Are Ice Baths The Pet Rock of the 2020’s?

Pic from BeforeYouSpeakCoffee.com

There are very few non-lethal things in life that are more uncomfortable than taking a bath in a tub full of ice water. And yet, it’s currently a fad. Yes, a fad like the pet rock my parents gave me for a Christmas present in the 70’s. (Thanks mom & dad, smh) People all over the world are taking baths in freezing lakes, oceans, tubs, and pools. But why?

This is an Amazon ad.

Each and every day, who doesn’t love a hot shower that helps your muscles relax and feel less sore? A nice hot bath or shower feels like a warm hug from the universe. And now all these psychopaths are trying to get us to smile while we plunge our room temp bodies into an H2O torture chamber.

Apparently however, unlike ivermectin, there’s some science that says this might be a good thing.

If Thor and his brother can do it, why not us? (Pic from Men’s Health)

If ice water therapy is good enough for Thor, then it’s good enough for me. According to News-Medical: Cold activates a cellular cleansing mechanism that breaks down harmful protein aggregations responsible for various diseases associated with aging. In recent years, studies on different model organisms have already shown that life expectancy increases significantly when body temperature is lowered.

“A research team at the University of Cologne’s CECAD Cluster of Excellence in Aging Research has now unlocked one responsible mechanism. Professor Dr David Vilchez and his group used a non-vertebrate organism, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, (basically a tiny worm) and cultivated human cells. Both carried the genes for two diseases which typically occur in old age: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig disease) and Huntington’s disease. Both diseases are characterized by accumulations of harmful proteins. In both model organisms, cold actively removed the protein clumps, thus preventing the protein aggregation that is pathological in both ALS and Huntington’s disease.”

Lady Gaga: Pic from Harper’s Bazaar

This picture took away all my skepticism. If it’s good enough for Lady Gaga, it’s good enough for me! In fact, I’m taking an ice bath while typing this and I feel like my writing is so much better when my body temp drops to 88.6 F, or 37 celsius, for 15 minutes.

How cold should an ice bath be? 40-60 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s awfully cold. I wonder, if you’re a young gentleman hoping to father some kids, wouldn’t frequent ice baths make little icicles out of your tadpoles down there?

So, after my highly scientific and well spoken thesis here, who is with me? Would you take regular ice baths if it would help you avoid some diseases and live longer? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Thanks for reading! ~Phil