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March 2013 Issue 51 Autumn

INDEX:

Kindness Story #15 2

New moms Take Ages to Recover 2

World Brain Awareness Week 2

Biorhythms 3

Bowen Therapy and Autism 4

Workshop 5

Cape Town’s Unique Biodiversity Plants 6

Amazing Grace 7

Warrior of Light 7

A woman and her husband interrupted their vacation to go to the dentist.

"I want a tooth pulled, and I don't want Novocaine, because I'm in a big hurry," the woman said. "Just

extract the tooth as quickly as possible, and we'll be on our way."

The dentist was quite impressed. "You're certainly a courageous woman," he said. "Which tooth is

it?" The woman turned to her husband and said, "Show him your tooth, dear."

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Pic: Nick Brandt; www.nickbrandt.com

Healing at Hand

• Sometimes we need to fail in order to know,

Sometimes we need to be hurt in order to grow,

Sometimes we need to lose in order to gain,

For some life lessons are best learned through pain.

• If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably

doesn’t lead anywhere.

• Let us be grateful to people who make us happy,

they are the charming gardeners who make our

souls blossom.

• A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop

speech when words become superfluous.

• Just to be, is a blessing. Just to live, is holy.

• Grace isn’t a little prayer you chant before receiving

a meal. It’s a way to live.

• Praise God, even when you don’t understand what

He is doing.

Things that hurt, instruct.

Benjamin Franklin

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Kindness Story #15 AA SSoonngg ffoorr WWhhoollee WWoorrlldd

I was listening to some soothing tunes on the radio last night. To be exact, it was 98.1, easy R&B listening.

Usually when listeners call in, they request a song and dedicate it to their sweetheart, best friend, a parent, or a soldier

overseas. It's a natural thing, to share love for those around us. But as I was listening in, a man called in with a very unusual

dedication.

"Hey brother, I'd like to make a song request," he said. "Sure thing. Who would you like to dedicate to it?" the DJ asked.

"I want to dedicate this song to the whole world." "Whole world? That's not possible," the DJ replied in a somewhat joking

manner. "We only reach a few million people."

That brief conversation really hit home for me, though. Yes, a song on a radio can only reach those listeners within the local

geographic region that covers that frequency. And yet, here was a listener who went beyond our self imposed idea of loving only

those who we are supposed to love, and instead, he extended a heartfelt dedication which reached further than his own brother,

his own child, his own wife, or father. He sent a song to the universe! It was powerful.

They say that a butterfly flapping its wings in Texas can create tornado in Brazil; and I say, the waves of generosity are more

powerful than the vibrations of sound. One kind act might truly change the world. --posted by mitu915 on Feb 26, 2008

http://www.helpothers.org/

If there is a single definition of healing - it is to enter with mercy and awareness those pains,

mental and physical, from which we have withdrawn in judgment and dismay. - Stephen Levine

New Moms take Ages to Recover

If you're not "bouncing back" as soon as you expected after giving birth, don't beat yourself up. A recent study suggests that new

moms may take up to a year to recover fully from childbirth.

Assessing post natal recovery at two to three weeks, at three months and then again at six to seven months, Dr Julie Wray of

Salford University found that women typically took around a year to feel themselves again.

Wray interviewed women on how they felt about their post natal medical care and found that many mothers were disappointed

to find they were not in shape by their six week check-up, with many calling it a "fantasy".

"Women feel that it takes much longer than six weeks to recover and they should be supported beyond the current six to eight

weeks after birth." She said that many women felt they were left to get on with it, with very little support after birth.

"The midwifery profession must raise the status of postnatal care as any further erosion can only be bad for women and their

children," she told the Daily Mail. Along with physical changes, new mothers need to adjust to the dramatic change in their lives

psychologically, which can be extremely challenging for today's working moms.

