Does Cold Immersion Therapy Work? Let's Dive In.

Cold plunging is…almost exactly what it sounds like: Immersing your body one way or another in super cold water. Some people do this by hopping in a tub full of ice water, some people take very cold showers, or some people dive into freezing cold lakes.

While a lot of people try to talk about this in very serious ways, calling it “cryotherapy” and extolling its health benefits in every outlet they can find, we were feeling skeptical about it. So we did what we always do – to the research!

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Credits:
Aaron Carroll -- Writer
Tiffany Doherty -- Writer and Script Editor
John Green -- Executive Producer
Stan Muller -- Director, Producer
Mark Olsen – Art Director, Producer

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[karenfry]

I suffer from depression and find a swim in the sea in winter really makes me feel better. When I feel myself slipping I do a swim. I also use a good cycle ride.

[HercadosP]

The least you can do in a paper is not have the authors be the subjects 💀

[j.dietrich]

It's important to note that immersion in cold water carries a risk of immersion pulmonary edema. Exposure to very cold water can have life-threatening consequences, even in healthy young people and even in carefully controlled circumstances.

[danielcisco]

I have severe inflammation in the mornings. So I either start my day with ibuprofen or cold plundge to get rid of the pain. Cold plundge gets rid of my pain immediately.

[TenThumbsProductions]

What is amazing is companies made a ton of money selling people “cold plunge buckets” that are just plastic barrels to put ice and water in

[RemizZ]

I'd put it in the same category as sauna + cold plunge. If anything, it's relaxing and *maybe* there's some meat on the theory that by forcing your body to first relax and then restrict your blood vessels a few times could be benefitial for your cardiovascular health.

[grogblue]

Was curious about the result for athletic performance studies, and was hoping for some detail, but those were glossed over quickly. Chatter among friends seems to be positive for recovery, but skip if you're building strength.

I didn't even realize this was somehow becoming a fad for general health purposes. Seems to be following the same path as other things where they have a benefit in a specific context, but people try to apply them in a general context with a lack of success.

[Tashishi]

I have been curious about this. I've a friend who built himself his own cold immersion tub and uses it every morning. He swears by it - says it's helped a lot of his inflammation issues and some other things since he started using it daily and he feels great after. I haven't seen any real studies on it, though, so it's nice to know that it's not because my google skills failed me :D
I hope some real studies get done on it. It would be interesting to know if there are real benefits/harms to it.

[mrdrprof]

So I've been doing this since I was a kid. Not for health mind you but just cause I find it exhilarating. Still one of my favorite feelings ever was being in a mountain hot springs in the winter an diving into the frozen river next to it.

[jamesstrom]

there are definite quick adaptations. when you first start cold immersion, it’s difficult. in a week, it gets tolerable, and in a few months it takes much linger to get the shivers. supposedly, the cold causes white fat cells to transform to brown fat cells, which can provide energy from stored fat very quickly.

[cccircuit]

Cold emersion is good for mindset - yes you can walk through that 20 degree water.

And there are major drawbacks, like hypothermia.

I doubt there is much other benefit though if there is I would suspect it has to do with homeostasis of a body that routinely exercises in above 80 degree Fahrenheit conditions.

[FriendlyHugo]

I'd love to see a direct discussion between Dr Aaron Carroll and Dr Andrew Huberman. Having recently discovered the Huberman Labs podcast, I've already picked up a pro-cold-immersion view from Huberman (neuroscientist). I still need to go deeper - I listened to his first Dopamine-focused episode, not yet to any cold-immersion focused episode. I'd like to see how their views on "the data" contrasts - I can speculate the ways in which what Huberman is excited about, might not meet Healthcare Triage's requirements... but I'd like some actual insights into these differences, not just my speculations! 😊

[Tetratronic]

Would be nice if Andrew Huberman would address these criticisms, because his claims are always so grandiose.

[markplain]

I'm sorry, I just found myself in tears of laughter. Can you imagine throwing a lab rat into freezing water and the poor rat coming out thinking to itself, "WTF!!! can't you just give me drugs like control Group 2?? What is wrong with you humans, you are F$#@ sadists. Do you have any idea how terrible this feels. Please send me to the cosmetic testing group, somebody please turn on a hairdryer or something...."

[kristensorensen]

We used to have cold plunge at the European Health Spa in the 70s through the 80s I used it whenever I went there at least 3 to 4 times every week.
It was a great way to cool off and pump up the endorphins! Exercise on a regular schedule is more important for staying healthy than any fad.

[JaredisSword]

I wish you could’ve addressed the Soeberg study.

[BrianBest]

Throwing some cold water on cold immersion 😉

[amaraojiji]

I really want to see a proper study on mid term immune response after cold plunging. I was cured out of chronic respiratory deseases (~1.5 years of almost endless colds, hospitalizations, etc) by cold plunging when I was 5 yo. It is anectotical, but I saw my medical records, they was like 100+ pages per year and then suddenly dropped to 10-15. I understand that it's not a data, so I really want to see a simple study: weekly cold plunges for a year, control group with 26 °C, number of colds and flu in the year of study and ~3 month later. Shouldn't be too hard to conduct with proper volunteering. Can't make it blind, although.

[victorialynnstruble]

I grew up in one of the northernmost parts of The American mainland, Now I live in one of the southernmost parts. I take cold showers because it's hot and it reminds me of home and while I feel it's good for me spiritually, I don't think it has any health benefits outside of preventing heat exhausted

[mariposahorribilis]

On the same day that you released this the inquest on Nicola Bulley concluded in the UK. She did not have any organic disease and was of elderly. She died - almost immediately - when she fell into a river whose water was estimated to have a temperature of about 3C. So I am not even a tiny bit tempted to try this!