Paleo Diet: Raw Paleo Diet and Lifestyle Forum
Raw Paleo Diet Forums => Exercise / Bodybuilding => Topic started by: TylerDurden on February 03, 2010, 06:28:19 pm
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Here's an article on cold-water therapy which is very palaeo :-
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/43477/cold_water_therapy_cold_showers_arent.html
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Yeah!
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interesting article
however i am so paleo i cannot imagine showering daily, or more then once a week
do you think those that spend time being cold, or exposed to the elements each day reap the same benefits besides circulatory?
also it suggested to have the cold water run over the top of the head...thats probably the only thing i dont agree with, i think the face, neck, back etc is fine but for whatever reason feel the top of the head should have minimal exposure(brain freeze?)
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interesting article
however i am so paleo i cannot imagine showering daily, or more then once a week
do you think those that spend time being cold, or exposed to the elements each day reap the same benefits besides circulatory?
also it suggested to have the cold water run over the top of the head...thats probably the only thing i dont agree with, i think the face, neck, back etc is fine but for whatever reason feel the top of the head should have minimal exposure(brain freeze?)
Interesting. However, not all things paleo are good, any more than all things natural are good (remember that poison berries, uranium, and man-eating beasts are natural, too).
Also remember that humans originate from warm, water rich climes. Getting wet a lot is part of our human heritage.
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Did this today.
Exercised hardcore for 90 minutes. Endorphine high right there. Then I took a steam and meditated inside the steam for 15 minutes. Then an icy shower afterwards.
It was so cold that I could feel my hair was super stiff like it was frozen.
Once I got outside it was like I had taken an ecstasy pill, felt great.
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I spent two months in Norway and loved the sauna then freezing shower repeat. Felt stoned!
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interesting article
however i am so paleo i cannot imagine showering daily, or more then once a week
do you think those that spend time being cold, or exposed to the elements each day reap the same benefits besides circulatory?
also it suggested to have the cold water run over the top of the head...thats probably the only thing i dont agree with, i think the face, neck, back etc is fine but for whatever reason feel the top of the head should have minimal exposure(brain freeze?)
On a warm summer day in the Yukon, I thought to wash my head in the Tatsenshini river within sight of the glacier whence it comes.
You might duplicate this experiment by dunking your head in a bucket of ice water. Not recommended.
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yeah i probably wont be trying that experiment...i even renig what i said about the neck..just to keep these from being as submerged not totally out but just not as intense.
i do think hot and cold water therapy is super powerful though, when i used to have access to a sauna at the gym i would do 30 minutes hot then a two minute cold shower and then repeat a few times after exercising....totally intoxicating just as wogdina and forthehunt experienced! it made me feel imperviously warm even in freezing temps and made my skin extremely smooth and free of blemishes
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Those showers were seriously freezing and I would stay in the sauna until it was unbearable.
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Yes, I've done that sauna-then-cold shower thing. Unfortunately, I got so addicted to the sauna that I didn't do as much exercise as I should have done at the gym.
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Just fill up a clean garbage can with ice and water and jump in after an intense workout session. I have seen this done, but have not got up the nerve to do it myself yet. Those who do it swear by it. They say it really helps with recovery. Maybe I get some of the other guys at the CrossFit facility talked into this, but I don't think I have the nerve to do this on my own. Burrrrrr!
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Just fill up a clean garbage can with ice and water and jump in after an intense workout session. I have seen this done, but have not got up the nerve to do it myself yet. Those who do it swear by it. They say it really helps with recovery. Maybe I get some of the other guys at the CrossFit facility talked into this, but I don't think I have the nerve to do this on my own. Burrrrrr!
For sixteen years I like ice on my legs. Took a cold bath today, but no ice added. This garbage can thing sounds like an idea!
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This isn't shower therapy per se, but for the last few years I've started swimming earlier and earlier in Lake Champlain, in northern Vermont, which is a reasonably short walk from my house.
This year I jumped in April 2. According to NOAA, the water temperature was 38 F (4 C). The water was so cold it hurt my skin when I jumped in, but after ten seconds or so that passed and I swam until i started to shiver (which admittedly only took a minute or so). I swam earlier this evening and the water temp has risen to 56 F (13 C) and could stay in for about ten minutes, although I was the only one at the crowded beach that was in the water at the time, and people were looking at me funny...
