Depression can be a
really devastating psychological disease, and treatments may range from antidepressants with substantial
side effects to electric shock therapy for critical patients conditions, resent
researches suggest that a simple cold shower might sometimes cure, and even
prevent, debilitating mood disorders.
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
Research
As the name implies,
cold showers therapy is done by subjecting the patient body to cold
temperatures of the running water, creating a physiological response in the
body and subsequently the brain. A recent study at the Virginia Commonwealth
University School of Medicine established that depressed patients who were
treated with cold showers showed a significant improvement in mood.
The treatments
consisted of cold showers that were 20°C for 2 to 3 minutes, performed once or
twice daily over several months. The evidence suggested that exposure to cold
activates the sympathetic nervous system, increases the blood level of
beta-endorphin and noradrenaline, and increases synaptic release of
noradrenaline in the brain. Additionally, due to the high density of cold
receptors in the skin, the cold shower sent electrical impulses from peripheral
nerve endings to the brain, which resulted in the anti-depressive effect.
How it works?
Cold therapy helps
with depression by creating the same type of physiological stressors that have
been experienced by primates through millions of years of evolution, such as
brief changes in body temperature produced by a cold swim. It’s theorized that
lack of this type of thermal exercise may impede adequate functioning of the
brain.
As the temperature
of a human body drops below the level required for health, various reactions
occur to protect the core--that is, the abdominal organs and brain--from
damage, even at the expense of the extremities. The brain is literally
insulated against extreme cold, and it will begin to suffer symptoms of damage
only at the point of advanced hypothermia, long after muscular symptoms such as
shivering first appear. This assumes that the core temperature is not dropping
very rapidly, as when a person is submerged in cold water.
The average healthy
temperature of a human body is 36.1 to 37.5° C, or 96.9 to 99.5° F. Hypothermia
is defined as any temperature below 35° C or 96° F. This is the beginning of
stage 1 hypothermia. Brain function becomes noticeably impaired only during
stage 2, which begins at around 33°C or 93°F. The person may exhibit confusion.
Many of the symptoms, which may appear as potentially neurological (including
lack of coordination, stumbling and labored speech) are in fact muscular in
nature. As part of the body's effort to protect the internal organs, the
vasomotor response constricts blood vessels in and near the skin. Consequently,
the individual’s hands, face, and legs lose function, although the brain is
largely unaffected.
Temperature jolts to
brain may have a similar effect as the phenomenon of homeopathy, whereby small
doses of something harmful may actually promote healing by stimulating the
body’s repair and recovery systems. Electric shock and deep brain stimulation
treatments operate on a somewhat similar principal, only with frightening
potential side effects, such as memory loss and cognitive impairment.
The study's author,
Nikolai Shevchuk, believes the biological explanation revolves around a part of
the brainstem known, appropriately enough, as the locus ceruleus, or "blue
spot."
"The possible
antidepressant effect may also have to do with the mild electroshock delivered
to the brain by a cold shower, because of the unusually high density of cold
receptors in the skin," he added, explaining that these nerve endings are 3-10
times higher in density than those registering warmth.
Shevchuk proposes
that depression may be caused by two factors. The first is a genetic makeup
that predisposes an individual to the disorder. Prior research has documented
that depression can run in families, but since some sufferers report no prior
family history and many people develop depression later in life, genes don't
appear to explain all cases. He suspects a lifestyle lacking sufficient
physiological stress, such as brief changes in body temperature, may also be a
contributing factor.
Kundalini Yoga Viewpoint
Interesting enough,
that the new findings of the Western researchers support the recommendations,
which have been practiced for long by Eastern practitioners. Gurudev Khar
Khalsa, a Sat Nam Rasayan healer and Kundalini Yoga teacher confirms that cold
showers can be very efficient tool to combat, and even prevent depression.
Cold showers have
the following positive effects:
* Brings blood to
the capillaries, therefore increasing circulation throughout the body.
* Cleans the
circulatory system.
* Reduces blood
pressure on internal organs.
* Provides flushing
for the organs and provides a new supply of blood.
* Strengthens the
parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems.
* Contracts the
muscles to eliminate toxins and poisonous wastes.
* Strengthens the
mucous membranes, which help resist hay fever, allergies, colds, coughs.
