benefits Archives

What are the health benefits of a cold plunge? Scientists vet the claims : Shots

October 18, 2023 Dania

Mikki Smith lets out a cry as she adjusts to the frigid water. It was her first time with the Puget Sound Plungers in Seattle, Washington.

Mike Kane for NPR

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Mike Kane for NPR

Mikki Smith lets out a cry as she adjusts to the frigid water. It was her first time with the Puget Sound Plungers in Seattle, Washington.

Mike Kane for NPR

Your body’s first reaction to a plunge in chilly water is the “cold shock” response. Your heart rate jumps. Stress hormones spike. You gasp suddenly, and may hyperventilate.

Your reward if you stay in long enough to endure these initial excruciating moments? You start to shiver.

To the uninitiated, it may not be obvious why the practice of cold plunging has attracted a huge following in recent years.

But those who’ve embraced the cold water craze — be that in a frigid lake, the ocean, or an ice bath in their backyard — frequently describe powerful, even transformative effects on their state of mind and sense of wellbeing.

“Any anxiety, anything I’m struggling with, it’s gone and when I come out of the water — I’ve left it in the water,” says Audrey Nassal during a recent Sunday morning dip at a Seattle beach. It’s one of the gatherings put on by the Puget Sound Plungers, a group of several thousand who regularly take to the frigid waters of the Pacific Northwest.

Riley Swortz, who’s bobbing next to Nassal, says she revels in the moment her body stops recoiling from the shock. “There’s a point where it’s no longer cold anymore,” she says, “This calm washes over you and I feel like that lasts for at least a few days.”

Groups like this one have popped up in cold water spots around the U.S. and the world.

Rain or shine, the cold plunge crew gathers just ahead of 8 a.m. on Sunday mornings in front of the bathhouse at Seattle’s Golden Gardens Park. Entering the water is a communal activity, how long you stay is up to you.

Mike Kane for NPR

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Mike Kane for NPR

The massive popularity of the trend – with social media awash in half-frozen torsos and some devotees shelling out thousands of dollars for high-end cold plunge tubs – has in turn inspired demand for rigorous scientific evidence.

“I never expected this to take that direction,” says François Haman, who has studied cold exposure for more than two decades. “We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

A tradition of plunging in an icy river persists in Ukraine, despite the war

When he first started off, Haman, a professor at the University of Ottawa, found himself in a sparsely-populated discipline. The research agenda tended to focus on the risks

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Morning may well be the greatest time to work out for fat loss added benefits

October 5, 2023 Dania

A woman and man stretch while exercising in a park — Researchers say morning exercising may perhaps be most productive for body weight decline, but regularity at any time of working day is crucial. Thomas Barwick/Getty Photographs

Scientists say working out among 7–9 a.m. is greatest for body weight management.
Morning exercisers had a lower system mass index and waist circumference than those working out later on.
Industry experts say much better slumber, psychological health and fitness, mind health and fitness, and physiological wellness are also significant positive aspects of physical exercise.

The early fowl performing exercises in the early morning is very best at catching the excess weight administration worm, in accordance to a new review.

Scientists report that even even though epidemiological evidence has been controversial above the best timing of physical exercise for weight administration, their conclusions suggest that performing exercises involving 7–9 a.m. seems to be the most effective time of working day to garner health and fitness rewards.

The researchers reported that shifting for the duration of those people hrs greatest boosts the association in between daily moderate to vigorous physical activity and obesity avoidance.

The research was posted today in the journal Being overweight.

“Our analyze delivered a novel device to discover the diurnal pattern of actual physical activity and to investigate its influence on wellness outcomes,” claimed review author D r .T ongyu Ma, a exploration assistant professor in the Wellbeing Sciences Department of Franklin Pierce College in New Hampshire and the Section of Rehabilitation Sciences at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in China.

The researchers mentioned prior study has concentrated on the frequency, intensity, and period of bodily activity, but couple research centered on the diurnal (daytime) sample of accelerometer-calculated actual physical action to classify the time of day of human movement.

