Float Your Way to Good Health
Alternative healing methods to restore your mind, body and soul
Christy Leung
More and more individuals are moving away from or supplementing Western medicine and traditional treatments with alternative healing methods. You probably recognize holistic healing methods such as homeopathy, massage therapy, acupuncture and chiropractic treatments . . . but what about "floating?"
Here's a rundown on several alternative treatments you ought to know about and try:
Floatation Therapy
Here at DH headquarters in Portland, Ore., we're just miles away from FloatOn, which claims to be the largest float tank center on the west coast. Developed by a neuroscientist in the mid 1950s, floatation tanks were originally named "sensory deprivation tanks." In more recent years as the therapy has grown in popularity, the name has changed to "float tanks" and a therapeutic session in one of these tanks reportedly gets rid of all sensory input and enables to the brain to calm down. About 40 minutes into your float, "your brain stops producing its normal Alpha waves and starts churning out Theta waves. These are responsible for that 'between-waking-and-sleeping' state."People who have undergone floatation therapy have raved that the relaxed state from being in the tank have alleviated a range of conditions including anxiety, day-to-day stress, chronic pain, insomnia, jet lag and it has even helped fight addiction. Besides physical benefits, floating is also valuable for spiritual practice and improving concentration and focus. Floatation therapy has become more recognized in recent years and has even been featured on shows such as The Simpsons, Fringe and CSI. Have you tried this unique therapeutic remedy?
