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The history of whole-body cryotherapy
Whole-body cryotherapy was first introduced by the Japanese scientist Professor Toshiro Yamauchi in the late 70s as an effective method of treating rheumatism. After making a report in 1979, when he told the world about his achievements at the Rheumatology Congress, and a few years later the first cryotherapeutic system for administering general cryotherapy was commissioned.
In the clinic of Professor Reinhard Fricke, a cryotherapeutic module started functioning way back in 1984, and hundreds of patients could undergo the long-awaited treatment. Since then, millions of people around the world could experience the amazing revitalizing capabilities of cryotherapy.
With time, cryotherapy using a cryosauna became more than pain management or anti-inflammatory tool and treatment that helped athletes recover from physical stress, muscle tension, and minor injuries. Instead, it evolved into a mainstream method of stress relief and a part of the wellness culture.
How does whole body cryotherapy work?
Thanks to the presence of thermoreceptors in our skin, extremely low temperature causes an illusion of threat, to which the human body reacts by an adaptive reaction. Thermoreceptors signal the extreme cold to the CNS, and the brain will send orders to all peripheral body parts to reduce supply of blood to acral parts, concentrating the blood into the body core. During the short duration of the treatment, there is no reduction of temperature inside the body, the temperature of the body core and internal organs remains unchanged. Temperature of the body surface drops slightly by 0.5°C to 6°C, depending on the body part.
After 2.5 to 3 minutes, when the customer leaves the cryosauna and goes back to normal environment, the body signals this change of temperature and starts pumping blood to the peripheral parts – muscles, joints and skin. This stimulation of blood circulation will trigger metabolism and all recovery processes in the human body, like secretion of metabolites and toxins from subcutaneous layers, cell renewal process, replacement of damaged cells and removal of dead cells from peripheral tissues, thereby regenerating and rejuvenating the body at cellular level.
General question about cryotherapy, both general and local.
Why people pay for cryotherapy and what is the cost of cryotherapy in different countries?
Whole-body cryotherapy benefits
Even though whole-body cryotherapy has been known for years, we can often hear: Why do people use whole-body cryotherapy? Does whole-body cryotherapy work? What does it do and how often should you do whole-body cryotherapy? These are some of the most common questions people ask when they want to visit a cryosauna.
Well, you can feel whole-body cryotherapy benefits just after one session, but it is more effective when you use it regularly. The main benefits of whole-body cryotherapy are:
- inflammation reduction;
- pain relief;
- the effective complementary approach in rheumatic diseases;
- immune system improvement;
- stress alleviation;
- help with skin problems (psoriasis, acne, etc.);
- weight loss;
- sleep improvement;
- faster recovery after physical and psychological overloads.
The benefits of full-body cryotherapy and its effectiveness are proved by numerous studies. Yes, they are pros and cons to whole-body cryotherapy, like in any other treatment. But any risks can be minimized by careful study of contraindications and preliminary consultation with a cryo center specialist.
Research and science behind whole-body cryotherapy
There are many studies of whole-body cryotherapy. Since it has become an alternative treatment for many diseases and conditions, whole-body cryotherapy researches issue regularly. Many of them relate to sports medicine.
For example, one of them “Cryotherapy in sports medicine” was issued by the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports in 1996. The conclusion of this article is that cold treatment is effective to reduce the recovery time as part of the rehabilitation program both after acute injuries and in the treatment of chronic injuries; reduces pain effectively in the post-operative period after reconstructive surgery of the joints; has neuromuscular action and relaxation of the muscles; increases the pain threshold, the viscosity and the plastic deformation of the tissues; decreases the inflammatory reaction, etc.
More recent researches are about specific problems or issues. “The cold truth: the role of cryotherapy in the treatment of injury and recovery from exercise” was published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology in 2021. Authors say that cryotherapy is indicated when rapid recovery is required between exercise bouts, as opposed to after routine training. It is imperative that cryotherapy be applied in abundance within the first few hours of structural damage.
But not only sports medicine is interested in whole-body cryotherapy. For example, the Experimental Gerontology journal issued the study “The improvement of cognitive deficits after whole-body cryotherapy – A randomised controlled trial” in 2021. Conclusions: whole-body cryotherapy may increase the performance of cognitive functions. It seems promising to combine whole-body cryotherapy with existing behavioral and cognitive training in future studies investigating early intervention methods in mild cognitive impairment.
One more – “Use of Cryotherapy for Managing Chronic Pain: An Evidence-Based Narrative” by Pain and Therapy journal. This research was focused on analyzing studies between the years 2000 and 2020 that included the application of cryotherapy in patients with chronic pain associated with chronic diseases. The authors came to the conclusion that local and whole-body cryotherapy can be low-risk and easy treatment options to add to the management of chronic pain of some patients.
What do people say about whole-body cryotherapy in their reviews and testimonials?
On the Internet, you can find numerous whole-body cryotherapy reviews from people who have tried it. Most of them are from professional athletes because they were the first who felt all the benefits of whole-body cryotherapy on themselves.
The Guardian in one of the articles describes the impressions out of full body cryotherapy experience of one of the reporters, and lists the celebrities who use cryotherapy regularly.
Travelbinger blog recently published an honest review of a monthly course of whole-body cryotherapy. The author notes the increased level of energy and back pain relief even after his first session.
Irene Jiang from BusinessInsider spent 3 minutes in a cryosauna and wanted more. She described all the processes and impressions accompanied by photos in her whole-body cryotherapy testimonial article.
Read more reviews on cryotherapy and possibly the best whole body cryotherapy machines here.
Although whole-body cryotherapy provides a great number of benefits, there are few risks and side effects associated with this treatment. They can include decreased heart rate, increased blood pressure, and lowered respiration, burning of the skin or frostbite. You can find the list of all possible whole-body cryotherapy side effects here.
To avoid unwanted consequences you have to consult with a cryo center specialist and study the list of contradictions.
Whole-body cryotherapy risks
Industries where
whole-body cryotherapy is used
Whole-body cryotherapy is currently the most efficient and most comprehensive method of treatment and stimulation by extreme cold. Thanks to its wide spectrum of effects, it is used by medical and rehabilitation facilities in sport, healthcare and beauty areas around the world.
What is whole body cryotherapy?
The definition of whole body cryotherapy is the therapeutic application of extremely cold dry air, usually between −110°C and −180°C. It is used in medical therapy, beauty procedures, healing sports injuries, and others.
According to Wikipedia, cryotherapy, sometimes known as cold therapy, is the local or general use of low temperatures in medical therapy.
Cost & Prices
If you are interested in the cost and prices of whole body cryotherapy, check out the following articles:
- What is the cost of cryotherapy?
- How much does one cryotherapy session cost?
- What is the cost of cryotherapy business?
- How to start cryotherapy business?
- How to calculate the profitability of your cryotherapy business?
- What are the delivery options while buying Cryomed cryosauna?
- What is the cost of cryotherapy technician training?
Whole-body cryotherapy locations
If you are wondering “How to find whole-body cryotherapy near me?” look around and try to find a medical/wellness center or sporting club. Usually cryosaunas you can find there. You have more chances to find whole-body cryotherapy locations in a big city with developed infrastructure.
For example, in New York, most cryo centers are concentrated in Manhattan and they are often located in wellness centers and sporting clubs. Full-body cryotherapy in London you can also find in the middle of the city: in Soho or Westminster districts.
You can also find full-body cryotherapy in a spa or rehabilitation center. For example, the famous thalassotherapy center in France where the movie “Talasso“ was shot, proposes to its clients’ full range of spa procedures, as well as cryotherapy.
Distributors of whole body cryotherapy devices in the USA, Canada, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Romania, Russia, Portugal, Egypt, Israel, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and other countries and cities.
Cryotherapy Map shows cryosauna locations and places where you can try full body cryotherapy near you. If you are interested in finding local suppliers of cryotherapy equipment, please write to our marketing team.
