Cryotherapy, derived from the Greek word “cryo,” meaning cold, is a medical treatment that leverages extreme cold exposure for therapeutic benefits. Originally used in sports medicine for muscle recovery and pain relief, cryotherapy has rapidly expanded its potential health applications. Let’s dive deep into the science behind whole-body cryotherapy.
Historical Context of Cryotherapy
The roots of cryotherapy trace back over 3,000 years to ancient Egyptian medical practices. However, the modern concept of whole-body cryotherapy emerged in Japan during the late 1970s, initially targeting joint pain relief. In the past decade, the treatment has recently gained significant popularity in the United States, with its potential health benefits continually being explored.
Understanding Whole-Body Cryotherapy
Whole Body Cryotherapy involves immersing the body in a specialized chamber that emits vapors at extremely low temperatures, ranging from -110°C to -160°C (approximately -160°F to -220°F). Typically, sessions last between 2 to 4 minutes, with participants wearing minimal protective clothing like underwear, socks, and gloves to safeguard extremities.
Therapeutic Applications & Benefits
Cryotherapy has evolved beyond traditional recovery treatments. Recent scientific studies have confirmed multiple physiological benefits, including:
- Anti-inflammatory effects
- Analgesic (pain-relieving properties)
- Antioxidant response
- Injury & post-exercise recovery support
- Potential muscle mass building
- Weight loss assistance
- Overall wellness enhancement
Cryotherapy: Mimicking Exercise & Metabolic Responses
Cryotherapy interestingly simulates certain exercise-like physiological responses. While biochemical modifications might not always be immediately apparent, clinical outcomes often show significant improvements in:
- Pain reduction
- Muscle soreness
- Stress management
- Post-exercise recovery
Mitochondrial Transformation
A key scientific insight into cryotherapy’s effectiveness relates to mitochondrial health. Mitochondria, often called cell powerhouses, play a crucial role in energy production. Cryotherapy may help convert white fat to metabolically active brown fat, which:
- Contains more mitochondria
- Generates heat more efficiently
- Represents a healthier fat variant
- Potentially supports metabolic health
Brown adipose tissue represents a fascinating metabolic marvel that challenges previous understanding of body fat. Historically, scientists believed brown fat was exclusive to infants, comprising approximately 5% of their total body mass and disappearing in adulthood. Current research reveals a more nuanced understanding: adults also possess brown fat, typically concentrated in small deposits around the shoulders and neck.
How Brown Fat Works: The Heat Generation Process
Brown fat breaks down blood sugar (glucose) and fat molecules to create heat and maintain body temperature. When exposed to extreme cold, our bodies initially respond by shivering—a homeostatic mechanism designed to maintain optimal core body temperatures. However, shivering is thermodynamically inefficient, similar to using a space heater with limited effectiveness.
Cellular Adaptation & Mitochondrial Transformation
With repeated cold exposure, cellular adaptation occurs. The body transitions to a more efficient thermogenesis process, driven by the hormone norepinephrine. This process primarily targets fat tissue, stimulating mitochondrial growth and transforming white fat (with low mitochondria levels) into metabolically active brown fat tissues.
Metabolic Benefits of Brown Fat
Brown fat cells distinguish themselves by burning energy to generate heat, unlike white fat tissues which primarily store energy. Key metabolic advantages include:
- Regulating healthy body weight
- Positively influencing metabolic rate
- Limiting weight gain
- Supporting glucose regulation
- Potentially treating obesity & metabolic disorders
Beige Fat: A Metabolic Ally
Beige fat emerges as a derivative of brown fat, strategically recruited through white fat tissue. This dynamic fat variant plays a crucial role in body heat regulation and metabolic optimization. While brown fat is naturally occurring, beige fat is essentially converted white fat that gains mitochondrial-rich properties.
Beige fat can be used to heat the body and maintain a more active metabolic state. It represents a critical pathway for individuals looking to enhance their metabolic efficiency. Burning fat as a primary metabolic fuel is fundamental to preserving overall health, with cold therapy offering a powerful synergistic approach.
Cold Exposure & Fat Transformation
Exposure to cold temperatures can convert white fat from thighs and belly into calorie-burning beige fat. However, this biological response is less effective in individuals with obesity. Whole-body cryotherapy emerges as a promising intervention to overcome this metabolic limitation.
Cellular Composition & Inflammatory Insights
Brown fat’s unique composition includes iron-rich mitochondria, responsible for its distinctive color. The fat stores energy more compactly compared to white fat. Critically, white fat contains significantly more inflammatory cells, contributing to a process now termed “inflammaging”—where inflammation accelerates aging.
Ongoing research explores innovative approaches to increase brown fat, including cell culturing and transfer techniques. Whole-body cryotherapy presents a potential non-invasive alternative to these complex procedures.
What Are the Effects of Whole-Body Cryotherapy on Muscle Tissue?
Skeletal muscle plays a crucial role in energy regulation and serves as a powerful coordinator of exercise-induced adaptations across multiple organ systems. Through the secretion of myokines—protein hormones with autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine effects—muscle tissue communicates and influences various bodily functions.
Understanding Myokines: Cellular Communication Powerhouses
Myokines are specialized cytokines and small proteins produced and released by skeletal muscle cells during muscular contractions. Unlike traditional therapeutic explanations, understanding the intricate science behind whole-body cryotherapy reveals its profound physiological impacts.