I think the coldest water I've swam in was about 34 F (1 C). It was in the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming. It was a warm day in late May but there was still a fair amount of snow on the ground, and i found a deep pool while hiking and fishing and decided to strip down and jump in. COLD! I stayed in for less than a minute before i had to jump out and dry off, and even made a little fire to make some tea so i could regain my body temperature. After i felt good again i fished in the pool and caught two brook trout. I've never tasted fish that were so sweet and fresh! Didn't eat them raw, though. This was a few years ago, before I got into the raw paleo thing.
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I swim for an hour in a cold pool once a week. I also do a one hour very intense hot sweaty workout. Very good for the skin. My body adjusts quickly to temperature extremes even without clothes. Very Paleo.
Once I read an article about European explorers seeing indigenous people well adapted to very cold conditions naked. The missionaries forced them to wear clothes. The clothes stayed wet in the elements which made the natives sick and contributed to their extinction.
In the U.S. pacific northwest the native american men would sleep outside nude in all weather conditions using logs as pillows. Real men.
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nature, are you practicing paleo or primal diet? Are you still doing water therapy? If so, how often?
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Interesting. However, not all things paleo are good, any more than all things natural are good (remember that poison berries, uranium, and man-eating beasts are natural, too).
Also remember that humans originate from warm, water rich climes. Getting wet a lot is part of our human heritage.
The article made me imagine ice age humans fishing with spears in ice cold rivers and streams.
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I'd suggest you be careful with these cold showers. It's something I started practicing 5-6 years ago, after a couple of months (maybe half a year) my immune system started going crazy, and it still is. After taking a shower, swimming, or even sweating a bit from exercise my immune system overreacts and I'm all with runny nose, sneezing and tearing eyes, like I'm having some allergy reaction. So be careful and don't overdo it.
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I believe in cold water therapy. I put my child on more cold water shower then warm water. Also it is proven that people in villages in Asia usually have lean body and live longer , 'cause they swim in cold water all year round. much more advantages...
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Eating a good diet with lots of raw saturated fats I love cold water. Otherwise I had a hard time with cold water.
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I've done contrast baths, meaning alternating between extremely cold and as hot as your skin can endure. I don't do it in the winter as it's cold enough in my apartment :). I sometimes do it for my forearms and hands though.
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Tonight I was feeling a bit more chilly than usual. I put my feet in the cold river until they got really cold, then took them out and within a few minutes I was feeling warmer than I did before the cold foot bath.
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I've been adapting to the cold all winter putting my hands and feet in the snow. Then I progressed to very cool showers. Then cold showers for longer intervals. I was past 20 min in cold shower so I decided to try a cold bath again. (1ft cold bath was extremely short and unpleasant). Yesterday I took a 2O min cold tub. No ice just from the tap. It was tough for the first 2-3 min but it was fine after that. I fooled on my belly and dunked my face lots. I dunked my head on back. The water felt cool not cold any more so I added more cold water. I did notice it was colder, but. Of unPleasant. Another big change is that my feet and hands stayed flexible. If I can improve anybody can. I really love it though. Not just for health goals, but I appreciated the cold experience itself.
It has been warmer here 65F and I've been wearing shorts and tanks to keep cooler. The wind is still hard to take. I still shiver. I like shivering more it is part of the adaptation.
My BS aren't better and I'm still carb hungry, but I hope those improve with time.
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I live in Vermont and swim in Lake Champlain all year long provided I can find open water. This year it was easy, I only had one day when my attempt at going for a swim was thwarted by ice. Just this past Sunday my partner and I walked to the beach, and she watched me dive in for a few minutes while she rested on the beach. The water temperature was still cold (33 degrees Fahrenheit), but I'm used to it enough now that I don't even have a shock response when I first get in. I swam around for a few minutes before getting out.
My experience post-immersion is much like Phil's. The air temperature was probably 40 degrees on Sunday down by the lake, but after getting out of the water I was able to comfortably rest on the beach wearing nothing but my Speedos while I air dried. My partner was stunned that I was able to do this, as she was wearing quite a few layers, but I explained that after immersion in cold water I always feel very warm.
