More and more people are using Complementary treatments these days. For those people who are interested in Complementary treatments but are holding back from taking the plunge, it might be interesting to know that using Complimentary treatments (as opposed to Alternative treatments) does not mean abandoning conventional medicine.
Complementary treatments and conventional treatments can be integrated successfully, which is why government ministers are now looking towards allowing patients to self-refer for Complementray therapies. In some hospitals such as the Princess Royal University Hospital in Bromley, free Complementary therapies are offered to cancer patients; and GP’s in some practices refer patients for acupuncture, chiropractic , homeopathic or herbal medicine. Whilst Complementart therapaies cannot make claims to cure people, this move will at least support patients who wish to explore the use of drug-free, holistic and less traumatic Complementary treatments.
In my experience, patients often turn to Complementary therapies only as a last resort after reaching the end of the conventional route. This is mirrored in the experience of one of my case studies whose arm movements were severly resticted at his shoulder. After several months of pain and immobility, he decided to opt for surgery. While he was on the waiting list for the operation, he decided to try The Bowen Technique. It was apparent from the degree of mobility that was restored after his first treatment that the operation was not going to be required. In a different case, a delighted patient couldn’t resist showing off his golf swings which before Bowen treatment were too painful to even attempt – as an added bonus, his problematic breathing appears to be improving too.
The Bowen Technique is a treatment which has a lot to offer the people suffering with physical, chemical, emotional, psychological, mental and organic problems, but because it is less well-known than some other therapies, patients may not be eager to try it. What they need to know is that The Bowen Technique is extremely gentle as it does not involve any deep tissue massage. It is safe for absolutely everyone, including babies, the elderly and the very poorly. It is a treatment for people with chronic and acute conditions, addressing the whole body. How a person responds is affected by factors such as the nature of their condition (e.g. acute or chronic; muscular-skeletal; organic; emotional; etc) and their lifestyle and occupation (prone to re-injury, sedentary, etc). If, as may be the case with all treatments, a patient definitely seems not to be responding after 3 or 4 treatments, I will not prolong treatment in vain.
