The 5 Health Benefits of Cryotherapy!

The benefits of cryotherapy  that everyone should know. In addition, more than 550,000 full-body cryotherapy sessions have been performed worldwide since 2011. It has become an increasingly trendy “therapy” in recent years in the alternative healthcare space. Even celebrities and famous athletes like LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal have reported using cryotherapy to support recovery and exercise performance.

While cryotherapy may seem like a new and exciting concept, using very cold temperatures to reduce pain, support healing, and elevate mood is actually nothing new. People all over the world have used cold packs and ice baths to promote healing for hundreds of years.

What are the health benefits of cryotherapy according to the latest research? There is some evidence that the treatment has anti-inflammatory, anti-analgesic and antioxidant effects. However, the study results were mixed, as not all studies have found that one of the benefits of cryotherapy  is that it is better than rest and stretching for decreasing symptoms such as muscle, bone and joint pain, fatigue and ache.

Importantly, the US Food and Drug Administration does not currently regulate the use of cryotherapy offered by “cryotherapists” in cryotherapy centers , nor does it recognize any of its medical benefits. This means that if you opt for cryotherapy , be aware that there are some potential risks involved.

What is?

Cryotherapy is a type of treatment that involves exposure to extremely cold air. One definition of cryotherapy is “a technique that uses an extremely cold liquid or instrument to freeze and destroy abnormal skin cells that require removal.” Extreme cold comes from liquid nitrogen or argon gas.

What is the purpose of cryotherapy?

While not all of these benefits have been proven in studies, the components of cryotherapy tell us about the potential benefits of cryotherapy :

• Reduces inflammation ;
• Help with pain reduction and relieves muscle soreness;
• Improves recovery from physical injuries, impact or trauma;
• Improves mood;
• Increases energy;
• Helps with weight loss and fat burning;
• Reduces the symptoms of Osteoarthritis , Osteoporosis , Multiple Sclerosis and Rheumatoid Arthritis ;
• Decreases asthma symptoms;
• Increases libido;

While it is possible that some may experience improvements in their health after the session, this has not been proven in many studies and is still widely disputed by some experts. In fact, according to a 2015 review that included results from four clinical trials that focused on the effects of whole-body cryotherapy , there is “insufficient evidence” that cryotherapy helps treat symptoms such as pain.

The same review stated that studies were also unable to show that cryotherapy actually improves recovery times in athletes when compared to rest. On a positive note, another review found that in one study, participants reported improved “well-being” and less tiredness following cryotherapy after exercise. They also found that there were no reports of adverse effects in any of the four studies.

On the other hand, another 2017 review found the opposite: cryotherapy helped reduce pain and improve the athletes’ recovery.

How does whole body cryotherapy work? What does cryotherapy do for your body?

Cryotherapy is believed to work by reducing inflammatory processes, improving blood flow and releasing endorphins. “ Whole-body cryotherapy ” involves a single or repeated exposure to extremely cold, dry air inside a special chamber or cabin.

A cryotherapy chamber is a vertical cylindrical capsule. It is filled inside the chamber and closed around most of its body, but the top of the chamber remains open so that its head sticks out.

From your neck down, the very cold gas that is released from the chamber surrounds your body. Inside the cryotherapy chamber it gets extremely cold, typically around minus 37 degrees Fahrenheit – and in some cases even as low as minus 148 degrees.

Team workers set machines that control the temperature and duration of the session. Once the chamber reaches a low temperature (such as minus 37-148 degrees Celsius) this will be sustained for about 2-5 minutes.

Inside the chamber you wear minimal clothing, usually gloves, a woolen headband covering your ears, a nose and mouth mask, dry shoes and socks, and men’s boxers. This helps in reducing the risk of cold-related injuries.

Staff will stand next to the chamber while you are inside. Inside, you can open the door if you feel you want to end the session earlier than expected.

