7 therapeutic uses of cold to relieve pain and revitalize the body

Humans we generally have excessive prevention and of ancestral origin facing the cold

Surely thousands of years ago it was not strange to freeze to death and that is why now, when temperatures drop, we wrap up more than necessary and put on the heating at temperatures that artificially maintain an almost summer climate in the house itself.

The cold’s notoriety can make it hard to believe that the body is capable of very briefly withstanding ambient temperatures of up to one hundred degrees below zero and that the same cold can be used to treat chronic diseases such as fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis or arthritis.

Many people fear the cold due to lack of adaptation or the prejudice that it must be avoided, but in reasonable doses it can be therapeutic.

The rejection of the cold is something quite general, but sometimes it can be a symptom that something is not right.

For example, there are very thin people who are unable to keep warm because they have very little body fat (this has an insulating function). Others may suffer metabolic disturbance.

Disorders such as anemia, anorexia nervosa, Raynaud’s syndrome, vein problems, hypothyroidism or certain alterations in the hypothalamus they can cause an exaggerated aversion to cold.

So much caution can make us lose sight of the fact that in healthy people cold is just a feelingthat well managed works like a body stimulant.

What’s more, it is convenient to occasionally get used to low temperatures and do it without fear, even enjoying it. The cold, in fact, It has its role in strengthening and health. The cold water, the sun and the races through the sand help in cases of stress, discouragement or insomnia.

Beyond its health benefits, conquering the cold, losing fear of it, seems essential to have a complete and rewarding experience of life.

After all, we must know that the life within us will always generate enough heat to keep the cold at bay. Emulating Descartes, we could well say “I feel the cold, therefore I am”.

Cold benefits health… in moderate doses

Of course, you should not go to the extreme of shivering. In reasonable doses, the environmental cold already produces positive effects on the body as a result of the effort that he must make to adapt to the situation.

First, the small blood vessels in the skin are constricted, especially in the arms and legs, and the blood, with its heat, is directed to the muscles and internal organs. Consequently, they receive a greater amount of nutrients and oxygen.

However, when you remain exposed to severe cold for too long, you cause a drop in internal temperature that can have very serious consequences if the body fails to stay above 35 degrees.

When the cold enters the body can cause a vasospasm, that is, a contraction of the muscle that surrounds an artery or an organ. If it occurs around the artery that feeds the myocardium, fatal cardiac arrest can occur.

but this is something that only has to worry those who are in extreme circumstancessuch as climbers, divers, those who work in cold rooms or homeless people during frost.

A long series of effects related to cold can be enumerated, such as the reduction of the heart rate, the stimulation of the secretion of gastric juices or of the intestinal movements.

The cold that cures: cold-based therapies

Cold has other effects that can be used therapeutically. One of the best known is his ability to inhibit pain.

A study carried out by Susan Fleetwood-Waler and Rory Mitchell from the University of Edinburgh (Scotland) has shown that the therapeutic application of cold can stimulate the nervous system and relieve intense chronic discomfort.

In their trials, these scientists discovered that applying intense cold in small doses to the skin produced a strong calming effect. thanks to the activation of a protein found in nerve cells.

This therapy could be applied in the future to millions of people who don’t respond to pain-relieving drugs or who have too many side effects.

But the use of cold as a therapeutic technique is nothing new. There is evidence that the Egyptians resorted to water at low temperatures to cure diseases and ailments.

The modern rediscovery of the healing power of cold water is the work, in the 19th century, of the German monk Sebastian Kneipp, pioneer of hydrotherapy and techniques such as cold water jets on different parts of the body or walking barefoot on the spray.

The goal of these treatmentsthanks to which Kneipp himself was cured of tuberculosis, was cause a reaction in the body of the sick.

On the other hand, it belongs to the popular culture that swelling from bruises is reduced by applying an ice pack in the affected area or hemorrhoids are relieved with cold water.

Intense cold has several therapeutic effects, including anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antispasmodic, and can be used to treat edema, vomiting, muscle tears, joint pain, or peripheral vascular disorders.

exist multiple cryotherapeutic techniques (from the Greek krios, cold) to apply the cold, more or less complex and intense. Of course: not all people can benefit from cryotherapy, as it is contraindicated in diabetics, patients with Raynaud’s syndrome, hypersensitivity to cold, kidney disease or severe cardiovascular pathology.

