The Benefit of Whole-body Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy, which literally means “cold therapy”, is a treatment that involves the use of very cold temperatures, which is almost freezing temperature. Whole-body cryotherapy might give patients an unpleasant or panic sensation in the beginning as there is an extreme change of temperature, but it will gradually decrease as the body adapts to the new temperature. Wholebody cryotherapy is generally safe, but pregnant women, children, patients with acute high blood pressure, heart conditions, uncontrolled seizures, acute venous thrombosis, or extreme cold allergy should not begin cryotherapy. The dual chamber cryotherapy consists of a pre-chamber with -60oC and a main chamber with -110oC. Patients will enter the pre-chamber for around 10 seconds before entering the main chamber for temperature adaptation. Afterward, patients will spend 3 minutes in the main chamber.

The benefit of whole-body cryotherapy includes parasympathetic nervous system, which will reduce the sensation of fatigue, muscle tension, improves insulin sensitivity, reduce muscle soreness or damage, and have a positive impact on mood or clinical depression symptoms. Cryotherapy also has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits. This benefit allows cryotherapy to reduce pain, removal of metabolic products, and minimize secondary tissue damage by reducing the production of pro-inflammatory and oxidative substances as well as vasodilatation for several hours. Cryotherapy also improves body composition, which includes improved immunity, increase the good fat tissue which is the brown adipose tissue volume, and decrease volume of bad adipose tissue.

In conclusion, whole-body cryotherapy is very recommended for patients with rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, ankylosing spondylitis, depression, anxiety, multiple sclerosis, sleep disturbances, muscle soreness, post-Covid syndrome, and obesity.

By dr. Josephine Herwita Atepela