Bowen Technique and Cranial Osteopathy as Alternative Migraine Treatments

The Brits are sure an open-minded lot. When a chap asks an expert - "What's an alternative for treating Migraine Headaches", said expert recommends Bowen Technique and Cranial Osteopathy as if those two were a part of western medical science ever since leaches went out of style.

Some people this side of the pond have heard about Myofascial Release that seem to be gaining popularity for relieving migraine pains. Bowen Technique and Cranial Osteopathy are less known over here so lets find out what they are, exactly. Just to show the Englishmen (and Englishwomen :P ) that we are not the hicks they might picture us to be.

Bowen Technique:

Originated by Tom Bowen, thus the name; he invented and practiced it in Australia. Oswald Rentsch, one of his students, brought it to England where it took some pretty deep roots. Bowen had three other students who popularized the technique - Keith Davis, Kevin Ryan and Romney Smeeton. Interestingly enough, the methods vary significantly between the four existing schools while the results seem to be pretty much the same.

"The Bowen Technique involves a gentle, rolling motion, with very light touches. The rolls claim to either tighten or loosen off muscles depending on the way the move is done. The specific way that Bowen Technique addresses the muscles stimulates the stretch and golgi tendon reflexes as well as joint proprioceptors in a way that heightens the sensory awareness of the body in the area worked on. Through increasing sensory awareness the move taps into the body’s ability to self regulate which, in turn, practitioners claim stimulate the body to heal itself." - Source: wikipedia.org

The good part about the whole thing is that it's reported to be very relaxing to be worked on with many patients actually falling asleep. Since a good RAM sleep is a number one migraine abortive, that might be just what the doctor ordered.

Cranial Osteopathy:

The problematic child of an Osteopathy (as in treating the musculoskeletal system in general.) It's major concern is working with what is called the cranial rhythm. Basically, a Cranial Osteopathy practitioner has to rely on his/hers tactile senses to detect "very subtle, rhythmic pattern of movement or shape changes while holding a patient's head," and then adjust them by applying a bit of pressure.

"Cranial osteopathy is based on the subtle involuntary mechanisms or rhythms which can be felt with a very finely developed sense of touch and, generally, through the use of an elaborate adjustable "lift" massage table which allows the practitioner to position the hands, arms and shoulders of the practitioner with a sufficiently relaxed angle (attitude) that the rhythms can be felt. From the experienced cranial osteopath, pulses in hydrostatic pressure can be initiated by pulsing the pressure of the practitioner's palms and fingers on the head and neck of the patient."
"Some osteopathic physicians believe that healing dysfunctional cranial rhythmic impulses enhances cerebral spinal fluid flow to peripheral nerves, thereby enhancing metabolic outflow and nutrition inflow." - Source: wikipedia.org

The problem, according to many medical researches, is in the fact that one has to "feel" the above mentioned "cranial rhythm". Since it cannot be really measured, how would the practitioner of Cranial Osteopathy would know what to adjust and how?

Despite this little detail, it's a well-established branch of medicine that many osteopathy doctors swear by. Especially in the UK, it seems.

For treating migraine symptoms, it does seem to be tailor-made since "particular attention is paid to the upper spine and cranial release points", which is where many "in-body" migraine triggers do originate. Yours truly is not certain if getting some cranial stimulation "osteopathic way" would lead to a good night's sleep, the way Bowen Technique might, but massage is still a massage and who among you, my gentle reader, would not like a bit of that action?

link: What's the alternative

technorati tags: migraine migraines headache headaches Bowen Technique Cranial Osteopathy Osteopathy Myofascial Release alternative migraine treatments