Bowen technique

The Bowen technique (or Bowen therapy) is an alternative type of physical manipulation named after Australian Thomas Ambrose Bowen (Tom Bowen) (1916–1982).

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

History

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] 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 coined. 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[6] whose interpretation has become the dominant, but not unchallenged, form.[5] Learning this technique requires 120 hours of instruction,[7] or as little as a weekend workshop.[8]

Method

Recipients are generally fully clothed. Each session typically involves gentle rolling motions across the muscles, tendons, and fascia.[9] The therapy's distinctive features are the minimal nature of the physical intervention and pauses incorporated in the treatment.[10] Proponents claim these pauses allow the body to "reset" itself.[3]

Effectiveness

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."[11]

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References
  1. Baggoley C (2015). "Review of the Australian Government Rebate on Natural Therapies for Private Health Insurance" (PDF). Australian Government – Department of Health. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 June 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2015. Lay summary – Gavura, S. Australian review finds no benefit to 17 natural therapies. Science-Based Medicine. (19 November 2015).
  2. Walsh, Nancy (2002). "Touch therapy may thaw frozen shoulder (Small Study of Bowen Technique)". Family Practice News (15).
  3. Young, J (2007). Complementary Medicine For Dummies. For Dummies. pp. 257–8. ISBN 0-470-02625-1.
  4. Matthews, K (1999-04-03). "Healing Hands - About Tom Bowen". Geelong Advertiser.
  5. Pennington, Katrina (2012). "Bowen Therapy: a review of the profession". Journal of the Australian Traditional-Medicine Society. 18 (4): 217.
  6. 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.
  7. Knaster, M (1996). "Bowen Technique". Discovering the Body's Wisdom. Random House. pp. 338–41. ISBN 0553373277.
  8. Clarke, Stephen (2012). "A Textbook of Bowen Technique (Book review)". Journal of the Australian Traditional-Medicine Society. 18 (4): 245.
  9. Bowen Unravelled, A journey into the Fascial Understanding of The Bowen Technique, Lotus Publishing, 2013 ISBN 978-1-58394-765-4
  10. 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.
  11. "Index of Questionable Treatments". Quackwatch. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
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