What is whole body cryotherapy?
Whole body cryotherapy (WBC) is a fast and healthy process that accelerates the body’s natural recovery while improving the overall well-being. Cryotherapy is a completely dry, non-invasive, hyper-cooling process that lowers a person’s skin temperature to 1°C – 12°C during a session of up to 180 seconds. While inside the cryosauna, the body is enveloped by a mixture of nitrogen vapors and air pulsating at a temperature of -150°C – -180°C
How cryotherapy works
WBC uses extreme cold to induce responses from five of the bodies main regulatory systems
- The circulatory system
- The nervous system
- The endocrine system
- The muscular system
- The renal system
WBC activates the temperature receptors on your skin to send signals to the brain (nervous system) that you are being exposed to freezing temperatures.
Surface skin temperature drops approximately 30 degrees in under a minute which causes your body to temporarily stop trying to regulate external temperature and instead focus on internal warmth to protect itself from the cold. Your circulatory system starts to send blood to the core.
During this process the blood is sent through the liver and kidneys (renal system) which starts detoxification.
The endocrine system releases endorphins which raise the antioxidant capacity of the blood which assist collagen and connective tissue growth (muscular system) all while increasing your metabolism.
What are the benefits of cryotherapy?
- Increased energy and peak athletic performance
- Increases collagen and antioxidant synthesis
- Improves muscle strength and joint function
- Decreases injury recovery time
- Decreases fatigue and improves immune system
- Decreases muscle soreness, pain and inflammation
- Boosts lymph draining and blood circulation
- Reduces delayed on-set muscle soreness (DOMS)
- Alleviates symptoms of chronic conditions: Rheumatoid arthritis, Osteoarthritis, Fibromyalgia, Multiple Sclerosis, Autoimmune disorders, Ankylosing spondylitis, Ankylosing spondylosis, Psoriasis, Psoriatic arthritis, Dermatitis, Osteoporosis
Recommended treatments
Depending on the reason for treatment, it is usually recommended that a client initially engages in 10 to 20 treatments separated by 1 to 3 days to maximize results. Afterwards a client should maintain frequent visits to improve on their results.
What to expect
Prior to your session you will remove all jewelry and piercings and dress down to your underwear. Women may wear a sports bra that does not contain metal. Staff will provide you with a robe, dry socks and gloves then you will enter the cryosauna to begin treatment.
Your privacy is important to us and we ask that robes only be removed once you are in the cryosauna and the door is shut.
Once your protective wear is on and you are ready to start the session the operating technician will start the nitrogen gas which will maintain an operating temperature of -150°C – -180°C. Treatment times range from 30 seconds to 3 minutes.
Your head will remain out of the cryosauna exposed to room temperature as well as visible to the operating technician. The cryosauna is equipped with emergency shut off buttons inside and out.
Despite the extremely low temperatures – This treatment is very safe. The nitrogen being used to cool the sauna is the same that makes up 78% of the air we breathe.
Post treatment light exercise is recommended for 3 to 10 minutes to stabilize the body’s temperature and promote vasodilation.
What to avoid after treatment
- You should minimize alcohol consumption for several hours following treatmentRisks of whole body cryotherapy
Generally speaking whole body cryotherapy is very well tolerated and has minimal risks. However some people have the potential to experience:
- Congestive heart failure
- Fluctuation in blood pressure
- Allergic reaction to extreme cold
- Anxiety
WBC Contraindications
- Untreated/Severe hypertension
- Heart attack within past 6 months
- Cardiovascular and Respiratory diseases
- Congestive heart failure
- Heart disease
- Cardiac stent
- Unstable angina
- Arrhythmia
- Pacemaker
- Peripheral artery disease
- Deep vein thrombosis
- Acute kidney and urinary tract diseases
- Severe Anemia
- Vasculitis
Do not use WBC if you have the following conditions:
- Cold allergenic phenomenon
- Bleeding or clotting disorders
- Symptomatic lung disorders
- Seizure disorders
- Bacterial and viral infections of the skin
- Wound healing disorders (With open sores or wounds)
- Alcohol and drug related contraindications
- COPD
- Chronic liver disease
- Raynaud’s disease
- Polyneuropathies
- Pregnancy or breast feeding
- Claustrophobia
- Hyperhidrosis
- Severe diabetes
- Inserted aneurysm clips
- Fever, cold allergy, or infections