Common Symptoms:
"Pins and needles" sensation or numbness.
Sharp, burning, or electric-shock-like pain.
Muscle weakness or cramping.Increased sensitivity to touch.
Poor coordination and balance.
Common Causes:
Diabetes: The most common cause, where high blood sugar damages nerves.
Injuries: Physical trauma to nerves.
Vitamin deficiencies: Especially B12, sometimes copper or Vitamin E.
Toxins/Alcohol: Long-term alcohol use or exposure to chemicals.
Autoimmune diseases: Immune system attacking nerves.
Management and Treatment
Treatment typically focuses on addressing the underlying cause (e.g., managing blood sugar for diabetics) to prevent further damage. To manage pain, doctors may prescribe specific medications like anti-seizure drugs (gabapentin) or antidepressants that help stabilize nerve signals. Physical therapy and lifestyle changes—such as quitting smoking and improving nutrition—are also frequently recommended.
Bowen Therapy as a treatment option for managing Neuropathy symptoms.
Yes, Bowen Therapy can help manage neuropathy symptoms by calming the nervous system, improving circulation to damaged nerves, and reducing pain. It is a gentle, non-invasive, hands-on treatment that helps alleviate tingling, numbness, and burning sensations by shifting the body from a fight-or-flight state to a restorative, parasympathetic state.
How Bowen Therapy Helps Neuropathy
Calms the Nervous System: It aims to "re-set" nerve pathways that have been closed down by chronic pain or inflammation.
Improves Circulation: The movements promote blood flow to affected areas, which helps nourish damaged nerves and reduce pain.
Reduces Muscle Tension: By releasing tightness surrounding nerves, it helps lessen the pressure causing tingling or numbness.
Diminishes Symptoms: Patients frequently report improved sensation and decreased pain in the hands and feet.
Supports Other Conditions: It is effective for neuropathic issues related to diabetes, chemotherapy, or chronic constriction.
Bowen Therapy is a gentle approach that involves very light pressure, making it ideal for those sensitive to touch. Strategic pauses in Bowen Therapy—lasting two or more minutes—are essential breaks between gentle moves, allowing the body to process and integrate the neurological signals. These pauses, when the therapist may leave the room, are as crucial as the moves to avoid overloading the nervous system and promote deeper healing. While some people experience significant improvement in one to three sessions, for others who receive only short-term relief, regular Bowen sessions is often best for managing chronic symptoms over time.
Neuropathy Success Stories
PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY, DIABETIC - man, 30's, regular treatments. Steve is a very serious diabetic who needs to measure his blood sugar hourly. He was brought to a Bowen therapist one evening quite late. His head was resting on his left shoulder and his shoulder had come up to meet the head. He was in great pain, and had been for a couple of weeks. He also had a severe headache, which felt like a "cap" on his head. He couldn't be touched on any part of the left shoulder and scapula as the pain was too great. He had had an industrial accident at work some time before and had been under the specialist and physio department and had made good progress. Then suddenly, for no particular reason, his head started to collapse to the state it was in when he arrived for Bowen treatment. He had tried going back to the hospital but was now "off the list". It took the Bowen therapist 1.5 hours to do the treatment that normally would take no more than 30 minutes. In fact, the area was in such pain that some of the moves could only be made by the therapist merely "drawing" them with his fingertip on the skin to create the gentle stimulation of a normal move. He also did some extra work on Steve's head for the headache. By the end of the treatment that night, the headache had reduced to 40% and the pain in the shoulder area had become concentrated on several specific points...i.e. a change which offered some encouragement to Steve, as he had arrived expecting nothing. By his third treatment, Steve's head was approximately 70% upright, and the shoulder down a bit. The headache had virtually gone and so had the nausea he had developed. When he eventually saw the specialist again, he was 80% better. He was sent to Physio. There, she used a laser treatment on the specific areas of pain. This gave relief for 30 minutes and then the pain returned to 100% of his original, Day 1, pain. The following week, she put him on a Tens machine to kill the pain but his reaction was so great that within 4 hours he was hospitalized. He was in hospital for a week and came out a mess. He saw the Bowen therapist 5 days later and by this time he was calmer. He responded very quickly and the vomiting he had been suffering from stopped and he recovered. Steve continues to have Bowen treatment from time to time. However, he recently had a bout of severe sickness after having a scan at the hospital. Bowen, again, settled him quickly. It seems that Bowen is the only treatment that has a positive effect for Steve.
PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY, CHARCOT-MARIE-TOOTH DISEASE - woman, mid-40's, regular treatments. Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is an inherited, degenerative peripheral nerve disorder that causes muscle weakness and atrophy in the feet, legs, hands, and forearms. It is characterized by progressive loss of use and sensation in the limbs. R., who inherited this condition from her father, received 6 Bowen treatments over a period of nearly two months. After the first treatment, she had an excellent response: the pains in her knees were gone; her legs felt stronger; her balance was much more reliable; she did not have to concentrate on lifting her legs when walking and the day after the treatment she felt very energized and continued feeling very well. After the second treatment, she went abroad on a week-long family holiday. Upon her return, she reported having a wonderful time as her energy levels and stamina had remained quite good throughout the trip. She had done a great deal of walking and had, for the most part, kept up a normal pace and she was still enjoying not having to really concentrate on lifting her legs. Her foot was not dropping as often at all and she was able to walk barefoot on the carpeted hotel floors without tripping - something she had not done in ages. Her husband noted that she was walking better. She had only tripped and fallen once, on the last day of the holiday resulting in a painful and swollen left ankle, which cleared up on its own after a few days. After her third treatment, she continued to feel strong and well for approximately two weeks. Then her legs began to ache and feel somewhat weak again and she was tripping a bit more. At her fifth treatment her legs were still aching and she was having to concentrate more on walking again. She could still walk barefoot without tripping and her balance was "sort of OK" - not as bad as it had been before she came for Bowen. At her sixth treatment, she said her balance wasn't brilliant and her left leg, especially, was aching but she was still able to walk barefoot and her stamina was holding. After experiencing such a remarkable difference at the beginning of Bowen treatments, R. and her therapist are disappointed that many of the improvements have not held. However, they are both keen to continue to explore the effect of Bowen on this condition, as there is no doubt that R. responded very positively to the initial treatments and the fact that they held during an appreciable amount of time and activity is significant. She will return for more Bowen after several months, as they experiment with the effect of different gaps of time between treatments.
PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY, REYNAULD'S SYNDROME - girl, 17, occasional treatments. R. was diagnosed with Reynaulds Syndrome two years ago. In this condition, the blood vessels of the hands and feet are constricted as a result of excessive sympathetic nervous system stimulation. Sufferers are very sensitive to the cold and typically have to wear gloves and warm clothing and footwear. R. had one Bowen treatment while she was home on holiday from school and reported her response in a letter to the Bowen therapist: "I noticed for the next few days afterward that I was constantly warm and that I didn't have to wear the usual number of layers of clothing. So this was definitely an improvement. I have also noticed that my joints seem to be 'clicking' far more frequently. Even the slightest movement triggers a click that, thankfully, is not painful at all." When R. has been home on holidays she has had further treatments and there is always a significant improvement in her symptoms.
It is recommended to consult with a qualified Bowen Therapist to create a personalized plan.