Sue MacDonald, an expert in midwifery in Britain, said that many women endure a lot of discomfort and pain in the months after

childbirth because they think it is normal. http://lifestyle.iafrica.com

15-21 March is World Brain Awareness Week

Practice these healthy brain activities:

• Change your daily routine and do things differently

• Add car licence plate numbers together, do crosswords or Sudoko, play bridge and number games

• Read aloud and read different types of media

• Drive a different route to work without your GPS

• Learn a new language or take up a new hobby

• Memorize your grocery lists, starting with short ones

• Listen to music or lean to play a musical instrument -Fairlady, Feb 2010

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Biorhythms History In the nineteenth century, studies first began on certain life rhythms or cycles that were later termed "biorhythms". The word

biorhythm is a compound of two Greek words, bios and rhythmos, which mean life and a constant or periodic beat. The theory of

biorhythms defines and measures three basic and important life cycles in man: the physical, emotional, and intellectual.

Wilhelm Fliess, a highly respected and prominent doctor in Berlin, did pioneer work on biorhythms in the 1890s. Fliess, who had

observed 23- and 28-day rhythms in many of his patients, began to collect statistics on the periodic occurrence of fevers, childhood

disease, and the susceptibility to disease and death. With these statistics in hand, Fliess believed he had detected rhythms which

were fundamental to man's life. Dr. Fliess later developed two major biorhythm theories: first, that Nature bestows on man "master

internal clocks" which begin counting time at birth and continue throughout life; and second, that one of these clocks regulates a 9-

3-day cycle influencing man's physical condition and another regulates a 28-day cycle influencing emotions or degree of sensitivity.

Important ideas tend to spread rapidly in the scientific community. Dr. Hermann Swoboda, Professor of psychology at the University

of Vienna, read Fliess' work while still a young man, and by the turn of the century was himself researching, lecturing, and writing

on biorhythms. Swoboda, who detected a periodicity in the occurrence of dreams and thinking processes, and in fevers, asthma,

heart attacks, and the outbreak of illness, believed his own investigations confirmed Fliess' observations on the 23-day and 28-day

cycles. Swoboda contributed to the theory the notion of the "critical" day, when the cycle shifts from high to low or low to high; a

day of instability and usually of some stress for most people; when we seem to have more energy, vitality, and emotional control.

There are days when these same feelings are at low ebb. And there are also those days when we react to situations in a totally

unexpected way.

Everyone experiences days when everything he does seems to be right and, on the other hand, days when nothing he does seems

to make any sense. This state of affairs is not new; man has long puzzled over the range of his own actions and feelings. Even

Hippocrates, the traditional physician's physician, advised his students and associates some 2,400 years ago to observe the "good"

and "bad" days among the healthy and the ill, and to take these fluctuations into consideration in the treatment of patients.

http://www.procato.com/biorhythm/

The three primary biorhythm cycles are:

Emotional: This cycle tracks the stability and positive energy of your psyche and outlook on life, as well as your capacity to

empathize with and build rapport with other people. It regulates emotions, feelings, mood, sensitivity, sensation, sexuality, fantasy,

temperament, nerves, reactions, affections and creativity.

Intellectual: This cycle tracks your verbal, mathematical, symbolic, and creative abilities, as well as your capacity to apply reason

and analysis to the world around you. It regulates intelligence, logic, mental reaction, alertness, sense of direction, decision-making,

judgment, power of deduction, memory, and ambition.

Physical: This cycle tracks your strength, health, endurance, and raw physical vitality. It regulates hand-eye coordination, strength,

endurance, sex drive, initiative, metabolic rate, resistance to, and recovery from illness. Surgery should be avoided on physical

transition days and during negative physical cycles.

Our physical biorhythm cycle completes one life cycle in 23 days. Our emotional biorhythm cycle lasts 28 days, and our intellectual

biorhythm cycle lasts 33 days. At mid point and end point in each cycle, they sharply move back to zero point and change polarity.

The day a cycle changes polarity is called a transition day (also called a critical day, or caution day).

SAMPLE BIORHYTHM:

Blue line = Emotion

Red line = Intellect

Green line = Physical

LLiiffee iiss tthhee ffiirrsstt ggiifftt,, lloovvee iiss tthhee sseeccoonndd,, aanndd uunnddeerrssttaannddiinngg tthhee tthhiirrdd..

