Cryotherapy: what treats extreme cold

Cryotherapy, that is, cold treatment, is a rather old method. It implies both local therapy (when one part of the body is cooled) and general therapy (when the whole body is cooled). From history textbooks, many remember that the commander Suvorov poured cold water daily. Also a kind of cryotherapy.

A bit of history

The first cryosaunas appeared in Japan in the 1970s. Cooling in them was created by nitrogen vapor. The temperature regime was chosen by trial and error. It suddenly became clear that a course of procedures in a cryosauna not only helps with pain in the joints and back, but is also able to treat arthrosis.

Under the influence of cold, the joints became stronger and aged much more slowly. It is because of this chondroprotective effect that German specialists became interested in the Japanese development, who have always paid much attention to rehabilitation issues.

In Germany, the technology was first secured. In the Japanese version, a person stood in a special vat (temperature minus 120 °C), and the head remained outside – warm (+20 °C), because nitrogen vapor cannot be inhaled. Such a temperature variation is a risk to the body. The Germans created a room in which laminar cold is maintained – minus 110 ° C. It was they who determined this temperature and the safe time in it – from 1 to 3 minutes.

Cryosauna-rooms are available only in large medical institutions and rehabilitation centers (for example, in the Lapino Clinical Hospital). The simplest cryosaunas in the form of a vat or capsule are available in various centers and beauty salons.

Why does it work?

Where does the healing effect of cryosauna come from? After all, cold does not penetrate deep into, but acts only on the surface of the body. How can it affect the work of internal organs?

Everything is simple. Man evolved under the influence of cold, we have more receptors on the body that react to low temperatures than to heat or other factors. Cold receptors are more capable of provoking the body’s metabolic response.

Of course, the cold is stressful, but in this case it is useful.

Nature invented physiological stress to provide us with additional abilities. This is the stress that helped the Neanderthal escape from the tiger. Under its influence, there is a release of catecholamine, norepinephrine, adrenaline – chemicals that dramatically increase a person’s capabilities.

Every day, standing in traffic jams or sitting at work, we also experience stress, but all of its biochemistry does not spill out, but circulates through the body, damaging the brain, blood vessels, leading to diseases and premature aging. By the way, one of the causes of premature ovarian aging in women is chronic stress.

Cryosauna is for us like that tiger for a Neanderthal. However, nature does not provide that a person can get into a temperature of minus 110 degrees. The body does not have a ready response to such stress. Therefore, the biochemical reaction to it is special. Ejection of necessary factors is turned on, and unnecessary factors are turned off.

In the cryosauna, we get all the positive moments of stress and remove the negative ones. Figuratively speaking, in three minutes in a cryosauna a person manages to fight a tiger and run away from it. Therefore, cryosauna is so often used in sports medicine for the preparation of Olympic teams.

What does cryosauna treat?

Overweight and cellulite. The reaction to cryotherapy is the activation of bioenergetic processes, that is, the burning of calories starts. Three minutes in a cryosauna is minus 1500 kcal. At the same time, fat is removed, the skin is tightened, cellulite is reduced. Often, cosmetologists recommend a cryosauna before the main facial or body treatment, as the skin’s susceptibility to subsequent exposure increases.

Depression and addictions. An interesting effect of cryotherapy is the stimulation of the release of endorphins. Therefore, in Europe, cryosauna is used to treat depression, alcoholism and drug addiction.

Autoimmune diseases. The effect of reducing the level of inflammatory molecules in the body as a whole works here. The same effect is used to treat joints and in anti-age medicine. It also works when it comes to premature aging of the ovaries. Therefore, cryosauna can be recommended to almost all women.

Skin diseases. There are noticeable improvements even in such serious diseases as psioriasis. And cryotherapy can eliminate acne and other skin rashes for a long time. Under the influence of cold, inflammatory elements disappear, and sebum production decreases. Although if there is a predisposition to acne, a relapse is still possible after a few weeks or months.

Cryosauna is recommended by reproductologists. This is not only a means of preventing egg aging, but also one of the ways to prepare patients for IVF protocols in the presence of existing problems.

How is the procedure?

People enter the cryosauna in a bathing suit or underwear. The more open the body, the better. Sneakers and socks are put on their feet, gloves on their hands, a cap or bandage on their ears on their heads. You can wear a mask, as you need to breathe mainly through your nose. First, the patient enters the pre-sauna for 20 seconds. There, the temperature is about minus 60 ° C and a wet pad freezes on human skin. Then you need to go to the main chamber.

Wild cold is not felt, as the air is dry. In addition, cold receptors are blocked and the temperature is not perceived realistically. A nurse watches the patient through the window and announces through the microphone how much time is left. By the 3-5th procedure, a feeling of comfort comes.

A course of 10 treatments daily or every other day is usually recommended.