President signs into law Caregiver legislation

President signs into law Caregiver legislation

NEWS FROM… CHAIRMAN BOB FILNER HOUSE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 5, 2010 Contact Kristal DeKleer at (202) 225-9756 http://veterans.house.gov OBAMA SIGNS CAREGIVER BILL New law improves care for women veterans and provides unprecedented support for veteran caregivers Washington, D.C. - House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner (D-CA) released the following statement in response to President Obama signing S. 1963 into law: “Today I join the many proud veterans and their families in celebrating the enactment of a new law to provide much needed support for the care network of America’s wounded warriors.  Our Nation stands together to honor those who sacrifice by ensuring critical support as they recover from combat injuries. The new law creates an unprecedented support program for veteran caregivers that will provide training, financial assistance, and improved respite service.  The new law also improves health care services for America’s women veterans, expands the mental health services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and expands supportive services for homeless veterans.    “President Obama promised a new direction for veterans – and once again lived up to that promise by signing a significant bill into law today.  Congress will continue to ensure that the cost of war includes the cost of the warrior by listening to veterans and better understanding the concerns of their families, communities, and advocates.  Only together as a Nation are we able to show veterans that we appreciate their courageous sacrifice.”

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This gripping documentary about the Pentagon Papers and the events that led up to their release was an Academy Award Nominee and is currently playing at the Loft Theater.

For a seminar on the Constitution and the First Amendment in action, I highly recommend this searing expose of  Daniel Ellsberg and how he elected to be a whistleblower by releasing top secret documents, 7000 pages in all, unveiling the blatant lies and deception of four presidents; Truman, Eisenhower Kennedy and Johnson, about our involvement in Vietnam and the well documented analysis of our very slim probability of winning.  It is when this was known that is chilling. Ellsberg, who contributed to these strategic studies, knew that the lie would be perpetrated unless something drastic and dramatic was done. Enter the thriller that unveils the motives and machinations of our leaders. The recordings of Nixon, that I do not believe have heretofore been heard in context are going to make you cringe.  When he refers to Vietnam as a, “shit-ass little country,” and urges Henry Kissinger to consider using nuclear weapons, you will gasp at the language and tone of a President of the United States.  While Kissinger served Richard Nixon with ultimate loyalty, he did in fact comment during the 1968 campaign, “that man Nixon is not fit to be president” Did he know that was self fulfilling prophecy?

The trail of deception that was outlined in the Pentagon Papers, ultimately exposing the mental instability of Richard Nixon and his Cabinet is adroitly scripted is this documentary leaving the viewer with a full and rational understanding of the genesis of the Watergate Scandal and the only option Nixon had, which was resign or be impeached.

Nixon’s Cambodia policy, was the seal of his fate. By first bombing Cambodia without notifying Congress he enraged the members on the Hill who in turn repealed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution on December 31,1970 stripping him of his unilateral power to conduct war. We have subsequently emasculated our Congressional representatives when it comes to the conduct of war.

To know with certainty, much coming from Robert McNamara, that we could not win, we went forth with the “Christmas Bombings,” dropping 100,000 bombs in 11 days, the tonnage being the equivalency of  8 Nagasaki’s,  leaving the North Vietnamese with but a higher resolve.  Ellsberg wanted to end the deceptions, and at 79 years old he is here to tell the tale, and it is a doozy.

Elsberg, a former Marine Company Commander, and a high-level Pentagon official and member of an elite think tank; the Rand Corporation, tells his tale of conscience driven decisions and the metamorphosis from a trusted and loyal insider to a pariah who was hunted by the FBI.  After visiting the front lines in Vietnam and accompanying soldiers on patrol, even walking point with them, he returned with an outlook that veered far afield from his colleagues. President Nixon once tagged Ellsberg as, “the most dangerous man in America.” Ironic eh- given the outcome of Nixon’s presidency that met its demise with his obsession and paranoia that began with the vilification of Daniel Ellsberg?

On April 9th,  United States Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens announced his retirement. Stevens is the only Justice with military experience. Stevens was appointed to the nations top court by President Gerald Ford in 1975. Justice Stevens was a cryptologist during WWll.  Stevens has shared with his biographers that his war time experiences have had a lasting effect on him and have influenced many of his decisions. His studied approach to the detainees at the Navy base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba was guided by those prior war imprints.

One may ask, how could it not be that way? War does indeed leave an indelibly significant mark on all of our decisions, both domestic and professional. Is that good?

“Those without vision perish.” That is not the case for Arizona State Representative Frank Antenori, and his colleagues who had the vision and courage to penetrate decades of denial of benefits to disabled veterans that have been granted in many States for 40 years.

House Bill 2350: Tuition Waivers For Wounded Veterans, was signed by Governor Brewer on Friday. But with all the hoopla and circus of the Immigration Bill, the advocacy and diligence it took to get this fine piece of legislation pass the Board of  Regents, has remained in the shade. Ironically that is often the way with Veterans Affairs. We give lip service to supporting veterans of war, but so seldom are there substantive results.

Antenori’s bill will mandate that Arizona community colleges and universities must provide tuition waiver scholarships to veterans whose wounds left them with a 50 percent disability rating, and a purple heart.  These benefits could then be transfered to either ones spouse or children under the age of 30.

