Cold water therapy, the practice of experiencing sharp jolts of cold water to the body, is a little to unknown alternative method of enhancing many elements of both physical and mental health. It can improve a great number of bodily ailments, such as muscle and joint pain, immune deficiency and blood circulation, and can even help combat fatigue and depression.
Physical Effects
Cold water therapy has many health benefits for the body, and research has proven its positive effect on immunity. Studies have shown the activity of peripheral cytotoxic T lymphocytes in people more regularly exposed to cold water have stronger, better working immune systems than others. The therapy also can aid people who suffer from chronic heart failure, chronic fatigue syndrome and some forms of non-lymphoid cancer. By directly exposing the body to natural stress such as cold water, other health benefits can be achieved, including increased blood flow, and a decrease in pain and inflammation.
Mental Effects
Cold water therapy was said to have been practiced by medieval knights and martial arts masters and even in various ancient religious traditions to not only cleanse and rejuvenate the body but to heal the mind and spirit in a way to become more at one with nature.
Today, mental health experts claim cold water therapy can benefit our minds by interrupting certain patterns we grow accustomed to, otherwise known as Neuro Linguistic Programming. It promotes instant high-energy levels and releases endorphins, effectively brightening mood. Just as it can help with fatigue, cold water therapy also can help with depression, because the two tend to be linked.
Methods
A few different methods can be practiced to achieve cold water therapy's effects easily. One way is to place bare feet on a cold surface, and if you live up north, even in snow. Also, rubbing your skin with snow can be a good way to achieve these effects. Another is to take a deep breath, arch backward, hold your breath, then slowly and methodically pour a bucket of ice-cold water over your head. Cold air chambers, or cryotherapy, have proven to speed up the metabolic rate very quickly. Cold showers of around 20 degrees or colder are the most practical and accessible option. Simply taking cold showers once in a while, however, will not achieve as powerful results as more extreme measures mentioned, such as standing barefoot in snow.
Tags: water therapy, cold water, Cold water therapy, cold water therapy, cold water