DELIBERATE COLD EXPOSURE FOR HEALTH

[Buckskin]

Have you guys ever done cold water baths to reduce pain and inflammation?   My buddy sent me a podcast from a neurosurgeon named Andrew Huberman with the topic of cold-water treatment, he also has tons of other well-being topics.  Very interesting guy, goes kinda deep into the science of it but I like that stuff. so I figured what the heck, see if it helped my back and shoulder pain.

Basically you start out with about 54 deg water bath and submerge yourself to the neck for several minutes and resist the temptation to get out, because you definitely want to...  As you go along you reduce the temp with ice and stay in longer.  My well water was 52 deg in the tub so I went with that.  I've been doing it every other day for a week now. My first bout was 4 minutes, then a minute longer every time.  Every week I'm going to drop 2 deg and see how that goes.   

I will admit it is a very hard thing to get into a cold-water tub, takes your breath away and staying in is a mental game as well and when you get out you are numb all over. But after I get out and honestly feel 10 years younger, my back has not bothered me, nor my shoulder and I have way more energy than I did before.  Shockingly my wife, who hates the cold has started doing it as well after listening to the podcasts and seeing my results.

I highly recommend listening to this podcast and giving it a try. I truly believe it changed my life.

https://hubermanlab.com/using-deliberate-cold-exposure-for-health-and-performance/

[Bob Riebe]

Only once.

Decades back I came home from playing tennis with a back full of blisters; I laid down in the old claw foot type tub and turned only the cold water on till it covered me.
We have deep pipes and it is genuinely cold even in summer; stayed in it till my body pretty much raised water temp. to body temp., about one-half hour.
Blisters caused me zero grief after doing that.

[Casull]

Fell out of the boat into Reelfoot Lake once in February or March.  Water was 44 degrees.  Didn't see my nads again for about 8 hours.  That was enough.

[phalanx]

Heat bothers me, cold doesn't. I like it about 70 degrees.

[BUGEYE]

Fell out of the boat into Reelfoot Lake once in February or March.  Water was 44 degrees.  Didn't see my nads again for about 8 hours.  That was enough.

But, did you catch any fish from what is to me, the best lake in the country??

Kinda off topic, sorry.

[Lloyd Smale]

I do just the opposite. I have a sauna out back and take one at least twice a week.

[Ranger99]

Cold doesn't do me any good
except for applying cold to a
sprain or similar.
My mother's side were all super
cold sensitive and couldn't hack
the cold weather.
Some years back, they did a test
on me at the hospital, and the person
doing the test got distracted and left
me flat on my back on an ice cold
stainless table and by the time somebody
came to get me, I couldn't lift myself
up to get up and stand and dress.
I can cope with sweat, not frozen joints

[Buckskin]

I do just the opposite. I have a sauna out back and take one at least twice a week.

Sauna is great for you adding cold treatments is even better.  I'm looking into getting/making a sauna as well.  He has a podcast on heat treatment as well, very interesting.

Ranger,
That is your mind telling you that cold isn't good for you because it's uncomfortable, I'd say very uncomfortable.  Talking yourself into getting into an ice bath takes some doing...
It's also good for your mind to convince yourself to get into an uncomfortable condition but knowing it will help you in the end.  Just like exercising, eating well, going to work when you're tired, working hard when you're tired, etc.

I did a cold treatment yesterday and I can literally feel it yet this morning, not cold - just more alive.

[ironglow]

Up through my teenage years, I took 3-4 "ice baths", having broken through the ice on our farm pond or in a local creek. The walk back home was rather chilling...can't say as I noted any health differences.

  Last unscheduled bath I took was on a cool fall day, about 10 years ago..  I was hunting down near my recreational land.  I parked my truck, grabbed my 10/22and just started "woods walking".

  I got down towards the RR tracks, which has a deep diversion ditch (about 12' deep) running alongside in a marshy area, which near half full of water.  I decided to cross over to the tracks side, where there was a gas pipe crossing the ditch, about half a mile down the way.

  I got to the gas pipe and figured.."my balance isn't quite what it was when I worked high steel..but if I lose balance, I'll just jump to the other side".

  Well, I started across..and began to lose my balance..  Then looking up...I noticed that beavers had gnawed off the numerous saplings on the far bank...leaving of course, pointed stubs !

   No choice..meyself, my rifle, scope and all..down in about 3-4 feet of water...completely submerged.

  On my walk back to the truck, I was laughing at myself for not checking more closely, before starting across!

  I think I may have used the old phrase.."no fool like an old fool" !