“These veterans are economically challenged with their disabilities, and their chances for working our going to be limited,” Antenori said.

For years, easily the past three decades, Arizona legislators, including the Board of Regents, and their administrative counterparts at all three major universities; Arizona State, Northern Arizona University and University of Arizona have either blocked like kind legislation and or never allowed it to get out of committee.  All of our fraternal organizations, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, AmVets, Disabled American Veterans, Marine Corps League, combined, have never been able to penetrate this veil of shame, even though all three of the universities take federal monies.

Three of the largest military installations in the United States are in Arizona, and we have not been able to take care of our vets the way this legislation proposes. Congratulations Antenori and company! This is the very reason we need more veterans in elected office.

And how did I learn of this bill that so many of my pals have worked to accomplish for most of their adult life?  By an accidental conversation with a Vietnam Veteran who was recently elected as a vice president of the local chapter of Vietnam Veterans of America; Chapter #106. David Alegria, a Purple Heart recipient and the current President of the Purple Heart Association shared with myself and a couple of Iraq vets the exact modus operandi of getting this past the naysayers.

It is well known that the employees and their spouses get free tuition at our State Universities. Their dependents get a 75% discount on tuition. Juxtapose this with veterans who have signed over their life and soul for our country and it looks a bit silly to not grant the same perks. Especially when one proclaims they will publish a list of all those who get those benefits, including part time employees who are of great financial substance.

I know of these folks. One time while hobnobbing in the VIP room at a Football game, I meandered out to the terrace for a Pepsi. I was startled to see a very wealthy real estate developer working the booth. “What in the world are you doing here,” I asked. He stated with great pride of forethought that he took the job to get free tuition for his kids. I was floored! I later inquired about one of these jobs, anticipating the same financial foresight for my children, as this real estate maven had arranged. I soon discovered that this was a rather exclusive clan and that I would probably have to wait a very long time for one of those jeweled positions.  Even a family President Club membership would not move me up in the ranks of the select.

To place this favored status on the table next to our veterans of war, who insure the very existence of higher education, was a stroke of genius on the part of  Antenori and Alegria.

Too bad this never made the evening news.  You all know that story.

Here is some of the current legislation that could use some positive energy sent to your elected representatives in the Congress and Senate.

H.R. 2254 Agent Orange Equity Act: Clarifies presumptions relating to the exposure of a population of veterans who served in the vicinity of the Republic of Vietnam.

You will note the word “vicinity.” Yes that means Navy ships and Air Force installations wherein personnel handled 55 gallon drums of Dioxin, known as Agent Orange.

The DOD acknowledged nearly 7 years ago that we dropped twice the amount of defoliant as was first reported.  This problem will dog the Vietnam Veteran to the grave.  Imagine the fact that ALS/ Lou Gehrig Disease was linked to service-connected claims  for World War ll veterans in 2008!  65 years later!

H.R. 1377/ S 404–Veterans Emergency Care Fairness Act: To expand veterans eligibility for reimbursement by the Secretary of Veteran Affairs  for the emergency treatment furnished in a non-Department facility.

Pretty important stuff for rural areas. We often forget the folks that do not live in the cities.

H.R. 2573 Atomic Veterans Relief Act: To revise the eligibility for the presumption of service-connection of certain diseases and disabilities for veterans exposed to ionizing radiation during military service.

I know two men here in Tucson who attended ABC School; Atomic, Biological, Chemical Warfare school, who have been fighting for their benefits for 15 years! It is clear that that the DOD does not want to create damaging case law.

H.R. 4045: To increase burial benefits for veterans.

God Bless
Jose M. Garcia
National Executive Director
Catholic War Veterans,USA
josegarcia4@sbcglobal.net
Better to understand a little than to misunderstand a lot.
In God We Trust

The Purple Heart

In 2005 when President Bush wisely enacted the Stolen Valor Act we had just heard the tales of Steve Burton,the bogus Marine Lt. Colonel who sported a chest full of medals and ribbons he awarded himself by filling out some mail order forms.

Steven Burton was a bank teller with a fantasy life that consumed him. Since the outing of Burton, approximately 60 others have  been nabbed in their quest for a confabulated notoriety.

Curiously there are no women in these ranks. There must some deep archetypal  meaning to this gender tilt and the need for men to reinvent for themselves a past life of valor. After all, the root of the word valor simply means ‘value.’  Are these men so suffering from the lack of value and self-esteem that the impostor persona affords them a Walter Mitty life in real time?

This syndrome does not discriminate against socio-economic status. When Illinios Circuit Court Judge Michael O’Brien got caught in the cookie jar of bravery for polishing his two Medal of Honor medals—yes two, he simply resigned to avoid prosecution for fraud.  Wrong! There should be no path around prosecution. At the very minimum the offense of stolen valor should carry the same weight as impersonating a police officer.

If as Shakespeare penned, “the better part of valor is discretion,” then our courts need to valorize with great discretionary courage the distinction between a combatant, who wrote the proverbial blank check for liberty with his/her life, from the commoner who may well be a fine citizen but must be stripped of the warrior moniker and resume add-ons.

