It’s like being in a pool on a floating sun bed. Then someone jumps in the pool and causes a massive ripple.
BUT this pool is filled with jelly and you are wading through it in slow motion!
There’s no firm footing. Everything keeps moving and swimming around you. You can’t turn your head left or right, you just have to keep looking forward.
AND then ...
there’s the possibility you could get the swishing, ringing or constant noise ... aaarrrrgggghhhh!!
This is what it can be like for someone who suffers from Labyrinthitis / Ménière's / Tinnitus / Vertigo OR Vestibular Neuritis.
This is Kari’s story
A 57yo male, otherwise fit and healthy, employed in administration
... “I had been struggling, with vestibular neuritis for 7 months always getting dizzy and having problems with my balance.
I was unwell and off work, (again), when I had my first session of Bowen Therapy with Gail. Soon after this initial session I noticed my balance began to improve. I saw Gail again less than 2 weeks later for my second session and saw a dramatic improvement with my balance.
I can now stand on one leg and do a host of complicated balance exercises. A few days after the second session I was able to pull out the lawn mower from the shed and mow the lawn without any ill effects for the first time since suffering from vestibular neuritis. No headaches, no migraines.
I still have issues with dizziness at times and will continue with the Bowen Therapy. I am very happy with the results so far and highly recommend Gail”...
WHAT happened to Kari?
Kari was diagnosed with Vestibular Neuritis.
The medical explanation for Vestibular Neuritis and Labyrinthitis is they are disorders resulting in inflammation of the inner ear.
The most common cause of Vestibular Neuritis and Labyrinthitis is a viral infection. These disorders typically include dizziness or vertigo, disequilibrium or imbalance, and nausea. Acutely, the dizziness is constant.
Then there is also Ménière's. A disorder of the inner ear causing severe dizziness (Vertigo), ringing in the ears (Tinnitus), hearing loss and a feeling of fullness or congestion in the ear. Ménière’s disease usually affects only one ear but can progress to affect both.
WHY did Kari suddenly go from being ‘fully functioning’ to ‘severely debilitated’?
Well at the time of the initial onset of the disorder Kari had cold/flu like symptoms. During this time he experienced a bad migraine and next day the Vestibular Neuritis commenced.
The inner ear contains fluid and fine, hair-like sensors to help you keep your balance. At the base of your ear canal is a tiny patch of sensory hair cells. So this was Kari’s WHY - it was these hair cells (sensors) which became inflamed.
Kari’s own sensory ability to monitor the position of his head, in relation to gravity and linear motion, such as going up and down in an elevator or moving forward and backward in a car, was severely impacted.
Balance was a huge issue for Kari. He didn’t have balance! A recent intervention, prior to seeing me, was to try to get Kari to walk a straight line similar to a drunk trying to walk a straight line. This intervention was aimed at correcting his balance – but for him it was a major fail.
HOW has the disorder affected his overall health and well-being?
As Kari mentioned before and during his conversations with me:
he had been unable to work (this was the second extended time off in 7 months) because the travel to and from work would trigger the disorder. He would experience everything swimming around him and his peripheral vision badly distorted;
when he was in the working environment the mere passing of a fellow colleague, within his field of vision, would be enough to trigger the disorder. Again with the swimming and constant noise; and
the lighting of the computer would be enough to trigger the disorder.... and the list goes on.
Kari mentioned he had tried just about everything to address the disorder but with no success. He found he was seriously struggling to push through each day to return to work, albeit reduced hours. Still he was finding he needed to take days off that he was scheduled to work.
Kari was starting to really struggle with everyday life and activities. Vestibular Neuritis was robbing him of even the simplest of activities you would normally do around the house.
At home Kari wasn’t even able to take out the rubbish bin each week. Any noise of the bin running over the driveway, or the uneven surface of the driveway, was enough to trigger the disorder.
WHEN did things start changing for Kari?
I met Kari on 1 December, 2017, at the local school’s Twilight Market where I had a trade display on Bowen Therapy. I had my table with me so I was able to undertake a Bowen session right there and then.
I conducted a full body assessment, had an in-depth discussion with Kari, asking him a truck load of questions. Then up onto the table he went.
I only delivered the basic body relaxation moves plus I addressed his head and jaw. Bowen Therapy is not a ‘throw everything in the book at them’ modality. In fact, Bowen Therapy is a ‘less is best’ approach.
On performing the head moves I gently moved across the semispinalis capitis muscle at the back of his head which is located just below the occipital protuberance (that bony bit at the back of your head). Kari immediately commented he felt a ‘release’ after this move and a lovely feeling come across his whole body.
We waited while his body integrated this move. (A Bowen Practitioner observes wait periods between a set of procedures to allow the body to accept and integrate the procedure). Once his body had settled I addressed Kari’s jaw which was misaligned. Again we waited for the integration.
Kari’s Bowen session was now complete. He sat up on the edge of the table and after some initial mild dizziness he could not believe how good he felt – in fact the best he had felt in months.
Will Kari HAVE to live with Vestibular Neuritis forever?
I’ve seen Kari a total of 3 times now and the outcome has been exceptionally positive. He has his balance back (see photo below) and is back to working 4 days per week (he’s only had to take 2 days off in this time).
BUT, let’s be honest. There are no guarantees in life.
Kari decided to try something different - Bowen Therapy – which he had never heard of before and it worked for him.
Kari is getting his life back on track!!!
Perhaps Bowen Therapy may just work for you also.
If you would like to experience Bowen Therapy for yourself and get your body back into balance then call Gail on 0417 005510, at SumetBodyworx, to discuss your individual needs.
Pop on over and visit my FaceBook and while you’re there leave a comment. OR, visit my website www.sumetbodyworx.com and read all about why I became a Bowen Therapist and how Bowen Therapy could help you. You’ll also find more Blogs and helpful information.
Bowen Therapy – The pinnacle of body balance
About:
Gail Tumes is a qualified Bowen Therapist, Lymphatic Massage and Complex Decongestive Therapist, and Scar Tissue Release Therapist, living and working in Forest Lake, Queensland. Having been on the receiving end of Bowen Therapy for over 20 years, in 2015 Gail decided to embark on a long desired career in Complementary/ Alternative therapies. Gail now has her own thriving practice where she works with clients from all walks of life and all age groups providing them with the healing gift of Holistic therapies.
If you would like to learn more about how Bowen Therapy can assist you please call Gail on 0417 005 510.
Disclaimer
The information on this website is not intended to replace your personal relationship with your GP and is not intended as medical advice or as a replacement for prescribed interventions. The material appearing on the website is for educational use only.