CRYOTHERAPY & DRY SALT THERAPY

Like salt therapy, cryotherapy, or cold therapy, has been used for therapeutic purposes dating centuries back. Cold water was used for therapy and relaxation in ancient Greece while ice and snow were used to address pain during operations on soldiers in the 19th century.

WHAT IS WHOLE BODY CRYOTHERAPY?

Whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) is one of the more recent therapies. It does not use cold water but rather cooling agents to chill the air around you. The first cryochambers were built in Japan around 1978.

This was around the same time the first salt halogenerators were developed in Europe. WBC rapidly lowers skin temperature, leading to a release of feel-good chemicals known as endorphins, which helps lower pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Today, you can undergo WBC or partial-body cryotherapy (PBC), a more portable form that frees the head and neck from the cold temperatures at medical clinics, health and wellness centers, fitness clubs, and cryotherapy pop-up shops.

When your body is exposed to the cold, it responds by constricting your blood vessels (also known as vasoconstriction), so all your blood gets pushed toward your organs. This causes the blood to acquire more oxygen and become nutrient rich. Once you leave the cold and start heating up again, your blood vessels expand (also known as vasodilation). As the blood vessels open up, oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood flows back to your tissues, helping flush out inflammation.

Cryotherapy is especially popular for its cosmetic benefits. The production of extra collagen results in smoother, firmer skin with fewer wrinkles and narrower pores.

SALT & CRYO ARE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY

Inflammation is at the root of many health complaints, from muscle soreness to arthritis to Alzheimer's. Likewise, dry salt therapy is known for having anti-inflammation benefits in the respiratory system, which benefits people who have asthma or COPD. Many athletes do cryotherapy for recovery and salt therapy to increase lung function, expanding oxygen intake for better performance and recovery.

While the two modalities are not done simultaneously, they can be done one after the other. In fact, people report going into a cryocham-ber first, and then when they go into a salt chamber, they are more relaxed and like to 'chill'. As the health, self-care, and wellness industries grow, all types of facilities that offer cryotherapy would benefit from also providing dry salt therapy, and vice versa.

TO LEARN MORE VISIT

SaltTherapy Association.org

*While there are many clinical and scientific studies conducted on dry salt therapy (halotherapy) throughout the world, the FDA has not evaluated the statements made on this educational card. Dry salt therapy is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Dry salt therapy is not intended to replace any medications or treatments. Any health issues should be treated by a licensed medical professional and any further questions relating to halotherapy should be directed to your physician.