Since I started cold-water swimming a few years back, I've noticed that I rarely get sick. And this winter when I swam about once a week I never even had a hint of a cold, or any cold-like symptoms at all. I think there are a wealth of immune benefits to cold water swimming.
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Very motivating. Thanks Eric.
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Not just for health goals, but I appreciated the cold experience itself.
Wim Hof reported the same thing, and I've experienced it a bit too. The first time I noticed it was after I had gone zero carb and was eating lots of animal fat, which was warming me much more than I had been in decades, and on a cold day in which I didn't have gloves, I noticed that the "pain" on my hands from the cold was paradoxically pleasant, so that I left my hands exposed and enjoyed it, whereas in prior years I would have pushed my hands as deeply into my pockets as I could manage.
The wind is still hard to take. I still shiver.
I've noticed that too--I haven't adapted as much to cold wind as to cold temperature. I think it's in part because the wind is so rapidly variable, so that the body doesn't have time to adapt, whereas one has weeks and months to adapt to the relatively consistent cold temps of winter.
My BS aren't better and I'm still carb hungry, but I hope those improve with time.
That has been one of the slower metrics to respond to healthy diet and lifestyle for me too.
Since I started cold-water swimming a few years back, I've noticed that I rarely get sick. And this winter when I swam about once a week I never even had a hint of a cold, or any cold-like symptoms at all. I think there are a wealth of immune benefits to cold water swimming.
Yeah, I suspect that Todd Becker and Stephan Guyenet are correct that it's a hormetic effect. You're way more advanced with the cold than me. Quite impressive. I think it's a sign of good health when one can withstand temperature extremes on both ends of the spectrum, long spells without food, water or sleep, extraordinarily long runs (a la the Tarahumara), etc.
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It hadn't occurred to me to mention this, but in addition to cold-water swimming, I also attend sweat lodges on a fairly regular basis so I expose myself to both extremes of cold and heat. I suspect they work together to give me the good health I enjoy, along with a clean, largely un-processed diet.
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I like hot and cold too. I want to heal desperately but not just for any life. I want to be free of the medicintowns to be safe and comfortable in nature in all climates. They all attract me. I like when the are in flux.
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I do this the sauna lowers your blood sugar and the cold shower is great for the blood pressure. Best adjust slowly otherwise you could faint.
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Hi Bish
How do you know about sauna lowering BS? Did you read it, or is it your experience? If it is from your experience, did you happen to test your bs or did you get hungry? Please say more.
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It wouldn't surprise me if a sauna lowers BS. Carbs are much more plentiful in warmer climates, and generally ideal foods to eat in a particular environment are easier to find in that environment. Therefore, you'd think heat and carbs would be compatible.
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Thanks for sharing your experiences Eric, they are so impressive. I'm inspired by them. Hope I can get to your level some day. Adora and PaleoPhil, it's also really inspiring to read your stories, as your experiences seem to parallel mine as we're all trying to adapt to extreme heat and, especially, cold. I've just been taking cold showers every day since January. In January I could get the temperature down to about 40F (8C) but now with the weather getting warmer it will not come out any colder than 45F (12 - 13C). I haven't tried cold baths yet. Are baths a more advanced technique? Obviously baths are more similar to immersion in an open body of water, which is the ultimate goal for which I'm training.
I just moved to London and there are lots of open air swimming pools here (called lidos by the British). I don't think they are chlorinated, but could be wrong. Most close over the winter period but I've found one that stays open all year long and I intend on swimming there next winter.
My adaptation to the cold is progressing well. I now think nothing of cold showers. I don't start with warm either like I used to, I just jump right into the full cold shower. Usually shower for just about 5 - 7 mins as I don't actually have much to do in the shower since I stopped using shampoo :) May need to start staying in for longer just for the sake of increasing my adaptation to the cold, although maybe taking cold baths will be enough.
I worry a little about the chemicals in the tap water, but I'm glad that the cold water means my pores are closed so I'm probably not absorbing much of the bad stuff. I'm looking into buying a filter for the shower head.
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I investigated that a bit and found people recommending vitamin C filters.
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I'm going to start trying this! I have always done the hot/cold mix up when my body is sore post work out, which really does make a big difference for me. I also struggle with migraines, and love taking a cold shower to help relieve the pain there..
