I’m Katie...An autoimmune warrior and wellness enthusiast. In this blog, I will be sharing the journey that lead me to take control of my life by focusing not only on the physical aspects of health but on the mental and emotional as well. I’ve spent years researching non-invasive, holistic treatments to assist me in the management of chronic health issues and have found that there are a multitude of benefits to be gained with consistent use of treatments such as float therapy, inferred sauna, cryotherapy and compression. For myself personally, developing a total health management plan has helped me to become the strongest and healthiest version of myself.
Six years ago, I sat in my doctor’s office in silence as she laid out my options. My ulcerative colitis, a chronic, incurable autoimmune disease was out of control. I had been diagnosed back in 2001 but had been suffering through a flare for almost 8 years. It was a roller coaster of different doctors, medications, steroids, tests, supplements and elimination diets. I was running out of options and would need to start on biologics (intravenous infusions) every 8 weeks for life in order to regain control and avoid surgical intervention. The side effects of the biologics scared me – things like leukemia and rare brain cancers. I was a 35 year old mom of a toddler. There had to be another way.
I dove into research, learning about complementary and alternative treatments to assist with inflammation reduction, natural healing and whole health wellness. I learned that there were non-invasive things I could do and habits I could adopt to improve my health and help manage often debilitating side effects and symptoms. I had a long heart to heart with my doctor and asked her to give me some time to try things my way.
I’ve spent the last several years testing a mix of holistic therapies as a way to manage and maintain my health. My WHOLE health. I had previously only focused on addressing the issues I was having physically but total wellness means working on your mental and emotional health as well. This journey is what lead me to Imagine Float.
Float therapy, inferred sauna, cryotherapy and compression. In the past year, I have personally tried all of these services to address a variety of issues I have dealt with. The benefits are not limited to people dealing with chronic illnesses. For me, these types of therapies have helped with joint pain, inflammation, chronic fatigue, stress management, muscle recovery, anxiety and depression. I made a commitment to myself to be consistent, scheduling my visits to Imagine Float as a I would a doctor’s appointment.
Imagine Float is now part of my chronic disease management toolkit – habits I’ve created for ongoing maintenance of my body, mind and soul. I have been able to improve my overall quality of life, manage my symptoms and remain on the lowest dose of maintenance medication. Talks of biologics and surgery are now off the table.
I had my bi-annual colonoscopy a few weeks back and the results came in today. All of my biopsies were clear – no cancer. My ulcerative colitis was now classified as mild to completely inactive which is a diagnosis I haven’t heard in about 15 years. And I’ve never felt better.
Be Well,
Katie
#floattherapy #floatationtherapy #cryotherapy #infraredsaunatherapy #compressiontherapy #imaginefloat
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