Bowen Technique By Karen
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Helping the Body to Rebalance and Repair
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The Bowen Technique Batten’s disease - a small help with a rare disease
Posted on 13 January, 2013 at 8:46 |
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Today’s
Therapist
International
Trade Journal - Issue 46 May June 2007
The
Bowen Technique
Batten’s disease - a small help with a
rare disease
by
Janie Godfrey with thanks to Alastair Rattray Bowen Technique practitioner and teacher Alastair Rattray
has been able to give some small amount of relief to a young brother and sister
who are suffering with a disorder called Late Infantile Battens – CLN2 Neuronal
Ceroid Lipofuscinosis. Late Infantile Battens is
a rare genetic disorder with just over 500 known cases worldwide. To be affected, a child must inherit two
defective genes, one from each parent. If each parent carries the defective
gene, chances are 1-in-4 that any child will be affected. The disease generally
starts between 2 and 4 years old. It
strikes without warning and the first signs of its presence are seizures, loss
of muscle co-ordination, blindness and mental deterioration. Battens leads to a
vegetative state and is ultimately fatal (usually between the ages of 8 and
12).
The defective gene causes
a deficiency of an essential enzyme, resulting in the body’s inability to break
down lipopigments (fats and proteins). The build up of these fats and proteins
ultimately forces the child’s brain cells to shut down. Alastair has been treating
Jordan Harris (now aged 8) and his sister Jasmine (now 5) with Bowen since
early 2004. When Alastair first met him,
Jordan’s left foot
was impossible to flex even a millimetre and his neck was very, very stiff on
both sides. As a result, he was in a lot
of pain. After his first experience of
Bowen treatment, he was much more comfortable as noted by his left foot not
being in full spasm and his neck a lot freer.
Jordan’s body was almost completely rigid
when the Bowen started, but he responded magnificently in the first few years
of being treated and only has some spasm at times, but seemed mainly
comfortable. His mother said the Bowen effect usually lasted about 10 days.
Alastair treats him every 2 to 5 weeks and
will sometimes get a call to give an emergency treatment. Now, Jordan has virtually no movement
capabilities, apart from turning his head.
He has some small ability to control his hands and experiences some
sudden uncontrolled muscle jerks. He
gets chest infections, as he is not moving much. He can also have up to five fits per
day.
It is, of course, hard to measure exactly
how much relief Jordan gets from Bowen – or any treatment – as he is not able
to communicate it, at least verbally, as the extent of his expressive range is
smiling and laughing or crying. Once,
Alastair arrived in response to an emergency call from Jordan’s mother to find
him crying with pain and in great distress.
After a few Bowen moves, Jordan burst out laughing – clearly
relieved. Alastair is also sure that
Jordan tries to communicate his awareness of the Bowen treatments by directing
a very clear, focused look at Alastair when he arrives and during the treatment,
which is very different from the usual rather vacant visual scan he gives his
environment.
Jordan’s little sister, Jasmine, also has Bowen regularly
when Alastair comes. She is much less
affected by the disease than Jordan is at this point and even underwent an
experimental gene therapy operation in New York at the end of 2005 to see if
that would halt the advance of the Battens disease. She was fine for about 16 months but sadly
there have been fresh signs of the disease progressing, although the operation
at least seemed to slow it down a bit. Mr
and Mrs Harris set up the Jordan Jay Trust after Jordan was diagnosed with
disease to raise money for research into the disorder – for more information or
to make a donation see: www.jordanjaytrust.com. The Bowen Technique is making a unique
contribution to Jordan and Jasmine.
Their quality of life is certainly better that it would seem to be
without something that eases the awful muscle pains associated with this
disease – it helps to soften the blow a little bit.
Alastair Rattray teaches The Bowen Technique
with E.C.B.S. and practices in Tunbridge Wells, Kent Contents
provided by the European School of Bowen Studies (ECBS)
For
further details about the Bowen Technique please contact Karen on 01954 260 982
/ 07714 995 299 or email [email protected] |
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