Contrast therapy: New wellness trend is taking over with hot and cold treatment

Hot and cold donrsquot usually go together but for athletes itrsquos a new way to recoverIce baths are not newmdashfootball legend Cristiano Ronaldo has been popularising the trend for several years and in fact posted a video in December of himself in an icecold bath in freezing LaplandThe times are changing though and an ice bath is practically passeacute The latest wellness trend is contrast therapy a form of hydrotherapy which only one centre so far is offering Hot and cold temperatures are combined to accelerate wellness This entails sitting in icecold water for a few minutes and then sitting in a sauna A complete session involves alternating between the two for at least halfanhourThe hot treatmentsIt aids postworkout recovery which is why this therapy is popular among athletes But contrast therapy has other benefits too including reduced inflammation and muscle fatigue as well as lower stress levels and improved functional mobilityldquoThe moment you enter the cold water blood rushes to your brain heart stomach and bowel and it stays there for some time Once you enter the heat your blood vessels expand Now your heart has an opportunity to push blood as far away as possible This in and out of hot and cold acts as a circulatory flush pushing out any kind of inflammationrdquo explains Dr Karan Jadhav founder of Ureco a contrast therapy centre in Khar WestIn the West Gwyneth Paltrow Lady Gaga and Harry Styles have embraced contrast therapy Closer home Ali Fazal Tiger Shroff Rakul Preet Singh Neha Sharma Tripti Dimri and Karishma Tanna have taken the dunkThe cofounders of contrast therapy centre Ureco Dr Digvijay Salunkhe left and Dr Karan Jadhav PicsSayyed Sameer AbediDr Jadhav Mumbairsquos first certified thermalist instructor is qualified to guide contrast therapy and his cofounder Dr Digvijay Salunkhe is also an athlete having completed the annual triathlon Ironman Malaysia Langkawi in 2023ldquoWhile training for Ironman I would take ice baths with 15 cyclists in a small pool in Kolhapurrdquo says Dr Salunkhe ldquoThis was only ice there was nowhere to practise a combination of hot and cold therapy If I did it at home I would have to order a lot of ice and once my cold bath was done it would all go to wasterdquo he addsApart from celebrities Ureco also sees athletes heading there to recover The centre is also popular with mental health patientsDr Jadhav says ldquoWith contrast therapy dopamine and norepinephrine go up These two hormones also act as neurotransmitters which help a lot of mental health patientsrdquo Often contrast therapy helps to beat stress panic attacks and anxiety and gives you mental clarityItrsquos also practised for patients with chronic aches and pains or autoimmune conditions like fibromyalgia or osteoarthritisDr Jadhav cites the example of his oldest client a 67yearold woman with a back spasm who found relief with the therapy ldquoWe also have clients who have undergone chemotherapy it gives them relief from neuropathy tingling in the fingertipsrdquo he saysldquoWe also use UV filtration to ensure there is clean water each time someone takes the cold bathrdquo says Dr Salunkhe adding ldquoItrsquos as clean as drinking waterrdquoAt Ureco you can opt for a 30minute session for R3000 or a onehour session for R4000 The centre also has packages that make weekly sessions more affordableBut is this just another fad It doesnrsquot seem so as the recovery centre is becoming an accessible space for athletes Ureco was also the recovery partner for the Mumbai Soccer Prodigies and is planning to set up more centres this year