Uploaded March 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Most research on cold plunge therapy is done on young, healthy men. A specific population whose results from cold exposure I would NOT extrapolate to most women, people with compromised immune systems or chronic illness, those above age 60/70, etc.
There isn’t any research that answers questions like: what are the LONG TERM health impacts of cold exposure on the body? What happens to the health markers of people 5, 10, 20 years after regular exposure to ice baths?
Would research validate what we’ve long known in TCM - that cold exposure negatively impacts the menstrual cycle and hormonal health in menstruating women?
Would the shock of cold exposure to the point of shivering negatively impact those with weaker constitutions?
How would cold exposure therapy impact menopausal women or men older than 40, 50 years of age?
While the stress of cold exposure creates a hormetic response that mobilizes the immune system, dopamine, etc….what is the cost to the body for calling on this survival response on a regular basis?
Of course, spending 60sec running cold water on yourself after a hot shower is very different than forcing yourself into a 40 degree ice bath for 5 minutes until the point of shivering. There are degrees of cold exposure therapy that I think are more reasonable and possibly beneficial to health *depending on your individual constitution*.
I would recommend it only after heat exposure from sauna or hot shower. And I would start with cool, not ice cold water. You also don’t need to immerse yourself for the length of time young, healthy men do to the point of shivering.
Remember there is such a thing as bio-individuality - an important consideration in TCM practice that most healthcare research doesn’t account or measure for.
#Lanshin #coldplunge #sauna #huberman #TCM #ChineseMedicine #tcmtips
Most research on cold plunge therapy is done on young, healthy men. A specific population whose results from cold exposure I would NOT extrapolate to most women, people with compromised immune systems or chronic illness, those above age 60/70, etc.
There isn’t any research that answers questions like: what are the LONG TERM health impacts of cold exposure on the body? What happens to the health markers of people 5, 10, 20 years after regular exposure to ice baths?
Would research validate what we’ve long known in TCM - that cold exposure negatively impacts the menstrual cycle and hormonal health in menstruating women?
Would the shock of cold exposure to the point of shivering negatively impact those with weaker constitutions?
How would cold exposure therapy impact menopausal women or men older than 40, 50 years of age?
While the stress of cold exposure creates a hormetic response that mobilizes the immune system, dopamine, etc….what is the cost to the body for calling on this survival response on a regular basis?
Of course, spending 60sec running cold water on yourself after a hot shower is very different than forcing yourself into a 40 degree ice bath for 5 minutes until the point of shivering. There are degrees of cold exposure therapy that I think are more reasonable and possibly beneficial to health *depending on your individual constitution*.
I would recommend it only after heat exposure from sauna or hot shower. And I would start with cool, not ice cold water. You also don’t need to immerse yourself for the length of time young, healthy men do to the point of shivering.
Remember there is such a thing as bio-individuality - an important consideration in TCM practice that most healthcare research doesn’t account or measure for.
#Lanshin #coldplunge #sauna #huberman #TCM #ChineseMedicine #tcmtips