-Marge Piercy

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BBoowweenn TThheerraappyy aanndd AAuuttiissmm

Legacy Program – Autism

Compiled by Dan Amato, © February 2010

Two practitioners reported on their work with clients diagnosed with autism; one works primarily with children, the other primarily

with adults. I will begin with some background information about autism.

Autism is listed as a pervasive developmental disorder (PDD). Due to the varied range in which autism presents it is now being

referred to as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). “All these disorders are characterized by varying degrees of impairment in

communication skills, social interactions, and restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behaviour.” (1) “The pervasive

developmental disorders, or autism spectrum disorders, range from a severe form, called autistic disorder, to a milder form,

Asperger syndrome. These generally begin in the first three years of life. There are many different theories on the causes of autism,

but I will not go into them here since they are mostly controversial. To complicate autism further, a number of other problems often

accompany ASD: genetic disorders, mental retardation, seizures, metabolic defects (e.g., phenylketonuria), sleep problems and

tuberous sclerosis. (1) (2)

Working with children: The practitioner who works primarily with children discussed her belief that autistic clients are often in a “fight or flight” state. This

observation is borne out as “Researchers at the University of Washington have discovered an increased pattern of brain activity in

the amygdalas of adults with autism…” (3) The amygdala is associated with the “fight or flight response” and also functions in

“identifying faces and situations and the evaluation of social information such as emotions.” (3) Over time, when a person is

exposed to the same type of information over and over, and learning takes place, “habituation” takes place and the same

information no longer stimulates the fight or flight response. In clients with autism, habituation seems not to occur as readily,

resulting in the amygdala’s remaining in a hyper-excitable state much longer than in normal brains. (3) Without learning to recognize

recurring patterns of events, perhaps the autistic client stays in a place of “fight or flight response.”

Bowenwork has the capability to balance the autonomic nervous system and take the body out of fight or flight. (4) This balancing

can be very helpful to autistic clients, giving them some sense of peace or at least a relief from always needing to be “on.” It would

be interesting to note if regularly balancing these clients over time might lead to greater habituation, freeing up the amygdala so

that it can develop other of its functions.

This practitioner discussed some of the difficulties involved in working on autistic children. She noted that they do not like to lie on

their stomachs right away, so getting them to lie down or even sit still is often not possible, at least in the first few sessions. She

approaches clients from a more on-the-fly approach, often doing the Bowenwork procedures with the children seated. She cautions

other practitioners to do less work than they ordinarily might, as she noticed these clients did not tolerate much work and get easily

overloaded. The practitioner sometimes made use of a therapy ball, where someone would support the child (prone) over the ball;

the rocking motion on the ball seemed to calm the children while she did the moves.

There are a number of issues that present in many children with autism:

• A tendency to walk on their toes, which creates tension in the gastrocnemius, hamstrings and Achilles tendon.

• Tension in the diaphragm, which might come from remaining in “fight or flight” for long periods of time. Some have a

tendency to hold their breath. Clients may also have abdominal distension because of food allergies and an inability to

digest food.

• Misalignment of the jaw and tooth grinding.

This practitioner reported that many clients with autism did not respond as well to the Respiratory Procedure as most other clients

do. I think that this may be because autistic clients may have a need to recover from their “fight or flight response” before they can

release the diaphragm. To reset the autonomic nervous system, the three BRM procedures (basic relaxation moves) need to be done

all in the same session. It is also probable that due to the autistic tendency to have an over-stimulated amygdala, clients may need

to be balanced periodically with the three BRM procedures throughout their lifetime.

The practitioner has utilized, the knee, hamstring, respiratory and TMJ procedures on her clients to address the presenting

conditions listed above. She has also used the pelvic procedure because of the calming effect it has on some clients. Parents have

noticed their children are calmer and more attentive after a session, but this can be undone if they are exposed to sensory

information they are unable to process. The practitioner has noticed that the autistic children seem to become more tolerant of

touch after a series of Bowenwork sessions. As a speech pathologist, she has also noticed an increase in the children’s ability to

produce sounds especially after the respiratory procedure and the TMJ procedure. The practitioner states the number of

Bowenwork session before seeing a difference varies from child to child and seems dependent on the severity of the client’s sensory

processing disorder.

