Cold Plunges for Cancer Support: Complementary Therapies for Patients and Survivors

According to a study conducted at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden by Yihai Cao, cold plunges can help shrink tumors, slowing their growth and preventing them from spreading. In the study, researchers implanted different cancer cells in a group of mice before classifying them into two categories.

One category was exposed to low temperatures for three weeks, while the other was left as it was. The category exposed to cold temperatures showed significant tumor obstruction, while their survival rate was twice that of those not exposed to low temperatures. We must understand brown adipose tissue first to find out how exposure to cold water suppressed cancer cells.

Understanding Brown Adipose Tissue (BAT) Activation

Brown adipose tissue, also known as brown or personal fat, is a form of fat found under the skin in large quantities. Exposure to cold temperatures activates it to burn calories and generate heat to keep you warm. Brown fat contains a higher percentage of myoglobin and mitochondria than white fat. As a result, it burns calories more adequately. Additionally, brown tissue contains free fatty acids, which can lower the risk of diabetes and heart disease.

One of the core advantages of BAT activation is cell longevity, and scientists are still studying this concept to establish a conclusive report. One study revealed that exposing cells to cold temperatures prolonged their lifespan by enabling stress response pathways to conform to stressful conditions, protecting them from damage. Cold plunge tub and brown adipose tissue activation can block tumor and cancer growth in various ways, as shown below.

·       Brown Adipose Tissue Activation Cuts down the Tumor’s Energy Supply

When the body senses the growth of an abnormal cell, it reacts by developing a tumor around it as a defense mechanism. These cells seize nearby tissue and create a tumor mass, relying on glucose for energy supply. Conversely, when brown fat is triggered, it burns glucose instead of storing it. Burning glucose during brown fat activation lowers the tumor’s energy supply, which may reduce or even stop the tumor’s growth. 

·       Cold Plunges Block New Protein and Blood from Reaching the Tumors

Another study recently revealed that exposure to cold water can block cancerous growth by preventing cells from generating proteins. Cold plunging leads to the contraction of blood vessels, stopping new blood from flowing to the tumor.

When deprived of nutrients and oxygen, tumors can’t generate the proteins they need to remain alive, which causes them to stop growing and eventually die. So, can cold plunging be the ideal therapy solution for cancer patients and survivors? Here is a real-life story. 

Nearly two decades ago, Dean Hall, a two-time cancer survivor, was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, an untreatable and incurable disease. However, Dean was convinced he could manage his condition for one or even two decades before the disease killed him. Dean began a journey to cold exposure in Oregon’s Willamette River waters to swim over 180 miles in more than three weeks. Dean later beat cancer and lived to tell the story.

According to Dean’s story and the concerns his medical team expressed during his swim, it’s evident that he experienced a spell of continuous glucose depletion. When you lack adequate carbohydrates to aid energy expenditure, the body converts to ketosis. Ketosis is a fat-burning metabolic process that occurs when the body lacks enough carbohydrates. 

Based on the metabolic hypothesis of cancer, extreme ketone production, and glucose deprivation, Dean’s extreme exposure to cold water comprised a natural metabolic therapy that quashed his cancer. 

·       Cold Exposure Restrain Tumor Growth

Recently, a study on the impact of cold exposure on cancer-related mortality and tumor growth was published in Nature, a science journal, explaining Dean’s experience. International researchers investigated the effect of cold plunging on tumor growth, brown fat, glucose metabolism, and cancer in human beings and mice. They established that mice exposed to 4°C cold air and grafted with colorectal tumors experienced slowed tumor growth and lived longer than mice kept under warmer temperatures. 

According to the researchers, cold water activates and delivers new brown fat while clearing glucose from the bloodstream. The researchers conducted various experiments, isolating brown fat activation through cold eater exposure as the core process that retrained tumor growth. Further, they altered the restraining impact by feeding a glucose-concentrated diet to cold-exposed mice to show that brown fat’s glucose-clearing properties were responsible for stopping tumor growth. 

·       Cancer & Ketones

Brown fat cells are loaded with mitochondria, which promote cold thermogenesis. Deliberate cold plunging has been recommended as a remedy for mitochondrial disorders because generating new brown fat cells for cold thermogenesis triggers mitochondria biogenesis.

New research seems to concur with Thomas N. Seyfried’s sentiments on the Warburg Effect (the theory that a large percentage of cancer relies on aerobic glycolysis to generate energy instead of the processes that non-cancerous cells use) and the metabolic emergence of cancer. 

Seyfried supports an alternative hypothesis that states that cancer is a metabolism disorder. According to this hypothesis, mutilation of the DNS in the nucleus results from metabolic disorders. Seyfried has not highlighted brown fat activation and cold plunging as possible treatments for cancer. Instead, he stresses the benefits of carbohydrate and calorie restriction, fasting, and a ketogenic diet. 

Cold Water Exposure in Human Cancer Cases

Apart from Dean Hall, other patients have shown improvement in incurable cancer after being exposed to a combination of exercise, carbohydrate restriction, and cold water exposure. Recently, Seki et al. enrolled a human Hodgkin's lymphoma patient in a trial study of cold exposure. Hodgkin’s is among the rare cancers where increased research funding has improved prognoses.

One of the most prominent Hodgkin's survivors is Mario Lemieux, a Hall of Fame hockey player who was exposed to regular combine cold plunging and intense workouts as a professional athlete. However, doctors treated his cancer with radiation, and he continued performing at a high level. This is an indication that while cold plunging may help cancer patients manage their symptoms, it is not a guaranteed cure for cancer. 

Cancer patients or survivors who experience various symptoms can combine cold plunging with other treatment options, including: 

·       Acupuncture

An acupuncture practitioner inserts tiny needles into the skin at specific points. Studies suggest that acupuncture can help ease some forms of pain in cancer patients and survivors. Acupuncture is a safe practice that a licensed practitioner with sterile needles must execute. Consult your doctor before using acupuncture, especially if you have a low blood count or are using blood thinners. 

·       Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a common form of talk therapy in which a mental health counselor helps you gain a clear perception of challenging situations. CBT can help cancer patients or survivors sleep better. A CBT therapist can help them pinpoint and replace behaviors and thoughts that trigger or worsen sleep problems with habits that support sound sleep. 

·       Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy involves the use of fragrant oils to achieve a calming sensation. Oils infused with scents like myrrh, lavender, or rose can be applied to the skin during massage. You can add the oils to your bath water or heat them to discharge their fragrance into the air. Aromatherapy can help relieve stress, pain, and nausea. Cancer patients with estrogen-sensitive cancer should not apply large amounts of tea tree or lavender oil to their skin.

Finally

Cold plunges can help prevent essential nutrients and blood from reaching cancerous tumors, inhibiting their energy supply and restraining their growth. However, more research is needed to determine whether cold water exposure can cure cancer. Still, patients can combine cold plunging with their cancer management medication to suppress their symptoms.