Review Whole-body cryotherapy as a treatment for chronic medical conditions? 2023 Tabisz et al

Introduction
Whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) is a controlled exposure of the whole body to cold to gain health benefits. In recent years, data on potential applications of WBC in multiple clinical settings have emerged.

Sources of data
PubMed, EBSCO and Clinical Key search using keywords including terms ‘whole body’, ‘cryotherapy’ and ‘cryostimulation’.

Areas of agreement
WBC could be applied as adjuvant therapy in multiple conditions involving chronic inflammation because of its potent anti-inflammatory effects. Those might include systemic inflammation as in rheumatoid arthritis. In addition, WBC could serve as adjuvant therapy for chronic inflammation in some patients with obesity.

Areas of controversy
WBC probably might be applied as an adjuvant treatment in patients with chronic brain disorders including mild cognitive impairment and general anxiety disorder and in patients with depressive episodes and neuroinflammation reduction as in multiple sclerosis. WBC effects in metabolic disorder treatment are yet to be determined. WBC presumably exerts pleiotropic effects and therefore might serve as adjuvant therapy in multi-systemic disorders, including myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

Growing points
The quality of studies on the effects of WBC in the clinical setting is in general low; hence, randomized controlled trials with adequate sample size and longer follow-up periods are needed.

Areas are timely for developing research
Further studies should examine the mechanism underlying the clinical efficacy of WBC. Multiple conditions might involve chronic inflammation, which in turn could be a potential target of WBC. Further research on the application of WBC in neurodegenerative disorders, neuropsychiatric disorders and ME/CFS should be conducted.

Paywall, https://academic.oup.com/bmb/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/bmb/ldad007/7160593

 

Hmm I can't get past the story of Linda Evangelista albeit cyrotherapy for fat reduction rather than inflammation or here the other suggestions being neuro it seems there is risk of it backfiring which was apparently rare but how do we know. As it is paywalled I can't even tell if these are commercial studies underneath etc.

It might sound naive but the idea of extreme cold really isn't something I'd keen on given the temperature reactions I have in my extremities, and although I know some who really seem to be up for and into the idea of cold water swimming, and I'd be the type to give something a go if it seemed to have logic given knowledge of how my body reacts to things, that one just doesn't seem like soemthing that wouldn't be a bad idea for me. I know throughout my history getting chilled on a day or night situation has had terrible effects on my health.

So I'd really want to know this wasn't going to be slotted under 'non-pharmacological' as really I'd be more concerned about the side-effects and yellow-card stuff than the positives. And I think it is only fair people would be getting mroe info about the risks in a really certain way before they rolled the dice thinking benefits might be worth it, and probably a t a level which is more broken down by patient type. eg what about those who have Raynaulds or cold extremities anyway vs the others, or other types of symptoms profiles.

I also don't get why it needs to be cryo - if it is about knocking back the immune system there are other ways if it is about inflammation then what is special about this technique? I mean I'm intrigued because I know getting frozen even just for a short time has such a massive impact on my health it does something to the body - and if this is talking about 'adjuvant' I'm trying to imagine what the combo could be, but I'm feeling really cautious about what this could lead to and whether it would be done at a medical and forensic enough level?