The researchers pointed out it’s unclear irrespective of whether accumulating bodily action at various times of working day is similarly related with obesity prevention.

They also said it is unclear no matter whether meeting the Environment Health and fitness Organization’s (WHO) bodily action suggestions of 150 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous actual physical exercise, with distinctive patterns, is similarly useful for decreasing being overweight hazard.

The scientists explored no matter whether the diurnal sample of accelerometer-calculated moderate to vigorous bodily activity influences the romance between this kind of human motion and weight problems.

The crew made use of knowledge from the 2003–2004 and 2005–2006 cycles of the Nationwide Wellness and Nutrition Examination Survey by the Facilities for Disorder Command and Avoidance (CDC) since accelerometry (the evaluate of acceleration) was carried out for the duration of that time.

The cycles analyzed 5,285 participants, seeking at average to vigorous physical action in the early morning, midday, and night with an founded algorithm that identifies concealed designs in unlabeled knowledge sets.

Scientists said the effects showed a strong linear affiliation among average to vigorous physical exercise and weight problems prevention in the early morning team, while a weaker connection was found in the midday

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Benefits, Side Effects, and Preparations

June 17, 2023 Dania

Xiao Yao San is a blend of herbs used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

In TCM, Xiao Yao San is said to clear liver stagnation. Ongoing research is evaluating whether Xiao Yao San’s properties benefit such health conditions as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), functional dyspepsia (indigestion), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), insomnia, and more.

As an herbal blend, Xiao Yao San contains several herbs and plants. The dried ingredients of Xiao Yao San can be hand-blended or purchased as a dietary supplement. The herbs and plants most often used in Xiao Yao San are:

This article explores how Xiao Yao San is used in TCM. It also covers current scientific evidence on the potential uses of Xiao Yao San and possible side effects, precautions, and interactions of this ancient Chinese remedy.

Dietary supplements are not regulated like drugs in the United States, meaning the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not approve them for safety and effectiveness before products are marketed. When possible, choose a supplement tested by a trusted third party, such as USP, ConsumerLabs, or NSF.

However, even if supplements are third-party tested, that doesn’t mean they are necessarily safe for all or effective in general. Therefore, it is important to talk to your healthcare provider about any supplements you plan to take and discuss potential interactions with other supplements or medications you take.

Supplement Facts

Active ingredient(s): Bupleurum root, Chinese angelica root, white peony root, poria, bighead atractylodes rhizome, roasted ginger, prepared licorice root, menthol, peppermint
Alternate name(s): Free and Easy Wanderer, Rambling Powder, Dan Zhi Xiao Yao San, Augmented Rambling Powder, Kamishoyosan, TJ-24
Legal status: Legal in the U.S. and available over-the-counter (OTC)
Suggested dose: There is no recommended dose for Xiao Yao San. Follow dosage directions listed on the supplement packaging or as directed by your healthcare provider.
Safety considerations: Side effects may be possible, including headache, dizziness, and diarrhea.

Uses of Xiao Yao San

Supplement use should be individualized and vetted by a healthcare professional, such as a registered dietitian, pharmacist, or healthcare provider. No supplement is intended to treat, cure, or prevent disease.

Although few studies strongly support the use of Xiao Yao San (most of which are animal- or lab-based), there are a handful of conditions for which the herbal remedy has shown promise.

Depression

One animal study suggested that Xiao Yao San could help relieve depression by reducing neuroinflammation, or inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.

It is a controversial theory in which imbalances in the gut microflora are thought to contribute to neuroinflammation and, in turn, depression. According to the animal study, Xiao Yao San may help normalize imbalances in the gut, leading to improved symptoms of depression.

