Flotation tanks help reduce pain

Published: Nov. 6, 2007 at 1:24 PM

KARLSTAD, Sweden, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- People who floated in salt water in a sound- and light-proof tank had less anxiety, stress, depression and perception of pain, a Swedish researcher found.

Sven-Ake Bood, a doctoral student at Karlstad University did four studies involving the treatment of pain and stress-related disorders with the aid of a flotation tank. A control group that wasn't treated in a floating tank experienced no improvement in their health.

After seven weeks of flotation treatment, 22 percent of the participants -- all had stress-related long-term pain -- were entirely free of pain, 56 experienced a clear improvement, 19 percent felt no change and 3 percent felt worse.

"The treatment method can be used for several groups, such as people with whiplash injuries, fibromyalgia, depression and long-term stress-related pain," Bood said in a statement. "We can also see that a combination of treatment in a floating tank and traditional therapy can be effective. We are now moving on in our research and will be monitoring blood circulation in the capillaries, the oxygen uptake of the blood and how the body’s reflexes are affected."

© 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Order reprints



Additional News Stories
STDs up in Scotland (24 min)
N.Y. court rules for Nets arena builder (30 min)
O.J. judge can't stop nameplate theft (34 min)
NHL suspends Flyers' Briere (39 min)
COL BKB: Kentucky 73, Cleveland State 49 (48 min)
Federer assures No. 1 status with ATP win
Real Alice's 'Looking Glass' to be sold
fark
RCMP looking for millions in gold missing from Canada's mint have concluded that there was no theft...
Star Wars Facebook status updates. Something something Dark Side something something
"Polish-your-resume" unlikely: I don't recall leaking secret information about my political enemies....
Having already unlocked the achievement for weirdest nation in the world, Japan goes for the bonus...
Train Man
Celebrated trial lawyer died driving unsafe and uncrashworthy SUV on negligently designed and maintained...