While ‘Today’ show host Carson Daly views cold water plunging as the secret to repairing his mental health, well-being experts warn that it’s not a cure-all.
“It gives a great adrenaline surge,” he said. “It’s hard every time.”
Cold plunging, a form of hydrotherapy, involves diving or submerging one’s body in very cold water for health purposes.
For example, the Coney Island Polar Bear Club is a winter bathing club in New York in which members swim in the freezing waves of the Atlantic Ocean on Sundays from November through April.
“It doesn’t cure things per se, but regular cold plunges can help alleviate some symptoms of common mood disorders like depression and ADHD,” Minnesota chiropractor Thompson Maesaka told The Epoch Times. “Physically, it can improve exercise recovery time and help manage aspects of chronic pain conditions.”
“I have a home cold plunge,” he said. “Forty degrees, literally two minutes every day.”
At-home cold plunge pools range from $45 to a few thousand dollars. For those who cannot afford a plunge pool, a cold shower can provide a similar shock.
“It’s really hard to do, and it turns out doing hard things is good for you,” he said.
Sudden exposure to cold water is believed to trigger dopamine release in the brain, which is associated with sensations of pleasure.
Cold exposure, which constricts blood vessels, also reportedly pumps exercise metabolites out of the muscle tissue.
But the length of time patients stay in the water varies according to their body fat.
“Carson’s claim should be taken with a grain of salt because there are always multiple variables to someone’s journey and it’s hard without knowing his complete diet, supplement regimen, other lifestyle changes, etc. to really get an idea of how much the cold water plunging played a factor in repairing his mental health,” naturopathic physician Adrian Mehmedi told The Epoch Times.
Mehmedi works with Brio Medical, a cancer treatment center in Scottsdale.
In some cases, however, immersion in cold water under 60 degrees Fahrenheit can be dangerous, according to the National Center for Cold Water Safety.
As a result, Maesaka recommends gradual immersion to his concussion and migraine patients.
“It’s incredibly uncomfortable, and someone with a risk or history of heart disease may have issues with fainting or lodging a blood clot loose,” he said. “Its recommended you work up to three minutes in the cold. It doesn’t need to be extremely cold right away.”
Daly isn’t the only celebrity who uses cold water for therapeutic purposes.
“Today” show anchor Savannah Guthrie, 52, has also tried the cold plunge.
“It only lasted 30 seconds,” she said. “But I’m glad I did it. It’s actually an amazing thing to do, but you have to have the guts to just dive in. You can’t tiptoe in it.”
Maesaka plunges daily to wake himself up in the morning or midday as a substitute for caffeine.
“I heard about the benefits and was looking for ways to recover from exercise faster and stay focused for larger chunks of time without relying on caffeine as much,” he added. “It helped with both.”
Daly did not respond to requests for comment.
