Are ice baths good for you? The truth revealed.

We’ve all seen the internet hype out there about ice baths. But, are ice baths good for you? For starters, they simply don’t feel good – I mean, the facial expression in the picture says it all! (And yes, the adrenaline hit can feel amazing, but we’ll get to that in a moment). Our bodies possess an innate intelligence: they let us know what works – and what doesn’t – by how we feel. And nothing that is beneficial to body-mind-soul should be THAT painful. So, it’s time to ask: “are ice baths good for you?”.

Chinese Medicine, which is possibly the oldest medical science in the world, says definitely not!

Our oldest medical text*, in continuous clinical use for 2,000 years (!), tells us that “cold can injure the physical body”. That’s a pretty definitive answer to our question! And modern research is catching on. Here is just one example, showing that ice baths “do more harm than good for muscle growth and repair”.

Oh dear.

Let’s take a deeper look at why ice baths are not, actually, good for you. And if you’d like the short version, scroll down the page for some short video explainers – and if you’d prefer to listen to me to answering the question “are ice baths good for you”, you can listen to my podcast episode here.

Are ice baths good for you? Chinese Medicine says NO!

Everything in Chinese Medicine comes down to Yin & Yang: cold & hot, Water & Fire, static & dynamic.

Life is movement. Metabolism, flow, suppleness, circulation, warmth, healing, digestion – all of these rely on movement. But what happens when we put something “on ice”, or in the fridge? Movement and metabolism slows (this is why spoilage is slowed). Things get stiffer and harder, and flow is impeded.

Fundamentally, life is not supported. And putting our bodies into a situation that does not support life pushes it to draw on its deepest reserves of life force energy – to counteract the icy cold and to keep our spark of life alight. So through this lens, are ice baths good for you?? Absolutely not.

These deep reserves of energy, also called Jing or “Essence”, live between the Kidneys, in our “Gate of Life” (or Ming Men, 命門). Our Essence is a treasure to be protected at all costs, as its abundance dictates how well we heal, grow and journey through each stage of life. It can also provide a burst of power (like if we need to run away from a tiger) but we want to avoid taxing it unnecessarily. It is precious!

This explains why ice baths can “feel good” to some people in the short term. Ice baths release adrenal (literally meaning, “above the kidney”) stress hormones. A jolt of these hormones can make us feel great temporarily, but at what long-term cost?

What does ancient wisdom tell us?

I always look to the ancient wisdom traditions for guidance, because over centuries, they have sorted out what works… and what doesn’t. And when we look to the ancients and ask “are ice baths good for you”, guess what? Literally NONE suggest hanging out static in ice. This is because life is about dynamic balance – but sitting still in ice is an unbalanced situation. Let me explain.

Through a Chinese Medicine lens, everything in life comes down to Yin and Yang – and the balance between them. Being static and immobile is a Yin quality, as is Cold. There is no balance here. It’s Yin on Yin situation, and Yin is overwhelming Yang. At least a quick, cold plunge in a natural water source balances out Cold (Yin) with dynamic movement (Yang) and “Living Water” (Yang). But sitting in an ice bath of (generally) chlorinated and chemically-treated town water is a very different story.

Why is Yin on Yin a concern? And why is Yang so essential?

Everything in the world can be described in terms of Yin and Yang – us included. Life stems from the interplay of Yin and Yang, and generally speaking, Yin is the material aspect, while Yang is the functional aspect. We can also say that the state of our Yang reflects the state of our life force, because without function, animation and movement, we are just a static, material body.

We can never have too much life force – and we can never have too much Yang. This is why, in our Chinese Medicine practices, we actively protect and nourish Yang, and avoid things that deplete it. We drink warm drinks, eat warm foods and protect our meridians from excessive cold, wind and draughts (and air con!).

Mama Nature always knows best

In addition to considering what ancient sciences advise, I also learn from Mama Nature and the wisdom of animals. And while we see snow monkeys lounging in hot springs, we don’t see any animals choosing to sit static in ice water! To me, that seems like a pretty clear answer to anyone pondering, “are ice baths good for you”!

We can learn so much from our animal friends. We too are part of nature, and yet in our modern world, many have forgotten (or tuned out) the infinite wisdom of their bodies. But when we listen in, our bodies are always communicating with us as to what we need in each moment. Let’s try it now!

So, are ice baths good for you? Let’s test something out

Let’s ask our innate body wisdom to answer, “are ice baths good for you?” Think back to the last time you placed an ice-pack on your body, or sat / showered / swam in freezing water. How did your body respond to that? Tensed, tight, braced for ache, nervous, hardened – maybe you even made a face or a sound of “lack-of-ease”??

And now, remember a time when you stepped into a warm bath, hot shower, a patch of sun – or placed a heat pack on your body. How did that feel? What’s the sound you made then? If you’re anything like me – and literally everyone I’ve placed a heat lamp on in clinic – you went “AAAAHHHHH” (at least your body did!),

Warmth feels so good, right? You get the “felt” message just in thinking about it: relief, release, flow, relaxation. And a send of ease – not dis-ease.

Our bodies are infinitely wise, despite the cult of the “mental”, or “mind-over-matter”. We may think that our intellect is supreme – that we “know” better than the body and can biohack it into submission… but life, nature, body and soul always know best.

The denial of sensed and felt “body wisdom” is emblematic of a place many have arrived at in our Western culture. Where aspects of ourselves have been divorced from each other: mind-body, thinking-feeling, logic- intuition, “masculine-feminine”. We glorify the masculine principle of action and “going hard”, while ignoring the subtle, quiet whispers (Yin) of our being. This is exalting the Yang while denying the Yin, and yet, as we learned earlier, vibrant health stems from a dynamic balance of both.

Time to debunk the claims of the ancients loving ice baths (they really didn’t!)

One of the arguments in favour of ice baths is their alleged use in ancient or traditional cultures. However when we dig deeper, we discover that these claims don’t check out. I’ve researched the civilisations that ice-bath-lovers tout as early adopters – and found no evidence for their claims. So, let’s bust some myths and hear how the ancients would answer “are ice baths good for you?”

First, let’s hear from the Ancient Egyptians

The earliest cited instance of “cold therapy” is in Egyptian medicine, in the Edwin Smith Papyrus, circa 1,600 BCE. However, here, the “cold therapy” refers to the local application of cold to a diseased chest wound, and the use of an ointment made of “cooling” herbs – much like we use in Chinese Medicine. Not quite sitting static in an ice bath!

And next up, the Ancient Greeks

The next culture often referred to is the Greek, and yet, once again, further research reveals a rather different story. What would be the Ancient Greek answer, “are ice baths good for you”? Well, it would also be a resounding no! In Greek medicine, a very important distinction is made – namely, that certain therapies can be appropriate in isolated instances, and harmful in others (just like in Chinese Medicine!).

In Ancient Greece, cold water immersion was reserved for cases of fever. This was an acute treatment, in which the cold immersion was a “necessary evil” to stop the further loss of precious Yang by sweating and elevated temperature. This is very clearly emergency medicine – not intended for regular use, or to build health.

The other instance mentioned in Greek medicine is the use of topical snow application to stem bleeding. This is because, as we learned, freezing temperatures literally “freeze” function locally – they slow flow and constrict blood vessels. Again, this is emergency medicine – not a wellness practice.

The famous physician and “father of modern medicine”. Hippocrates, clearly warned of the dangers of cold exposure. He stated that, “cold causes fits, tetanus, gangrene, and feverish shivering fits; it is bad for the bones, teeth, nerves, brain, and the spinal cord.” So, quite a clear and direct answer to the question of “are ice baths good for you”! This view is very much in alignment with our Chinese Medicine view of preserving Yang – and the spark of life.

Now, onto the Romans!

Great innovators of aqueducts, the Romans were big fans of their baths. Many baths had a “caldarium” (hot bath of 49-50C), “tepidarium” (warm bath) and “frigidarium” (cold bath). The only sources that I could find regarding water temperature in the cold bath speculated it to be 18-20C. And while cold, it’s definitely not an ice bath!

Did the Japanese traditionally ice bathe for health? Also no.

Some instances of ritual cold exposure can be found in Japan, in the Shinto tradition of “misogi”, and Buddhist tradition of “mizugori”. This is a relatively rare practice of spiritual cleansing, usually performed annually, in which one stands under a cold waterfall.

Once again, it’s important to consider that here, one is exposed to moving – Yang – water. It pummels the skin, promotes circulation and offsets some of the damage of cold temperatures. Importantly, the water here is living, “structured” water and highly beneficial for health. It is not the bulk water that would be found in most ice baths. It is full of Qi – life force – and can impart some of that Qi to the waterfall-bather.

In Japan, we also hear tales of Samurai using cold water to steel themselves for training and battle. As we learned earlier, exposure to shockingly cold temperatures is known to release the adrenal stress hormones. These hormones numb us to pain, and make us feel invincible, so we can see how this would be a desirable practice for warriors!

