Changes in the Allostatic Response to Whole-Body Cryotherapy and Static-Stretching Exercises in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients vs. Healthy Individuals

Whole-body cryotherapy as a treatment for chronic medical conditions?

INTRODUCTION

Whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) is a controlled exposure of the whole body to cold to gain health benefits. In recent years, data on potential applications of WBC in multiple clinical settings have emerged.

SOURCES OF DATA

PubMed, EBSCO and Clinical Key search using keywords including terms 'whole body', 'cryotherapy' and 'cryostimulation'.

AREAS OF AGREEMENT

WBC could be applied as adjuvant therapy in multiple conditions involving chronic inflammation because of its potent anti-inflammatory effects. Those might include systemic inflammation as in rheumatoid arthritis. In addition, WBC could serve as adjuvant therapy for chronic inflammation in some patients with obesity.

AREAS OF CONTROVERSY

WBC probably might be applied as an adjuvant treatment in patients with chronic brain disorders including mild cognitive impairment and general anxiety disorder and in patients with depressive episodes and neuroinflammation reduction as in multiple sclerosis. WBC effects in metabolic disorder treatment are yet to be determined. WBC presumably exerts pleiotropic effects and therefore might serve as adjuvant therapy in multi-systemic disorders, including myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

GROWING POINTS

The quality of studies on the effects of WBC in the clinical setting is in general low; hence, randomized controlled trials with adequate sample size and longer follow-up periods are needed.

AREAS ARE TIMELY FOR DEVELOPING RESEARCH

Further studies should examine the mechanism underlying the clinical efficacy of WBC. Multiple conditions might involve chronic inflammation, which in turn could be a potential target of WBC. Further research on the application of WBC in neurodegenerative disorders, neuropsychiatric disorders and ME/CFS should be conducted.

Combination of whole body cryotherapy with static stretching exercises reduces fatigue and improves functioning of the autonomic nervous system in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to explore the tolerability and effect of static stretching (SS) and whole body cryotherapy (WBC) upon fatigue, daytime sleepiness, cognitive functioning and objective and subjective autonomic nervous system functioning in those with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) compared to a control population.

METHODS

Thirty-two CFS and eighteen healthy controls (HC) participated in 2 weeks of a SS + WBC programme. This programme was composed of five sessions per week, 10 sessions in total.

RESULTS

A significant decrease in fatigue was noted in the CFS group in response to SS + WBC. Some domains of cognitive functioning (speed of processing visual information and set-shifting) also improved in response to SS + WBC in both CFS and HC groups. Our study has confirmed that WBC is well tolerated by those with CFS and leads to symptomatic improvements associated with changes in cardiovascular and autonomic function.

CONCLUSIONS

Given the preliminary data showing the beneficial effect of cryotherapy, its relative ease of application, good tolerability, and proven safety, therapy with cold exposure appears to be an approach worth attention. Further studies of cryotherapy as a potential treatment in CFS is important in the light of the lack of effective therapeutic options for these common and often disabling symptoms.