‘COLD CASES’ : HOW WHOLE-BODY CRYOTHERAPY COULD CHANGE YOUR LIFE
By Maria Ensabella, Co-Author, ‘Reinventing Cool: How to Make COLD Your Best Ally Against Inflammation, Pain and Aging’
My journey to finding the power of extreme COLD is personal and, if I say so myself, unique.
I had heard wellness guru Tony Robbins speaking and he had mentioned the astounding beneficial effects of whole-body cryotherapy. Whilst I was over in New York competing in the New York Marathon in 2015 I decided to give it a go. What could I loose, right? My relief from stress, muscle soreness and the feeling of well-being was immediate and profound, and I was immediately hooked. I wasn’t to know it then, but that on-the-spot decision to try something new was to change my life completely and for the better, and as it turned out, transform the lives of so many of my future clients.
When I got back to the UK, I searched for somewhere in London I could carry on with my new-found passion for ‘cryo’ but there wasn’t anywhere to be found. Being a natural entrepreneurial character, I spotted a business opportunity and after much hard work and late nights (and yes, a tiny bit of stress!), I said goodbye to my life as an accountant and my chain of high-end wellness clinics, LondonCryo, was born in 2016.
I can’t say it was plain sailing at the start (what new business ever is?) but I can honestly say I haven’t looked back since! I love my new life as a whole-body cryotherapy and wellbeing expert and, with the publication of a new book I have co-authored with fellow ‘cryo’ expert Antra Getzoff, ‘Reinventing Cool: How to Make COLD Your Best Ally Against Inflammation, Pain and Aging’, I can’t wait to introduce new audiences to whole-body cryotherapy and add ‘author’ to my resume.
‘Reinventing Cool: How to Make COLD Your Best Ally Against Inflammation, Pain and Aging’ is a market first and explores and interrogates the true healing power of extreme cold; uniquely combining scientific fact with our learned experience. Examining new research in combination with unique case studies taken from our own clinical experience to illustrate how this still relatively new therapy (not recognised fully by traditional medicine) can help the body heal itself. We also (in another published first) offer a step-by-step guide as to how to plan your ‘cryo’ sessions, giving you the best chance of achieving the results you want from the therapy.
What I love the most about my (not so new now) career is helping people completely transform – whether that’s freedom from chronic pain from injuries and illness, meeting health and fitness goals, feeling better and more themselves, to defying the aging process; the list is endless. Whilst researching and writing my book I had the opportunity to review hundreds of unique LondonCryo client testimonials. Something I have wanted to do for a long time. It really was a fascinating process studying them alongside recent scientific research and the healing power of whole-body cryotherapy literally leapt of the page.
To give you a sneaky peak at what you can expect between the pages of the new book, here’s a taster of a few of the first-hand testimonials about the power of the COLD from our LondonCryo clients…
According to the BMJ (British Journal of Medicine) chronic pain is something that an estimated one-third to one-half of the population of the UK suffer from. Many of those are dealing with autoimmune diseases that are very difficult to treat. One lady came to see me suffering from a form of Arthritis. I advised her to start with a few sessions a week building to a more regular treatment plan. This is what she had to say: “I have always been hesitant to try new therapies with my autoimmune condition (Spondylarthritis) for fear it may aggravate it…I can honestly say that for the first time in 20 years of suffering from this condition I am moving around this summer comfortably with no pain. It is a godsend and I want to cry with joy and relief.”
Alexis Rufus came to see me with extreme back pain caused by Spondylolisthesis and Stenosis, which in layman’s terms meant that his vertebrae had slipped forward causing agonising nerve pain. His pain was crippling, and he wanted a way to relieve it whilst he waited for surgery. After whole-body cryotherapy he stated his back pain “was reduced for 24 hours and that alone had me sold on whole-body cryotherapy.”
Sporting injuries can plague us all, especially for those who love the more adventurous pursuits! Alison Swan came to see me with a skiing holiday injury. She had broken her ankle in December ’22 and wanted to go skiing again in March of that year. She desperately wanted to get back on the slopes. This is her story in her own words: “The cryotherapy helped immediately with reducing the swelling and inflammation. It was also great at boosting my energy levels and keeping my mood lifted whilst going through the rehabilitation process. As a physio, the work can be physically and mentally tiring. My patients were really impressed I was working with no pain and energy as well as being able to do Reformer Pilates every day. Not only was able to get back to skiing 8 weeks later pain free, but I also went on an 18-day trekking adventure in the Himalayas in May. Now I can discuss the benefits of cryotherapy treatment first-hand.”
Not everyone uses whole-body cryotherapy for pain and injury, some just use it to feel and move better. For BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing fans you may have witnessed celebrity newsreader and all-round icon Angela Rippon attributing her age-defying success to her whole-body cryotherapy sessions at LondonCryo (there’s a lovely clip from the show still on my website).
When I look back on the eight years since I opened LondonCryo it is remarkable how many lives have been changed by embracing the power of extreme cold. My overriding message is that whole-body cryotherapy can change lives for the better, and I hope ‘Reinventing Cool: How to Make COLD Your Best Ally Against Inflammation, Pain and Aging’ will inspire many more people to give whole-body cryotherapy a go…you never know where it will lead you!