Can whole body cryotherapy become an add-on treatment for depressed people?

Abstract

Background and aims.– Whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) is already proven method in somatic medicine and among standards of supportive therapies in rheumatoid, neurological diseases (e.g. multiple sclerosis) and biological rejuvenation (athletes). WBC is a short, repeatable application of stimuli of very low temperature (<−110 ◦C) in a short period of time (2–3 min) on whole body surface to provoke positive physiological and immunological reactions of human body. There is limited data (Rymaszewska 2003; Rymaszewska 2008; Miller 2011) about the WBC in mood disorders, although the effectiveness of WBC may be associated with inflammatory depression theory. The aim was to confirm if short, repetitive exposition to extreme low temperatures may support treatment of depressed patients. Methods.– According to RCT protocol 117 patients with depressive disorder (F.32, F.33) under standard psychopharmacology were assessed for eligibility, among which 92 were randomized into experimental (n = 50) and control (n = 42) group. Experimental group undergo 10 sessions of WBC daily from −110 to −160 ◦C, 2–3 min each, whereas control into −50 ◦C. Before the first and after the last WBC the Beck Depression Inventory and self-report scale of “well-being” including: mood, level of motivation and sleep quality with Visual Analogue Scale were collected. Results.– Finally, 33 participants in experimental and 30 in control group ended the study. The level of depressive symptoms significantly decreased after WBC (p < 0.05). More significant improvement of self-reported well-being comparing to controls was also observed (VAS, p < 0.05). Conclusions.– The results are very promising and prove that WBC as an adjuvant treatment in depression is worth exploring in further studies.