For the next week I will work on starting my day with a cold shower and see if it helps with my energy first thing. Great article, thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences, very motivating!
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Hi Bish
How do you know about sauna lowering BS? Did you read it, or is it your experience? If it is from your experience, did you happen to test your bs or did you get hungry? Please say more.
Realise this may be a bit late but its not just experience but from reading about it on the web you should google it. The best combo would be a hot sauna followed by a cold bath/shower as sauna lowers blood sugar and raises blood pressure a cold shower/bath drops blood pressure and gives a quick spike of blood pressure.
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Just wanted to be sure everyone saw this:
Getting children's health stronger - Siberian style! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5ihMP-I3l8#)
It's Siberian children cold tempering themselves to dramatically reduce illness. Here's the write up:
http://siberiantimes.com/healthandlifestyle/others/news/like-ducks-to-water-in-the-snow-keeping-kids-healthy-siberian-style/ (http://siberiantimes.com/healthandlifestyle/others/news/like-ducks-to-water-in-the-snow-keeping-kids-healthy-siberian-style/)
And here's a write-up of Dr. Kakkar's experiments with cold water baths:
http://www.me-cvs.nl/index.php?pageid=3076 (http://www.me-cvs.nl/index.php?pageid=3076)
Increases testosterone for one thing! I like that. And tremendous success curing Chronic Fatigue, among other things.
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Here is a 12 part blog from Jack Kruse on the WHY of cold therapy: http://www.jackkruse.com/cold-thermogenesis-1-theory-to-practice-begins/ (http://www.jackkruse.com/cold-thermogenesis-1-theory-to-practice-begins/)
I have gone through part 3 and found it extremely educating. He talks about a possible alternative to evolution, that even though hominids may have evolved in Africa, 95% of all lifeforms have lived and evolved through cold environments, therefore the basic genetic makeup is cold-adapted and the heat-adaptation is only a recent thing. He argues that even though our bodies can do well in heat, we still have disease and even disease with healthy diets and exercise. He contends that diet and exercise are only a small part of the whole system of health and that sleep, cold, and light all affect our natural rhythms that we have disrupted through our technology.
Brilliant man and I'm already convinced that these other things, sleep, light and cold, will help my own personal healing/re-naturalizing.
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The best combo would be a hot sauna followed by a cold bath/shower as sauna lowers blood sugar and raises blood pressure a cold shower/bath drops blood pressure and gives a quick spike of blood pressure.
Did you mean quick spike of blood sugar? Did not know that. Do you have a source/link?
Yes, cold and heat therapy appear to be two ends of the same cryotherapy scale. Some ancient cultures, such as classical Romans and traditional Scandinavians, employed both. Even Jack Kruse wrote that he uses a hot tub.
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I have gone through part 3 and found it extremely educating. He talks about a possible alternative to evolution, that even though hominids may have evolved in Africa, 95% of all lifeforms have lived and evolved through cold environments, therefore the basic genetic makeup is cold-adapted and the heat-adaptation is only a recent thing.
ROFL that's just idiotic. Primates are tropical creatures. Ever notice how traditional tribes in cold areas often wear heavy clothes, like the Inuit, whereas traditional tribes in hot areas wear very little clothing? That's not about fashion. The difference in clothing is because we are better adapted to warmer environments.
Think about it. How many people want to vacation in cold environments, versus people who want to vacation on warm tropical beaches?
We live in cold environments because we can, through technology and hard work, not because it's ideal for humans.
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It's not idiotic CK. Think about it: on a CELLULAR level, biology has survived for so long in cold environments. He is not denying that we evolved in a tropical climate. However his argument is for everything leading up to that being cold-adapted, therefore complete OPTIMAL, is cold. Yes, we can survive in warm-climates, but they are not optimal.
Vacationing preferences are a weak argument. If you want to consider what people enjoy as a way of finding health, then you may as well give up raw paleo and go eat brownies. It may be quite prove-able that the inverse is true, because we enjoy it so thoroughly it may be harmful to our overall health, especially because the results leave us fatigued and diseased. See my point? If people enjoy bad food, why not the same for other aspects of life? Drugs, lack of sleep, artificial light are never debated as things that are beneficial or even optimal to health, so why can't temperature be along those lines?