Many health problems
are reduced or even eliminated over time by providing proper circulation of the
blood to the affected area using the cold shower massage.
"Ishnan"
is the term used in the old days when people in India referred to cold showers
(very cold showers). "Ishnan" is the point at which the body, by its
own virtue, creates the temperature that it can beat off the coldness of the
water. This happens when the capillaries open with the onset of the cold water.
They close again during the course of the cold shower and it is at that point
that all the blood rushes back to flush the organs and the glands. This process
allows the glands to renew their secretions and "youth" (i.e. young
glands) again returns to the body."
Cold shower
guidelines and restrictions
- The proposed treatment procedure would
last several weeks to several months. It would consist of one or two cold
showers a day at 20 ° C (68 ° F) for 2 to 3 minutes, proceeded by a 5
minute gradual adaptation to lessen the shock.
- Many practitioners recommend 2 or more
cold showers a day. This is particularly essential if you are
working on shifting a physical or emotional problem. The majority
recommend at least 3 a day. First thing in the morning, when you get home
from work and before you go to bed. Other therapists suggest that for some
people cold shower and other water procedures y not be suitable
immediately before bedtime and just after awakening. For these people, they
are commended during the day, when the body is active. The reason is that
cold water quickly affects the central nervous system, eliminating fatigue
so these people will have difficulties to fall asleep.
- Shower in cold water until your body temperature rises and no longer
feels cold, but toasty and warm. Make sure the bathroom is heated. Never
get out of a cold shower into a cold room.
- If you find it difficult to start with
the recommended procedure, start small and gradually work up to the
recommended procedure duration of 2 minutes. Start with 15 – 30 seconds,
and begin with your feet then move to your knees and legs. Gradually
introduce the cold water to all parts of your body. Some
practitioners say it’s not absolutely necessary to get your head wet,
just your face and back of neck (an important energy location).
- Little and often is far more effective
than eight minutes at once. Be mindful if you are feeling weak,
listen to your body and start with small steps.
- Cold showers should not be taken during a women's time of
menstruation. A woman needs extra rest and gentleness during her menses.
Taking a cold shower is too much for the reproductive system during
menstruation. Also, cold showers are not recommended for women after the 7-th
month of pregnancy.
- Cold showers are not recommended for men
immediately after ejaculation. At the moment, the male body is focused on
making new sperm cells and semen, so cold showers can be a bit too
stressful.
- One more potential restriction is related
to the people with eating disorders and substantially underweight. This
usually goes along with having a low body temperature and a general
metabolic weakness which might prevent your body from generating enough
heat to withstand the cold temperatures.
- Cold showers may be dangerous immediately
after a vigorous workout. It is better to start with hot and finish with cold
to avoid muscle cramping.
- If you use contrast shower (cold-warm-cold-warm…), always finish with cold water.
Some history
In the 1820s, a German farmer named Vincenz Priessnitz started touting
a new medical treatment called “hydrotherapy,” which used cold water to cure
everything from broken bones to erectile dysfunction. He turned his family’s
homestead into a sanitarium, and patients flocked to it in the hope that his
cold water cure could help them. Among his clientele were
dukes, duchesses, counts, countesses, and a few princesses to boot.
Priessnitz’s hydrotherapy soon spread to the rest of Europe and
eventually to the United States. Celebrities and other famous folks
took to it, like, well, a duck to water and helped popularize the cold water
cure with the masses. For example, Charles Darwin was a huge proponent of
hydrotherapy. The first hydrotherapy facility opened up in the U.S in 1843,
right when the sanitarium craze hit America. By the end of the 19th century,
over 200 hydrotherapy/sanitarium resorts existed in the U.S., the most famous
being the Battle Creek Sanitarium founded by John Harvey Kellogg.
The popularity of hydrotherapy began to decline in the 20th century as
many in the medical field moved to drugs to treat illnesses. As doctors
concentrated on conventional medicine, more holistic methods began to be seen
as quackery. While hydrotherapy was prescribed less and less to cure illnesses,
doctors continued to use it to treat injuries such as strained muscles and
broken bones. You’ll find athletes today taking ice baths to speed their
recovery from injuries and intense workouts.
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