A 2012 review of Xiao Yao San evaluated 26 high-quality trials involving 1,837 people with depression. Researchers concluded that Xiao Yao San appeared to improve depression when taken alone or with an antidepressant. Xiao Yao San was also found to have fewer side effects

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Ear acupuncture may well make improvements to benefits

May 23, 2023 Dania

A person's ear taped at multiple acupuncture pressure points with surgical tape — Acupuncture stimulation of the ear has been connected to a lot of wellbeing advantages. Tatiane Silva/Getty Photographs

Acupuncture is a part of common Chinese drugs with a number of opportunity health gains, including ache reduction.
Scientists are even now working to understand the total added benefits of various acupuncture tactics.
A review found that acupuncture force using beads on the ear could make improvements to weight decline initiatives.

As individuals strive for healthful lifestyles, they can use a number of strategies that mix features of nourishment and training with elements of complementary and different drugs. Just one region of curiosity is collecting more investigate on how acupuncture strategies may perhaps benefit people today hoping to get rid of bodyweight.

Researchers are presenting new findings in this location at the 30th European Congress on Being overweight (ECO).

They uncovered that employing gold beads for acupuncture stimulation on essential details of the ear might support improve body weight loss outcomes for men.

Acupuncture is a kind of alternative drugs. It frequently involves a properly trained practitioner inserting great needles into the skin. Some folks pursue acupuncture as a system of ache relief.

Some evidence from more compact scientific research but no various website controlled research has also advised that acupuncture can support with seasonal allergy symptoms, symptoms of asthma, or enhancement of despair. Acupuncture experts can use their strategies on a variety of parts of the body. Auricular acupuncture specially requires the stimulation of vital locations of the ear.

Even though the practice has been all around for a long time, scientists are nevertheless in search of to comprehend the comprehensive gains of acupuncture and the fundamental bodily mechanisms included. Just one spot of fascination is how acupuncture tactics may assist people get rid of body weight.

Jamie Bacharach Dipl, licensed health care acupuncturist, and the head of practice at Acupuncture Jerusalem, explained to Clinical News Nowadays:

“Acupuncture can set off the launch of endorphins, activation of the nervous procedure, modulation of neurotransmitters, and regulation of immune responses, all of which can encourage healing and overall health.”

“Regarding bodyweight reduction, acupuncture has been prompt as a complementary therapy to help in fat administration. The ear, in distinct, is thought to have acupuncture points that can affect hunger, fat burning capacity, digestion, and strain degrees. The strategy recognized as auricular acupuncture focuses specially on stimulating these ear factors.”
— Jamie Bacharach Dipl

Scientists required to develop on earlier information to analyze the body weight loss influence of using auricular acupuncture stimulation. This acupuncture method employs beads that strain important regions of the ear alternatively than utilizing needles.

This study was observational and looked at details from a pre-existing bodyweight-decline program. They collected info from 81 male Japanese members. They sought to examine the body weight decline impact with ladies who had undergone the identical weight loss software.

Contributors in the body weight-decline application gained auricular acupuncture stimulation on 6 essential regions of the ear utilizing compact gold beads

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Benefits of cold water: Health guru and extreme athlete Wim Hof says we have ‘power within’ to heal disease

April 10, 2023 Dania

The ability to control our health could be right inside us.

This is according to the philosophy and practices of Dutch athlete Wim Hof, father of the Wim Hof Method.

Hof, 63, revealed how his teachings have revolutionized public health in an on-camera interview from the Netherlands with Fox News Digital.

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The Wim Hof Method has three pillars: cold plunging, breathing and mindset.

The method has been proven scientifically — according to numerous medical journals, including the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) — to have monumental impacts on mental and physical health.

Wim Hof, known as the “Iceman” for his ability to withstand seemingly impossible levels of cold, demonstrates at a hotel in Kathmandu in May 2007. (DEVENDRA MAN SINGH./AFP via Getty Images)

Nicknamed “the Iceman,” Hof shared that one chief benefit of his method is reducing inflammation. It’s the leading cause of most ailments and autoimmune diseases, he noted.

“I’m bringing my knowledge from nature through science to global health care, showing that through science — no speculation — we are able to do so much more within our physiology,” he said.

