Thursday 12 January 2012

Bowen Technique, Gentle, Effective Treatment for Asthma in Children and Babies

Asthma in children is a parent's nightmare. Babies and children sometimes get in a cycle of suffering from one cold and cough to the next with hardly a break. They may be wheezy, suffer constant runny noses and chest infections and are diagnosed with asthma.

With Bowen Technique, asthma treatment for children consists of a sequence of gentle moves, rolling over muscles and soft tissue, to persuade the body to start its own healing process. Bowen Therapy encourages the body to adjust and rebalance itself on a deep level and a typical treatment takes just a few minutes.

How does Bowen Technique work with asthma?

The diaphragm is key to an asthma attack. This contracts normally when breathing in and then relaxes to allow expiration. With an asthma-like condition, the diaphragm may be constantly partly in contraction, hence the familiar wheeze of an asthmatic. If a trigger, such as a cold or illness, or an allergy is detected, the diaphragm seems to contract more and more, allowing the asthmatic to breathe in but increasingly not to breathe out. The Bowen respiratory procedure persuades the muscles, especially the diaphragm, to relax more and more. This typically brings about a reduction in asthma attacks and their severity, especially amongst young children.

What about medication?

Asthma treatment for children is usually in the form of inhalers, sometimes courses of oral steroids and antibiotics for chest infections. As a parent you are probably eager to get your child off steroids as soon as possible. Most children who have Bowen treatment respond very quickly so, sometimes medicines have been reduced quite soon after treatment has started. It is very important to realise that medication has been prescribed to protect your child from the danger of a major attack and I therefore always recommend that reducing medicines is always done under the guidance of your doctor and asthma nurse. You may well be able to reduce medicines quite soon after Bowen treatment.

Can Bowen help with a full asthma attack?

Bowen can also help in a full asthma attack as the Bowen Asthma Emergency Procedure can be taught to families and it is safe and quick to administer. In a full attack, the emergency procedure can release the spasm of the diaphragm and the air is released from the lungs. The emergency procedure can also work with panic attacks and other similar situations. In a major attack, always take your prescribed medication and use Bowen in addition to this.

Here's a link to a short video about the Bowen Asthma Emergency procedure made by Diana, a Bowen therapist in New Zealand. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_whXlfwwsFM

What starts an asthma attack?

Asthma attacks can be triggered one or more of these factors: a cold or illness, dairy products which can produce extra mucus, dust mites, animals such as rabbits, cats, dogs and horses, and a sharp change of temperature, cigarette smoke, anxiety and allergies.

Bowen success stories.
James aged 17 months he had been diagnosed as asthmatic when he was just 2 months old. He had to be given his pump 4 times a day, always had a cough and cold and was wheezing constantly. He used to regularly suffer from croup and was taken by hospital by ambulance once as it got so bad. James also suffered from eczema and would scratch until he was covered with scratches and bleeding.

Bowen sessions were about 10 minutes long and took place while he played or read a book. From the first treatment there were vast improvements. James' cough practically disappeared overnight and after 3 treatments the wheezing had gone, his nose didn't run so much and he barely coughed at all. He doesn't have his pump anymore and his eczema has improved a great deal.
James mum says "James became a happy lively boy now and has a peaceful, undisturbed night sleep every night".

Ava, 9 months old had been suffered with continual colds, runny nose, chest infections, and was using an inhaler for asthma. After 3 Bowen sessions her mum Lauren says "it is like having a different baby! She has not had coughs or colds since and her breathing is brilliant, I have not used the inhaler once".

If you're looking for a natural treatment for your child with asthma, Bowen is a safe alternative that works alongside conventional medicine and may even help your child come off their steroids and inhalers.

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