It's been AWHILE!

Wow-- It's been awhile since my last post, but don't worry I won't bore you with what I've been up to in the last few years... Instead, I'll share my latest thoughts on a new trendy therapy that all the hipsters and professionals who can afford it are trying.. it's called floating...

I covered the story for a FoxNews.com piece I was producing for our Health section so I decided I should at least try it if I was going to write about it. Floating is exactly what it sounds like.. it's floating-- only naked for one hour in a water tank filled with body temperature water and a thousand pounds of Epsom salt. It's said to deprive you of all your senses in order to ease stress and aches.

Lift Floats in Brooklyn had two different types of pods for me to try... one was an egg-shaped capsule that looked way too claustrophobic for me... and the other was a more stylish suite with an extra large hot tub looking tank under a pretty sparkling ceiling made to look like twinkling stars..Oh yeah, and did I mention that they charge you $99 an hour to float in these things?

Now I do practice yoga about three times a week, so I have tried to "meditate" before, but honestly I never seem to be able to. I have way too many thoughts and to-do lists constantly running through my head for it to ever work. But floating, I was told, is supposed to have some magical power over your mind to quiet it instantly...So after my shoot I undressed and lowered myself into the luke warm water. I popped ear plugs in, turned off all the lights and tried to remain "calm."

Did it work?

Actually, kind of. Here are the notes I wrote in a journal on my subway ride back into Manhattan:

-Definitely relaxed after (well I'd hope so it was the end of my work day).
-Senses feel a little heightened; like street noises, the slight breeze in the air.
-Similar to the relaxing feeling you get when you get a massage, except you don't have anyone touching you and making your aches feel better so your mind is less distracted.
-Had no concept of where I was in the tank, at times an arm brushed against the side wall and I had no idea my position was shifting at all.
-When I opened my eyes in the dark I did "see" a few white lights, green lights, small like the end of long search light that would go in an out...a few images that looked like black puffs of smoke against the darkness.
-Didn't experience any "deep or emotional" memories. 
-I may have fallen asleep.
- I tried not to twitch even though I could feel a drip of water slowly entering my ear.
-I kept swallowing for some strange reason and the rumblings coming from my stomach were a bit distracting.
-Legs were definitely wobbly after, I had to hold on to the pole when I got up and out the little door to the main suite room where you rinse off.
-Salt in the ears for days!

I couldn't print this in my piece, but my friend who tried floating had the best line for it--
"It felt like an unattended baptism." 

Click here if you want to watch my video and learn more about it. 

Consumer Warning: Spray-On Tan Not as Safe as we Thought

Every summer new sun scary studies come out and we all cringe when we read the new warnings and details, but every summer thousands upon thousands of Americans still flock to the beaches to bask in those stimulating sum-rays- and I'm just as guilty.. 


ABC News released new scientific studies on a potential harmful chemical found in spray-on tans. The chemical known as DHA ( dihydroxyacetone ) allegedly has the potential to cause genetic alterations and DNA damage. A panel of medical experts looked at the studies (which I have to point out were not done on any human subjects) and voiced their concerns about consumers inhaling or ingesting the DHA chemical that can get into their bloodstream. 


Dr. Rey Panettieri, a toxicologist and lung specialist at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine told ABC News, "These compounds in some cells could actually promote the development of cancers or malignancies, and if that's the case then we need to be wary of them."


But before we send the tanning-mom and cast of Jersey Shore into a frenzy, it's worth noting that not all doctors agree with these studies. 


Dr. Doris Day, a NY certified dermatologist that I happen to book interviews with quite frequently told me, " This is not a time to panic.  These have already been used for 10-15 years, and we really don't see a lot of data saying that young people have been damaged by this; we don't see an increased rise in genetic abnormalities in babies.  In other words, this is not new; it is done everyday."


She did add that if you want to be extra cautious you should not use spray-on tans on your face where it's easier to inhale the DHA chemical and of course if you are one of those people who can't resist the real thing (aka baking outside in the sun).. to use sun tanning lotion with a strong SPF (30+) and to reapply every 2 hours.


The full ABC News report can be read here: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/safety-popular-spray-tans-question-protected/story?id=16542918&singlePage=true#.T9crEbAS0uc