Holistic Relief: Cryotherapy, The New Pain Relief Trend

Cryotherapy is any form of cold therapy, including icing a sprained ankle. However, a recent wellness trend is whole body cryotherapy (WBC)  which is a form of holistic pain relief.  WBC involves spending a few minutes in a chamber with freezing temperatures. The advantages are vast which makes it an appealing treatment for a variety of people.

A Few Benefits of Cryotherapy

Skincare

Cryotherapy is not only a form of holistic pain relief, but it is also beneficial for the skin. In particular, the therapy is useful for people who suffer from atopic dermatitis (eczema). Eczema is characterized by patches of intensely itchy, dry skin. The treatment can help areas of eczema because it improves antioxidant levels in the blood and reduces inflammation, therefore, improving symptoms of eczema.

Regarding beauty, it encourages the breakdown of collagen which causes the body to produce new collagen. Increased collagen allows for improved elasticity in the skin, fewer wrinkles, and smaller pores. As a result, clients are left with a more youthful appearance.

Intense cold is also cleansing for the skin as it increases blood circulation and improves lymphatic drainage, thereby allowing the body to detoxify itself with ease. As a result of the detox, the skin becomes blemish-free, glowing and rejuvenated.

Weight Loss

WBC supports the process of weight loss because of the way our body responds to the cold. The fat cells in our body are stimulated to heat the body, and in the process, heat the body by using fat cells as fuel. The treatment also helps to reduce fat deposits which improve skin elasticity and cellulite reduction. As it typically increases the metabolic rate, it also increases the rate of calories burned.

Pain

Cryotherapy is considered to be an effective method of holistic pain relief. It can help with muscle pain, athletic injuries and muscle and joint disorders such as arthritis. The use of cold therapy is common for various injuries, even at home. People will often press an ice pack or even a bag of frozen vegetables on an injured area, such as a swollen ankle or a bruise so that the blood circulation will increase therefore promoting healing and pain relief.

The form of holistic pain relief has been known even to reduce pain in people with arthritis. In turn, it allows for more intense physiotherapy and occupational therapy. A study in 2000 supported the claim that whole body cryotherapy provides temporary relief from the pain of arthritis.

Sports injuries can be aided using cryotherapy. This is because it can numb the pain but also because it decreases injury recovery time. Athletes, even without injuries, undergo the therapy as it reduces delayed onset muscle soreness, improves the function of joints and inhibits inflammation.

Inflammation

A 2015 study found that people with depression have 30% more inflammatory than those without depression. Another study reveals that inflammatory illnesses and depression are linked. With the help of cryotherapy, inflammation can be reduced which therefore helps to treat depression.

Doctors use cryosurgery also to destroy cancer cells. It is a local treatment only, and cannot treat cancer cells in other parts of the body. Cryotherapy is used mostly for abnormal cells of the cervix and basal cell skin cancer.

Holistic Pain Relief Trend to Last

Cryotherapy, on a small scale, has been used for pain relief for many, many years. At home, we use ice packs and cooling gels to help with injuries and inflammation. As a result, the therapy’s benefits on a larger scale are excellent, making it a valid form of holistic pain relief. WBC is a trend to stay as the positive effects vary widely. Therefore, a variety of people with different problems can turn to cryotherapy for help. Besides pain relief, cryotherapy is known to be beneficial for skincare and anti-aging which is a simplified beauty demand.

How Cryotherapy Works

Whole-body cryotherapy involves a chamber that exposes the body to freezing temperatures, typically -200F to -256F. The client will spend around 3 minutes inside the chamber. To protect you from the cold your head, hands, and feet get covered. The extreme cold temperatures are achieved with the use of liquid nitrogen.

When a client first steps into the cryo chamber, the blood vessels of the skin’s surface and muscles begin to tighten. The blood moves away from the body’s surface, towards the internal organs. The agency then starts to remove toxins and reduce inflammation. After the treatment, the freshly filtered and oxygenated blood returns to the tissues and muscles. This facilitates the healing process.

This holistic pain relief treatment is not only for professional athletes, but a variety of people can also benefit from it. Although it may be some uncomfortable three minutes, the perks make the therapy worth it. In our increasingly fast-paced world, immediate holistic relief is sure to make cryotherapy a trend to last for some years to come.