On the other hand, you have to face the experience with optimism and confidence, without fear. If the predisposition is bad, we will surely do things wrong and start to shiver.

If walking or running in the open air, or receiving a geothermal therapy session, are within the reach of almost everyone, other practices are indicated for the most daring. In fact, a mentalization is necessary.

It can be stated that who knows or learns to react to cold can also do so in other stressful situations that life presents.

1. Geothermal therapy

An option suitable for all sensitivities, and that does not require great daring, is geothermal therapy. This is called a massage performed with hot and cold stones, often accompanied by essential oils, colors and sounds, whose main objective is to reduce stress and hyperactivity of the nervous system. It is also useful for relieving back pain.

The flat, polished and cold stones (at about 4ºC), which are applied after the hot onesproduce a vasoconstriction and a inhibition of pain signals.

In addition, the calm and stimulating environment in which it is applied massage promotes relaxation and a connection between mind and body that can trigger the body’s self-healing mechanisms.

Therapists also use alternating hot and cold stones to stimulate the energy channels described by traditional Chinese medicinetreating in this way the imbalances that the patient shows.

2. Cooling down after the sauna

the sauna It is an ancient technique of Nordic origin, the people who logically know the most about the cold. Consists in successively subjected to very high and very low temperatures.

The cooling or refreshing phase follows the application of dry heat in the sauna itself. It can be done in several ways. One of them is stay in a room with fresh air or outdoors (and nudes) for 8 to 12 minutes and then receive a >shower or immersion in cold water for just a few seconds. Then it rests for about 15 minutes.

The goal of cooling down in the sauna is for the body to return to normal temperature after having “overheated” it.

After exposure to heat the skin can reach up to 40ºC. With cooling and rest, the temperature drops rapidly and in about 20 minutes it returns to normal values.

If done right, cooling does not cause any exaggerated drop in body temperature, but does produces a series of effects in the body.

Blood pressure rises sharply, both systolic and diastolic, and can reach figures of 130 (13) low and 200 (20) high. The climb lasts only two minutes after which it returns to normal.Respiratory rate also decreases with an increase in the volume of air that goes in and out with each breath.The heart rate drops.

These effects are more acute when the cooling is carried out by means of a bath, especially if it includes the head. But you have to keep in mind that the stimulus, adequate for healthy people, may be excessive for a person with a weakened heart.

3. Massages and cold baths

They are another option to come into controlled contact with the cold.

there is a localized physiotherapeutic massage technique with ice that lasts between 10 and 15 minutes and that it is indicated for the recovery of the muscles of the legs, back and joints in general. cold arm bathsfor his part, activate local blood supply and exert a general sedative effect about the organism.the ones with feet are indicated in cases of congestions of the head, fatigue of the lower extremities and constipation.The Sitz baths (in the lower abdomen, genitals and buttocks) are used to improve the hemorrhoidshe chronic constipation or the insomnia.In the contrast baths immersions in hot water and cold water alternate, and are the most appropriate therapy to treat inflammations and edemas of lower extremities. They are also indicated in cases of congestion, headaches and nervousness.

4. Dip in the sea

We have all seen the typical image of Nordics or Russians who they get into a hole in the ice and smile as if they were in a Caribbean jacuzzi. Enjoying these stimuli is undoubtedly more affordable in our environment.

On the Cantabrian and Mediterranean beaches it is common to see people taking brief baths in the cold months.

In Barcelona, ​​the World Association of Winter Bathers It brings together several hundred people who dive into beaches and rivers in the cold months, essentially to boost their health and for the pleasure it provides.

They ensure that the first dive is challenging, but that they leave euphoric, proud of themselves. Many do not take long to get used to it, because with each bath -they say- they reduce the chances of falling ill and gain strength and optimism.

5. Cold cabins

In these specialized booths, a three-minute exposure to drafts that reach a temperature of between 115 and 140 degrees lowzero.

It’s hard to imagine what it’s like in such an environment, considering that inside a food freezer the temperature is about 20 degrees below zero.

6. Hydrotherapy

The cold hydrotherapy techniques are part of the treatments are performed in spas and spas. Depending on the problem, jets of cold water, ice packs, compresses, cold and contrast baths (hot and cold) and wraps are applied.

7. Cryotherapy…