Possibly a community penance and public apology instituted by the courts would abate such egomaniacal behavior. A Scarlett Letter in the form of an upside down “V” worn for a month in public parks may be the proper consequence.

It does appear, however, that a man will starve his own infirmities to support his intractable vanity, as the beat goes on with the continued emergence of the vulgar feigning of valor.

In our own Arizona backyard, JD “Duke” Schechter, an Arizona State Senate candidate was exposed for claiming a Silver Star and Purple Hearts.   Don’t you love these tough guys named Duke?

David Vincent Weber, 69, from San Diego was charged with a misdemeanor for wearing fake medals at a Veterans Day event. Weber was posing as a retired Marine General and was given the red carpet treatment. Bold eh? Maybe there should be a ribbon for such aberrant behavior.  It could be laced with pepper spray that is released each time they lie.

One would think that the fanfare given in the media would scare the crap out of these phony GI Joe”s, but it does not.

In my travels amongst  a wide population of veteran circles I hear stories to this day. It may be that so much time has been spent on the construction of a war time edifice that the individual actually believes and lives out snippets of truth– so the parts become the whole.

An acquaintance of mine, a retired Army Captain, Tom Carhart  who served in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Tiger Force and works as a speaker/archivist for West Point, hosted us in September of 2003 at his home in Falls Church, Va.  The war stories were flowing amongst a collection of combat veterans and good wine.  Carhart suggested to to us old grunts that because of the duration of the war and the immense number of veterans one could meet, in that 15 year period,  hundreds of vets and a good wanna-be could actually cobble together  a plausible story by adopting bit and pieces of everyone else’s war encounters.

While the result of these confabulated tales was just one big fat lie, we all concurred that these dudes were good hearted men who embodied a pronounced, paradoxical as it may be, respect for the the combat soldier. They are mostly helping spirits who have had trauma elsewhere in their lives and use the war as a mask for other symptomatic behavior they would rather not expose.

Our motorcycle traveling partner, ” Manic Mike,” once said, “I feel both sympathy and pity for those REMF’s,( Rear Echelon Mother F- – kers) who wanted so badly to be in the tall grass.”

I am reminded of Ernest Hemingway’s  rather twisted characterization of the support soldier who never fired his weapon, nor was fired upon.  “And they never even got to experience the glory of war,” Hemmingway said.   If you place that phrase in the context of his novel, you will see he was satirizing the glory of war while shedding light on the profile of certain non- combatants.  It pans two ways.

” It is a vulgar error that the thunder never kills anyone who is asleep.”  Cotton Mather

“The vulgar, thus through imitation errors.” Pope

The meaning of the word vulgar has its roots in a slam on common people.

Is the motivation to fictionalize ones soldiering into a non-fiction war documentary but a self imposed initiation rite and a way out of the intolerable mediocrity of the commoner?

In now the sixth episode of the HBO series, “Pacific.” I am struck by the humility and lack of boisterous tales from the men who so valiantly fought at Guadalcanal and many of the Solomon Islands. That is valor! That is a Band of Brothers with a chemistry that is palpable.

Should you ever wonder if you have Stolen Valor at your Church, School, Soccer, Boy Scouts or the workplace—look and listen for the most vocal in the bunch. They probably lack a valence factor, defining what happens when atoms bond with each other. Most of these men will be singular actors with no supporting cast.

Director’s Notes
Memories are less about validating or authenticating the past
than they are about organizing the present and constructing
strategies with which one might imagine a livable future.
Alison Landsberg
The Sixties. Woodstock, Free love, Peace, Hippies, Hashish.
VIETNAM. The Sixties. Hendrix, Dylan, Donovan, Biaz, Beatles, Cocker,
Crosby, Counterculture, Cocaine. VIETNAM. The Sixties. Communism,
Cold War, Kennedy, Camelot, Johnson, Nixon, Napalm. VIETNAM.
The Sixties. Scrutinized, eulogized, epitomized, emphasized,
rationalized, and romanticized. VIETNAM…
With its infamies, explanations, and heartbreak the Vietnam War is
arguably the major event to engross the nation during this
tumultuous decade. It is no wonder that writers are drawn to the
resonance and power of the time. It is no wonder that Vietnam
remains an issue in our nation’s politics and a source of anger and
conflict for our nation’s people. It is no wonder that forty some years
later we are still willing, and perhaps eager, to witness yet another
rendering of the experience. ‘
I was drawn to this story by the characters who drive it and because
the war in Vietnam provides a rich backdrop against which to explore
the notions of love and loss, truths and half-truths, seeing and
believing …imagining the possibilities for a “livable future,” It has
been an incredible venture during which we as a company have
plotted and pondered, floundered, soared, sputtered, laughed, crie
and kicked to bring this work to fruition. I mean that in a good war.
Thank you for your patronage. You make the journey complete.

Susan Arnold- Director, “Last Of The Boys.”

Hi Mike,

Thanks for responding to Kathy Allen’s review. You understood exactly the point of this play.

I would like to offer the following to your compatriots for this coming Thursday’s performance –

For 10 Vets who would not otherwise be able to see this play because of their income situation, tell them to come to the theatre and use your name and I will give them comp tickets that night. They may bring a guest and only pay $5 for the guest ticket. This offer expires at 7:10 p.m. that night or when these tickets are gone.

