Dear Ed:

I glanced over the website you listed, but I don't have the time to look at it closely.

According to the website the "Bowen Technique is unique in the field of bodywork. Its relatively few, gentle "moves" over muscle and other soft tissue address the whole body, stimulating it to reset and heal itself. The healing may occur at all levels as needed: physical, chemical, emotional, mental, energetic, etc."

The website also claims, "In all human history it is difficult to find any healing art/science modality which is as effective as the Bowen Technique in improving human health and well-being from 'conception to the grave'."

In all human history nothing as effective as the Bowen Technique? That is the language of a quackery.

The muscle therapy effecting all sorts of health smacks of acupressure. While massage of certain areas of the body through acupressure, acupuncture, and various other techniques can release various chemicals that mostly affect the pain or pleasure centers of our brains, these techniques do not have the healing powers that are claimed.

This looks to be a regurgitation of oriental muscle/energy therapies. The "hook" with this one, and all of these quacks have a "hook", is the alleged effects of this technique upon fascia. Fascia is the "sheet or band of fibrous tissue such as lies deep to the skin or forms an investment for muscles and various other organs of the body" (Source: Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary). This fibrous tissue is part of the connective tissue that is found throughout the body within and surrounding muscles, bones, nerves, blood vessels, organs, and other structures of the body.

The Bowen Technique is alleged to affect this tissue in a way that will facilitate health. At least fascia actually exists as opposed to the invisible energy flows of acupuncture theory. Nevertheless, this technique seems to be little different than the oriental techniques, just applied in a different way.

Bottomline: Any medical technique that claims "nothing as effective as our technique" is a technique to RUN from. The Bowen Technique appears to me to be nothing more than a re-working of the oriental methods that have limited veracity.

God bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary