PURE & SIMPLE
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PURE & SIMPLE
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 2000 Reported by Jean Patteson
IS A SERIES OF GENTLE MOVES ON THE BODY’S MUSCLES, WITH THE GOAL OF HELPING THE BODY HEAL ITSELF.
Twelve years ago, Daphne Cronin was a candidate for the Canadian Equestrian team that would compete in the Seoul Olympics. But a horseback accident brought that dream to an abrupt end.
At
the team trials in Florida, Cronin fell at the third to last fence.
She broke her neck.
Now
a quadriplegic, Cronin works as a language speech pathologist in Orlando,
spending long hours in a wheelchair – often in pain. Over the years, she sought relief through shots, pills and
acupuncture. But it wasn’t until last year, when she tried a therapy called
the Bowen Technique, that she
was able to fully manage her pain.
“I
started with one treatment a week for several months.
I took a break last summer, and now I’m doing it about once every
other week. I don’t feel
immediate relief, but I always sleep like a rock after a treatment and
wake up with no pain at all,” she said.
The
Bowen Technique is a form of muscle manipulation developed by an Australian
named Tom Bowen about 45 years ago, explained Cheryll Hillier, Central
Florida’s first certified Bowen practitioner.
Last year, she opened a small treatment clinic in, Winter Park.
Like
many forms of alternative medicine, the Bowen approach to pain management
may cause some skeptics to raise their eyebrows or shake their heads.
“In
the beginning it sounds weird,” admitted Lina Jones, a client of Hillier’s
who suffers from pain in her
lower back
and knees.
“Some lady moves your muscles around and in a few days you start
feeling really well. But
give it a try. There’s nothing
to lose – except your pain,” said Jones, 29, who lives in Longwood and
attends Seminole Community College.
Proponents
say the Bowen Technique can be used to treat ailments ranging from tennis
elbow and frozen shoulder, to headaches and hay fever, to digestive disorders
and stress. Often, just two
or three treatments are needed to remedy a problem.
Hillier
charges $80 for a session, or $195* for three sessions.
At this point, the cost is not covered by most medical insurance
plans.
Dennis
Martin, a personal fitness trainer in Orlando, was amazed at how much
stronger he felt after having a single treatment for a
knee
injury last
year.
“It
had gotten so bad, I wasn’t able to lift more than about 170 pounds without
my knees buckling. Four
days after she (Hillier) worked on me, I was able to lift 250 again. I’ve had other kinds of physical therapy before, but nothing
was as effective as this,” he said.
Fairly late in life, Bowen discovered that he had an unusual gift: he seemed to know intuitively what was ailing people and how to relieve their discomfort. He did this by manipulating their muscles and sinews, using a technique he developed himself. It involved making brief, intense, rolling motions with his thumbs and fingers – always allowing a few minutes between manipulations for the body to respond to the treatment.
He
sometimes called himself an osteopath, sometimes a manipulative therapist.
People
believed he had healing hands, and flocked to him for treatments from
all across Australia. He
never advertised his services, but at one point it was estimated that
he was treating about 13,000 patients a year.
He
always was reluctant to share the how's and whys of his skill.
But when his health began to fail, he was prevailed upon to teach
his technique to a few followers.
By the mid-l990s, the Bowen Technique was being taught and practiced
in Britain, Europe, South Africa, Canada and the United States.
His
disciples classify the Bowen Technique as part of the family of vibrational
therapies, which includes homeopathy and acupuncture. It is thought that the Bowen Technique works, in part, by realigning
the muscles – which in turn helps realign the bones and organs.
Also, that by disturbing the muscles, it creates an energy surge,
or opens up energy channels, which enables the body to heal itself.
“To
some degree, you have to be a believer,” Hillier said.
“You have to be open to the possibilities that this may work for
you.”
Bowen
practitioners are not healers, but the Bowen Technique does facilitate
healing, she said. “It helps
people access the body’s natural healing process.”
Hillier
speaks from personal experience.
After working for 20 years in film and television production in
England, she decided to make a radical career change: She trained to become
a massage therapist. But
fate – in the form of two car wrecks and a serious fall – intervened. Injuries to her neck and back left her with severe
pain in her upper body and numbness in her left arm and hand. She tried a variety of medications and therapies to no avail.
Then,
while out shopping, she saw a flier promoting the Bowen Technique.
“The rest, as they say, is history,” Hillier said.
“Two treatments later, I had no numbness or pain.” Impressed, she and her husband, David, decided to train to become Bowen practitioners. Shortly thereafter, they moved to Orlando. Hillier has already obtained her State License as a massage therapist, which also permits her to offer the Bowen Therapy at their clinic.
Cheryll Hillier
approaches her work with a convert’s enthusiasm and joy – which in itself
probably helps some patients feel better before she even lays hands on
them.
“Who
wouldn’t enjoy a job like this?” she said. “It’s all about making life
more worth living.” *
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