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Hydrotherapy -

Cold showers are understood to have many benefits for the body. Hydrotherapy has been used for centuries, and now it’s reentered the sphere of popular culture.

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An age-old practice -

For example, dousing and ice swimming in Russia is a long-standing custom. It’s believed that the state of 'fever' that it puts the body into helps kill harmful bacteria and strengthen good bacteria.

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Wim Hof -

Dutch journalist Wim Hof, who is commonly known as The Iceman, has garnered a lot of attention in Western media in the past few years for the ability to withstand freezing temperatures. What's more, he's advocating for everyone to do the same.

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The Iceman -

He set the Guinness World Records for swimming under ice and prolonged full-body contact with ice, and previously held the record for a barefoot half marathon on ice and snow.

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Cold water therapy in popular culture -

Dozens of documentaries and books have been published on his “Wim Hof Method,” which he claims can cure disease and mental disorders.

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More than a feeling? -

Anyone who has swum in freezing or cold water will know the effect that it has. Afterwards, we feel serene, weightless, and revived. But is this the extent of it?

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Depression -

Depression is not a condition to self-medicate for and is something that should be dealt with by professionals. However, it's hypothesized that cold water therapy can help decrease symptoms of depression.

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Symptoms of depression -

A clinical trial published in PLOS One hypothesized that taking cold showers two to three times a week for around five minutes helped to relieve symptoms of depression.

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It works like ECT -

It’s understood that it works in a similar way to electroconvulsive therapy.

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It jolts the system -

As we’re not used to cold water on our body, it sends impulses to the brain, jolting the system. This increases alertness, clarity, and energy levels.

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It stimulates the release of endorphins -

Endorphins, the pleasure and pain-relieving hormones at work in our body, also are released when we expose ourselves to cold water. This increases our feelings of well-being and optimism.

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It activates brown fat -

When we say fat in our body, we usually don’t refer to brown fat. Brown fat is also known as brown adipose tissue, which is activated when the body gets cold. It produces heat to maintain our temperature. This is the healthy and necessary fat on our bodies.

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It stimulates the metabolism -

White fat is the type of fat that someone who is obese has too much of. Research is now suggesting that taking cold showers two to three times a week may be helping the metabolism, which would help reduce levels of white fat over time.

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People lose weight, but its unclear why -

How people lose weight from taking cold showers is unclear, though it’s suspected to be associated with certain hormone levels.

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It helps the gastrointestinal system -

In helping the body balance these hormone levels, it can also help heal the gastrointestinal system, which, when it isn’t functioning well, causes problems like gallstones, cholecystitis, and cholangitis.

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A circulatory system workout -

Taking cold showers, or exposing our body to any temperature colder than our body, makes the body work harder for temperature regulation. To do this, the circulatory system must work harder.

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People say their skin looks better -

There are many anecdotal reports of people feeling like their skin looks better after taking a cold shower.

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The importance of not overdoing it -

Like lifting weights to gain arm strength, when the circulatory system has to work harder, it becomes strong and more efficient. However, just like lifting weights, there’s a balance, and too much strain leads to issues.

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Every breath we take -

Because the circulatory system is what we rely on to survive by playing a significant role in heart function, vein structure, and oxygen to the brain, issues with it are more severe.

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Improvement of brain function -

When our circulation improves, we maintain healthy blood and oxygen flow throughout the body. This allows our heart and muscles to function better, our brain to function better, and much more.

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Improved circulation of white blood cells -

Improved circulation also means that white blood cells, which are the body’s primary defense line against disease, are transported more efficiently around the body. This is what gives Wim Hof’s claims some validity.

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Cold therapy for inflammation -

Athletes have been benefitting from the anti-inflammatory value of cold therapy for a long time. Inflammation occurs when we bruise or tear a muscle, but also happens just because of fatigue.

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The knock-on effect of improved circulation -

Cold on the surface of our skin means that the body will pump more warm blood to the area to regulate temperature, so it is believed to help people’s circulation and, therefore, with high blood pressure and diabetes.

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It can help prevent colds and flu -

The shock of cold water to the system stimulates white blood cells, making it helpful in fighting the cold and flu. This gives scientific validity to the Russian practice of dousing.

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Battling non-lymphoid cancers -

One study published in BMC Medicine suggested its value in aiding to fight certain types of cancer by saying that “cold hydrotherapy could potentially become a treatment option for some (non-lymphoid) cancers as an adjunctive immunotherapy.”

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Absence from work -

Another clinical trial in the Netherlands concluded that people who shower with cold water called in sick to work 29% less. However, the results were self-reported (not objective), and those with diseases were excluded.

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Willpower and cold showers -

There are many other benefits to taking cold showers that have to do with the mind, like building willpower and emotional resilience, clearing the mind, and feeling revived.

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How it's done -

In undergoing cold water showers, people usually do it for a month and then reflect on whether it’s right for them. You submerge yourself in the cold stream of water for around two minutes while breathing deeply and in a controlled manner.

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Building up to the cold -

You can start with lukewarm water and make it colder as time goes on. Essentially you’re trying to make it so that you can withstand the cold water for whatever amount of time you usually shower for without putting yourself under too much stress.

Sources: (NAJMS) (Infectious Agents and Cancer) (Healthline) (Medical Hypotheses) (PlOS One)

See also: Stars who use alternative medicine

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