Almost everyone will have experienced a headache at some point in their life, but for some they are a daily occurrence and can impact on their activities and mental health. Headaches can have various triggers - illness, stress, alcohol, posture and alignment, dehydration, skipping meals, or hormonal triggers.
Headaches are also a symptom of migraine - migraines are usually accompanied by nausea and/or vomiting, and oversensitivity to light, sound or movement. Some sufferers experience an 'aura' or visual disturbance, whereas others may only experience the aura and not suffer the headache.
There exact cause of migraines isn't clearly understood, Around 10 million people aged 15-69 in the UK suffer from migraines and around 3 times as many women suffer them than men. Migraines are classified as a disabling illness, while headaches are amongst the most common neurological reasons for attending A&E. Triggers for migraines include tiredness, posture and alignment, neck and shoulder tension, low blood sugar, dehydration and alcohol. They may also be triggered by certain foods - commonly products containing caffeine such as coffee and also chocolate, citrus fruits and some cheeses.

Recently I have treated two clients, one with lifelong headaches, the other with lifelong migraine. Both have had excellent responses to the Bowen therapy.

The migraine sufferer's pain started as a teenager and has continued through much of their adult life with periods of daily migraines. In their 20s they tried acupuncture which worked well. After moving to Somerset they had been unable to find a local practitioner, and after reading about Bowen decided to book an appointment. At that point the migraines were on average twice weekly, but they had recently had a spell with them occurring every day for 5 days. They had never been able to identify any triggers and the pain was so bad they had to sit in the dark and wait until it had passed, sometimes a few hours, sometimes all day.
After the first treatment, the client had no migraines in the following week. Two more treatments and the alignment that the Bowen has helped to create is holding, no more migraines and the client is happy to return should the headaches return.

Sara has suffered from headaches most of her life, triggered by stress and certain foods. She also experiences tightness in her neck and holds tension in her shoulders which then results in a headache starting at the base of the skull. Her symptoms can range from a classic migraine to a 'muzzy' head.
After her first treatment she experienced a reduction in her symptoms and had been able to reduce her painkillers. She would often wake feeling queasy, but this had disappeared since her Bowen therapy. This is what she had to say about her experience:

" I have suffered with headaches since I was a teenager, being helpfully described by a doctor as just being a ‘headachy person’.

While diet is a contributory factor, it is not the root of the problem. I have tried allergy testing, which identified dairy and citrus fruit as triggers, but nothing else. So I cut these out of my diet but my headaches persisted.

I have tried a range of different medical treatments including prescription medication, painkillers and tinted glasses. But my headaches persisted.

I have spent years being manipulated by chiropractors and massaged in a range of different ways but nothing worked long term.

I saw a recommendation for Bowen and decided to give it a go. Having been used to being ‘cricked and cracked’ by a chiropractor, I was surprised (and a bit sceptical) at how calm and gentle the Bowen treatment was. But it has worked in a way that nothing else has - the increased movement and flexibility in my back, neck and shoulders has lasted and my headaches have significantly improved.

I can’t recommend this treatment highly enough - it has certainly worked wonders for me.

So a huge thank you Sarah"