If we want to vacation in heat so badly maybe that has something to say as to the hormetic effect/benefit of cold therapy.
And really, I don't have the know how or time to debate this. If you are interested, read the material. It's very scientific, the man is a doctor, he promotes paleo, and he has a lot of info in his papers. :D Take care!
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I suppose this mister Kruse lives in North America, doesn’t he? Does he live nude there all year round, without any heating system in his house? ;)
We already talked about him in Inger's journal.
http://www.rawpaleodietforum.com/journals/optimizing-my-hormones/msg106255/#msg106255 (http://www.rawpaleodietforum.com/journals/optimizing-my-hormones/msg106255/#msg106255)
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Pay attention to what a man does, not just what he says. Kruse wrote that he uses a hot tub, not just cold baths/therapies.
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I swim in the cold canadian rivers every single day. If I don't feel like going outside I fill up my bathtub with tons of ice cubes in cold water or just step outside in the frost and spray the frozen garden hose all over my body and man do I love it!!!!
I can withstand extreme cold temperatures now, but it also raised my ability to handle hot temperatures which is quite interesting. I can stay in a steam room for a few hours straight now, when before I was like everyone else and could only stay in for 15 minutes a time. I like playing around with extreme temperatures.
It's an extreme sport that reaps millions of health benefits, but I mostly just love the way it makes me feel.
You get acclimatized to the changes, but you still feel the endorphins. It both energizes and relaxes me, gives me a nice high.
Believe it or not, mild hypothermia is good for the body. Your blood rushes away from your limbs when you are about to freeze to death and it is so calming. It skyrockets the immune system because it attacks the immune system. Being immersed in ice water for just a few minutes burns more calories than the worlds most intense workout does in an hour and the colder you are, the more brown fat you grow. It helps digestion and all your internal organs, simply because all your blood is going there to focus on those areas to protect them from certain death.
It strengthens bodily cells and hardens tissues, which is a good thing.
Oh and it also cures many injuries, joint problems, and is what athletes do to keep in top shape.
However ice swimming is NOT a good idea for people who have heart problems, lung problems or low immune systems. It can cause instant death if you aren't used to it. It's definitely a risk taking sport, but it comes loaded with benefits.
Hot and cold showers are great too, but in my opinion and experience do not compare to the benefits of actual ice swims.
Immersing the head - yes!
But take it slow. Get the feet submerged first, then the legs and so on. This helps the blood vessels to get used to the shock of cold so you don't die LoL.
And also there are other great risks! It's dangerous because when you get that cold you become dissorientated, and then your muscles freeze - so no swims in deep water. Make sure you give yourself enough time to get out.
Most cold swimmers go by the time it takes their hands to freeze up - otherwise known as "the claw". The colder it is, the less time you should be in there for, although the more acclimatized you are, the harder it is to tell, so when you lost hand function is a good way to judge when you should get out.
And also making sure to bring dry clothes that are easy to change into after when you can't move your fingers LoL.
Extreme ice temperatures like this should NOT be followed with warm or hot water therapy afterwards because it will hurt! It is healthier for the circulation to warm up by itself, but in general it will also hurt the faster you warm up. If you warm up slowly you won't get cold. But if you warm up fast, you'll get very cold when warming up.
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ROFL that's just idiotic. Primates are tropical creatures. Ever notice how traditional tribes in cold areas often wear heavy clothes, like the Inuit, whereas traditional tribes in hot areas wear very little clothing? That's not about fashion. The difference in clothing is because we are better adapted to warmer environments.
Think about it. How many people want to vacation in cold environments, versus people who want to vacation on warm tropical beaches?
We live in cold environments because we can, through technology and hard work, not because it's ideal for humans.
Actually there are scientific theories that earth's climate is naturally an Ice Age, but that we are in an abnormal warm age - moving back into another ice age, with evidence of global warming and rise in earthquakes, ect.
Earth changes have happened many times in history, so really people are able to adjust to any temperature. They should be able to handle any temperature, ideally.
