Bowen technique

Bowen had no formal medical training[2] and described his approach as a "gift from God".[3] He referred to himself as an osteopath and tried to join the Australian register of osteopaths in 1981 but did not qualify for the title.[4] He died as an unlicensed practitioner of manual therapy.[5] In 1973 Bowen himself had referred to his ability to "average 65 patients per day", yet the technique as it is commonly practiced today is unlikely to achieve that volume.[5]

Bowen did not document his technique, so its practice after his death has followed one or other differing interpretation of his work.[5] It was not until some years after his death that the term "Bowen Technique" was coined. The technique goes by a wide variety of other names, including Smart Bowen, Fascial Kinetics, Integrated Bowen Therapy, Neurostructural Integration Technique (NST), Fascial Bowen, and Bowenwork.[5] The technique has been popularized by some of the six men who observed him at work, including Oswald Rentsch, an osteopath[6] whose interpretation has become the dominant, but not unchallenged, form.[5] Learning this technique requires 120 hours of instruction,[7] or as little as a weekend workshop.[8]

Recipients are generally fully clothed. Each session typically involves gentle rolling motions across the muscles, tendons, and fascia.[9] The therapy's distinctive features are the minimal nature of the physical intervention and pauses incorporated in the treatment.[10] Proponents claim these pauses allow the body to "reset" itself.[3]

In 2015 the Australian Government's Department of Health published the results of a review of alternative therapies that sought to determine if any were suitable for being covered by health insurance; Bowen Technique was one of 17 therapies evaluated for which no clear evidence of effectiveness was found.[1] Quackwatch includes "Neuro-Structural Integration Technique (Bowen Therapy)" in its list of "questionable treatments."[11]