Bowen Therapy, ParaOlympics & Suspension Bridges

With the Sporting mayhem now over. Britain once again seems to be back on the map as being great. We beat the French at Cycling for the first time ever. We also seemed to have trounced pretty much everyone else at cycling in the velodrome too. Our Golfing Hero's have managed to create history in the Ryder Cup with an astonishing comeback against the Americans.
Add this to possibly the one of the best Olympics I can remember for a whole host of reasons.

This to me is nothing compared to the astounding revelation of just how good our Para-Olympians are.

Why am I so impressed? Well as a Bowen Therapist I am always looking at the 'tensional optimum' of the Human Body. Personally i like to think of the Body as being built like a suspension bridge. In a very real sense the Human Structure does indeed function very like a large roadway (spine / bones) supported by a complex series of wires under tension (muscles).

When this bridge is complete it performs magnificently. If however we remove a section of the bridge, then the 'tensional integrity' of the bridge is affected radically.

In the case of a Para-Olympian, the analogy is the same. One may think that the psychological effect, as well as the obvious physical limitation brought about by the amputation of a limb would be the defining problems to overcome.

However I would say that the 'Tensional Integrity' of the body has been radically affected, which means that for the likes of Richard Whitehead and Oscar Pistorius to compensate for this disparity, (which we mustn't forget affects the whole body, just as a suspension bridge would be affected across its entire structure) they would working at least twice as hard over the same distance as an able bodied athlete.

Whether an area of our body is missing, damaged or simply not functioning at it's optimum, the rest of the body will be compensating in some way. The longer this compensation goes on for, the more problems will occur. Eventually just like our suspension bridge, something will go 'Ping'.

Truly awesome when you think about it.

Perhaps a little bit of Bowen Therapy could help them run even faster......

Bowen Technique Competition in Totnes

I was at the Totnes show yesterday, and thankfully the rain held off for most of it. It was pretty muddy, but a good time was had by all - including myself who perhaps maybe shouldn't have had quite so many fresh and tasty, rather too hot for my mouth Donuts!
However I digress. Over the Tanoy I heard that there was a competition of Bowen Technique taking place in one of the marquee tents - so i suddenly got quite excited, puzzled and at the same time a little miffed that I had somehow missed out on a Bowen Technique 'competition' quite literally in my own back yard (I live next to the show ground).
The competition was thrilling I have to say, with plenty of spectators. 4 competitors in each round. The bell rang and the 'patients' came out of the stalls to be 'treated'.
I was staggered at the skill and speed at which these 'Bowen Technique Practitioners' were working.
There were inspectors at each station making sure all the movements were correct and that nothing was being missed.
The commentator was whipping up the excitement giving a blow by blow account of who was in the lead.
The first to finish got a round of applause, as the others fought for semi finalist positions.
Agog I looked on and realised that no way could i have competed with these muscle bound masters of the Bowen Technique.
However in my clinic I do not at any point use shears, or indeed any sharpened implement when treating my patients.
I also only treat Humans, whereas these chaps worked on Sheep!
It would appear that there is a particular way of removing wool efficiently from sheep known as the 'Bowen Technique' which also came from Australia.
Just remember that when you are in search of Bowen Technique for your Bad Back or Neck Pain, make sure it's the right type of Practitioner - or you might get a nasty surprise!

TTFN

Camino - Reflections

English soil is finally under our feet. A few more hours and a real double bed awaits, with cotton sheets and a douvet, as opposed to a bunk bed with a plastic covered mattress and a sleeping bag.

The possibility of a 'Full English' beckons, as to be quite frank an expresso and a dry biscuit every morning for a month just doesn't cut the mustard.

I neglected to mention the chap from Israel who noted at one Albergue that an American girl had left several items from her pack behind. With pilgrim generosity in heart, he loaded his not already inconsiderable laden rucksack with the additional items, and set off in pursuit.
Two days later he came across the young lady resting at a bar by the roadside. With joy in heart he presented the goods back to the surprised American. He continued on his way to Santiago.
The young American girl had not had the heart to explain that she had left those things behind deliberately, as her pack was too heavy for her!

Several people have asked us if we would do it again. Initially our reaction would be NO, yet as the madness of western living kicks in, the simplicity of the Camino way of life is bizarrely moorish. During the drive home we were chatting about another Camino route that starts in Tuscany and finishes in Rome.

Oh dear, are we finally going native?
Does a padded room await all those pilgrims who swear they will only walk 'just one', yet end up addicted?

Perhaps we should buy shares in Compede...