… continued on next page

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Working with adults: The practitioner who works primarily with adults sometimes spends a lot of time with the client before having the client get on the

table. One autistic gentleman in his mid 40’s needed to use the bathroom first and would sit in a chair for a bit before she even

began to touch him. The table was off limits due to his history of abuse; he felt vulnerable in any position other than seated. So, she

did lots of seated Bowenwork for more than six months. Another autistic gentleman of the same age, who was deaf, felt the need

to roam about her office, checking how the doors lined up, and required some time to organize some of the supplies –– his way.

After half an hour or so of getting settled, she would ask if he was ready for his work, and on the table he would go.

In regard to the work itself, she starts gradually, with Lower Back procedure moves 1 and 2, and waits to see how the body

processes these moves. That is sometimes enough for a first session. Then moving on to upper back procedure moves 1-4 and

stopping there. Her goal initially is to complete the body balance (BRMs 1, 2, and 3). Following a gradual balance over a period of

several sessions, she tries to complete the Respiratory procedure (for fear, grief, anxiety, and shock), TMJ procedure (perhaps there

are suppressed emotions?), Kidney procedure (adrenal fatigue, chronic fatigue - because she finds that sleep patterns are often

disrupted in this population), and Coccyx procedure (to reboot the nervous system). Other areas of concern need to be addressed,

too –– sprained ankle, sore shoulder or whatever is going on with the individual.

Contributors to this report: Maureen Flanagan - mflanaganspeech4kids@comcast.net

Abby LaRock - rock.ot@comcast.net

Resources:

1. Autism Spectrum Disorders (Pervasive Developmental Disorders), National Institute of Mental Health,

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/autism/complete-index.shtml

2. Autism, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism

3. Heightened Level of Amygdala Activity May Cause Social Deficits in Autism, 23.03.2009, http://www.innovationsreport.

com/html/reports/medicine_health/heightened_level_amygdala_activity_social_deficits_129725.html

4. The Bowen Technique, a Gentle Hands-On Healing Method That Affects the Autonomic Nervous System As Measured by Heart

Rate Variability and Clinical Assessment. a paper by Jo Anne Whitaker, M.D. (www.bowen.org), Patricia P Gilliam, M. Ed., M.S.N.,

and Douglas B Seba, Ph.D.

5. Ayres,J.A.(1979). Sensory integration and the child. Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services. (Maureen Flanagan ecommends

Jean Ayres’ book as “an excellent resource for anyone working with a child with autism.”)

Bowen Hands, BowTech Australia

About the Author:

Dan Amato, Marlborough, NH, USA, is a Certified Bowen Therapist and (now resigned) Accredited Instructor of Bowen Technique.

�� WORKSHOP ��

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CCaappee TToowwnn’’ss UUnniiqquuee BBiiooddiivveerrssiittyy PPllaannttss http://www.capetown.gov.za

ENDEMIC SPECIES

Endemic species are extra special. ‘Endemic’ means that they occur nowhere else on earth, and species endemic to Cape Town

are confined to within the city’s borders. They have to be conserved and managed within Cape Town, otherwise they will become

globally extinct forever. Of course, there are many other species that should be conserved in Cape Town, but often they can be

conserved just as well or better elsewhere. Endemic species do not have this luxury – Cape Town is their only home on earth.

Cape Town has an unusually high number of endemic species, and we have the sole responsibility to preserve them.

It is estimated that there are about 3 400 indigenous plant species in Cape Town. This is exceptional, as, for example, the entire

United Kingdom has only just over 1 200 native plant species –less than the number on the Cape Peninsula. Of these species, 190

are known to be endemic to Cape Town.

Threats & Conservation: Threats vary between different groups of species. Plants are most threatened by agriculture,

urbanization, invasive alien plants, and fire. Most species are best conserved in nature reserves. Unfortunately, many species can

only be conserved in nature reserves as they require fire, pollinators and other conditions that are not met outside of their natural

ecosystem. The problem with conserving species in botanical gardens and amateur collections is that once domesticated species

are very difficult to rehabilitate into the wild. Ex situ conservation outside nature reserves is thus a last resort for species that have

had their entire habitat destroyed.

