Do They Live Up to the Hype? Hypothermia and Hyperthermia

There is a lot of buzz about whole body hyperthermia (heat) and hypothermia (cold) lately. Does does it live up for the hype? The research seems to suggest that it does.

I’ll start with heat, most commonly accomplished by sauna use. Much of the research on whole body hyperthermia is done in Finland by an MD PhD by the name of Jari Laukkanen. Here is a brief summary of his findings so far:

Over a 20 year period, men who used a sauna for at least 20 minutes at 174 degrees with a duration of 2 – 3 times per week or 4 – 7 times per week experienced a reduction in cardiovascular death of 27 and 54% respectively. For sitting in a hot sauna for 20 minutes 4 days per week, these results are nothing short of astounding. To put it into perspective theoretically, if every American over the age of 40 used a sauna four times per week, we would could see a 50% reduction in the number one cause of death in the United States. There is currently noting in modern medicine that comes close to these kind of benefits. This is the kind of research that continues to inspire me to find ways to treat my patients that don’t involve drugs or invasive procedures.

The findings on alzheimer’s disease is even more encouraging revealing 65% reduction in incidence over a 20 year period. Currently, there are practically no good treatments for this disease and we may have something right in front of us that is cheap and easy that may very well dramatically reduce the incidence of one of the most heartbreaking diseases known to man.

These findings are especially meaningful because the researchers adjusted for other factors that add to the risk for these diseases such as smoking, obesity and fitness levels.

Other studies have found much lower depression rates (78%) in those who regularly use saunas. The mood effect is an area that can improve work performance by increasing your sense of well being, allowing better focus and mental clarity.

One of the main mechanisms of these benefits seems to be caused by something called heat shock proteins which increase production under heat stress and protect us from protein and DNA damage that are responsible for many diseases. There also seems to be an increase in autophagy or a clearing of defective or hibernating cells that tend to excrete inflammatory factors that accelerate aging and disease. Interestingly, this is also one of the same mechanisms that fasting helps improve health and longevity.

We are in an age of rapid advancement in the knowledge of what our bodies are truly capable of when biohacked the right way. Stay tuned for information on cold immersion, a more painful but effective way to improve health and performance.

Until next time, Stay Healthy and Live Well….