Keys Takeaway

• According to the professor Sergei Bubnovskiy, soaking your legs in an ice-cold bath for 10-15 seconds after coming home from work can reinforce your immune system and prepare it for the fight against colds and the flu!


• A study from England found that taking daily cold showers increased the numbers of disease-fighting white blood cells (compared to people who took hot showers). (see full study).


• The investigators at Britain’s Thrombosis Research Institute suggested that as the body tries to warm itself during and after a cold shower, metabolic rate speeds up and activates the immune system, which leads to the release of more white blood cells.


• And, according to a German study, an occasional winter swim in cold water causes oxidative stress, but, done regularly, such swimming leads to an adaptive antioxidant response; in other words, the body is better able to combat oxidative stress in general once it’s accustomed to cold-water swims. (see full study)

The History of Healing With Cold Water

• The ancient Indian term for very cold showers is ishnan. This refers to the moment when your body achieves the temperature with which it can defend itself against the cold water. Ishnan kicks in when the cold water first hits your skin, causing your capillaries (small blood vessels near the skin’s surface) to open.


• As the cold shower continues, your capillaries close again, sending blood rushing back to your organs and glands. This natural flushing process brings youthfulness to your body by stimulating renewed glandular activity.


• Cold water therapy was publicized by the German priest Sebastian Kneipp in 1849. That winter, Kneipp was successfully battling tuberculosis (a condition that was then incurable). (source)


• His method was cold water therapy, which he executed by plunging into the frigid Danube River several times each week. Kneipp’s 1886 book “My Water Cure”, became an international bestseller.

Ice Foot-Bath Technique

This technique is very easy to do and not only can recover your immune system it also brings you a lot of benefits. You only going to need:

 

Materials

• Cold Water.


• Bathtub or basin.


• Ice.

Procediment:

Put cold water in a bathtub or basin, then add as much ice as you can get and soak your feet in the tub for 10-15 seconds. Repeating this method every night before going to bed will improve your immune system quickly.

Note: The method is especially beneficial for people with weak immune system – in this case, soak your feet in icy water every 4 hours.

 

Ice-Bath Cautions

• Experts advise that cold water therapy is not for everyone. For example, the potential spike in blood pressure caused by cold water could be dangerous for those with uncontrolled high blood pressure.


• However, practitioners say the therapy can be safely used to reduce mildly high blood pressure (150/100 and below) or to raise low blood pressure.


• If you have any questions about your blood pressure or haven’t had it checked recently, you should see your doctor for a blood pressure test before beginning a cold-water regimen.

Ice-Bath therapy is also to be avoided in cases of:

• Acute illness, such as severe back pain.


• Hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis).


• Raynaud’s disease.

Sources

http://topfithealthy.com
http://undergroundhealthreporter.com
https://steptohealth.com