Get Your Freeze On

Those of you who are into health & wellness know that there are many different trends and fads out there. Well, this is a new trend but it is more than that.

Cryotherapy - (KRY-oh-THAYR-uh-pee) A procedure in which an extremely cold liquid or an instrument called a cryoprobe is used to freeze and destroy abnormal tissue. A cryoprobe is cooled with substances such as liquid nitrogen, liquid nitrous oxide, or compressed argon gas.

-Cancer.gov

I know lots of you are research based individuals, I am the same way!

So in this blog I would like to share my findings with you.

(References included)

Although I HATE the cold, cryotherapy is amazing in my experience and totally worth the 3 minutes. Yep! It's only 3 minutes! Let's see if it's for you!

If you know me, you know that safety is KEY in everything health & wellness. So below is some of the research that I found to be helpful.

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According to pubmed.org, several research articles state that whole body cryotherapy (WBC) is useful in preventing inflammation and disease when exposing the body to -110 degrees fahrenheit (at the minimum) at least one time for 2-4 minutes.

However, as of 2016 the FDA has not approved cryotherapy because there has not been enough research proving what is happening physiologically. There are the obvious risk factors of cryotherapy such as frost bite, eye injury, burns, and irritation of the skin that you should be aware of (fda.gov).

This year of 2020, a medical research article has been reviewed by M.D. Debra Rose Wilson where Ana Gotter lays out the benefits and risks of cryotherapy.

https://www.healthline.com/health/cryotherapy-benefits#risks-and-side-effects

To sum it up, Gotter states that the pros of WBC alleviates the pain of migraines because it cools the nerves. WBC can help with pinched nerves through numbing the nerve that is causing chronic pain. Cool temperatures during WBC can effect mood through altering the hormones in the body (supported by PubMed Central). WBC can also be used as cancer treatment by freezing the abnormal cells. A theory is being studied stating that cryotherapy could potentially reduce the risk of Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease through oxidative stress responses (pending). Lastly this form of treatment can aid in skin irritation by reducing inflammation in conditions such as psoriasis, eczema and dermatitis.

The risks include those who are compromised, always seek advice from your medical professional and be aware that the cold temperatures could irritate the skin or cause redness, tingling and numbness. Be aware of psychological affects as well as medical conditions such as high blood pressure, arrhythmias, etc.

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While the FDA has not approved this method, I have personally seen great results.

The affects such as reduced inflammation, reduced risk of disease (because disease begins with inflammation), reduction in chronic pain, alleviation of tension headaches and the benefit of skin tightening and better sleep is well worth the price.

For example, when experiencing inflammation we are told to ice it.

Why? Because ice helps with inflammation...ICE HELPS WITH INFLAMMATION!

Why not ice your whole body to rid of the inflammation floating around in there?

Chronic pain is typically a result of tight or imbalanced muscles, assuming there is no injury or procedures. Cryotherapy is great for this because it improves blood flow, which means those tight muscles will get more blood flow to them, they will loosen up and it will make it easier to stretch. Same thing for tension headaches; tension head aches arise due to tension in the muscles around the neck - increase blood flow, loosen up those muscles.

I would like you all to be aware of both benefits and risks, so that you can make your own educated decision on whether or not cryotherapy is for you.

But remember, consistency is key in everything that you do!

References

Ana Gotter. "Benefits of Cryotherapy." Health, March 2020. https://www.healthline.com/health/cryotherapy-benefits.

Commissioner, Office of the. “Whole Body Cryotherapy (WBC): A Trend That Lacks Evidence, Poses Risks.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, July 2016, www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/whole-body-cryotherapy-wbc-cool-trend-lacks-evidence-poses-risks.

Louis J;Theurot D;Filliard JR;Volondat M;Dugué B;Dupuy O; “The Use of Whole-Body Cryotherapy: Time- and Dose-Response Investigation on Circulating Blood Catecholamines and Heart Rate Variability.” European Journal of Applied Physiology, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Aug. 2020, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32474683/.

Rymaszewska, Joanna, et al. “Whole-Body Cryotherapy as Adjunct Treatment of Depressive and Anxiety Disorders.” Archivum Immunologiae Et Therapiae Experimentalis, Birkhäuser-Verlag, 2008, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2734249/.