10 Benefits of cryotherapy that might surprise you

How would you like to submerge your whole body into a cold chamber? Sounds unpleasant? It doesn't have to be. In fact, cryotherapy can have many beneficial effects.

If you've ever wondered what all the hype around cryotherapy was about, then this article is for you. By the end of it, you may even want to book a session with us at our chiropractic clinic.

In this article, we'll explain the benefits of cryotherapy on:

• Muscle pain
• Weight loss
• Inflammation
• Dementia
• Cancer
• Depression and anxiety
• Eczema
• Migraines
• Multiple sclerosis

Benefits of Cryotherapy

1. Muscle Pain

If you've ever suffered a minor injury from work or sports, you've probably applied a cold ice pack to relieve the pain. And if it helped relieve the pain, it's because it works.

Now imagine you could submerge your whole body in ice packs.

That's what cryotherapy can do for you - but that's not all.

Cryotherapy has not only been shown to help with muscle soreness but also with recovery after exercise. Even more impressive is the positive effects on patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.

2. Weight Loss

You've probably noticed that many people include weight loss as one of their New Year's Resolutions every January and good on them for doing so.

But sometimes you need a little bit of extra help to shed those pounds.

You guessed it… cryotherapy can help.

It's by no means a magic pill that'll make you fit. But since it reduces muscle soreness, it'll help you get back to the gym faster than the average person.

And there's another bonus: Improved metabolism.

Cryotherapy will gradually help your body adjust to cold temperatures and thus boost your body's natural metabolism rate - which helps you burn more calories.

3. Inflammation

Although the word inflammation has negative connotations for most people, it's actually a positive condition. Why? Because it's part of the healing process when you have an infection.

The body's immune system uses inflammation to fight the infection. And although it may seem painful, it holds true to the old adage - no pain, no gain.

That said, inflammation is also linked to health problems, so it's good to get rid of it as soon as possible.

How do you do that?

Well, cryotherapy can help reduce inflammation in the body, which means you'll feel better a lot sooner than normal.

4. Dementia

Since cryotherapy can help reduce inflammation, it also has some surprising positive side effects. One of these is that it works as a preventative treatment for cognitive impairment, such as dementia.

Some of the symptoms of dementia include oxidative stress and bodily inflammation, both of which cryotherapy can help prevent.

A study on rats suggests that due to these healing properties, cryotherapy has an indirect preventative effect on dementia and other cognitive impairments that appear with the onset of old age.

5. Cancer

Another condition that is connected to inflammation is cancer. And while cryotherapy cannot cure all forms of cancer, it's a well-established treatment used by medical doctors for certain kinds of the disease.

Want to know how it works?

If you suffer from skin or cervix cancer, doctors can use cryotherapy to freeze off the cancerous cells, which in turn can contribute to the remission of cancer as a whole.

6. Depression and Anxiety

Mental health is important, and it can have grave consequences for your physical health if the symptoms aren't treated. Part of the physical symptoms caused by depression and anxiety is inflammation.

Since cryotherapy can reduce inflammation in the body, it can also counter some of the negative effects of mental health issues.

A study testing the effects of cryotherapy on patients suffering from depression and anxiety found that it reduced these symptoms by half. The researchers used a control group for the study and found that the placebo effect was not enough to explain the difference in recovery.

7. Eczema

Eczema is a condition that causes patches to become dry and itchy. It can be rather uncomfortable, which is why doctors often prescribe medications to combat the symptoms.

But since the symptom of eczema is a form of skin inflammation, it means the healing properties of cryotherapy can help reduce them.

A study looked into whether or not it could work, and found that participants who suffered from eczema actually saw reduced symptoms after cryotherapy sessions.

8. Migraines

We've covered headaches and migraines a lot on our blog, and readers will know that the root cause of them often lies somewhere around the area of the neck.

Cryotherapy isn't just for the whole body - it can be targeted on specific areas.

That means targeted cryotherapy can, when applied to the neck area, reduce the symptoms of migraine and headaches.

9. Multiple Sclerosis

MS is an autoimmune disease that often leads to a weakening of the body, chronic fatigue, muscular spasms, and a general feeling of numbness.

In other words, it's a very unpleasant condition.

But a study examined the effects of cryotherapy on patients suffering from MS and found that it not only improved their bodily functions but also the symptoms of fatigue.

10. Fibromyalgia

Not a whole lot is known about fibromyalgia. It's a disorder with no certain cause, but that doesn't make it any less unpleasant or dangerous.

The symptoms of fibromyalgia include muscle soreness, skeletal pain, problems sleeping, and chronic fatigue.

Fortunately, cryotherapy has also been shown to remedy some of these symptoms in patients. A single treatment was reported to improve their quality of life for up to one month afterward.

Ready for the Cold?

If you're suffering from the symptoms of any of these conditions, then give us a call. We'd love to show you the benefits of cryotherapy first-hand.

When it comes to cryotherapy, residents rely on Carolina ChiroCare to help them reduce the symptoms of inflammation.

Call us today to discuss your cryotherapy session