Bowen Research

Research on the Pain Effectiveness of Bowen Therapy

Following are a sample of clinical study summaries.  Please contact Carol Hollister if you would like more information on the research conducted to date. 

Psychological Effectiveness:

Ashley Pritchard, at Swinburne University department of Psychophysiology, Melbourne, Australia, showed that the Bowen Technique consistently reduced subjects' levels of anxiety, and enhanced individuals' positive feelings by reducing tension, anger, depression, fatigue, and confusion. Objective measures of decrease in Heart Rate Variability and muscle tension correlated with subjective feelings of relaxation.

Fibromyalgia:

A separate pilot study was carried out by Bowen practitioner and trainer Tim Willcocks on four participants (aged 39-52) who had been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia from 3 to 5 years previously. Each was given four Bowen treatments over a five-week period.

All four patients experienced improvement, including better sleep, ease in walking, cessation of vertigo, lessened neck pain, improved balance and decreased exhaustion.

Asthma:

Nikke Ariff did research between 2003 and 2004 to test the efficacy of Bowen in treating asthma. This research, carried out during a twelve-month period, included a majority of participants who had had asthma for over 5 years, and most over 15 years. The results were positive. Eighty-three percent of participants reported a reduction in the frequency of asthma attacks with 75% reporting less reliance on medication than before the beginning of treatments.

Of 24 volunteers who completed the program, 22 reported that secondary health concerns had also improved, including back, neck and shoulder pain; knee and joint problems; headaches and migraines; hay fever; irritable bowel syndrome and digestion; circulation; insomnia; anxiety, stress, depression and energy level improvement.

TMJ:

In Durango, CO, Dr. John Bauman, DDS completed a research project on the application of Bowen on TMJ abnormality. Assessment of masseter tension by Bio Feedback, measurement of bite and subjective symptoms were compared before and after treatment. Immediately after the first treatment, one third of patients felt dramatic relief in some of their symptoms. 20 out of the 22 patients showed significant improvement on their post Bio Feedback assessment.

Frozen Shoulder:

Published in England by Dr. Bernie Carter, at the Metropolitan University of Manchester (UK), this study showed effective results with Frozen Shoulders after 3 to 6 treatments, even with those who had long-standing conditions. The study involved 20 participants diagnosed with frozen shoulder and treated with Bowen Technique.

70% of participants regained full mobility, equal to the unaffected side, by end of treatment. The other participants showed significant improvement in mobility and associated function. Some still reported mild ache but none reported any invasive or intense pain, which they had experienced before receiving Bowen.

At the conclusion of this study, participants reported a high level of satisfaction with the therapy, a commitment to use Bowen in any future case of relapse or for another condition, and the intention to recommend the therapy to friends and family.

Migraines:

London-based Bowen practitioner Nikke Ariff completed the Bowen Technique Migraine Research Program which studied the efficacy of treating migraine headaches. The 39 migraine volunteers consisted of 37 women and 2 men. Thirteen of them had been suffering from migraines for 1-15 years; seventeen of them had been having migraines for 16-30 years; and nine had migraines for over 30 years.

In all, 31 participants experienced a positive result, representing 79.5% of the total group. At the end of the program, 36 of the 39 said they would recommend Bowen as a treatment to a friend or colleague.