Health and Wellbeing

Bowen therapy for every body

Bowen therapist Ken Brown applies the Bowen technique to regular client Ray Booker.

If you're looking for a gentle and natural way to improve your health, Bowen therapy or massage may be just the thing.

Ken Brown has been operating Lismore Therapeutic Massage and Bowen Clinic since April 2002, offering locals the opportunity to benefit from this unique type of therapy, which has gained worldwide popularity since it was first developed in Australia in the 1950s.

The Bowen technique is a gentle, soft tissue therapy done with a series of precise movements on different parts of the body, which relaxes the muscles and allows the body to use its own healing mechanism.

Bowen is effective on chronic or acute conditions and can treat headaches, migraines, back ache, sciatica, shoulder, knee ankle, wrist and elbow aches, sports injuries, RSI and chronic fatigue to name just a few. He also offers clients the Emmett technique, a neuromuscular release that incorporates the gentle physical release of specific muscle groups, often resulting in instant pain relief.

Ken believes treatment is different for each individual and a full body massage can mean up to one and half hours on the table - at no extra cost of course.

"I don't believe in shortcuts and nothing is left out because of time - I work until I'm happy that tightness and tension in muscles is gone," Ken said. "I work with pressure to suit each client and I don't believe in no pain no gain. Bowen can take a few days to work but the changes it makes last until re-injury occurs."

Ken's extensive training in the Bowen therapy has been through Bowtech, the original Bowen technique, and he holds an Advanced Diploma. He is accredited with the Australian Remedial Masseurs, Bowen Association of Australia and Australian Traditional Medicines Society, and can therefore give rebates to clients.

Local homeopath Lynne Austin is also available at the clinic on Tuesdays to do Bowen therapy, fertility counselling, pregnancy care and consultations in herbal medicine, nutrition and homeopathy.

Lismore Therapeutic Massage and Bowen Clinic is at 56 Ewing Street, Lismore.

For more information or to book an appointment phone 6621 2328.

Hair today, bare tomorrow

So what 's wrong with facial and body hair anyway, you may ask?

Well there's shaving rash, chafing, painful ingrown hair, scarred skin and an itching genital area, to name just a few.

For comfort as well as for aesthetic reasons, men and women all over the world have responded to the breakthrough technology that allows hair anywhere over the face and body, including the genital region, to be permanently reduced or completely removed.

The new miracle of the hairless face and body has to be IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) hair removal. Luminis IPL is the International Gold Standard and award winner of hair removal and facial rejuvenation. Luminis IPL promises much faster and more long-term hair removal than conventional laser or lower powered IPL hair removal systems have previously offered, even on fine white hair, which was previously untreatable.

The economic and personal benefits of Luminis IPL permanent hair reduction are outstanding, so there's no longer any reason to put up with unwanted hair anywhere anymore!

Call Destiny Byron Bay to book yourself for an obligation-free consultation with a trained professional who will advise you on the program that is most suitable for your hair removal goals. See the advertisement in this feature in our print edition for contact details.

Goodbye razor... hello laser

Heaven Sent Laser Clinic for men and women prides itself on professionalism, and their internationally trained laser specialists are equipped to offer advice and a level of service few can rival.

Hair removal is no longer just about waxing, tweezing and depilatory creams. It has become a science, where technological advances are made daily. One of the most innovative and exciting additions to the industry this year is the Light Sheer ET 800 Laser Hair Removal System. It is set to revolutionise the way we deal with unwanted hair. Unlike its predecessors and competitors, it offers permanent hair reduction for almost everyone. It can successfully treat every skin type, every skin colour and most hair colours in record time. The Heaven Sent Laser Clinic was the first in Australia to introduce this machine to the marketplace. Their consultants undertook comprehensive training in San Francisco and later attended a medical conference in Orange County, USA, prior to commencing treatment at their Burleigh Clinic. It has been full speed ahead since the introduction last year.

Plus the clinic even offers test patches.

Phone (07) 5535 9912 to book an obligation free appointment.

First aid for all

St John Ambulance trainer/assessor, Alf Smith (left) gives Lismore branch manager Chris Way refresher training in use of the Heartstart semi-automatic defibrillator.

St John Ambulance in Lismore is delighted with the huge increase of people enrolling in first aid courses and training locally, and has extended the office operating hours to cater for this need.

The office in Lismore is now open from 9am to 5.30pm on weekdays so more people can access training facilities.

And while local branch manager, Chris Way, is pleased with the growing demand for first aid, he would still like to see it increase further.

"It's fantastic to see that more businesses and people are recognising that a knowledge of first aid is very important," Mr Way said. "Although we are very happy that the demand for our first aid training has expanded enormously in recent years, we are also very concerned that 78 per cent of the NSW population does not have current first aid training. Even more alarming is the fact that only 33 per cent of people surveyed recently would administer first aid if faced with a casualty.

"First aid is a life saving skill that every Australian should have," Mr Way continued. "It's vital that all of us have the knowledge and confidence to save the lives of family and friends. Just think how much safer our community would be if every family and every organisation had people in it with an up-to-date knowledge of first aid."

St John Ambulance holds regular first aid courses tailored to suit everyone, from children right through to the elderly.

"St John was established in Australia to serve the community," Mr Way said. "In Lismore and throughout the Northern Rivers we support the community by providing voluntary first aid services at community and sporting events. In addition, we provide high quality first aid training and a wide range of first aid kits and equipment. Our focus continues to be on providing first aid support to the community and increasing public safety. We offer first aid training courses at our Lismore branch in Molesworth Street and throughout the Northern Rivers region. It's an investment in your family, friends and the community, and may be the best investment you will ever make."

St John Ambulance is situated on the mezzanine level of the Lismore Professional Centre, 105 Molesworth Street, Lismore. To enrol in a first aid course drop into the office during opening hours or phone Chris on 6621 8044.

GP youth voucher launched in July

The winning youth voucher design by Brendan Keevers (top) and the other three designs that were runners up.

A young Byron Bay artist has won the Northern Rivers Division of General Practice's logo design competition for its new youth voucher.

Brendan Keevers, 19, was recently presented with a $200 gift voucher at the launch of the pilot youth voucher scheme for his winning design.

"We were delighted at the response to the competition and particularly liked Brendan's entry, which appeals to our target market of teenagers and young adults," GP manager of the youth health project, Rob Trigger, said.

The design is being used on a voucher the division has developed for young people in the area to make it easier for them to see their GP.

The youth voucher pilot scheme will be run in collaboration with the region's youth health workers.

In June about 13 GPs and a number of youth workers will be trained in how the scheme will operate and the pilot will get underway in July in Lismore, Ballina, Byron Bay and Mullumbimby.

These are the areas where the division's research has suggested a higher level of unmet health needs for some young people.

"We hope use of the voucher will help those young people who do not see a GP because of cost or other reasons," Dr Trigger said.

The winner and the shortlist of entries can be viewed on www.nrdgp.org.au.