Cold Showers

Ironically, I didn’t start taking cold showers because I knew they were healthy. It was just a moment of spontaneity one day when I was standing in the steaming hot water and for lack of a better word, realized I was “bored” with the consistent warmth. So I cranked up the cold water, and to [...]

Cold showers are sometimes touted as a preventative tonic for colds, flu, and infections. However, are these reported benefits just a placebo effect – the power of suggestion, or do cold showers have a direct and measurable effect on our immunity? Once again, studies show at least some support for the popular wisdom. An experiment [...]

Many people report that they feel warmer throughout the day after taking a cold shower or bath. This could partly be due to enhanced circulation, but the stimulation of brown fat also seems a likely cofactor. Brown fat is one of two types of fat in the body – the other being white fat, or [...]

As for all therapies, the precondition is “first, do no harm”. Following these guidelines will help you receive maximal benefit from cold water therapy and avoid adverse effects. 1) Listen to your body. When you exercise, you probably notice a point where you feel satisfied with your workout. Up to a point, exercising leaves us [...]

Some basic reasoning tells us that cold showers can assist in weight loss. Consider the acute effects of a cold shower. The water hits the skin and almost immediately the body jump starts; blood flow increases, muscles harden, and heart rate increases. All of these things require energy. It may help to think of the [...]