Put simply,cryotherapyis the process of using cold temperatures for medicinal purposes, usually to treat pain.
Your bullshit meter might be going off by now, and rightfully so.
Heres the bottom line.
The treatment typically lasts between two to four minutes.
Ive taken full ice baths before, and I can tell you theyre not pleasant.
WBC with cold air is supposedly more bearable than an ice bath.
In effect, this eases the discomfort you feel.
Kate Moss and Jessica Alba use it for supposed beauty benefits, like younger and healthier-looking skin.
Some spas that offer WBC claim it also reduces cellulite and, counterintuitively,increasescirculation in the body.
However, this wouldnt be the first time athletes and celebritiespeddled expensive-but-useless products and beauty treatmentsto a gullible public.
Also not surprisingly, WBC treatments dont come cheap.
So is it worth it?
According to the FDA and other institutions: nope.
Theres No Scientific Evidence to Support WBCs Claims
TheU.S.
Overall, the authors determined that WBCs claims of preventing or treating muscle soreness just didnt hold up.
WBC neither reduces muscle soreness nor improves recovery.
That, and a further lack of data around WBC on women are huge holes in the literature.
The coroners report linked hercause of death to asphyxiation.
That said, these regulations are voluntary, and no one is actively enforcing them.
The topic of WBC is woefully under-studied and over-marketed.
Title illustration by Angelica Alzona.
