Body Restorations application of Laws of Physiology.

 

A law of physiology (as found in Taber's medical dictionary) is a scientific principle that is uniformly true for a whole class of natural physiological occurrences.  Studying the laws of physiology gives the Body Restoration practitioner a deeper understanding of how the body reacts and responds to methods of correcting imbalances. The Body Restoration Clinic has had hundreds of hours of continuing education classes and has done hundreds of hours of research to find the most efficient methods that follow as many of these laws as possible. Bowenwork and the Muscle Balance Function System are the two methods that we have found that apply the most of these laws in their application. The knowledge and application of these methods will give you the most efficient and long term healing possible.

Arndt-Schultz Law
Weak stimuli activate physiological processes: very strong stimuli inhibit physiological responses.

Application: Using a gentle, slow Bowenwork move will activate physiological responses. Tissue that is gently agitated will heal faster than tissue that is painfully stimulated. A weak stimulus activates tissue growth and wound healing.
Trigger points and deep tissue work can give off strong impulses that can turn off other processes in the body. This may be one reason why the body halts the healing process. This law explains why using a slow gentle Bowenwork move is more effective than a fast and hard twang or deep sustained pressure.

Law of specificity of nervous energy
Excitation of a receptor always gives rise to the same sensation regardless of the nature of the stimulus.

Application: The implication of this law shows the genius of a Bowenwork move. It doesn't matter which method you use to activate a sensory receptor; it will respond in a specific manner.  Technique or modality is not as important as the simple process of activating the sensory receptor in some manner in order to achieve a response. If the receptor is stimulated by something as simple as a Bowenwork move, it is not necessary to do any more stimulation to the body.

Hilton's Law
A nerve trunk that supplies a joint also supplies the muscles of the joint and the skin over the attachments of such muscles.

Application: If an injury occurs it may be difficult to determine if the pain is coming from the skin, muscle or joint. Stimulation of all areas in turn affects each part. Stimulation of any and all level affects all levels. That is why we may need to address an area that doesn't seem to be directly involved in order to affect the issue at hand.
This is one of the reasons why working superficially on the body will often create a deeper release of tissues. By stimulating the superficial structures, all of structures supplied by that nerve trunk are affected. That is why we can use such a small amount of pressure with a Bowenwork move and have such great effect.

Law of Facilitation
When an impulse has passed through a certain set of neurons to the exclusion of others, it will tend to take the same course on a future occasion and each time it traverses this path the resistance will be less.

Application: This is the basic law behind muscle memory. When a client has performed motions improperly for a period of time, the body has the tendency to move in those patterns. This is why properly sequenced postural exercises are so important; they help change the neural pathways and habitual patterns. When proper patterns of movement are achieved, the body has the tendency to stay in balance.
This law also implies that once a pain or other sensory pattern is established, minor stimuli that would normally cause no response are able to stimulate the nerve, muscle or organ tissue to contract or become hyperactive. This is why old injuries that have not been properly addressed are easily re-injured.

Davis' Law
If muscle ends are brought closer together, then the pull of tonus is increased, thereby shortening the muscle which may even cause hypertrophy.  If muscle ends are separated beyond normal, then tonus is lessened or lost, thereby weakening the muscle.  

Application: This can be seen in muscle imbalances where one set of hypertonic or over tight muscles have shortened and become hypertrophied while their antagonists have weakened in response to their being overstretched. (i.e., a person with rounded or forward rolled shoulders will have tight, hypertrophied pec. major and minor muscles while their rhomboids will be weak.) By releasing the tone of the shortened muscle with a Bowenwork move, then moving both sets of muscles with the Bowenwork exercises and walking, we initiate the law of facilitation which will cancel out the effects of Davis' law.
Also reciprocal inhibition is at work, with one set of muscles in chronic contraction, the antagonists will be inhibited (weakened) and shortened.

All or none law
The principle that the strength by which a nerve or muscle fiber responds to a stimulus is not dependent on the strength of the stimulus. If the stimulus is any strength above threshold, the nerve or muscle fiber will either give a complete response or no response at all.

Application: This law implies that we only need enough stimulation with a Bowenwork move to take the nerve or muscle fiber just above its threshold to initiate a response. Less is best. Using only the necessary stimulus means we can eliminate irritation and inflammation brought on by overworking an area.

Weber's law
The increase in stimulus necessary to produce the smallest perceptible increase in sensation bears a constant ratio to the strength of the stimulus already acting.

Application: Just a little bit more will change the perception.  For an application of a Bowenwork move to alter or change a sensory perception, the intensity of the application must match, and barely exceed, the existing sensation.  This law, in conjunction with the law of intensity and the law of symmetry, is why we work on the least-affected side first. Calm down the least irritated side to reduce the irritation on the more affected side.

Pfluegger's Laws -
General laws that explain the body's transition from an acute pain syndrome to a chronic pain syndrome.  A trauma to one part of the body, if left untreated, will progress into a chronic full-body condition.

Law of Generalization:
When the irritation becomes very intense, it is propagated in the medulla oblongata, which becomes a focus from which stimuli radiate to all parts of the cord, causing a general contraction of all muscles of the body

Application: A very intense stimulus can trigger whole body muscular contractions (massive muscle guarding). This is what trauma does to the body creating intense, generalized whole-body muscular contraction.  We must remember that a Bowenwork move should not hurt; it should just be enough stimulation to activate a response. The more intense the trauma, the lighter the move should be. We encourage the body to reduce its level of reaction and whole-body responses can occur.

Law of Unilaterality:
If mild irritation is applied to one or more sensory nerves, the movement will take place only on the side that has been irritated.

Application: The body responds to trauma initially at the site of the injury.  Light stimulation remains fairly localized.  If a client experiences mild irritation, it will likely affect the localized area on the side of possible.

Law of Symmetry:
If the stimulation is sufficiently increased, motor reaction is manifested not only on the irritated side, but also in similar muscles on the opposite side of the body.

Application:  If trauma is great enough, pain may be experienced on the opposite side of the actual injury. If we can use Bowenwork soon enough we can eliminate the spread of pain to the opposite side. If this already has occurred, as in chronic conditions, we need to do Bowenwork procedures bilaterally.

Law of Intensity:
Reflex movements are more intense on the side of irritation and less strong on the opposite side.

Application: This law, in conjunction with Weber's law, is why we start Bowenwork with the least-affected side first.

Law of Radiation
If the excitation continues to increase it is propagated upward, and reactions take place through centrifugal nerves coming from the cord segments higher up.

Application:  Stimulation will move up the spinal column and trigger reactions in the corresponding body areas innervated by those nerve segments. There may be spasming and pain above the actual site of the injury to protect the injured area (muscle guarding). This is why it is so important to release the whole body, especially during initial sessions.

Law of conservation of energy
Energy is constant: it is neither created nor destroyed but only transformed from one form or another.

Application:  The energy that is a result of bodywork has been transformed or released within the client. When a traumatic event such as a motor vehicle accident occurs, the energy of the force of the car is absorbed by the body. Healing is achieved by releasing this energy from the body. We leave the client while they process the Bowenwork moves so that this type of energy can dissipate freely.