Controversial but, let’s be honest ice baths are shocking!

Let’s be honest an ice bath is a huge shock to the system. No one wants to be immersed in freezing water.

When you freeze your body it instinctively believes it is in danger, triggering a fight-or-flight response and an adrenalin rush. The relief felt after getting out is simply the end of the shock! It’s your body saying well done, we escaped the threat (the ice bath).

While I acknowledge the popular researched “benefits” of these cold plunges such as numbing pain, boosting metabolism and increasing endorphins and cytokines.

However, in Chinese medicine, we would not recommend this for most people. Here is why:

Cold constricts blood vessels, which disrupts the flow of Qi and Blood, potentially leading to circulation problems such as cold hands and feet. A disruption can also lead to stagnation which could manifest as pain.

Cold can become lodged deep in the body, in the joints, in the abdomen and in the womb, leading to joint problems (arthritis), digestive issues, pain, infertility, and chronic illness.

The adrenaline rush from the ice bath can drain our vital Kidney Yang essence. This essence is considered our body’s energy reserve and aging clock. We are each born with a limited amount of essence, when this essence is completely depleted it indicates the end of life. Therefore, the more essence you use the less time you may have left.

In very few people a cold plunge here and there may be tolerable, however I certainly will not be participating as a menstruating female, nor would I be if I was experiencing joint pain, arthritis, cold extremities, digestive issues or infertility.

In Chinese medicine, we believe in using warmth to heal: warm water, warm food, warm clothing, and applying a hot pack to areas of pain.

So, is the short-lived feel-good adrenaline rush you get from the cold plunge really worth it? It’s a no from me, you can make your own decision.