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There are many ways to lose weight from diet to exercise. Along with the times, various treatments for slimming are emerging, one of which is cryotherapy. Cryotherapy is a cold therapy that is said to help reduce excess weight. However, how effective is it?
Cryotherapy at a glance
Cryotherapy or cryotherapy is cold therapy, where the body is placed in a very cold room for several minutes. At least, for two to four minutes, the body will be in a device that has a very low temperature, which is around -93 to -148 degrees Celsius.
But not only the whole body, cryotherapy can also be done on certain parts of the body. For local cryotherapy, namely on certain body parts, the treatment can be given in several ways such as with an ice pack, ice massage, ice baths, and cooling sprays.
Usually, this therapy will be very effective if done regularly and has various health benefits such as relieving muscle pain to reducing migraine symptoms.
Actually, cryotherapy is a method that has been found for a long time, which is around the 1970s in Japan. At that time, cryotherapy was a cold therapy that was specialized to help treat rheumatic diseases.
However, along with the development of technology and health science, cold therapy is said to be reliable enough to cut excess body weight.
Can cryotherapy help you lose weight?
Several studies have shown that being in the cold for long periods of time can help you lose weight. According to Quebbemann, M.D., director of a weight loss clinic, The N.E.W. Programs in the United States state that in cold temperatures, the body works by increasing the temperature in the body either by shivering or by other processes that help burn calories.
For example, in a study published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, people who spent two hours per day for six weeks in a room temperature of 17.2 degrees Celsius were shown to burn more energy than people who spent time in a room with a temperature. hotter.
Meanwhile, in another study, it was found that people who slept in a room with a temperature of 19 degrees Celsius, the burning of fat in their bodies increased by 42 percent and experienced an increase in body metabolism by 10 percent.
However, the results were that the objects of this study did not experience any changes in their body composition. In addition, their fat levels and metabolism returned to normal after they stopped sleeping in a cold room.
Basically, Quebbeman states that there is no scientific evidence to prove that cold therapy with cryotherapy can permanently lose weight.
In fact, research published in the journal Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity states that cryotherapy that has been carried out for six months in combination with aerobic exercise did not even bring any changes to the body mass and body fat of the research subjects.
Side effects of doing cryotherapy
However, if you are curious and want to try it anyway, first consult a doctor. Even though it is classified as safe if done under expert supervision, this cold therapy still has side effects. Numbness, tingling, redness, and skin irritation are usually the most common side effects that are temporary.
In rare enough cases, death and injury can also result from cryotherapy. According to data from the Dallas Observer, a woman filed a lawsuit after suffering serious frostbite after this therapy.
John Hoekman, CEO and owner Quick Cryo in New York, stated that frostbite (frostbite) is the greatest risk that can occur due to cryotherapy. However, this can be avoided if you do it in a special studio and use the right equipment and limit the time to no more than two to three minutes. In addition, you should also not sleep during the session so that you do not pass the time limit.
In addition, cryotherapy is not recommended for people who have diabetes, severe high blood pressure, health problems that affect the nerves, children and pregnant women.
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