Biologically, intollerance to cold temperatures equals poor circulation in the body. Intollerance to heat is also not good. Many people think it requires more body fat to keep someone warm, but it actually requires healthy blood circulation. My ancestors had healthy circulation and did not wear clothes that people wear today, nor did they have all these pleasantries of living. Humans were not born with clothes on!
The amazing thing about evolution is that we are able to slowly adapt to any temperature! This is evident with hydrotherapy. People can train themselves to acclimatize to any temperature and the drastic changes in temperature are good for health.
Evolution has proved we can adapt to any environment, and way of eating in time. If we adapt too fast, it can cause problems. For example, if you put a white man in with the traditional Inuit all of a sudden, he would probably die of hypothermia due to being in the cold or die of health problems from that way of eating, unless he were to slowly adapt.
They have acclimatized to cold conditions. Most people that come from warmer climates have not, unless they are like me and do ice swims daily. The inuit also had enlarged livers that could handle the amount of meat they ate, which was natural and healthy for them, and it obviously takes time for someone to adjust to any extreme way of living but the cool thing about human bodies is that they seem to be able to adapt to almost any situation.
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I love going on holidays to cold environments. I find heat to be unbearable. I wish another Ice-Age would happen.
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I think the natural state of Homo sapiens is just being very adaptable. Even in hot deserts there are temperature swings, it might be 45 C during the day but might fall to 5 or 10 at night. Whether we first speciated in tropical environments or not, I think it behooves us to adapt to where we live now, and for many of us that means adapting to cold as it's cold at least part of the year.
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I have never done cold water therapy but I so want to test it out. Maybe later I will have to hop in the shower.
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I don't think it would benefit me, I don't like winter or anything cold
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Cold (and heat) therapy help those who have poor cold tolerance most of all. Those who don't like the cold at all can start with heat therapy, as both cold and heat work on the same "heat shock" proteins, and combining both cold and heat therapy is better than either alone.
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Hi Phil, you seem to be well read on this issue. Can you recommend particular books or articles about this topic? It might be nice to have a list of things to point people to. The only book I know of is Wim Hoff and Justin Rosales' Becoming the Iceman, which I'd hesitate to recommend because it's so poorly written and doesn't delve too deeply into the science behind heat/cold therapy anyway.
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I use Feedly to track the headlines of certain blogs, and let the bloggers do the work of digging up some of the info, such as new studies, for me. Here are some relevant ones:
Todd Becker http://gettingstronger.org (http://gettingstronger.org)
Vince Giuliano http://www.anti-agingfirewalls.com (http://www.anti-agingfirewalls.com)
Ray Cronise http://hypothermics.com (http://hypothermics.com/category/blog)
Wim Hof's blog doesn't have a feed: http://www.icemanwimhof.com/wim-hof-blog (http://www.icemanwimhof.com/wim-hof-blog)
Here's an example from it: Behavioural training reduces inflammation
Research subjects suppress immune responses using physical conditioning.
May 5, 2014
"Kox suspects that the breathing techniques were the biggest contributor to suppressing inflammatory responses."
Nassim Taleb's book Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder isn't dedicated to the topic, but provides the sort of mindset and context for recognizing the utility of antifragilizing ancient practices.
Ancient practice often incorporated both heat and cold (and sometimes other therapies, like tummo meditation or clay), rather than focused solely on cold, as with the current popular trend in the blogosphere. It's rather odd that cold/heat therapy is often presented as though it were new or recently discovered, sometimes with fancy new names and weighed down with lots of time-consuming rhetoric about detailed explanatory theories.
Roman Baths: Frigidarium Caldarium and Tepidarium
> The Baths of Caracalla, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostempires/roman/day.html (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostempires/roman/day.html)
> BBC's The Dark Ages: An Age of Light - What the Barbarians Did for Us (Episode 2)
Scandinavian Sauna + Cold Bath
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauna
Cooling down is a part of the sauna cycle and is as important as the heating. Among users it is considered good practice to take a few moments after exiting a sauna before entering a cold plunge, and to enter a plunge pool by stepping into it gradually, rather than immediately immersing fully. In summer, a session is often started with a cold shower.[11][15]
Therapeutic sauna has been shown to aid adaptation, reduce stress hormones, lower blood pressure and improve cardiovascular conditions.[16][17][18][19][20][21]
Hot bathing reduces body fat: Effects of a comprehensive intervention program, including hot bathing, on overweight adults: a randomized controlled trial. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2013. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23095006 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23095006)
Swimming To Antarctica
American Swimmer Spends 30 Minutes In Water Cold Enough To Kill
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/swimming-to-antarctica-12-02-2003/ (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/swimming-to-antarctica-12-02-2003/)
Lynne Cox is an American woman who's among the best ocean swimmers of our time. But there's something else about her that you may find hard to believe.
