the calculator on www.nhs.uk/smokefree. That dream purchase will be yours in no time.

5. There are a range of therapies that can help you to stop smoking - speak to your local therapy clinic to find out which one may help you.  These include hypnotherapy, acupuncture, and emotional freedom technique (EFT).

Migraine award for Osteopath

Migraine and headaches helped through Osteopathy

Looking back through an old magazine, we found an article about a member of the British Osteopathic Association - Clifford Lomas - who won the 'Best in Complementary Medicine" category in the Migraine Association awards (2008).

His patient says: "I gave up traditional medicine around three years ago as these had never really impacted on my migraines.  I heard of Clifford's work and decided to give it a try.  He felt my neck and believed he could help, and I have not had a migraine since.  I know of others whose migraines have stopped or greatly reduced after treatment.  The fact that this is achieved without drugs is amazing."


There has not been a great deal of research into the benefits of Osteopathic treatment, so it is always good to see positive outcomes from pilot studies, such as the one below [1]:

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

Migraine is one of the most prevalent neurological disorders in Europe, severely affecting ability to work and quality of life. Medical therapies are considered to be the "gold standard" of treatment. This study addresses osteopathic treatment for acute therapy or prophylactic therapy as an alternative to traditional therapies.

DESIGN:

Forty-two (42) female patients with migraine were randomized into an intervention group (n = 21) and a control group (n = 21). Outcomes were evaluated with three questionnaires before the treatment (t1) and 6 months later (t2).

INTERVENTIONS:

The intervention group received five 50-minute osteopathic manipulative treatments (OMT) over a 10-week period. The control group did not receive OMT, sham treatment, or physical therapy. Patients of this group only filled the questionnaires. Both groups continued with previously prescribed medication.

METHODS:

The Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) and Short Form-36 (SF-36) questionnaires as well as a German "pain questionnaire" were used to assess pain intensity, the impact of migraine on daily life and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and the number of days subjects suffered from migraine.

RESULTS:

Three (3) of the eight HRQoL domains of the SF-36 form in the intervention group showed significant improvement (from t1 to t2), with a general betterment exhibited in the other domains. The total MIDAS score, pain intensity, and disturbance in occupation due to migraine as well as number of days of disablements were also significantly reduced. The control group showed insignificant differences in these areas.

CONCLUSIONS:

This study affirms the effects of OMT on migraine headache in regard to decreased pain intensity and the reduction of number of days with migraine as well as working disability, and partly on improvement of HRQoL. Future studies with a larger sample size should reproduce the results with a control group receiving placebo treatment in a long-term follow-up.


[1]  2011,Voigt K, Liebnitzky J et.al. Efficacy of osteopathic manipulative treatment of female patients with migraine: results of a randomized controlled trial. J Altern Complement Med. 2011 Mar;17(3):225-30. 

Knee problems and surgery

"Early management of acute knee injuries can prevent further damage and avoid a catalogue of problems in the future", says leading knee surgeon Mr Harminder Gosal.

The British Osteopathic Association journal recently discussed early management of acute knee injuries and advised that in some cases, surgery within a few weeks of injury can prevent long-term problems with degeneration in the knee joint.

Acute knee injuries are commonly caused by injury to the medial collateral ligament, medial meniscus or anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).  The ACL injury may happen during a sporting activity, where a pop is heard and the knee starts to swell up immediately.  This is seen particularly with football, rugby, netball, basketball and skiing.

A meniscus tear causes swelling, but it can take 24 hours before it is really noticeable.  More people have this problem compared to ACL tears, and there may be a gradual wear and tear occurring from playing sport on top of the injury itself.

Your osteopath can help to diagnose these conditions, but where the injury is complex (a mixture of the above structures injured), you are going to need a MRI (or X-ray) to see what exactly needs repairing.  A simple test of the knee will show if there is any instability in the knee joint.  Private MRI scans are more affordable these days (from £200 per area), and if there is a problem getting a scan quickly through your GP surgery, ask your osteopath for a referral.

"While an ACL injury on its own can wait a bit if necessary it is best to repair a meniscal injury as soon as possible - within the first two or three weeks if possible".  Waiting too long can cause meniscus damage to affect the joint surfaces in the knee (early onset arthritis may result).

If you think surgery could be the option for you, get a specialist referral as soon as possible.  Osteopaths can refer patients to the Cheltenham Knee Unit (a bit of a trek from Leicester, but this clinic has an internationally renowned MRI scanner centre and patients can get the whole assessment and MRI diagnosis at the same time).  Visit http://www.cheltenhamkneeunit.co.uk and http://www.cobalthealth.co.uk for more details.  Alternatively, there is a MRI clinic in Solihull which provides a very good service.

Bowen for your employees

Bowen therapy supports organisations of many kinds by helping to make sure that staff can carry out their tasks without interruption from physical problems or stress.

It is relevant in most working environments particularly those that carry a risk of musculoskeletal disorder, whether sedentary (e.g. office workers, checkout till staff), standing (e.g. shop workers), or physically active (e.g. production, warehousing and shelf stacking staff).  Bowen treatments can also help prevent, as well as treat, conditions caused when employees are 'at play': for example, the problems that can result from active pursuits.

Bowen helps many organisations to improve efficiency by reducing the incidence of staff downtime.  Sudden short-term and long-term absenteeism is reduced and employees' well-being is improved.  Treatment of staff's physical problems helps ensure that production schedules and staff assignments are not subject to unforeseen change. It can also have a positive effect on sick pay commitments and reduce the possibility of litigation.

Several organisations also regard Bowen as a responsible way of improving and maintaining the welfare of employees, for example in the context of the Health and Safety Executive's 'Better Backs' initiative.

Some also see an association with complementary therapy as demonstrating an enlightened, active commitment to drug-free therapy, an area in which public awareness is steadily growing.

How do orthotics help?

Your feet are the foundation of your entire body.  They do an incredible amount of work each day. The smallest imbalance can cause a great deal of discomfort, but properly fitted prescription orthotics help restore the normal balance and alignment of your body and bring relief from fatigue and pain. Orthotics are so comfortable, and help your feet work so naturally that you will want to wear them as much as possible.

Treatment discounts

New patient at Absolute Health?

Claim your 10% discount for chiropody or osteopathy.
Or claim 15% off your hypnotherapy first session.

Regular clients can request the Absolute Health loyalty card - bring it along at each visit to get it stamped.  When you have 6 stamps, cash it in for up to £6 off your treatment costs.

We are still offering discounted beauty treatment with Sarah on Tuesdays - ask about the offers on the day of your visit.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Osteopathy

Osteopathy is a hands-on manual therapy that can help with a range of musculo-skeletal problems.

If you're suffering from back pain, stiff neck, shoulder problems or similar, don't wait too long before seeking treatment.  The sooner you can start, the better.  When muscles go into spasm, this affects surrounding joints and tissues, reduces blood flow to the area, and can cause nerves to fire off pain signals. The quicker you can release the muscle spasm, the sooner the body can fully heal.

Pain killers will mask the pain, but won't necessarily help with a muscle problem.