Cryotherapy: See what short periods of extreme cold do to our bodies

Cryotherapy: to prevent diseases

Cryotherapy or cold therapy is the general or localized use of extremely low temperatures to which a person is subjected for medicinal purposes. It has been used as a surgical treatment where extremely low temperatures are applied to remove diseased or damaged tissue. Its most common use is to treat skin diseases, but it has even more powerful benefits.

Cryotherapy is also now used to relieve muscle pain, strains and inflammation following soft tissue damage or surgery. Treatments range from applying ice packs to the affected area, to immersion in tubs of ice water (known as cold therapy) and the use of cold chambers. See below how cryotherapy works on the human body.

Cold therapy increases norepinephrine

According to a report by biochemist Rhonda Patrick, cold exposure has been shown in several studies to improve mood and has even been considered a viable option for treating depression and other emotional disorders. One of the most important response mechanisms of the human body revolves around the regulation of the hormone and neurotransmitter Norepinephrine (NE). With reference to the human body's sympathetic nervous system, NE increases when the fight/flight mechanism is activated. As for the brain, the presence of NE in the bloodstream has profound effects on alertness, attention span, and mood, while the absence of NE results in inattention, low mood, and lack of energy.

NE not only acts as a neurotransmitter as in the previous cases, but also as a hormone that when present in the bloodstream causes vasoconstriction that is essential for the metabolic performance of the body.

The role that NE plays in the human body is decisive for the way the body responds to cold temperatures: when NE in the blood increases, it results in the constriction of blood vessels and the retention of body heat (decrease in heat loss to the outside of the body).

Cold shock protein stimulation: an excellent way to repair the brain

Synapses are spaces between neurons in the brain and are involved in intercellular communication and memory formation. Several circumstances can cause synapses to degenerate or break down, including environmental factors and disease. The good news is that synapses can be regenerated with cold shock proteins . Specifically, the cold shock protein 3-RBM3 (RNA-binding motif 3) has been shown to increase up to 3 days after exposure to cold.

Why is this important?

Synapse deterioration or breakdown occurs naturally as a result of brain aging and increases exponentially with diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or after a traumatic brain injury. When cold shock proteins are present, neurodegeneration or synapse deterioration decreases. However, most of the studies carried out so far have taken place in the laboratory and much is still unknown about the effects on 3-RBM in humans, but the link between synaptic regeneration , cold exposure and cold shock proteins are among the key pieces that make up the puzzle to combat cellular degeneration and aging.

The benefits of cold therapies on the human body

Cryotherapy reduces inflammation

Inflammation is the body's natural response to eliminate the source of damage at the cellular level, removing dead cells from the body and stimulating cellular and tissue repair mechanisms, while it occurs in a balanced manner. However, it has been widely demonstrated that chronic inflammation is the primary cause of the aging process, and is also involved in 80% of all diseases.

Norepinephrine (NE) is known to function as both a neurotransmitter and a hormone, but it also has properties that reduce inflammation. NE acts in the mechanism to inhibit the inflammatory process by decreasing TNF-alpha, a molecule that increases inflammation. It also reduces other inflammatory cytokines that are at the origin of inflammatory diseases such as arthritis. And because inflammation is one of the main causes of pain, NE has been widely recognized as a pain reliever.

Cryotherapy improves immune function

Both TNF-alpha molecules and cytokines are components of the immune system and in a perfect world, they help the body eliminate harmful materials. In principle, having a good number of these immune cells is positive, as long as they are kept in a controlled state and do not over-react .

The effect of cryotherapy is to increase them to healthy levels. Regular exposure to cold has been shown to increase the number of white blood cells, cytotoxic T cells (which kill cancer cells) and other beneficial immune cells.

 

Cryotherapy stimulates metabolism

When the body is exposed to cold, its response is to produce heat. This is achieved by increasing the metabolism, not to produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate, which is the nucleotide or fuel for obtaining cellular energy), but to produce heat and reheat the body. This process is called thermogenesis and thermogenesis occurs in two ways: the first, through muscle contractions as a result of shivering and the second, is the so-called non-shivering thermogenesis that involves the transfer of white adipose tissue cells to brown adipose tissue cells that are more metabolically active and have a higher mitochondrial density (fuel that provides energy to the body). In short, the more brown adipose tissue the body has, the more effective the body will be at burning fat.

Cryotherapy increases antioxidant activity

Another controversial self-damaging substance in the body is ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species) which can damage all types of cells in the body, including DNA. ROS are always present in the body and it is normal for them to be there, but the key is in the subtle balance with which the body reacts to the damage they cause. ROS play an important role in the aging process; and preventing the damage they cause not only means extending the life span of the cell and DNA, but also keeping the body cancer-free.

One of the ways to control the production of ROS is cryotherapy. Exposure to very low temperatures has been shown to stimulate naturally occurring antioxidant genetic systems in the body, which are in fact much more powerful than the consumption of antioxidant supplements.

It should be noted that, as regards antioxidant enzyme activity, multiple whole-body cryotherapy sessions must be performed to activate these enzymes. That is, the more cryotherapy sessions, the greater the activation of antioxidant enzymes. ( 1 )

Cryotherapy promotes resilience

Resilience is a consequence of hormesis, or the tolerance that the body acquires when exposed to short periods of cold water. This resilience, or resistance, results in a greater tolerance to stress-related illnesses, as demonstrated by a study of 10 people who regularly swam in frigid water during the winter. The researchers noticed in the study subjects:

Significant decrease in uric acid levels

Uric acid levels are often linked to gout, but it has long been known that people with high blood pressure, kidney disease, and overweight have elevated uric acid levels as well. When uric acid levels exceed 5.5 mg per deciliter, there is an increased risk of developing heart disease, fatty liver, obesity, hypertension, kidney disease, and more.