NEW YORK POLAR PLUNGE GROUP DIVES INTO ‘LIFE-CHANGING’ COLD WATER THERAPY: ‘NEVER FELT BETTER’

“And I think it’s time to have that get out to the world to bring people some consolation in these confusing times, that there is much more autonomy over mind and body,” he said.

“I’m a man on a mission. I want everybody to be happy, strong and healthy.”

Wim Hof joined Fox News Digital from the Netherlands for an on-camera interview on March 27, 2023. (Angelica Stabile/Fox News Digital)

His “powerful” techniques are “available for anybody” worldwide, he said. All it takes is commitment and a little cold water.

Who is Wim Hof?

Hof is best known for his daring physical feats, such as running marathons while barefoot beyond the polar circle and climbing through the “death zone” of Mt. Everest in only his shorts.

“I began to have control over my emotions.”

The extreme athlete first felt the pull to immerse himself in the cold as a kid growing up in Sittard, Netherlands, according to his book, “The Wim Hof Method.”

At 17, Hof took his first cold plunge on a Sunday morning in winter at Beatrixpark in Almere, Netherlands — and discovered the power of cold water.

Hof met his wife, Olaya, when he was 22 years old. The couple had four children together.

Olaya struggled with depression — and in 1995, she fell victim to the illness and committed suicide.

“The whole of psychiatry could not help [Olaya],” he said. “How broken I was in my heart and there was nothing that could help me.”

WARNING SIGNS OF SUICIDE: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT PREVENTION, RED FLAGS AND HOW TO DEAL WITH THE ISSUE

He continued, “I had no money. I had four kids left behind and the love of my

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As interest in alternative medicine grows, patients with psoriasis weigh benefits, risks

March 12, 2023 Dania

February 07, 2023

3 min read

Source/Disclosures

Published by:

Disclosures:
Gelfand reports having financial relationships with AbbVie, Amgen, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, GSK, Lilly (DMC), Janssen Biologics, Novartis, NeuroDerm (DMC), Pfizer and UCB (DMC); being co-patent holder of resiquimod for treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma; and serving as the deputy editor of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology and board member for the International Psoriasis Council.

In this issue of Healio Psoriatic Disease we focus on complementary and alternative medicine for psoriasis.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), or “complementary health approaches,” is a group of diverse medical and health care practices and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine. There are two broad subgroups: 1) natural products, including herbs, vitamins, minerals and probiotics, the latter often sold as dietary supplements; and 2) mind and body practices, including a large and diverse group of procedures or techniques administered or taught by a trained practitioner such as yoga and meditation.

There is broad interest in CAM in the United States, and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health at the NIH funds research studies to further understand the risks and benefits of CAM approaches.

As a common, chronic, incurable and stigmatizing disease, there is intense interest in CAM by patients with psoriasis. Complicating matters is that these patients can have prolonged spontaneous remissions and respond to placebo (PASI 75 is about 5% in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis receiving placebo) and therefore anecdotes abound about various CAM treatments improving psoriasis. A 2018 survey conducted by the National Psoriasis Foundation found that 41% of people with psoriasis reported using alternative therapies, with patients who had more severe disease being more likely to seek them out.

While interest in CAM therapy is high, it appears the interest in well conducted, rigorous trials to prove its safety and efficacy is low, as there is a dearth of data to support its use in psoriasis. So, what do patients, and their providers who recommend CAM, have to lose? A lot! First, at best, an unproven therapy may be a waste of precious time and money and may prevent patients from receiving therapies actually proven to work. At worst, patients may experience life threatening harm. Tryptophan is a CAM therapy used for disorders such as insomnia and mood disorders. Dermatologists of a certain generation will recall its association with a scleroderma-like condition called eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome. Herbs and dietary supplements promoted for their supposed weight loss or joint pain benefits, including green tea extract, may cause severe acute liver injury. Specifically turning to psoriasis,

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