If you are undergoing treatment to aid recovery from exercise, you should ideally have a session within 0 to 24 hours of exercise. It is recommended that sessions be repeated several times on the same day or several times over several weeks.

Cryotherapy vs. cryosurgery vs. cryoablation:

Cryotherapy , cryosurgery, and cryoablation are sometimes used interchangeably to describe the use of very low temperatures to destroy harmful cells. Generally, the term “cryosurgery” is reserved for cryotherapy that involves surgery. Whole -body cryotherapy does not involve surgery and does not require a doctor or medical procedure. Whole -body cryotherapy is therefore distinct from “ localized cryotherapy ” because localized medicine is more of an accepted medical practice that has been studied extensively.

Cryosurgery is surgery that uses the local application of intense cold to destroy unwanted tissue. Extreme cold is produced by liquid nitrogen (or argon gas).

Uses of cryosurgery/cryoablation include treating: precancerous skin patches, lumps, skin tags, unsightly freckles, retinoblastomas (cancer of the retina of the eye), atrial fibrillation (a type of heart rhythm disorder), and prostate tumors , liver, breasts, Cancer of the cervix , kidneys, lungs and bones.

The most common use of cryosurgery is the removal of external and internal tumors, including those on the skin or inside the body that may be cancerous. Liquid nitrogen is applied directly to external tumors with a cotton swab or spray device which causes the tissue to be destroyed.

Cryosurgery is the surgical application of cryoablation inside the body. Cryoablation is performed using hollow needles called cryoprobes. Liquid nitrogen or argon gas is circulated through cryoprobes to contact a tumor and freeze the abnormal cells. After cryosurgery, the frozen tissue thaws and either dissolves or forms a crust.

Are there side effects associated with cryosurgery? They are usually not serious and only temporary, but side effects can include: light bleeding, cramping, mild pain, swelling, blisters, redness, and rarely scarring or hair loss.

1. Reduce Pain and Recover Injuries:

You are probably already familiar with how cold packs and/or crushed ice provide effective analgesia (pain relief) after injury or surgery. One of the most common reasons people turn to cryotherapy is to prevent or treat muscle pain after exercise, trauma, or acute injuries.

A published report states that “ body cryotherapy is a medical physical treatment widely used in sports medicine. Injury recovery and post-season recovery are the main purposes of the application.” Athletes and people dealing with injuries often try treatment in the hope that it will be a preventive strategy to reduce the effects of exercise. induced inflammation and pain.

A 2017 review that included results from 16 articles/studies found evidence that cryotherapy helped decrease muscle soreness (found in 80% of studies) and improved athletes’ recovery and athletic ability/performance (in 71 percent). of studies). It also found that cryotherapy caused no side effects.

2. Reduced inflammation and tissue damage:

The same review mentioned above also found evidence that cryotherapy benefits include reduced systemic inflammation and lower concentrations of markers for muscle cell damage. Overall, the researchers involved in the review believe that the treatment can improve recovery from muscle damage with multiple exposures. Multiple exposures were more likely to elicit improvements in pain recovery, loss of muscle function and markers of inflammation compared to single exposures/sessions.

Not every researcher/expert believes that cryotherapy works to fight inflammation. A 2014 review reports that “there is weak evidence from studies that blood cells increase antioxidant capacity and parasympathetic reactivation, and alter inflammatory pathways relevant to sports recovery.”

Researchers involved in this study believe that the treatment has tissue-cooling effects, and believe that too much cold in the chambers is not effective in causing a cooling of the body’s core that is needed to fight inflammation. The review’s conclusion was that “athletes should remain aware that less expensive modes of cryotherapy , such as applying local ice packs or immersion in cold water, offer comparable physiological and clinical effects to white blood cells.”

Another recent review conducted by the University of Milan Faculty of Medicine found evidence that cryotherapy modifies many important biochemical and physiological parameters in human athletes. These include “a decrease in pro-inflammatory cytokines, adaptive changes in antioxidant status, and positive effects on muscle enzymes associated with muscle damage (creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase)”.