Increased glutathione

Glutathione is the most powerful antioxidant in the body and keeps the rest of the antioxidants working at 100 percent.

How the body can benefit from being subjected to a state of stress such as intense cold

We know that stress is generally considered harmful to health, but thanks to the mechanism of hormesis (something like what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger), Hormesis is a process by which the body is exposed to brief circumstances of stress, whether it be intense exercise, intense heat, intense cold or fasting.

In this context, short sessions of intense cold provide the benefits mentioned above because they stimulate peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PGC-1α), which is the main promoter of mitochondrial biogenesis, i.e. the production of mitochondria. And when it comes to maintaining biological functioning and optimal health, the more mitochondria the body has , the better .

Exposing your body to cold increases the production of norepinephrine (NE) in the brain, a hormone and neurotransmitter related to attention and concentration. It also causes an improvement in mood and relieves pain, in part due to reducing inflammation. In addition, NE acts as a signaling molecule to produce more mitochondria in fatty tissue (your main energy reserves), and a byproduct of energy production is heat.

Right now you can double your Norepinephrine (NE) levels by simply stepping into a shower or tub with water at 4 degrees Celsius for 20 seconds, or water at 13.8 degrees Celsius for a few minutes.

Hormesis also allows the body to prepare for the next time it is exposed to cold. As Dr. Patrick reiterates and I have experienced personally, “you can gradually adapt to a cold shower; and for longer and longer periods of time as the body begins to generate heat. The more mitochondria you have in your adipose tissue, the more fat you burn; and the more heat you produce, the longer you can stay in the cold.”

HERE

How Wim Hof ​​or the Iceman does it

We have distanced ourselves from nature, but the cold is able to bring us back to what we once lost.

#WimHofMethod

This is a breathing method that prepares you to deal with stressful situations. In this case, it involves subjecting the body to very low temperatures. At the end of the article you will find a link to a 42-minute documentary where Wim Hof ​​awakens these abilities in a group of people.

According to Wim Hof's method, there are some rules to enter this state:

• Try to practice breathing exercises first thing in the morning, either lying down or sitting up.
• Both inhalations and exhalations should be done through the mouth, so it is best to be in a sitting or lying position.
• The breathing rhythm is to inhale as deeply as possible, feeling as if you are filling up from the pelvis to the chest. When exhaling, make sure not to let all the air out, that is, feel that more air is coming in than coming out. This is especially important since, at the end of the rounds, you will be holding your breath for more than a minute and if you let all the air out in the exhalations, the “residual” air left will not be enough to maintain apnea for that time.
• There should be no pauses between inhalations and exhalations and this is not a competition, it is about being calm while holding your breath as long as you can.
• The most important rule, of course, is to stay calm and avoid interruptions to maintain concentration.

The exercise is divided into three (3) rounds and each round consists of three stages in turn:

1. 2 minutes and 30 seconds of breathing (inhalation and exhalation)
2. Then, hold your breath in your lungs for two (2) minutes. However, it is not mandatory to hold it for that long, only as long as your body allows.
3. When you are ready to take another breath, take a deep breath in and hold it for 10-15 seconds more and exhale. Then continue breathing normally until you are ready to do the next round.

This is repeated three times.

Here is a link where you can practice the three rounds of breathing and holding air, if you are interested.

 

Precautions

Avoid Cryotherapy Directly After Strength Training

This is an important caveat worth mentioning. When you do strength training exercises, such as weight lifting, ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species) are produced, which help to increase muscle mass. Exposing yourself to cold within the first hour after a strength workout suppresses that beneficial process, so cold immersion (such as taking a very cold shower or ice bath) should be avoided immediately after strength training.

On the other hand, spending some time in a sauna after a workout can really help you to increase muscle mass. This will also help to detoxify the body, allowing it to sweat out toxins that could cause damage to overall mitochondrial function.

As Dr. Patrick explains:

«Exercise is a stressor for the body, it produces reactive oxygen species, and it generates inflammation. But at the same time, that is a good thing because it is a short-term stressful circumstance from which the body can benefit …

There's a one-hour window from the time you stop exercising [at which point inflammation levels rise]. That's the stress period. But then, as soon as you get past an hour, the stress response kicks in and you start having an anti-inflammatory [response]. You start having an antioxidant response through the activation of all these genes.

The thing is that because cold also causes an anti-inflammatory response, it's important not to get the anti-inflammatory response going too quickly, because you need some inflammation. You'll want to allow the inflammation to happen in order to get the anti-inflammatory response. This is important in strength training.

The inflammation you generate during strength training is part of the mechanism for producing more protein in skeletal muscle. If you reduce it, you will subsequently decrease the effects of strength training.

Studies have shown that exposure to cold or immersion in cold water 1-2 hours after training produces improvements in sports performance. Just by doing this practice. ( 2 )

Listen to Your Body

Although taking a sauna bath and cold water immersion are generally safe practices, if you have any medical conditions, consult your doctor before attempting them as both hot and cold temperatures cause stress on the heart and cardiovascular system in general.

Again, listen to your body. Individual tolerance to hot and cold temperatures varies widely, and pushing yourself too hard can cause harm.

Cryotherapy tends to be a slightly riskier practice than sauna therapy, as the cold causes acute vasoconstriction, which can be potentially dangerous if you have heart disease. A quick cold shower would probably help a lot, but if you're not practiced, you should avoid ice baths or other extreme cold water immersion techniques.

These are brief moments of stress that are applied to the body so that it stimulates certain organs and systems necessary to structure and maintain a good quality of life. These are cycles that must be countered with the corresponding rest or recovery times so that the body experiences adaptation and efficiency when performing the activity it must undertake.

Documentary Becoming Superhuman with the Iceman