However, this was not a practice of the lay people, and was certainly not used for longevity or building health. As the average lifespan of a 16th century Samurai was allegedly 25 years, we can assume that longevity and healthy, vibrant ageing was not a top concern, and was likely overlooked in favour of the warrior energy conferred by liberating vast reserves of Essence and adrenal energy.

What about the alleged use of ice bathing in conjunction with sweat lodges?

In ice bath hype, I’ve come across mentions of the“Inipi” and “Temazcal” sweat lodge ceremonies as examples of traditional ice bathing. Let’s take a look at this.

“Inipi” refers to the sweat lodge ceremony of the Lakota people, while “Temazcal” refers to those of southern Mexico. And while sometimes practitioners would indeed plunge into a cold stream after their sweat, we can consider that this would have the same benefit as quick plunge after a sauna . This quick dip would secure the Yang deep within, preventing its continued loss via sweating (as the Ancient Greeks used it too). This does not appear to be a case of purposeful sitting around in ice either! Once again, we have the exposure to living, moving water, which is a beautiful way of connecting to the power of Mama Nature and the elements.

This one is for the people who say “but I feel so good when I sit in ice”

Another of the arguments I’ve seen for ice baths is that people can “feel so good” afterwards. But this “feeling good” only comes after ignoring the initial, very clear messages of pain and discomfort! And here lies our explanation.

When somatic communications of distress and pain are dismissed, the body will wisely release stress hormones. It does this to help us “survive” what it (rightly, in my opinion!) perceives as a potentially damaging situation.

These same hormones are released when our bodies perceive a need to “fight, flight, flee or freeze”. They override pain signals, and divert resources away from any activities that the system deems “not immediately essential to survival”. This includes processes like repair, healing and digestion. Yes – these hormones can make us feel invincible, pain-free and charged. But this comes at the cost of other processes that support long-term vitality.

What happens if we keep juicing those adrenals for their stress hormones?

Running on stress hormones can feel so “great” that we become addicted to activities or situations that provide us with a hit of that adrenalised charge. Over time, our cells can develop increasing amounts of receptors for these hormones, so we need more and more to get our hit. I know this well, because this was a past version of me. I was hooked on the high of vast amounts of cardio, long work hours, deadlines, multitasking, overbooking myself, and relationships that carried drama. And lots of coffee!

This felt great, for years – until my adrenals crashed, and I ended up hospitalised, in an autoimmune storm. If you’re curious, you can hear more on my journey here. Addiction to stress hormones is common pattern, and one that I often see – in varying degrees – in clinic.

This biomedical explanation is in alignment with the Chinese Medicine view that relying on this life-saving adrenal hormone energy drains our Qi, Yang and Essence. But if instead we nourish these, by choosing to live in a balanced way and listening to the whisperings of body-mind-soul, we can enjoy more vitality, healthier aging and better recovery from injury, illness and stressful life events. This is at the heart of the practice of Yang Sheng, literally “Nourishing Life”.

The quiet voice within answers “are ice baths good for you?”

One of the fundamental tenets of my practice is that our body-mind-souls are infinitely wise, In every moment, they guide us towards whatever it is that we need (or don’t need!) in order to become our most vibrant selves. The more consistently we tune-in, the clearer and stronger the messages become.

We can begin simply, with habits like honouring our need to rest, pee, hydrate or eat nourishing foods. With observing how we feel, in body-mind-soul, after certain foods and certain places. And with reflecting on how feel when spending time with certain people or doing certain activities.

Like any skill, self-communication gets clearer the more we practice – the more we get quiet and allow space to listen. Initially the messages can be distorted or refracted by past trauma, adaptive behaviours / habits, stored emotions, and ancestral, cultural or past life imprints. Self-medication with substances (including food), content, activities or emotional states can also override the inner whisperings of what we need (while providing a needed compensatory function within a certain situation).

The good news is that even while reaching for the relief of these habits or behaviours, we can first pause and ask “what does this give me?” “What am I avoiding by choosing this?” And we can be compassionate with ourselves about the answer. After all, shining the light of awareness on a situation takes courage, and is a major part of the healing.

If you’d like guidance in flexing this muscle of self-connection and deep listening, I offer that within both Coming Home to You and the Radiant Energy Reset.

Instead of ice baths, I suggest “The Middle Path” of moderation and balance

In Chinese Medicine, we aspire to balance – what we call The Middle Path. We don’t glorify extreme practices, diets and exercises, and we don’t try to biohack our beings into submission.

Instead, we connect with the wisdom and cycles of Mama Nature, and those of our own body, mind and soul. We align ourselves to flow with life in a dynamic balance of Yin and Yang. This, from our perspective, is the path to vibrant health.

* our oldest text is the Huang Di Nei Jing, or the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine