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Cryotherapy- healthy or hype
  • Health

Cryotherapy: Healthy or Hype?

Katie WellsMay 27, 2016Updated: May 20, 2020
Reading Time: 5 min

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Wellness Mama » Blog » Health » Cryotherapy: Healthy or Hype?
Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • What is Cryotherapy?
  • Benefits of Cryotherapy+−
    • Faster Recovery from Exercise
    • Potential Immune System Boost
    • Increased Energy and Metabolism
    • Help for Inflammation
  • Risks of Cryotherapy+−
    • Cryotherapy: Bottom Line

If you live in a big city or follow me on Instagram, you may have heard of cryotherapy.

If you haven’t, it is essentially the process of using really low temperatures for medical therapy. This could mean something as simple as sitting in a cold tub or ice bath or using ice on a wound. Recently a new kind of cold therapy has emerged and it involves getting into a body-sized chamber up to your neck and having liquid nitrogen sprayed into the air to bring skin temperature down to below -200ºF.

Sounds fun, right?

I didn’t think so either at first, but the benefits are intriguing and the cryo-chamber  (also called a cryosauna) was much more bearable than an ice bath, in my opinion.

What is Cryotherapy?

Cryotherapy is essentially the process of using cold temperatures for their health benefits. This form of therapy has been used in different ways since the 1700s to decrease pain and muscle spasms, improve recovery, slow cell aging and improve health.

Athletes have been soaking in cold tubs and ice baths for decades, but recent innovation now allows for whole body cryotherapy (WBC) in a specialized chamber using liquid nitrogen and is the form most often referred to in modern references to Cryotherapy.

This type of cold therapy was invented in the 1970s in Japan, and has only come to the US and other countries in the last decade. It has gained widespread popularity with athletes and those with certain chronic illnesses (as well as housewives who don’t like ice baths *ahem*).

As you might imagine, this therapy has its share of claims to its benefits, as well as its fair share of skeptics and risks. So what is the real story? I decided to get down to -240ºF  and investigate.

Benefits of Cryotherapy

Articles about WBC claim that it can help with everything from minor inflammation to autoimmune disease and everything in between. It is important to note that Cryotherapy itself has been used in some form by the medical community for hundreds of years and is well documented.

Doctors often recommend icing an injured area to reduce inflammation. Cryoablation refers to a process of using extreme cold in a surgical setting to destroy diseased tissue, including cancer (this is also sometimes used for wart and mole removal). Neurosurgeon Dr. Jack Kruse recommends cold thermogenesis (ice baths) for regulating hormones and improving leptin levels (and thus leading to weight loss).

Any of these are essentially a form of “cryotherapy” but recent references more often refer to WBC or “cryosaunas,” which are fascinating but less well-researched. Tony Robbins claims to use a cryogenic tank daily as part of his daily routine and other celebrities have jumped on the bandwagon as well, but let’s look at the research.

Some of the benefits often attributed to cold therapy are:

Faster Recovery from Exercise

This claim seems to be well supported, both anecdotally and in studies. Athletes have known for hundreds of years that ice seems to help speed recovery and WBC is a fast way to get the benefits of cold to the entire body.

Some studies show that WBC is effective against delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) in athletes, however a meta-analysis of studies didn’t find the same results and questioned the validity of earlier studies. (1, 2, 3)

Many athletes and celebrities from Kobe Bryant, to Jessica Alba and even basketball players from the Dallas Mavericks claim to have noticed benefits from cryotherapy, and the rapidly growing popularity of these “Cold Saunas” indicates that many others might notice the same results, though science doesn’t seem to understand how or why WBC reduces soreness yet.

Potential Immune System Boost

Another benefit often attributed to cold therapy is an immune system boost and the research here is divided. The theory is that the rapid exposure to extreme cold triggers the hypothalamus to switch on anti-inflammatory processes within the body. Dr. Kruse recommends cold therapy for improving leptin levels, which has a proven connection to improving immune function. (4)

It isn’t clear whether or not 3 minutes at temperatures below -200ºF are enough to trigger the same leptin benefits as ice baths and the more well-studied methods used by Dr. Kruse, though further research may shed more light (or cold!) on this topic.

Another theory is that three minutes of such intense cold is enough stimulation to make the body think it is in a survival situation and to ramp up the normal immune process in the body. This is also less researched and the link is unclear, though I found dozens of cases of people who swear by it for an immune boost.

Personally, I haven’t tried it enough to know one way or the other if it helped me, but I did notice this next benefit…

Increased Energy and Metabolism

This is the benefit I noticed immediately and for several days after my cryo session. After just three minutes of intense cold, I felt like I could run a marathon. I had a ton of energy, was more mentally alert and I felt great! This is likely from the release of catecholamines (adrenaline and noradrenaline) as well as other neuro-peptides in reaction to the cold. These neuro-chemicals are associated with a feeling of euphoria and are the reason you might find yourself laughing out loud when you jump into cold water or run out in the snow without adequate clothing.

Of course, my experience is purely anecdotal and doesn’t include any scientific proof, but it is something I would do again just for the mental and energy boost.

Another claim often associated with WBC is the metabolic effect of “burning 800 calories in 3 minutes.” I couldn’t find any studies to back up this claim, though I also couldn’t find any evidence that cryotherapy was harmful. There is research that indicates that cold therapy (specifically immersion in ice water) can ramp up the metabolic rate by over 300%, though this same research has not been done specifically on cryo-saunas and the air version of this method. (5)

Help for Inflammation

This is another benefit often associated with cold therapy but not entirely well-studied. Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean it isn’t effective. We’ve probably all used cold therapy (ice) for inflammation (injury or bruise) at some point in our lives without looking for scientific research before doing so.

Doctors have used cryotherapy in clinical settings to help with inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and chronic pain conditions. Cold seems to have both short and long term benefits against chronic pain and can also make other therapies more effective and better tolerated by the patients. (6)

Risks of Cryotherapy

As you might imagine, stepping into a sub-zero chamber does come with a few risks, though surprisingly not as many as you might expect. The only cases of injury or harm I found were when someone wore damp clothing inside the chamber and contracted frostbite and the death of one cryo-sauna employee from using the tank alone after work hours without a trained technician running it for him.

Since WBC is done for a very short amount of time in a controlled environment, the potential for risk may actually be lower than when doing immersion therapy in cold water. Of course, pregnant women shouldn’t try this, and anyone with a health condition should check with a doctor before attempting this or any other therapy.

WBC is currently unregulated and not extensively studied so we may continue to learn more about the benefits and risks as more research is done.

Cryotherapy: Bottom Line

Research is still emerging about this type of cold therapy. While the benefits of cold therapy and cold thermogenesis are well-supported, we don’t seem to know yet how WBC compares or if it has the same long-term benefits, though the anecdotal evidence and initial studies are promising. Like most things in life, WBC carries risks if done incorrectly, but may have many benefits if done correctly.

For me, it was worth trying for the boost of energy and mental clarity that lasted several days after my session and it is something I will definitely try again.

What are your thoughts? Have you tried it? Would you go 200 degrees below zero?

Sources
  1. Costello, J. T.; Algar, L. A.; Donnelly, A. E. (2012-04-01). “Effects of whole-body cryotherapy (-110 °C) on proprioception and indices of muscle damage”.Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports 22(2): 190–198.
  2. Hausswirth, Christophe; Louis, Julien; Bieuzen, François; Pournot, Hervé; Fournier, Jean; Filliard, Jean-Robert; Brisswalter, Jeanick (2011-01-01). “Effects of whole-body cryotherapy vs. far-infrared vs. passive modalities on recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage in highly-trained runners”. PLOS ONE 6 (12): e27749.
  3. Kane J. Hayter, Kenji Doma, Moritz Schumann, Glen B. Deakin, The comparison of cold-water immersion and cold air therapy on maximal cycling performance and recovery markers following strength exercises, PeerJ,2016, 4, e1841
  4. Patricia Fernández-Riejos, Souad Najib, Jose Santos-Alvarez, et al., “Role of Leptin in the Activation of Immune Cells,” Mediators of Inflammation, vol. 2010, Article ID 568343, 8 pages, 2010. doi:10.1155/2010/568343
  5. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs004210050065
  6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10832164/
Category: Health

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About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a wife and mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

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Reader Interactions

Discussion (38 Comments)

  1. Keith

    July 21, 2017 at 11:48 AM

    Great article on Cryotherapy. However, I noticed you claim that your skin temperature reaches -200 degrees Fahrenheit. However, -200 degrees Fahrenheit is the temperature inside the chamber, not the temperature of your skin during or after. The skin temperature ranges from 40-50 degrees from cryotherapy. It does not match the temperature inside the chamber.

    Reply
  2. Elizabeth

    June 20, 2017 at 10:57 AM

    Hi! Any information on doing cryotherapy while trying to conceive? After ovulation?

    Reply
  3. Anna

    April 3, 2017 at 3:32 AM

    I would like to ask if Cryotherapy has been used for Type 1 Diabetics, with this autoimmune disease, who are insulin dependent, in good control but still struggles with balancing blood sugars, sporadic inflammation occurances, and digestion problems.

    Reply
    • LisaB

      August 26, 2018 at 8:11 AM

      I’d be interested for type 1 also. Did you ever find out anything?

      Reply
  4. Dr. Jack Kruse

    January 19, 2017 at 10:28 PM

    Somebody tagged me on this and I am glad they did. Cryotherapy is not cold thermogenesis using liquid water (CT) and the two should never be equated. They are not equivalent in any sense and the physics is quite different. because of how heat is transferred in gas an in liquid water. The difference has a massive effect on mitochondrial function.

    Reply
    • Nalani

      March 9, 2017 at 1:29 AM

      lovely to see you post here Dr Jack.. outside of your forum wheeee… I was going to point this out from your stuff.. XXOO thank you for all you do and continue to do..

      Reply
    • Joyce Cacchione

      May 8, 2017 at 4:22 AM

      My 4 year old grandson has Leigh’s (mitochondrial) disease. Would either of these therapies help him? He was diagnosed a little over a year ago and is now a complete invalid unable to walk, talk, hear swallow or move any part of his body voluntarily. And what is the difference between the 2 therapies beside the obvious? Thank you for your knowledge and time.

      Reply
  5. Max

    June 10, 2016 at 1:39 AM

    I wish I could try that, too bad there isn’t a cryotherapy clinic anywhere near where I live. Thank you for the informative post

    Reply
  6. Jeremy M

    May 31, 2016 at 9:33 AM

    A man, by the name of Wim Hof (The Iceman), is an advocate of cold therapy (cold showers, ice baths and cold outdoor temperatures). There are a few Ted Talks showing his work with the scientific community to prove that cold therapy, along with breathing exercises, has allowed him to strengthen and even somewhat control his immune system.

    I personally have found that when I take cold showers I feel invigorated, refreshed and, oddly enough, warmer and more comfortable throughout the day, whereas with hot showers tend to feel lethargic, rundown and my hands and feet get cold during the day. I will admit that cold showers initially take a lot of determination to get through the discomfort, but after time they do become comfortable and enjoyable.

    Reply
  7. Maggie

    May 30, 2016 at 12:56 PM

    Do you think this okay to do while breastfeeding? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Courtney

      February 6, 2017 at 2:43 PM

      Wondering the same!

      Reply
      • Diana

        February 23, 2017 at 2:48 PM

        I’m also curious about this

        Reply
  8. Andrea

    May 29, 2016 at 9:45 PM

    Probably not good for everyone…..see Ayurvedic bodytypes.

    Reply
  9. Hannah

    May 29, 2016 at 9:30 PM

    Would this be similar to the benefits of taking cold showers?

    Reply
    • Wellness Mama

      May 31, 2016 at 11:21 AM

      Somewhat, but the benefits of cryotherapy are much more concentrated, as the temperature is much colder and you’re in the tank for only a short period of time…

      Reply
  10. Ann Duncan

    May 29, 2016 at 7:56 PM

    When I lived in Thailand, I ran into Elizabeth, a young Englishwoman who, in her search for a cure from her severe mystery chronic fatigue (she slept well over 20 hrs/day) found an article in a car racing magazine (she’d been a race car driver) about a racer who contracted Epstein-Barr Virus. The doctors said it was incurable but he went in search of an answer, which he found. A physician told him to immerse himself in ice baths (don’t recall how many minutes) twice/day, for 30 days. The fellow did so and after about 10 days could tell that he’d been cured. He went ahead and finished out the 30 days and returned to racing.

    The young woman chose to try the ice baths and ta-da! She subsequently also returned to racing. I then noticed ice therapy being used in a Bangkok hospital. The doctor told me they used ice mitts on patients to raise their immune systems. And I was told of alternative clinics in northern Thailand using some sort of cold therapy.

    I immediately passed this info on to a friend’s husband with Epstein-Barr, and he also opted to proceed with ice baths. I could not imagine doing as he did, in North Dakota, in the dead of winter. At any rate, he said it did the trick.

    Thank you for posting your experience. I trust many will find it helpful.

    Reply
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