For the remainder of the Vets you know, we will be happy to offer them a Buy one ticket at $15 and Get one ticket free.

This applies to service in any conflict but they must present proof of service – DD2 card, Active Military, VA card.

And it’s first come, first served until we fill our 95 seats on the night of performance.

Is there a way that you can get this offer out to the many service men and women who might not otherwise hear about this?

Thanks,

Beth

Beth Dell

Managing Director

Beowulf Alley Theatre

11 South 6th Avenue

Tucson, AZ 85701

(520) 622-4460 Admin.

(520) 882-0555 Box Office

theatre@beowulfalley.org

www.beowulfalley.org

PROGRAMS OF THE MARINE CORPS LEAGUE
MARINES HELPING MARINES – WOUNDED MARINES PROGRAM
The program was created to support injured Marine Corps personnel located
at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, Walter Reed
Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, Brooke Army hospital in San
Antonio, as well as the Naval Hospitals at Balboa, Camp Pendleton and
elsewhere. The Wounded Marines Program works closely with the Wounded
Warrior Regiment. The scope of support encompasses; financial support,
visits from Marine Corps League members, off site day trips to include family
outings, dinners, short trips in support of the individual Marines’ needs and
professional sporting events as tickets and opportunities present themselves.
U. S. MARINES YOUTH PHYSICAL FITNESS PROGRAM
The League developed and administers a program that provides a physical
fitness regimen that promotes a healthy, drug free life style for elementary
and high school students.
YOUNG MARINES OF THE MARINE CORPS LEAGUE
A youth program emphasizing honesty, courage, respect, industry, loyalty,
dependability, and a sense of devotion to God, country, community and
family. The Young Marines program receives funding from Congress and the
United States Marine Corps primarily because of their drug interdiction focus
on drug education and prevention.
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
Members of the Marine Corps League fund scholarships through donations
from individual members and subordinate units of the Marine Corps League
and Auxiliary. Children and former Marines are eligible for academic
scholarships for attendance at accredited colleges and universities.
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM
The Marine Corps League is a member of The Military Coalition and
participates in National and State legislative issues that affect military
readiness, benefits and entitlements of active duty personnel as well as
Veterans Benefits programs effecting former and retired Marines.
VETERANS SERVICE OFFICER PROGRAM
The National Headquarters retains a full-time staff member who assists
veterans in adjudicating claims against the government as a result of active
duty service. Claims are processed through the Department of Veterans
Affairs or other appropriate agencies of the federal government.
VETERANS AFFAIRS VOLUNTARY SERVICE PROGRAM (VAVS)
Marine Corps League members contribute thousands of man-hours each
year supplementing staffs at VA Hospitals and facilities in providing morale,
comfort and assistance to institutionalized veterans.
r~
MARINE CORPS LEAGUE AUXILIARY
organization of the Marine Corps League. The Auxiliary was formed: To
Preserve the traditions and promote the interests of the United States Marine
Corps; To maintain true allegiance to American institutions; To hold sacred
the history and memory of the men and women who have given their lives to
this Nation; To perpetuate the history of the United States Marine Corps and
by fitting acts, to observe the anniversaries of historical occasions of particular
interest to Marines; To create a bond of comradeship between the Auxiliary
and the Marine Corps League; To aid voluntarily and to render assistance to
all Marines and former Marines as well as to their families; To help decorate
the graves of all deceased Marines whenever and wherever possible; To
strive for the passage of legislation favorable to the Marine Corps League,
Inc. and to the United States Marine Corps and its personnel; To always
foster love of Honesty, Loyalty and Truth, and a reverence to our God, Our
Country, Our Family and Our Home.
MILITARY ORDER OF DEVIL DOGS
The fun and honor society of the Marine Corps League.
TOYS-FOR- TOTS
Marine Corps League Detachments in nearly every community take part
annually in the United States Marine Corps Reserve Toys-For-Tots campaign
to raise funds and collect and distribute toys to needy children. In communities
where there is an existing Marine Corps Reserve Unit, the League works
hand in hand supporting their campaign. In other communities, the Marine
Corps League takes the lead, ensuring a successful campaign.
BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
The Marine Corps League has long regarded the program of the Boy Scouts
of America as in support of the Preamble of the Constitution of the League.
The League supports the Boy Scouts of America as they promote traditional
family values to America’s youth. The Marine Corps League participates in
Scouting through assistance with units, districts, and councils, in community
projects, merit badge programs, and special recognition of Eagle Scouts.
MARINE-4-L1FEIINJURED MARINE SUPPORT PROGRAM
The League works very closely with the Marine Corps’ M-4-L program,
providing mentors nationwide. In areas of the country where there is no
Marine Corps “point of contact”, the League works directly with M-4-L
Headquarters to provide services to transitioning Marines.
ANNUAL CONVENTIONS
Members find the State and National Conventions of the League ideal vacation
venues for themselves and family members. Held in a different city each
year, many families attend year after year and particularly enjoy the many
planned activities and tours related to these get-togethers.

God Bless
Jose M. Garcia
National Executive Director
Catholic War Veterans,USA
josegarcia4@sbcglobal.net
Better to understand a little than to misunderstand a lot.
In God We Trust

The number of the “millennial,” group, ages 18-28; born in 1981 to the present, who have served in the Armed Forces is 2%.

Millennials (b 1981-present) 2%

Gen Xers (B. 1965-1980)  6%

Baby Boomers (b. 1946-1964)  13%

Silent Generation (b. 1928-1945) 24%

And which generation became the titans of  industry?  I say the ones had the most to do and the least to say.  Think those days will return?  Or has the Tower of Babel consumed us?

This is a Motorcycle Run. I am trying to get the poster and picture to post. Check back later. Mike

Run on Sunday, April 11, 2010
Registration Starts 9:30 am at DAV 2 • Last Bike Out 11 am
þ Yes, I will participate in DAVA Cactus Unit 2 Ride for Freedom Run
April 11, 2010 • Registration starts 9:30 am – Last Bike Out 11 am
Pre-registration $10 per person • $15 after April 1, 2010
Send check or money order payable to: DAVA Cactus Unit 2 • ATTN: Aux Treasurer • 3455 S. Wilmot • Tucson, AZ 85730
Proceeds to benefit VA Hospital patients, Hospitality Room for the Troops at Tucson’s Airport, La Colina Nursing Facility
and various other programs sponsored by DAV Auxiliary Cactus Unit 2
Name ____________________________________________________________________________________________
Address __________________________________________________________________________________________
City ____________________________________________ State ____________________ Zip ___________________
Email ___________________________________________ Phone __________________________________________
3455 S. Wilmot • Tucson, AZ 85730 • 520-747-3333 • carol_goodman63@hotmail.com • www.DAVA2.club.officelive.com
High Prize $200
Low Prize $100
50/50 Raffle • Door Prizes • Food • LIVE Music
Cactus Unit 2
DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS AUXILIARY
PRE-REGISTER
$10 per person ($15 after April 1)
PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!
$1 Breakfast
Burritos

On March 29th, 1973 the last U.S. combat troops left Vietnam.  It took the lives of over 58, 2oo men. Some say nearly 110,000 thousand committed suicide after the war.

It was Richard Nixon who pursued the policy of drawing down forces starting as far back as 1969, with the intent of building up the South Vietnamese forces. The program was called Vietnamization. It hit some snags early on, but the Vietamese forces were able to hold their own because of  our intense air and naval support.

In 1972 Nixon ordered B-52′s to bomb the North Vietnamese in hope of bringing them to a peace agreement. Wild eh? Bomb for peace! Sound familiar?  After 35,ooo tons of bombs were dropped on the North. a peace agreement was reached in January of 1973. However the fighting continued for another two years.

I cannot imagine serving in Vietnam in those last years. The morale must have been horrible.

Have we learned anything from the Vietnam War?

As I began to collect testimonies for the efficacy of this treatment modality, it struck me that the breadth and license of a blog allows us to simply solicit the testimonies first hand and encourage those who have been clients of  Dr. Austin, who is a real treat by the way, to just post their own experience of his treatment sessions.

I am one of those beneficiaries and the potency of the Bowen method was felt throughout my body within in hours after the first treatment.  I fell out of a helicopter in Vietnam during  Operation Meade River in 1968. My back has been compromised ever since. There are times I am nearly paralyzed and cannot walk.  On this particular visit, lasting 2 hours, I could feel some of the pain leaving my lower back.  I was able to walk without my cane after the visit. I am always hesitant to use the word cure, but I can testify to the fact that any abatement of pain is at least a temporary cure. That is always heaven sent.

During the last session of Retreats for Combat Veterans that we conduct at the Merritt Center in Payson, Arizona, Dr. Michael was kind enough to come and spend the weekend with us and provide free treatments to all the veterans in the program.  As one of the Mentors at the Center, I can testify to their experience being unanimously positive with all of  them asking if he was returning for the next retreat.

Dr. Austin is an approved fee for service provider  for the Veterans Administration.

by

Dr. Michael Austin

Chiropractor and Advanced Bowen Professional

What is Bowen Therapy

Bowen therapy is a soft tissue technique where the practitioner accomplishes small, gentle moves across a target tissue, be it muscle, ligament, or nerve. These moves, called “Bowen moves,” are done in sequences of three or four at a time. Sequences of moves are interspersed with crucial breaks where the patient is left on the table for two to five minutes. During these breaks, the nervous system initiates a healing response, or cascade, from the body, unlike any other technique. Subsequent moves done in sequence are further interspersed with these important breaks, with sessions lasting from one half-hour to one hour. Bowen sessions typically begin at the core (pelvis) of the body and work outward. Sequences of Bowen moves are utilized to treat a wide variety of conditions. Bowen therapy is a distinct technique. It is not massage, shiatsu, acupressure, or chiropractic.

Conditions that are improved with Bowen Therapy

Bowen Therapists have observed numerous effects of the therapy including detoxification of the body by increased lymphatic flow; normalization of muscular function through increased flexibility, decreased spasm, and pain; normalization of blood pressure; better sleep patterns; elimination of joint pain and inflammation; and normalization of bowel movements to name just a few. The healing responses experienced by patients include both a deep sense of relaxation and very often a drastic and sometimes total relief of pain following just one session. While the majority of Bowen practitioners treat musculoskeletal conditions, the Bowen procedures are named for the area treated, such as, neck, shoulder, TMJ (tempromandibular joint), pelvis, low back, hamstring, etc.  Tom Bowen developed protocols for treating numerous internal disorders such as asthma, headache, and gallbladder. It has also been noted by practitioners that mild to moderate emotional conditions can also be positively effected with Bowen Therapy. There is even a protocol for infertility. Besides the treatment of pain there are many visserosomatic conditions that respond to Bowen Therapy including fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, TMJ (jaw) pain, indigestion, reflux, PMS, carpal tunnel, bunions, and tennis elbow.

History

Tom Bowen (1916-1982), from Geelong Australia, developed Bowen Therapy.  Tom Bowen had no specific medical training but had gifted diagnostic abilities. Tom referred to the technique as a “gift from God.” Being a man of few words, he gave little explanation for how Bowen worked or why he had chosen the moves he used to treat his patients. He would often comment to his apprentices “do it like this; it works.”  Tom Bowen had a love for sports, particularly soccer. He would watch massage therapists and trainers, and it is believed this is how he began his informal studies.  Tom referred to himself as an osteopath but was never recognized through licensure.  In the late 1950s after helping Irene Horwood recover from a stroke, the Horwoods invited Tom to work from the front room of their home as an informal office. From these meager beginnings, Tom’s abilities as a healer spread through the region. As demand grew for Tom’s abilities, he outgrew the front room of the Horwood’s home and eventually practiced from three clinics, seeing upwards of 100 people per day.

During Tom’s lifetime, he trained six apprentices. Two of these apprentices, Ossie and Elaine Rentsch, began training with Tom in 1974. They further documented his work, and in 1976 opened their own clinic. Tom urged Ossie to teach this technique upon Tom’s passing. As promised, the Rentsch’s taught their first class in 1986 and have held a full-time teaching schedule since then. Through Ossie and Elaine’s efforts, approximately 75 instructors in 28 countries have been trained, who in turn have trained about 15,000 practitioners to date.

Effects of Bowen Technique

Common effects noted by Bowen practitioners include:  1. Improved muscle tone. As muscles relax and become less spasmodic, posture is improved. 2. The release of fascial restrictions.  As the fascia becomes rehydrated, range of motion is increased reducing pain locally.  3. Stimulation of the central nervous system and balancing of the autonomic nervous system. Typically the sympathetic nervous system overrides the parasympathetic nervous system. When the body is in sympathetic overload it cannot heal its self. This is commonly seen in Western society’s type “A” personality with adrenal burnout. With the balancing of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, the patient experiences a profound sense of relaxation. This increased state of relaxation translates into increased energy, improved sleep patterns, and accelerated healing for the patient. Bowen practitioners have also observed an improvement or a normalizing of the lymphatic system and visceral function. This has been seen as a response of the body to rid itself of toxins through increased bowel function.

Cleansing Reactions

Cleansing reactions are not uncommon after Bowen Therapy. Cleansing reactions can occur on the structural level as the body seeks a new place of balance, on a biochemical level as toxins are released from the cells of the body, or on the emotional level, where patients experience a profound sense of relaxation or increased irritability as the emotions are being brought into balance. The symptoms most commonly experienced by patients are muscle aching, headache, and nausea. These are the reactions that can be seen more typically in patients with fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue. So for these types of patients less is more in terms of the Bowen sequences performed during a session.

While cleansing reactions do occur, they are typically in the minority of patients receiving Bowen. The majority of patients just feel better. By feeling better I mean that either they have no pain or they have significantly decreased pain in as few as three to four sessions. The speed in which Bowen achieves these results is one of the things that make it stand out from other alternative therapies.

Suggestions after Bowen therapy

Patients are directed to walk directly after a session for 20 to 30 minutes. This aids in pumping the lymphatic system and assists in detoxification of the body. Patients are also directed to drink eight to ten glasses of water daily. This also aids in flushing toxins from the body. While receiving Bowen therapy, it is recommended that the patient refrain from any other type of bodywork or energy work. Tom Bowen was of the opinion that these therapies interfered with the response of the body to Bowen therapy. Patients are also instructed not to take very hot baths or cold showers, as this will also interfere with the Bowen results.  Subsequent Bowen sessions are spaced out anywhere from five to seven days, since Bowen therapy continues to work through the body’s nervous system subtly throughout that time period.

Possible mechanisms of action

While the exact mechanisms of action (meaning how does Bowen work) for Bowen therapy have yet to be determined, some theories have been postulated. One of these mechanisms already discussed is the balancing of the autonomic nervous system. It is theorized that this phenomenon occurs through stimulus of muscle cells called spindle cells and golgi tendon organs. These specialized cells tell the brain about muscle tension and tone. It is believed that these cells help to reset the resting length of the treated musculature through ganglion chains that communicate with the autonomic nervous system. It is further hypothesized that stimulation of proprioceptor cells inhibits pain. Proprioceptor cells tell the brain where your limbs are in space. A proprioceptor cell is a sensory receptor, found chiefly in muscles, tendons, joints, and the inner ear, that detects the motion or position of the body or a limb. Neurologically, proprioceptors override the pain nerves (nociceptors, which are sensory receptors that respond to pain) thereby inhibiting the sensation of pain.

