Response
Thank you for your question. Without seeing your son's condition, it is, of course, difficult to asses his situation. However, most asthmatics will have tight, and sometimes very tight, muscles around the ribcage. I often find, for instance, the centre of the back very tight as the muscles have become more and more tense. This will cut down the ability for the lungs to expand. This happens at any age.My first task is, therefore, to try to get the muscles to relax which usually happens thus allowing the person to be able to breathe more easily.

The short answer to your question is, therefore, yes, I have found Bowen does encourage the whole area to relax.

The second part to your question is, perhaps, what can he do to help himself. I would encourage him to try the Bowen Release move as his Diaphragm is likely to be quite tense. This move must be done very lightly, more at skin level than at muscles level. A pressure of about 2/10 is enough as it is a signal (not a manipulation at all!) to the diaphragm to release the tension. He can do this at any time. It is a sharp, but gentle switch down, rather like turning on the light. Use a very relaxed thumb or finger. A picture of the procedure is on the website, and one of the films has a young lady demonstrating it. (She has been off all medication for several years now having needed to use Ventolin 20 times a day. This move really is a marvel!)

Lastly, I would suggest he tries Bowen. The website www.BTER.org has lists of Bowen Practitioners, all of whom have to be fully qualified. If you have any difficulty in finding someone, by all means contact me again.

Response
Many thanks for your question. It depends on whether you want to learn it in India or in the UK where I teach. If in India, I suggest you look at www.Bowtech.com. If in the UK, I am teaching the next Part 1 course 10-13 April in London. Please let me know what you want to do and where you are.

regards

Alastair Rattray
rattray@attglobal.net

Response
Thank you for your question. The only Bowen Practitioners I can find listed in India are in Mumbai and Pune; rather a long way from you. However, you can watch a short film at this site ( www.Bowen-for-asthma.com) which teaches you how to treat your child. All the moves are gentle and children love it. The film is there specially to help people like you to help your child. It is not difficult. Just remember that everything is done very gently. You will probably think it could not possibly work, but it does. Practise on a pillow or a doll and then just do it. Your child does not have to be ill when you do it. You can treat them once a week or immediately if they are having an asthma attack or starting a cold, even if you treated them yesterday. It usually does not take many treatments to make a difference. Remember that the "Bowen Release Move" is really important as it is mostly used instead of their reliever "puffer" (no problem using both, but who wants to!)

Have a go and let me know how you get on and if you find any of it difficult or not easy to understand.

If you have difficulty getting to see the video then go to the following free web site - http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download .

Response
Thank you for your question, which unfortunately has just reached me! There has been a problem with the web site questions which was fixed this weekend! Sorry!

I don't know of any massage therapy for children with asthma. However, you can read more about the chldren I have treated with Bowen (which they all love!) at www.relieve-childhood-asthma.com . Bowen is not massage as such but small, gentle moves, more like disturbances or signals. You could find courses being run in the USA at www.bowtech.com. It is a wonderful therapy which is both safe and easy to learn and you can treat people of any age with any condition.

Let me know if you need more.

Response
Thank you for your question. I am sorry to say, we don't have a list of any therapists in the Philippines at the moment. However, especially for your child, if you can look at the film where I demonstrate how to treat a child with asthma, this is quite simple and easy to do. All the moves are GENTLE, so it is very safe. It either works or it does not; but most of the time it works very well indeed. You can also do these moves on an adult. It is just that we can do more on an adult which is where the trained therapist can go much further.

If you have difficulty watching the films (there are 3 of them) then do the following.

The movies are in .mov format and can be viewed using the standard Apple Quicktime Application which is free from Apple it can be downloaded from the link below and is available for Mac and PC.
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download

Skin Asthma is also called Eczema which you may also find more details on the internet to help you.