Getting healthier has always been a complicated topic. There is so much health advice to listen to and there are plenty of times that health advice contradicts with other health advice. Whether it is a new diet, a new routine, or a new supplement; people have always searched out for new alternatives to improve their health. There’s one new health alternative that has made waves across the world. 

It’s called cold therapy, it’s when you put your body in cold temperatures. This usually involves taking cold showers, ice baths, or cryotherapy chambers (a machine that gives off cold air). The idea is that the cold temperature shocks your body and puts it under stress which helps activate a reaction from your nervous system. Those who advocate for cold therapy believe it offers a number of health benefits, for example, better blood circulation, which can help your body heal from muscle soreness and inflammation. They also claim cold therapy is good for your mental health, helping improve your mood, your ability to focus, and your body’s ability to reduce stress. An important part of cold therapy is to focus on your breathing. There are a number of techniques in how to control your breath to relax your body, which also might be some form of meditation, which has proven to be very helpful for mental abilities. There are some experts that say that these claims are exaggerated, but there is also proof that cold therapy does have some health benefits on the body, but it may not be as big of a benefit as some claim. More studies are being done to understand what effect cold therapy has. Nevertheless, many people who have adopted the cold therapy lifestyle believe it has greatly improved their health and wellbeing.     

If you are interested in starting cold therapy then it is best to begin gradually, meaning you might start with a cold shower and try to build up your tolerance the more you practice it. Once you have adapted to it, you may start doing ice baths, and sit in them for over 5, 10, or even 15 minutes. There are even people who are able to swim in freezing cold lakes and rivers, where they need to break the top layer of ice before jumping into the water. 

However, you should be careful as cold therapy isn’t safe for everyone. There are a few cases of people who have tried cold therapy in dangerous ways and have died from hypothermia. It is especially dangerous for those with heart problems, who cannot have any more stress put on their bodies, so it is important to research if cold therapy is safe for you before trying. Overall, cold therapy looks to be a health trend that is growing and could become a normal habit for millions of people in the future.