The Health Benefits of Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy involves exposing the body to very cold temperatures for some time, about a few minutes. Cryotherapy can be done either by targeting only one part of the body or the whole body. There are several ways to conduct cryotherapy, including coolant sprays, ice packs, cryo chambers, and ice baths. When used regularly, cryotherapy has various health benefits. Below are some of the benefits of cryotherapy:
Aids in Weight Loss
Cryotherapy aids in weight loss because the cold that is exposed to the body during cryotherapy forces the body to adjust and try to stay warm. It is also proven that cryotherapy treatments increase metabolism, which aids the body in continuing to burn fat throughout the entire day. The faster your metabolism, the faster you will burn fat and lose weight overall.
Helps the Body Recover from Injuries
Cryotherapy aids with muscle pain and thus help individuals heal and get back to peak performance levels after an injury. The potential weight loss benefit of cryotherapy is not limited to individuals who cannot exercise due to pain as mentioned above. If you have pulled or strained a muscle, cryotherapy will decrease the recovery time and increase your mobility with the muscle. Consistently doing cryotherapy treatments after an injury will make a big difference as compared to if you didn’t do it at all.
Helps Treat Migraines
Cryotherapy reduces symptoms from migraines. This is done by numbing and cooling nerves around the area of the neck! Doing a neck wrap with two ice packs to the arteries, carotid which is in the neck helps reduce migraine pain. Cooling of the blood passing through the intracranial vessels helps this workout.
Prevents Cancer
Since cryotherapy reduces inflammation, it also lowers the risk of developing cancer. Medical cryotherapy is a known treatment for some types of cancer. To administer this, the doctor freezes off cancer cells on some parts such as the skin using cryotherapy.
Aids in Recovery After Exercise
Whole-body cryotherapy helps in the recovery and healing of muscles after engaging in various exercise activities. It assists in faster regeneration of muscles. Whole-body cryotherapy increases the blood-oxygen levels in some parts, for example, the thigh and decreases the heart rate and exertion. The cold chamber is usually very effective here.
Reduces Anxiety and Depression
Whole-body cryotherapy reduces and heals psychological strain. It treats mental health conditions that are associated with inflammation. Cryotherapy is very effective in reducing depression or anxiety symptoms.
Treats Various Skin Conditions
Cryotherapy helps treat some skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis. Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease. It is characterized by symptoms of itchy and dry skin. Cryotherapy treats this since it improves the levels of antioxidants in the blood and also simultaneously reduces inflammation.
Cryotherapy has endless health benefits, however, one intending to use it should consult a doctor on how to go by it. This is because cryotherapy could lead to further damages rather than healing. For example, people with diabetes or other nerve conditions should not use cryotherapy. Away from this, cryotherapy is very helpful and worth trying.