415: How cold therapy can supercharge your health | Mark Harper, M.D., Ph.D.

Mark Harper, M.D., Ph.D.: "People who took a cold shower every day had less sick days off of work.”

Harper, a cold therapy expert and consultant anesthetist at Sussex University Hospitals, joins mbg co-CEO, Jason Wachob, to discuss how cold water immersion can help reduce your inflammatory response, plus:

- How to practice cold therapy at home without spending a dime (~09:17)

- How to prepare for a cold plunge (~13:28)

- How long you should spend in a cold shower (~19:20)

- How cold therapy can reduce anxiety (~22:25)

- The future of cold therapy research (~33:21)

Referenced in the episode:

- Harper's book, Chill: The Cold Water Swim Cure.

- Read more about Doctor Brighton and The Sea Cure.

- Harper's paper showing that putting people through cold water adaptation programs before surgery could reduce complications.

- Study showing people who took cold showers called in sick 29% less than the control group.

- The Official Rules.

- mbg Podcast episode #392, with Emma Loewe.

- Harper's study on open water swimming as treatment for depression.

- Harper's research showing outdoor swimming had short- and long-term reductions in negative mood.

- Learn more about Chill UK.

- Watch's BBC's The Doctor Who Gave Up Drugs.

- Anecdotal account how cold water swimming helped one woman's long COVID symptoms.

Enjoy this episode! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: [email protected].

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices