Back to "Can Neural Touch Help Me?"Recently I sustained an injury that aggravated a hip and lower back problem which made it difficult to walk and move without a great deal of pain. My legs were also constantly aching. I sought relief through acupuncture, massage and chiropractic with no noticeable results although these methods have helped me in the past.
After one treatment with Gene Dobkin, I was helped. After two more, the problem was completely alleviated and has not returned for several months. I find the techniques to be soothing, pleasurable and non-intrusive. Gene's quiet, matter-of-fact, non-judgmental manner reassured me and inspired my confidence. I felt respected, comfortable and helped by this capable practitioner. -Rosemary L'Esprit
Back to "Can Neural Touch Help Me?"This technique seems simple but is miraculous for any kind of injury. I hurt myself skiing last December, and couldn't raise my arm above my shoulder. I tried massage, acupressure and chiropractic. Nothing worked and I was miserable. One session with Gene and I could raise my arm up to my ear. -Cheri Sigman
Back to "Can Neural Touch Help Me?"I first saw Gene Dobkin this fall when I had constant pain in my shoulder that radiated down my arm and left me with a couple of numb fingers. A chiropractor's treatment didn't bring relief. After two sessions with Gene, my pain was gone and has not returned. I appreciated his humble and humorous approach and marvelled at this mysterious technique that treated the body as a case with lots of keyholes. Gene has a vast set of keys and knows how to use them. -Skip Taube
I was told I had to "learn to cope." That's what my permanent injuries came down to -- painful reminders of the auto accident. Stopped at a red light, I was hit from behind at 60-plus miles per hour. My jaw dislocated and snapped back, my right rib fractured at the seat-belt line, and I bounced around the inside of my car like a ping-pong ball. I was alive, and now I had to learn to cope with my life-long daily souvenirs: TMJ, migraine headaches, back spasms, myofasciitis.
Along with massive amounts of pain-killing drugs, conventional physical therapy followed: heat packs, ultra-sound, massage, cold packs. Three times a week. For 18 months. I learned to work around the back spasms and migraines that kept me in bed for days. I learned to identify, early on, the ache in my ears or jaw signaling a TMJ attack and a 3-day migraine. And I restricted my life to accommodate my limitations: Soft diet not to tax the TMJ; the pops and clicks from my jaw were normal, now; no heavy lifting, or severe bending because of my back. New pains, like the one in my right hip -- a sharp probing, boring pain deep in the socket -- would probably increase as the years went on. I would never be the same. Against my will, I had been drafted into the army of chronic pain.
A dear friend of mine could not bear this and asked if I would try Bowen's therapy. I had never heard of Bowen or his method, and although my body felt as if it belonged to someone else, my mind was open, ever-curious. I agreed, and met Sue Behrstock-Newey.
For the first three weeks, I couldn't lie on my stomach with my arms down at my sides [the preferred position for treatment], but then, I hadn't been able to do that since the accident. My sinus cavities clogged-up whenver I was on my stomach, but then, they'd done that for all of my adult life. I'd never known a spring, summer or fall without decongestants.
Then, I believe at week four, it suddenly occurred to me while I was laying on my stomach, on the table, that my arms were down at my sides and there was no pain in the shoulders, no discomfort, and -- the strangest of all -- I was breathing clearly, what others would call 'normally.' No terible inner sensation of a wave filling up my head.
Bowen Therapy is so subtle, I had been completely unaware that I was breathing clearly. I started noticing the other changes.
I had more strength, more energy, and much more flexibility -- whether on the treadmill, walking the dog, or going up and down the stairs. No back spasms. No low-back aches or throbs. I could even bend over and touch my toes.
I hadn't had a migraine. Even with 87% humidity, my face didn't ache, my jaw didn't throb and I didn't slide into a 3-day migraine. No earaches, either -- because the TMJ was better. The popping and clicking sounds will always be there, to some extent, because the discs in my jaw-sockets were damaged; but the frequency of those sounds is noticeably less, and, of more importance to me, the pain is significantly less. In 18 months of conventional physical therapy, no one had ever touched my face. The TMJ was the great lost cause, the source of my doctors' pronouncements to "learn to cope."
