Have you ever heard of cryotherapy? No, I’m not talking about sitting in a therapist’s office crying your eyes out – although that might be good at times, too. No, cryotherapy is something that my husband and I did for the first time over the weekend.
What do you do? Well, you step inside this large tin-can looking chamber where the temperature drops down to -250 to -300 degrees Fahrenheit (The number you see in the photo is in Celsius). You may be wondering why on earth would anyone do this. Studies have shown that it helps rid the body of inflammation. And a body without toxic swelling (a.k.a. inflammation) is a healthy body.
Cryotherapy clinics use liquid nitrogen to reach the frigid temps and it is indeed a bitter cold experience but, only for three minutes. I wasn’t quite sure I could handle it, but after completing it, we both felt great and were ready to go again the next day. In fact, we went three days in a row. My husband was having some muscle pain near his neck and also some in one of his hamstrings. This seemed to have relieved quite a bit of the tension and pain that he was experiencing. That alone, for me, was worth the three minutes of feeling like a popsicle.
While it sounds a bit bone chilling, many athletes use this type of therapy. Either cryotherapy or actual cold ice plunges. The beauty of this is that it’s a dry cold as opposed to being wet…and it takes less time. It can help alleviate muscle and joint aches, and many have stated its significant benefits for individuals with arthritis issues. Cryotherapy has been known to help skin problems, such as acne, and it even burns (or chills) off anywhere from 400-800 calories in just three minutes. Ok…that does not give you permission to go eat a cheeseburger and fries. I know what you were thinking. 🙂
It is pretty cool, though. No pun intended. If you’re up for something new and looking for a natural healing therapy, give the cryotherapy a try. I don’t think you’ll cry at all…in fact, I think you’ll smile. 🙂
