From a sniffle to surgery, there is an unrealistic expectation that insurance will foot the bill, including the broad spectrum of alternative medicine choices. Novel approaches to the treatment of anxiety, depression and stress management are now more visible and accepted.  One emerging therapy known as float therapy is putting its collective hopes, dreams and grass roots dollars into research, for a disillusioned end game goal of going head to head with big pharma and the behemoth insurance industry with high hopes that insurance coverage will be the answer to the long term survival, awa ..read more

Pain can be consuming. Frustrating. It can wear away at your patience. It affects your reactions and the way in which you process ongoing stressors. Relationships suffer. Work suffers. Finding positive and effective ways to cope with pain is sometimes easier said than done. Here are five helpful tips to ponder if you suffer with pain. Find your balance. Within the ankles, knees, hips and low back, there are special nerves that affect balance. Balance is often disrupted with injury or surgery, often leading to avoidance and muscular compensations. Balance is easy to restore and can be part of ..read more

Concussions in sports happen with regularity, yet their signs and symptoms often remain hidden.  Concussion is a serious and misunderstood injury in which proper management lies in a huge gray area.  As a chiropractic sports physician,  I am well aware of this hidden epidemic and dilemma that players, parents, and coaches face with safe return to play (and work) protocols. I am also aware that the residual effects of prior concussions impact many more people than reported and many more women than men. (1) We watch from the sidelines as the U.S. Women’s National team won the Worl ..read more

Recovery is a vital aspect for any recreational or professional athlete, which involves methods to eliminate pain, enhance performance and promote prevention.  Recovery techniques are essential in maintaining overall health, including mental health - a keystone of any training program.  One recovery method that is gaining popularity is float therapy. As athletes, we all understand the necessity to be aware of our surroundings, ground feel, other people, finish lines, time on the clock and teammates. Yet, we often forget to  purposefully pause, rest and recover because it feels u ..read more

Traumatic Brain Injury anyone? Time does not always heal as anticipated and it is often the case where doctors are at a loss for recommendations to manage ongoing symptoms. Have you considered float therapy by itself or in tandem with other medical options? You should. Read on. Brain research and brain mapping technology has far outpaced treatment options for those with mild traumatic brain injury (“mild TBI”) and severe traumatic brain injuries (“TBI”). Because the symptoms and severity of brain injury vary with each trauma and each individual, treatment options are dependent upon the timely ..read more

Float therapy is making a comeback.  Disrupted by the 80’s AIDS pandemic and the misunderstood transmission of HIV, float tanks were an underground phenomenon until the past decade.  Recent years have brought a renewed interest and activity in the industry, fueled by a few key float tank manufacturers who have broken barriers in technology, as well as through public endorsement of floating by famous personalities like Joe Rogan or Tom Brady.  Floatation therapy, otherwise known as sensory deprivation, is becoming known as a potent way to pause and disconnect, allowing the b ..read more

With all our societal fear and anxiety, sensory deprivation and float therapy seem to have found a new popularity amongst healthcare professionals helping others to cope with physical and mental wellness. Floating, in combination with chiropractic, physical therapy, acupuncture, massage therapy, occupational therapy, orthopedists, nurse practitioners, pain specialists (as well as psychiatric and social work practices), can leverage therapeutic value and work wonders as a tandem therapeutic approach. Practitioners who recommend float therapy for their patients are seeing better and longer lasti ..read more

The first thing you do is smile. Then reflect.  Then celebrate.  Once a year, RVA’s Style Weekly, polls the community for their best choices in a number of categories - from food and drink to nightlife, people, places, arts, culture, goods and services.  The Float Zone, Richmond’s premiere floatation location, took home honorable mention in the category of Best Spa for 2021.  As many know, there are dozens of spas in the greater RVA region, and it is quite humbling to receive any top tier recognition.  We see it as a sign of the times.  We are smiling. While The ..read more

Not all floats are awesome. Especially if you are new to floating, there are sometimes unrealistic expectations, such as thinking every float will enable an out of body experience, or that you’ll have some life changing realization while in the tank. While it is true that it is uncommon to have a bad float and that you generally feel perceptibly uplifted in both body and mind, poor preparation can lead to excess mind chatter, inability to get comfortable or taking longer to get into that sought after theta brainwave state. It sounds funny to say that floating, even though you are doing nothing ..read more

Present day political, social and public health crises have overstimulated a societal culture of fear that is unraveling at lightning speed and taking many of us hostage with mental health crises. The 2020 pandemic has disrupted work, education, healthcare, the economy and relationships. We are all struggling in some way to cope with reality. This emotional toll has consequences in the way we carry tension and the way we express our actions and reactions. It is anxiety producing. Nobody likes or thrives on anxiety. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the US, affecting a sig ..read more