How Whole-Body Cryotherapy Mimics Exercise
Remarkably, whole-body cryotherapy can simulate exercise-like responses in the body, particularly in myokine expression. This groundbreaking insight opens potential therapeutic strategies for:
- Metabolic disease management
- Obesity treatment
- Type 2 diabetes intervention
- Chronic disease prevention
The Exerkine Connection: Beyond Traditional Exercise
A 2020 study highlighted significant myokine changes, particularly in exerkine concentrations. Exerkines—encompassing peptides, nucleic acids, and metabolites—are released during endurance exercise and often transmitted through extracellular vesicles called exosomes.
The study revealed two critical findings in participants undergoing resistance training and cold treatment:
- Decreased Myostatin Levels
- Myostatin inhibits muscle tissue growth
- Whole-body cryotherapy acts as a natural myostatin blocker
- Potential breakthrough for muscle hypertrophy
- Increased IL-15 Concentration
- Supports robust immune system function
- Enhances overall physiological resilience
Irisin: The Metabolic Game-Changer
Irisin emerges as a pivotal myokine that participates in beneficial processes attributed to exercise and muscle contraction. It has wide-ranging benefits:
- Transforms white & visceral fat into brown fat tissue
- Increases thermogenesis & supports weight loss
- Enhances insulin sensitivity
- Improves metabolism across multiple organ systems
- Influences skeletal muscle, bone, pancreas, & liver
Neurological Benefits of Irisin
Research from Massachusetts General Hospital reveals Irisin’s extraordinary neurological potential:
- Protects against neuroinflammation
- Drives cognitive benefits similar to exercise
- Potential anti-aging mechanism
- Reduces risk of neuron degradation
Stopping neuroinflammation, perhaps the biggest killer of brain neurons as we age is paramount and may be one of the most significant anti-aging aspects of whole-body cryotherapy. Reducing inflammation is a central pillar in anti-aging strategies. Whole-body cryotherapy seems to be instrumental in producing Irisin, and thus, its benefits.
Other Significant Benefits of Whole-Body Cryotherapy
- Anti-Inflammatory Response
- Utilizes cold temperatures to reduce inflammation
- Facilitates healing after injury or surgery
- Minimizes post-surgical and post-injury pain
- Norepinephrine Release
- Triggers natural stress hormone production
- Inhibits inflammatory pathways
- Acts as a natural analgesic
- Sends critical signals between nerve cells
- Advanced Inflammatory Protein Activation
- Increases anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-1Ra and IL-10
- Considered “master anti-inflammatory” compounds
- More pronounced effects with repeated treatments
- Longer-lasting inflammatory reduction
- Cellular Protection Mechanisms
- Counteracts exercise-induced oxidative stress
- Reduces reactive oxygen species (free radicals)
- Prevents lipid peroxidation & cell membrane damage
- Shuts down harmful gene expressions
- Mitochondrial Enhancement
- Activates PGC 1α gene
- Stimulates mitochondrial biogenesis
- Improves cellular energy production
- Acts as a “conductor” of cellular metabolism
Cryotherapy & Cold Shock Proteins
Cold exposure triggers a fascinating hormetic response, increasing heat and cold shock proteins. Unique benefits include:
- Proper protein folding within cells
- Potential neurological repair mechanisms
- Gene activation in lipid metabolism
- Promising applications for neurodegenerative disease management
Hormesis: Understanding Cold Therapy’s Delicate Balance
Similar to other stress-response therapies, whole-body cryotherapy operates on the principle of hormesis:
- Beneficial effects from controlled, low-dose exposure
- Stimulates protective cellular mechanisms
- Requires precise temperature & duration management
Optimal Whole-Body Cryotherapy Parameters
While individual needs may vary, research suggests optimal cryotherapy settings:
- Duration: 2-3 minutes
- Temperature Range: -166°F (-110°C) to -211°F (-135°C)
This can change based on one’s body composition and fitness level.
How PUR-FORM Utilizes Whole-Body Cryotherapy
PUR-FORM approaches whole-body cryotherapy like we do with everything else: deeply steeped in science. Our approach distinguishes itself through cutting-edge scientific understanding, particularly in stem cell mobilization. The stress of cold on the body seems to increase the output of Very Small Embryonic-Like Stem Cells (VSELs) from the bone marrow. Unlike most regenerative, multipotent cells, these cells are the body’s emergency stem cell supply. VSELs are pluripotent, meaning they can produce many kinds of cells. With more VSELs in circulation, we can use our proprietary method of activating these cells, thus obtaining better results. We have had many clinical successes with these cells.
Another uniqueness we possess is our knowledge of various pathways in the body. Remember, the organs and cells can be likened to the computer hardware and the pathways as the computer software. We cannot necessarily change the cells and organs, but we can influence the pathways. We have a variety of methods to stimulate these pathways, which leads to an increase in the overall success of whole-body cryotherapy. We will use various methods, including other modalities, such as EBO2, photobiomodulation, HBOT, and other cutting-edge technologies. We will also utilize proprietary supplement regiments, including oral and intravenous approaches.
Key Takeaways: Benefits of Cryotherapy
- Mimics exercise
- Reduces the discomfort in sore & overused muscles while simultaneously increasing repair by stimulating various regenerative pathways
- Reduces inflammation
- Increases the production of brown adipose tissue which may help to reduce weight & insulin sensitivity
- Increases the production of mitochondria in the body (more mitochondria typically means better health, strength, and endurance)
- May help improve muscle growth & hypertrophy by producing myostatin blockers
- Increases the success of Regenerative Medicine modalities such as VSELs
- May lead to significant anti-aging through various methods, such as Irisin production
Please realize that this article is a survey and analysis of the current science of whole-body cryotherapy. The FDA has not evaluated the statements in this article.
-Dr. P