TTFN

Camino - Trip Home

It was strange to be driving back across Spain, most of the way, passing the towns and landscape we had walked through over the last 4 weeks. What has taken us a month to do on foot, took us a day by car.
For the first time on our voyage we saw a Sunset. This struck us as particularly odd, as we had seen so many sunrises, but were in bed before dark.
Symbolically it seems appropriate that as the Sun was setting on the last day of our time in Spain, having crossed the country from east to west on foot, now hurtling in the other direction at 100 kph with the aid of the internal combustion engine, we watch the last golden rays of fire light up the mountains of the Pyranees. These same peaks which we faced at the beginning of our trek - fresh faced, intrepid and no clue what lay ahead.
In hindsight, we might suspect that we were watched over and kept safe by the millions that have travelled the same path over the centuries. Our way was not easy, but help was always at hand when needed. The human spirit was always evident, and prevailed in all we met, from every nation, creed, and background. We learnt a great deal about the basic goodness, and natural generosity of man when operating in simplicity. Cynicism and complexity only seemed to enter into our lives when time and planning were forced upon us.
Our return journey was just such an occasion where we have been thrown head first back into what now seems like a strange reality.
It may take us a little time to adjust - everything seems such a rush, and incredibly expensive. A bed for the night is 50 euros, rather than 5. Transport from A to B now costs money. And worst of all not only are starters the same price as what used to be for a whole meal, but we now are expected to pay for Alcohol as an extra.
What is the world coming to!
TTFN

Please remember to sponsor us for our completed walk of 500 miles for our chosen charity - Rowcroft Hospice.
www.virginmoneygiving.com/SallyandAustin

Camino - Brand Blue Day

The last 20 km into Santiago took forever. We seemed to be deliberately taking our time.
Our arrival and official stamping and 'Compostela' certificate didn't really register until much later in the day.
We have been walking every day for a month, sometimes for as long as 12 hours at a time.
We have met folk from all over the world. All strangely on a similar but very different journey than ourselves.
We smile in recollection at the Englishman who had invested in an expensive brand name sleeping bag for the trip, only to be rewarded with being dyed blue due to the humidity. The dye, although easy to be released from the material took 3 days to come off the skin. Alas this happened several times on his trip, and due to the heat he slept in the nude!
It comes to something when one goes to bed an Englishman, but wakes up a Smurf!
TTFN

Camino - Final Approach

With less than a day to go before finally arriving in Santiago, we are still being surprised by our bodies ability to come up with things to moan about. We had hoped that after nearly 500 miles they would have gotten used to the continual punishment.
Sally has resorted to using sanitary pads as cushions for her heals, and I have a collection of Compede, Elastoplasts & bandages around various toes on my right foot.
Time is having to creep back into our lives once again, as practicality dictates that we need to start planning our return journey.
Although one part of our journey is coming to an end, there is yet another one to begin.
We had both thought that walking so far would mean that we might lose a pound or two, and that I would certainly reduced the size of my 'muffin tops'.
At home we might have some wine at a weekend, and at a social occasion. Here we have had a bottle of red wine with every meal, and a cool beer is nectar of the gods in this heat - I don't normally drink any beer at all.
Hence we don't think we have lost any weight, and I suspect we have both become alcoholics!
Personally I feel a bit like I have been on a busman's holiday, as I think I have used Bowen Therapy nearly everyday - sometimes it has helped a little, sometimes a lot. Needless to say it has been a huge learning experience for me, watching the body 'in situ' break down and repair both in others and myself.
Once again all these experiences will be applied in clinic.
Writing this we have less than 23 km (14 miles) to go, yet it is not getting any easier, and it seems a long way to go. Tomorrow we will arrive in Santiago, this in itself raises a lot of personal reflection for us both.
TTFN

Camino - Holiday or Punishment?

One of the key oddities of walking the Camino is that we are continually in pain day after day, and at the end of almost every day we are utterly exhausted physically and emotionally. Washing our clothes by hand is a must at the end of each day, with the hope that they will be dry the following morning.
It cannot be described as a holiday, nor can we say that we are enjoying ourselves. Yet we are somehow glad to be here, and we keep getting up at 6am every morning to do it all over again.

There are some who have done this more than once, and others that do the Camino every year!

A German gentleman we had met in the first few days of the journey, who was in his 70's, walked the Camino 2 years previously with his wife. He enjoyed himself so much be wanted to do it again. Sadly his wife developed a heart problem so she was unable to come along. However so that he was not alone on his voyage she has signed his right boot, so that she is always present wherever his feet take him.
He wakes every morning at 5.30 and walks at a steady pace until about 2pm to avoid the worst of the heat.
He has been outwalking most of the pilgrims.
We had lost touch with him after the first week, he spoke no English but expounded in fast German with his ever present enthusiasm.
Today while approaching the town of Melide, we noticed a large note tied to a telegraph pole in full view along the pathway. It was a note addressed to 'Sally & Austin' wishing us all the best from our jolly german friend. Deeply touched it spurred us on, and restored our smiles.
TTFN