A second mechanism of action thought to occur happens through stimulation of the fascia. Fascia is the most abundant tissue type in the body and its microscopic structure is crystalline. When a crystal is deformed it releases an electrical charge, this phenomena is called piezoelectric effect. This electrical charge has the ability to stimulate the acupuncture meridians. In addition, Bowen practitioners have observed in their patients the elimination of recruitment patterns. Recruitment patterns happen in the body as a result of an injury or trauma. For example, if an individual injures her knee or ankle and develops a limp, the nervous system learns how to limp. The longer this injury is maintained in the physical body, the more it is reinforced in the nervous system. Over time, more and more neurons will learn how to limp. Months down the road after the injury has long since been forgotten, the nervous system still remembers the limp. This results in an altered gait pattern. Altered gait patterns can create imbalance in the body as well as pain. It would take many months, sometimes years, of physical therapy to restore normal gait patterns and relearn walking, if at all possible. But even physical therapy will not eliminate the neurologic pathways that remember the limp. Bowen therapy appears to somehow eliminate or reduce the influence of the neurons that remember the limp. This is a remarkable process that is not seen in any other therapy.

Case Studies

55-year-old female with a greater than ten-year history of low back pain whose previous treatment included allopathic treatment (conventional western medical care such as pain medications), chiropractic care, acupuncture, and physical therapy. Her reported analog pain scale was eight out of ten. Initial Bowen treatment included the basic relaxation moves, hamstring, sacrum, and knee procedure. Follow-up visit one-week later patient reported no back pain. Patient related she went to a baseball game with her grandson the day after her initial treatment and didn’t realize that she had no back pain until she arrived home.

72-year-old female with history of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, bilateral knee and hip replacements. Her reported analog pain scale was nine out of ten. Previous treatment included allopathic treatment, chiropractic care, acupuncture, and physical therapy. Initial Bowen treatment included the basic relaxation moves, hamstring, sacrum, knee procedure, hammertoe, bunion, lung procedure, upper respiratory procedure, pelvic procedure. Upon completion of the Bowen session, the patient reported that she had no pain.

50-year-old male with history of bilateral knee pain. MRI results indicated partially torn meniscus in both knees. His reported analog pain scale was eight out of ten. His orthopedic surgeon had recommended surgery. The patient was informed that Bowen would not repair torn tissue; however, he should receive some relief from his pain. Bowen treatment included the basic relaxation moves, hamstring, knee procedure, ankle procedure, hammertoe procedure, and pelvis procedure. At a follow-up office visit one week later, the patient indicated his pain level was two out of ten. An over the counter homeopathic remedy was recommended with a repeat of the previous week’s Bowen session. At the follow-up office visit one week later, patient reported his pain level was zero out of ten.

44-year-old female with a history of bilateral shoulder pain and tendonitis. Previous treatments included allopathic care and physical therapy. Reported analog pain scale was seven out of ten. Initial Bowen treatment included basic relaxation moves lung procedure, upper respiratory procedure, shoulder and elbow procedure, and carpal tunnel procedure. At a follow-up visit one-week later patient reported a reduction of pain symptoms. A repeat of the previous week’s Bowen procedures was performed with the addition of one-half of an organic lemon juice added to each glass of water to alkalize her body’s chemistry. At the follow-up visit one week later, the patient no longer experienced pain in her shoulders with full range of motion restored.

There are currently sixteen instructors and about 1,200 certified practitioners in the United States.

Michael Austin D.C., a licensed chiropractor since 1994, is a certified Advanced Bowen Professional through the Bowen Academy of Australia. Dr. Austin is also a certified Reiki Master, Healing Touch Practitioner, and Craniosacral Therapist, with 13 years as an integrative medical practitioner. Dr. Austin may be reached through (520) 887-2428 by email at draustin@bowendoctor.com.

Dr. Austin is an approved contract service provider for the Veterans Administration.

“Baby killer?”  I have not heard that since my days fresh out of  Vietnam, at least not with the same vitriolic force as these members of Congress are imbuing in their language.

“Por mi Dios,” my Mexican compadres say. How low can we set the bar for behavior before Mom calls the kids in for their daily chores?

Do these guys know there is a war going on, and the enemy is watching and listening to this family feud? Do they know that our soldiers have TV’s in Kabul? Do they know that the Al Qaeda record every little tristful aspect of American politics for their recruiting efforts?

For you conspiratorial thinkers, you might even suggest that the health care debate has been arranged by our enemy, first to divide us and then to distract us from the conduct of war. You know, war, the one  that sucks off all our health care money.  But of course  we are more concerned with the dumber than a door knob Texan who spouts, “fess up baby killer, so we can get your face tattooed on our back.”

Just an isolated incident they say. Well, it was just a few isolated incidents that sparked the Watts Riots. I was there in August of 1965. It was just an isolated incident that caused the shooting at Kent State.  I was not there, but the image is seared in my memory for life. I could not fashion a country that could be so angry. We have now made the Varsity Anger Squad.

