Alternative hands-on healing helps relieve pain

By JEFF MEYERS
Staff Writer

May 06, 2008 04:53 am

— PLATTSBURGH -- Sometimes those aches and pains we all experience can become quite annoying.
But for some people they can be downright debilitating.
Whether it's carpal tunnel syndrome, a herniated disc or a bout of sciatica, anyone who lives with chronic, unrelenting pain wants to find relief.
One answer may be Bowen therapy, a natural relaxation treatment that initiate's the body's own healing process to promote overall health and well-being.
"Stress is a fact of life today," said William Bassett, who specializes in natural healing processes. "The body's nervous system gets stressed at different levels. The Bowen therapy offers a way to reduce that stress."
LIGHT PRESSURE
It's like taking a vacation to reduce work-related stress, Bassett said.
"There's a reason why you no longer feel stressful when you're lying on the beach. Bowen therapy does the same thing to allow your body to rest and heal itself."
The process involves a hands-on technique in which the trained specialist applies light pressure over muscles and soft tissue to promote the healing process.
The client typically lies still, but the procedure can also be performed in just about any setting, including athletic fields and at the site of an auto accident.
"Pain is the signal from the nervous system that something is wrong," Bassett said. "When the thing that is wrong gets fixed, the nervous system stops sending those signals."
Results from the healing technique can be felt within a few short sessions, he added, noting that a lot of treatment options depend on discussions he has with each client.
"There are limitations," he added. "If we haven't seen results in four or five visits, I will send a client elsewhere."
ALL ALIGNED
Bassett said he understands that alternative medicine and traditional medicine can both play important roles in the overall well-being of a person, but said Bowen therapy gives the client another option that has proven successful over and over again.
"It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen," said Amy Schonzeit of Plattsburgh, who visited Bassett several times over a three-month period. "Within a couple of appointments, I could see a tremendous difference."
Schonzeit, 65, developed back problems following a couple of skiing accidents that were causing her excruciating pain.
"It got to the point where I could only walk the dog to the next-door neighbor's yard and had to stop to bend over and get the feelings back in my legs," she said. "I was trying to decide whether to go to the orthopedic surgeon or not, but I didn't know where to go."
She learned of Bowen therapy from a neighbor, who had gone to Bassett for severe carpal tunnel syndrome and had enjoyed excellent results from the treatment.
"It's an amazing, gentle approach," Schonzeit said. Now, she said she feels great, with no pain left from the injuries. "Basically, everything is in alignment now, and my own healing energy is flowing fine."
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
The treatment can help the body battle a variety of conditions, including acid indigestion, allergies, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, migraines, scoliosis and tendonitis, Bassett said.
Sessions, which should be spaced five to 10 days apart, typically last between 30 and 60 minutes, though he sometimes sees results within minutes.
He, himself, heard of the treatment following a car accident that left him with severe migraines, dizziness, back and neck problems, depression and memory loss.
Bassett found little relief in visits to the doctor's office or from medicine or physical therapy. But after a few initial sessions with Bowen therapy, he said, his body began to heal, and he was soon participating in physical activities he had been forced away from because of the pain.
From that personal experience, he went on to become trained in providing the service himself and now offers the technique through his business, Natural Life Healing.
jmeyers@pressrepublican.com

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