Science doesn't fully understand it, but she survives – she even thrives - in water that is cold enough to kill. It is so remarkable that researchers have been trying to figure out how she does it for 30 years.
As correspondent Scott Pelley first reported in 2003, when you combine her unique talents with a stubborn streak, there is only one thing left to do - try to swim a mile in the coldest water on earth. ...
Professor Bill Keatinge of the University of London, a pioneer in the study of hypothermia, brought Cox to London for experiments in his lab.
"We were able to confirm that she can maintain stable body temperature with her head out of the water and in water temperatures as low as 44 Fahrenheit," he said. ...
Keatinge thinks Cox has somehow trained her body to keep most of her blood at her body's core and away from the skin where it's exposed to the cold. The blood stays warmer. But there is something else — call it her natural insulation.
"She's got an extremely even fat layer going right down the limbs and it's an ideal setup," he says.
Cox herself thinks this is the key to her success: "If you look at the marine mammals in Antarctica, the whales, the walruses, the seals all have body fat to stay warm. Their blubber is very dense whereas mine will be more like a cotton sweater. But I'm not going to be in as long as they are."
...
The greatest danger to Cox is when she gets out of the water. Because she is no longer moving swiftly, her temperature plunges and the cold begins to assault her heart. In half an hour, she manages to sit up, but it's a struggle. It was only a practice swim, and she has never been this bad off.
In time, she warms, but she's paid a price. Her feet and hands are numb. It's nerve damage and it could be lasting.
(http://assets.espn.go.com/i/eticket/20130415/photos/otl_lcox10_550.jpg)
Cox takes a break during her training for an English Channel crossing in the early 1970s. She is flanked by brothers Dick and Bill Crowell of Westport, Conn., who also were training to make their bid. Dick was 15 at the time, and Bill 16. Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Body fat and muscle help thicker people stay warmer in cold weather/water:
http://www.weather.com/health/do-fat-people-stay-warmer-cold-weather-thin-people-20140103 (http://www.weather.com/health/do-fat-people-stay-warmer-cold-weather-thin-people-20140103)
There is "good" body fat as well as "bad" body fat. Cold therapy helps generate and activate more of the "good" brown adipose tissue and reduce the "bad" body fat:
http://www.innerfire.nl/brown-adipose (http://www.innerfire.nl/brown-adipose)
"Wim produces the same amount of Brown adipose and in some cases even more than young adults."
http://www.wimhoffoundation.com/applying-the-wim-hof-method (http://www.wimhoffoundation.com/applying-the-wim-hof-method)
"The [Wim Hof Method] study also indicated that the amount of brown fat, which depends on the exposure to cold, can be increased"
http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2013/07/brown-fat-its-big-deal.html (http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2013/07/brown-fat-its-big-deal.html)
Unfortunately, because of the extreme phobia in the USA regarding both body fat and fat in food, the topic of good body fat rarely gets covered. The desire for thinness, often at the expense of health, fertility, and vigor (and even at times contributing to eating disorders like anorexia), arose in the USA relatively recently, largely with the flapper era.
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Just be careful, Cold water therapy does not lead to harm to you.
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Seems great but need to take great care using this method. Everyone has its own limitation and same thing doesn't work for everyone
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i read athletes use 20 sec cold with 10 sec hot showers/baths, repeat 8 times
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Yes athletes use cold and hot bath technique as it improves blood circulation and they also use it to relieve sore muscles and muscle pain problems.
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I love jumping into a cold shower after a hard workout. I got interested after reading some studies:
Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2014 Oct 15;307(8):R998-R1008.
J Strength Cond Res. 2014 Aug;28(8):2353-8.
Muscle recovery with cold water is going to go mainstream at some point and don't think it causes any harm.
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i've never heard of it!
thank you