You may ask, where are the similarities? Anger is an incremental affair. Collectively it is a function of symmetrical escalation. In this case an escalating chorus that is manufactured and paid for by thousands of lobbyists and millions of dollars. What is the end game of this mounting dysfunctional anger? Is it the National Guard? You smirk? Read the laws that govern the  inciting of a riot and you will note the that many of  our talk show pundits are teetering somewhere between the First Amendment, which states, “the right to peaceably assemble,”   and a blatant violation of State Statutes that govern mob behavior.

I presume the constitutional scholars in the Tea Party will take the word peaceably in its literal sense, and adhere to the State laws which they currently idolize.

Remember, they are watching.  As we import our government in a box to Afghanistan the Taliban are watching. The Hamas, who won in a democratic vote, are watching, while we lament that majority rule is not democratic. Huh? Their laptops are burning with anti-American rhetoric and we are giving them the sentence structure. This makes Jane Fonda look like Mother Theresa.

“We are 24 hours from Armageddon,” said Congressman Boehner.  “They look at this country as one big criminal act,” says Rush Limbaugh, the self imposed titular head of the GOP and National Security and all intractably angry men.

“We are turning back the clock to the ghost of communism,” Congressman Nunes said.  Does that mean that the ghost of Joe McCarthy will visit us? Or does it simply mean we will have to stop conducting business with the Communist countries who make our clothes, our refrigerators and the computers we are tethered to all day? Vietnam and China are pleased that we are so distracted with our ‘Hatfield and McCoy’ antics. Communism is just fine over here in this import/ export room.

The Bank of Singapore just helped bail out Wall Street. How totalitarian is that?  Why are the PR firms who manufacture this outrage and subliminal support of indecent behavior not incensed about the Global financial take over of our sovereignty?  Distraction has become the name of the game and 24/7 cable news is the de facto third party lending all of its support to tracking the mounting platform called permanent anger sans content.

“Totalitarian tactics,” they scream, as we buy our children’s school supplies, our underwear and the uniforms for our beloved college and professional sports teams from their factories.  This makes the fears of socialism look like Mr. Rogers neighborhood.  If you want to be pure in the elimination of socialism in America, then we must eliminate all College and High School Sports…now! They are all run by State governments. The Tea Party Pointman needs to go on the court at the Final Four Basketball Tournament and shut it down. it is Socialistic to the bone.  I will let my pals in Indianapolis know they are coming. I can arrange for some free rooms, like the ones that are prepaid for all of their gatherings.

While Paul Krugman lauds the courage inherent in the passing of the Health Care Bill declaring that reason prevailed over fear, and  George Will, who I admire, decries its passing, “this bill is a museum of hoary artifacts of liberalism’s antics,” erstwhile, my grandson cannot get health care because of a pre-existing condition, my Marine pal cannot get life insurance to insure the future of his highly disabled son, because  he  is diagnosed with PTSD.  How’s that?  So the citizen-soldier who defends his nation and is wounded in the line of duty, cannot get insurance from the nation he just defended!  Does that not level all rhetoric from the Ivory Towers of punditry?  What would that Texas bigot scream at him..”Baby Killer?”

So my point is that the mounting crescendo of anger, indecency and diatribes spewed with impunity must soon expire or we will be a snake eating our own tail.  This is what I mean by lousy choosers. It is the choice of behavior and decorum that has made this country great. Programs come afterward.

It was the late Ronald Reagan who said, “deficits don’t matter, people do”

If only these self appointed seers had a plan, maybe the anger would abate. That is what I mean by a permanent zeitgeist of anger without content. That, my friends, is called an illness and requires treatment.

Doctors call it Intermittent Explosive Disorder, and many of these episodes of  trumped up agitation, irritability, irrational outburst and retaliatory, explosive behavior our sweeping the nation. ” Symmetrical escalation,” is the term used by the anger management gurus, and we seem to be reveling in the mud puddle of anger. Is there a doctor in the house?

Most of the behavior we have witnessed in the past 48 hours would not only be sanctioned at your church, your school, your boss,  or by your commanding officer, but you would be tossed from the room.  Why so much impunity? Has the bar of decency and decorum really been lowered that far?

IED, (Intermittent Explosive Disorder), was first accepted as an illness and defined as such in 1980. Curiously the same time that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was given its imprimatur. This definition is currently being updated, revised and combined with a new condition called Temper Dysregulation Disorder. Many clinical psychologists believe that anger is not a stand alone mind state, but is coupled with the emotions of  sadness, shame and grief. For years, professional therapists have coined anger as the chameleon emotion, because it masks so many other aspects of ones life.

As outlandish as it may sound, I am suggesting that the halls of the congress and the senate be populated not with Tea Party activists, but with a platoon of volunteer psychologists who can help our elected officials choose the right behavior without the shackles of their own uncontrolled emotions.

The nation is begging for a different kind of Poet Laureate, an individual who has the intellect and observational talents of a Robert Frost, and the compassionate clinical mind of a Carl Menninger. Without this type of leadership we will never again be the “United” States of  America.

A local billboard says it well,  “Don’t Make Me Come Down There– God.”    And yes, they are watching.