3. Improves mood:

What is the use of cryotherapy when it comes to improving your mental health? Proponents of cryotherapy say the sudden drop in temperature once inside the chamber helps release endorphins, which make you feel happier and more energetic.

White blood cell can improve your mood because it counteracts pain, releases norepinephrine/adrenaline, facilitates mobilization, and improves circulation. This sounds plausible, but there isn’t much evidence proving that it necessarily works for everyone.

4. Give more energy:

Another of the benefits of cryotherapy  that many people report is feeling more clear-headed and energized after the sessions. This is likely due to the release of endorphins, reduced inflammation and increased blood flow. There are a few studies that have found that white blood cells can improve psychological recovery within a few days after a stressful event or intense workout, including decreasing the perception of muscle tiredness, fatigue, and pain for 24 to 48 hours after the session.

5. Prevent metabolic disease:

As some studies have found that treatment can reduce oxidative stress and inflammation, and increase antioxidant status, it is now being researched as a treatment method to prevent metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes . In a way, exposure to cryotherapy mimics the effects of exercise as it positively affects inflammatory pathways. A study that examined oxidative stress and antioxidant status in non-practicing participants found that those receiving cryotherapy had an increase in associated antioxidant status compared to the untreated control group.

Other studies have found that treatment can help build the body’s defenses against the negative impact of stress (an underlying cause of many diseases) and support the nervous system. It was found that shortly after a session, there is a significant increase in noradrenaline concentration compared to controls at rest, similar to what occurs with exercise. But this ends up having a positive effect on some important cellular and physiological events associated with inflammation.

When it comes to the effects of cryotherapy on the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps relieve the body after stress, studies have found that it has a big influence on parasympathetic reactivation, including improving heart rate variability.

Can cryotherapy help with weight loss?

All over the internet, people claim that the treatment can improve your appearance and burn body fat . But studies do not show that there is any connection between cryotherapy and weight loss. One study showed that while exposure to cold may regulate or slightly increase energy metabolism, six months of moderate aerobic activity combined with leukocytes did not change body mass, fat, or lean body mass percentages in participants.

That said, if you find that the treatment helps lift your mood, increase your energy, reduce pain and help you stay more active, then it could possibly support your weight loss goals indirectly.

Precautions:

There is still some debate over whether cryotherapy machines are safe for the public. Overall, most studies and reviews have found that there are no adverse events associated with WBC.

Although this has only happened very rarely, deaths related to this treatment have been reported. For example, in 2015, The New York Times reported on a woman in Nevada who passed away after a full-body cryotherapy session. In other US states, people have filed lawsuits alleging that cryotherapy caused injuries, including ice bites, third-degree burns and dibinations. This has prompted government officials to further investigate the safety of cryotherapy centers.

In certain situations, treatment may not be safe. Contraindications to cryotherapy may include: uncontrolled hypertension, severe coronary heart disease, Arrhythmia , circulatory disorders, Raynaud’s phenomenon (white fingers), cold allergies, severe lung disease, or bronchial obstruction caused by a cold.

Final considerations:

Cryotherapy is a treatment that involves exposure to extremely cold air. It is used to reduce inflammation, destroy damaged cells/tissues, release endorphins and improve circulation.

“ Cryotherapy” involves a single or repeated exposure to extremely cold, dry air inside a special chamber or cabin for about 2-5 minutes. Cryotherapy chambers become extremely cold.

At this time, there are conflicting opinions showing that cryotherapy helps in treating symptoms such as pain and poor recovery from exercise. Cryotherapy has not been shown in clinical studies to burn fat or cause weight loss.

Potential benefits of cryotherapy , according to some studies, include: reduced pain, better recovery from exercise, improved mood, increased energy, and protection against metabolic diseases. Cryotherapy is generally safe and tends not to cause adverse effects, although in rare cases burns, burns and even death have occurred.