Hartlepool Bowen Therapy Clinic

01/06/2025

“Lymph Love Language: If Your Body Could Talk, What Would It Say?”

— A Letter from Your Lymphatic System

Hello, Beautiful One.
It’s me…
Your lymphatic system. 💧

I know I don’t make much noise.
You don’t feel me pumping like the heart,
Or see me glisten like the skin,
But I’m always here — always moving —
Always listening. 👂

I’m your silent river.
Flowing through you.
Picking up the pieces of what no longer serves you —
the toxins, the inflammation, the leftovers of stress and survival.
I carry them away without complaint.
Even when you forget me.

Every time you cry, I feel it.
Every time you breathe deeply, I thank you.
Every time you move with intention,
I come alive — and I glow. 🌿

I am your inner current of healing.
Your drainage. Your detox.
Your immune sentinel and your silent sweeper.

But sometimes… I get tired.
Sluggish. Heavy. Overwhelmed.
When your world gets too fast,
Too toxic, too tight, too still —
I slow down too. 🥀

So here’s my love language:

✨ I love long walks and deep breaths.
✨ I bloom with gentle touch — a dry brush, a loving massage.
✨ I thrive in warmth, water, and stillness.
✨ I sing when you rest.
✨ I dance when you laugh.
✨ I heal best when you listen.

I don’t need perfection.
I don’t need pressure.
I just need partnership.

So next time you feel puffy, foggy, or stuck…
Don’t get angry at your body.
Come find me.
Help me flow.
And I’ll carry your pain away — drop by drop. 💧

With devotion you never knew you had,
I am your Lymph.
And I’m speaking now. 💜

⚠️ Disclaimer:

This article is for educational and inspirational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before making any changes to your health regimen.

01/06/2025

🌀 A Day in the Life of a Lymph Node

— Your Tiny, Mighty Bodyguard!

Hey there! 👋
I’m Leo the Lymph Node — nice to meet you! I might be small (only the size of a baked bean), but trust me, I’ve got one of the most important jobs in your whole body. Want to know what I do all day? Let me give you a peek into my lymph-tastic life!

☀️ 07:00 — The Day Begins with Drainage

Just as you’re stretching and sipping your morning lemon water, I’m already hard at work. Your lymphatic vessels are flowing like tiny highways, delivering lymph fluid straight to me. That fluid? It’s packed with:
• Cellular waste 🧫
• Toxins 🧪
• Bacteria 🦠
• Bits of proteins, fats, and immune messengers 💬

My job? Filter it all. I’m like airport security for your immune system. If anything shady shows up, I flag it immediately!

🧠 Did you know? You have between 500–700 lymph nodes in your body, mostly in your neck, underarms, chest, abdomen, and groin.
[Ref: Moore & Dalley. Clinically Oriented Anatomy, 7th ed.]

⚔️ 10:30 — Intruder Alert!

Uh oh… here comes a nasty bacterium trying to sneak by in the lymph fluid. Not on my watch! 🚨 I alert the B-cells and T-cells (the body’s immune defenders) living inside me.
We trap the intruder and start an immune response – activating white blood cells, producing antibodies, and sending up the red flags to nearby nodes. 🧬

💡 Scientific backup: Lymph nodes act as immune surveillance hubs, rapidly expanding during infection to mount a local defense.
[Ref: Randolph et al., Nature Reviews Immunology, 2005]

🪄 13:00 — Clean, Sort, Send

By now, I’ve filtered tons of lymph fluid. What’s clean and safe gets sent onward through the lymphatic chain — toward larger nodes and ducts, and eventually back into your bloodstream via the thoracic duct.

Everything your blood didn’t clean up, I just did! 💁‍♂️

💆‍♀️ 17:00 — Drainage Helpers Arrive!

You go for a walk, do some dry brushing, or have a lymphatic drainage session… YESSS! That helps so much! Movement and manual therapy give me a massive boost to get lymph moving — so I don’t get overwhelmed or sluggish.

🌙 21:00 — Night Watch

As you wind down, I stay on guard. Even in your sleep, I’m still checking every drop of lymph coming through. Sometimes during sickness, I swell up — not because I’m broken, but because I’m working overtime to fight infection. 💪

✨ Fun fact: Swollen lymph nodes are often a sign your immune system is active, not failing!
[Ref: MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine]

🧼 A Little Help from You, Please!

I love my job, but I do need a few things from you:
• Stay hydrated 💧
• Eat anti-inflammatory foods 🍃
• Move that beautiful body 🕺
• Get good sleep 😴
• Reduce toxin exposure 🚫

When you do, I stay healthy — and so do you! 🩷

📚 References:
• Moore, K.L., Dalley, A.F., & Agur, A.M.R. (Clinically Oriented Anatomy, 7th ed.)
• Randolph GJ, Angeli V, Swartz MA. “Role of lymphatic vessels in immunity: new insights into function and structure.” Nature Reviews Immunology, 2005.
• U.S. National Library of Medicine. “Swollen Lymph Nodes.” MedlinePlus.gov

⚠️ Disclaimer:

This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your diet, exercise, or health regimen.

©️

06/02/2025

02/02/2025

🌟 Bowen Therapy: Evidence-Based Relief for Fibromyalgia 🌟

Did you know that a 2024 controlled trial explored the effects of Bowen Therapy on fibromyalgia syndrome? Here's what the study found:

✔️ Over 12 weeks, 132 participants were treated with either Bowen Therapy, a standard exercise program, craniosacral therapy, or static touch therapy.
✔️ Bowen Therapy stood out for improving quality of sleep and pressure pain threshold (the amount of manual pressure needed before pain is felt).
✔️ Even better, participants continued to feel these benefits 24 weeks after treatment!

This research highlights Bowen Therapy as a powerful option for managing fibromyalgia symptoms and enhancing quality of life.

💡 Curious about how Bowen Therapy can help you or your clients? Learn more about our programs: https://www.bowencollege.com/trainingdates/

Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S209549642400339X?via%3Dihub

31/01/2025

28/01/2025

❤️❤️Your HRV is an indication of your mental and physical heath. 🩺

The heart doesn’t beat like a metronome.
The time lapse between each beat differs from beat to beat.

Measuring the average difference over a period of time will give you your HRV score.

🧠Your HRV is an indication of the state of your autonomic nervous system (ANS)
The more your ANS is struggling - the lower your HRV.

Your HRV is used as an indication of your vagal tone.
The lower your vagal tone - the more your body will be struggling with physical and mental health.

Or the other way around - the more you neglect your physical and mental health - the lower your vagal tone will go.

In my experience - when HRV is below 50, some work needs doing.
Saying that - HRV is very personal to you and your life.
The 50 score is from my experience in clinic.
(I have had people with scores in the 40’s with zero health problems.)

How to raise your HRV?
✅Sort your life out.
✅Minimise stress
✅Adequate sleep
✅Exercise
✅Eat good REAL food.
✅Practice gratitude

27/01/2025

Proprioception: Research has determined that fascia tissues have 6x to 8x more proprioceptive sensory nerve endings than red muscle

- ( Robert Schleip 2017).

“This makes the fascia system arguably the body’s largest sensory organ.“

-

Photo Credit: Fascia Training Academy



https://advancedrolfing.com

16/01/2024

14/01/2024

I'm back in clinic today my wee festive break.
I hope everyone had a lovely time off.
Online booking is available at www.glasgowbowenclinic.co.uk