After eight weeks of therapy, I was coping, all right: getting out of bed in the morning without a stiff, aching low back: bending, lifting, moving about. I continued to learn to cope without earaches, without migraines, without daily jaw pain. After Bowen I finally learned to cope: I think it's called a normal life.-Linda LaRosa
I have had chronic back and shoulder pain for many years. Gene's application of Bowen therapy has resulted in a significant reduction in pain. The results were permanent, unlike other treatments which only gave temporary relief. It has helped lead to the resolution of some underlying emotional issues. Each session resulted in improvement. Using this in conjunction with emotional work I expect complete healing of this long term problem. -Gary Flo
Back to "Can Neural Touch Help Me?"I originally called Gene after being diagnosed with breast lumps. I was encouraged by reports of all kinds of relief from a trusted friend. When I went for my appointment my right shoulder had no range of motion, I barely thought of my breast lump problem. Before I left that visit I had 75% range of motion restored and exercises to keep increasing that range. Three weeks later when I saw my doctor, she was pleased to tell me that all lumps in the left breast were gone and in the right breast had been reduced by 60%! Other benefits of this treatment for me have been better breathing, walking, dreaming and well-being. -Nancy Lang
Gene, a couple of months ago I e-mailed you a question about working with an infant with an exaggerated moro reflex described by her mother as a frantic and persistent grasping with her hands accompanied by screaming. To finally get back to you with feedback, after one session, she has never had another episode and had done great ever since. Thanks, -Julie Adams
I've had dramatic improvements with incontinence with an elderly lady. It also eliminated a chronic cough she had been trying to get rid of for years. (she nearly died from pneumonia in 1998.)-Ginny Parsons
For years I've had terrible heartburn and indigestion and it was getting worse. I was becoming quite concerned. Doctors told me to eat slower, quit drinking coffee and gave me prescriptions for antacids. Nutritionists told me to cut the fat out of my diet. Nothing worked. Then I met Gene Dobkin. He looked me over and told me that based on my posture, I was probably constricting my diaphragm and esophagus, which might contribute to reflux. He did a little work on me and showed me how to "lengthen" my posture. Within two days the problem was gone and hasn't yet returned in six months. -Peter Burtis
My 11-year old son is an asthmatic. His asthma is triggered by reflux, exercise and allergies. His asthma was never severe until 2 years ago. Prior to that time his ashtma was aggravated only by allergies and exercise/physical exertion.
Approx 2 years ago there were calls to his pulmonary doctor's office, numerous trips to Texas Children's Hospital and three hospital stays, as his asthma seemed to be aggravated by everything. Finally his doctor found that my son was one of those asthmatics who suffered from reflux which triggered his asthma attacks.
We began treatment for the reflux through my massage therapist Lisa McFarland and continue occasional treatment by Gene Dobkin. We have been able to cut back on his medication and have not been to the hospital in about one year. Now the only time I talk to his pulmonary doctor's office is to make an appointment for a checkup. He has only had about 3 mild asthma attacks in the last 6 months.
Gene has taught my son a simple exercise which he can do on his own at any time, to ease any breathing difficulty. He can even do it during an asthma attack. I can combine traditional medical treatment with this technique and other holistic treatments in my son's health care plan.
I believe the treatments, including the exercise he has been taught, has contributed to my son's improved health. His doctors are decreasing the amount of medication he is taking. His asthma continues to improve.-Sharon Mesa
Back to "Can Neural Touch Help Me?"I have been practicing dentistry 20 years in northern California. Many of these years I spent in search of a methodology to treat Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome patients as well as patients with facial pain. At one time in my career I had attended seminars with just about every professional who claimed to know something of TMJ.
I was an early practitioner of equilibration and gnathology. We did muscle testing and kinesiology, nutritional counseling, biofeedback, splints, and orthodontics. We referred to neurologists, psychologists, oral surgeons, chiropractors, and cranio-sacral practitioners.
Aside from the Class II, Div II case that we could treat orthodontically, I'll have to say that our success was limited at best. Overall, the success was short-lived and most of success came from patients who changed their lifestyle. Rather than accepting referrals from other professionals I began to limit my TMJ treatment to a few of my own patients and sending others to a university TMJ clinc which was three hours away. Over time I completely stopped treating TMJ patients other than selected orthodontic cases.
I was introduced to Gene Dobkin by several patients who had been treated by Gene. I began referring a few patients to Gene and they all benefited from his treatment with very little intervention on my part. My TMJ treatment is now limited to soft splints and referral to a Bowen practitioner. I'm very sorry to see Gene Dobkin leave the area.
My family members and I have been treated by Gene for musculo-skeletal ailments with great success. I personally know little of the theory and practice of this technique. I can speak only for results!
I do highly recommend this non-invasive, inexpensive treatment for head and neck dysfunction and pain. -Lee Baker, DDS
For years I suffered from the ill effects of TMJ syndrome (daily headaches, ringing in my ears, jaw tension/nightly teeth grinding, arm and shoulder pain). Over the years I have tried other treatments with no relief. After my second session with Gene I was able to completely quit wearing my mouth guard at night and the associated pains have dissipated. I have also obtained relief from sciatic and knee pain from old injuries. Now I schedule an occasional session solely for complete relaxation and balancing. -Michelle Wall-O'Connor
In a strictly medical sense, Neural Touch mustn't be considered to 'cure' anything. The body is stimulated to engage its own self-balancing mechanisms. We then trust the wisdom of the body to resolve whatever condition may exist. And it rarely disappoints us. The following is a list of conditions from which people worldwide have claimed at least substantial relief with Bowen-derived systems.