Healthy Lifestyle
7/31/24
Cold therapy is the latest buzz word in the wellness world. With cryotherapy tanks opening up in cities of every shape and size and cold plunges readily available to install in your own backyard, we figured it was high time for us to break down the why behind this latest craze.
While it may not be most people's first pick, cold therapy, or cryotherapy as it is often referred to, truly does have numerous health benefits.
The most touted and sought-out benefit of cold therapy is the reduction of muscle and joint pains associated with athletic performance and/or arthritis. For those who suffer from chronic arthritic joint pain, cryotherapy can be an excellent option instead of medications to relieve and reduce the associated muscle and joint pains. Not only does cryotherapy have an immediate anesthetic(pain relieving) action, but studies show that frequent use can reduce pain over the long-term as well. For those engaged in athletics, cryotherapy can not only reduce the associated muscle pains, but can also speed recovery from injuries. Those few minutes of cold sound better by the second, right?!
Another big-ticket item in the world of cryotherapy is the reduction of inflammation and the stimulation of pathways for repair and cellular clean-up. This anti-inflammatory effect has been shown to improve things such as skin conditions, with eczema being one of the most common to show benefit, anxiety and depression, and even may support processes involved in weight-loss. Convinced yet? No? Okay, let’s keep going…
Cold therapy stimulates the immune system, allowing it to be more tolerant to challenges. When we undergo stress of any kind, it can have a dampening effect on the immune system for a short period of time, leaving the person susceptible to illness (this is where the term “catch a cold” originates). By routinely challenging your immune system to tolerate the shock of the cold and recover from it, you are priming your body to be more resilient to stress, and often increasing many components of the immune system in the process. Willing to give it a shot, now?!
If we haven’t convinced you just yet, maybe this will do the trick: another benefit, while more mental than physical, is one that is becoming ever more important in our wild and volatile world. We all know the feeling – something irritating happens and we flip our Alright, at this point you have to be at least willing to give it a try 😉
So now that we’ve convinced you it’s at least worth trying, what are the best way to do it? We’re so glad you asked! The easiest and most efficient way to do cryotherapy, but also the , is by going toa cryo center. Here, people can stand almost fully clothed in an upright chamber that gets flooded with nitrogen to drop the air temperature well below zero for a few minutes. Sessions can range from $30 to $75 dollars depending on the region and how you purchase sessions. The most cost effective and convenient way to implement cryotherapy is by getting a holding tank (like a stock tank for feeding livestock) or a chest freezer with an outlet timer attached and use it daily at home. For the stock tank, you will need to be able to supply ice before using to get the temperature in the low 30’s. For the chest freezer, some marine caulking to seal the freezer is all you need to have a constant supply of cold water to plunge into. Putting a timer on the outlet (much like you would do for your Christmas lights) and having the freezer run on-and-off in intervals will keep the water from freezing solid.
Please note that, when doing it on your own, it is important to have someone with you for safety when entering the shock of the cold. It is also important to set a timer and only stay in the cold for 5-7minutes max, otherwise you could run the risk of injury.
Cryotherapy is a personal favorite wellness activity for all three of our Doctors. Let us know if you decide to give it a try! We would love to hear your experiences.