Cape Town’s endemic species occur nowhere else on earth. This is the only place anyone wanting to see these plants and animals

can see them in the wild. Tourists, specialist eco-tourists and scientists come from all over the world to observe and study these

species. The threatened status of endemic species is a good indicator of the health of the natural ecosystems in which they occur.

Not all of our endemic species are threatened. However, some are extremely threatened, and some are even extinct. As these

species are found in Cape Town only, we have to save enough space for them in the city so that they can continue to exist under

their natural conditions. There is no other way to avoid further extinction of our endemic species.

Whorled Heath (Heath Family). Picked and built on – extinct

1950s, but discovered in 4 botanical gardens in this century.

Returned to the wild at Rondevlei, Kenilworth & Tokai

Wynberg Conebush (Protea Family) was

endemic to Peninsula Granite Fynbos

and was last recorded in 1805

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Theracare Health Centre 118 First Avenue

Rondebosch East 7780 (opp. Crawford Station)

Western Cape, S.A

http://goo.gl/maps/Ou7oo

TELEPHONE: 083 29 444 29 (021) 696 5928

(please leave voice message)

WEBSITE:

www.bowentherapy.co.za

EMAIL:

info@bowentherapy.co.za rashidah.hargey@gmail.com

Every body is better with

Medical Information Disclaimer: Information published in this newsletter is intended for

general informational purposes only, and should not be

construed as medical advice, medical opinion,

diagnosis or treatment. It is not a substitute for

medical attention. Please consult your health-care

professional for medical advice and treatment.

• BOWEN THERAPIST

• YOGA INSTRUCTOR

TThhee WWaarrrriioorr ooff LLiigghhtt A warrior of light knows his own faults. But he also

knows his qualities.

Some to his companions complain all the time that ‘other

people have more opportunities than we do’.

Perhaps they are right, but a warrior does not allow

himself to be paralysed by this; he tries to make the most

of his virtues.

He knows that the gazelle’s power lies in its strong legs.

The power of the seagull lies in the accuracy with which

it can spear a fish. He has learned that the reason the

tiger does not fear the hyena is because his aware of his

own strength.

He tries to establish what he can truly rely on. And he

always checks that he carries three things with him:

Faith, Hope and Love.

If these three things are there, he does not hesitate to go

forward.

-PAULO COELHO

Contact details:

Rashidah Hargey

Pic: Nick Brandt; www.nickbrandt.com

Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn with words written by the English poet

and clergyman, John Newton (1725–1807).

Created as a poem in 1772, it hardly seems possible that the lyrics of the most

popular hymn in the English language, was written by a man who once had the

foulest mouth on the ship, Greyhound. John Newton gained notoriety for being

one of the most profane men the captain had ever met.

Newton wrote the words from personal experience. He grew up without any

particular religious conviction. He was forced into service involuntarily into the

Royal Navy, and after leaving the service became involved in the Atlantic slave

trade.

A defiant man, Newton manages again and again to escape danger, disease,

abuse and even death. A life-threatening event in 1748, obviously had such a

frightening impact, that Newton found himself calling on God for mercy. This

marked the beginning of his spiritual conversion.

Ordained in the Church of England in 1764, Newton became curate of Olney,

Buckinghamshire, where he began to write hymns with poet, William Cowper.

"Amazing Grace" was written to illustrate a sermon on New Year's Day of 1773.

In 1835, the poem was then set to music to a tune known as "New Britain",

which is still known today.

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,

And grace my fears relieved;

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares,

I have already come;

'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,

And grace will lead me home.

When we've been there ten thousand years,

Bright shining as the sun,

We've no less days to sing God's praise

Then when we'd first begun.

Wikipedia; http://vocalcoach.hubpages.com

For local Bowen Therapy practitioners, go to:

http://www.bowensa.com/practitioners.html