Cold plunges, the act of immersing the body in cold water for therapeutic benefit, have been used for centuries — from vinterbading in Scandinavia (swimming in cold water during winter months) to misogi in Japan (a Shinto practice of purifying the body under a cold or icy waterfall) to ice baths in the United States and beyond. The reported positive effects are numerous — reduced inflammation, improved muscle recovery after physical activity, and enhanced mood, to name a few — but as it relates to cancer, the benefits of cold plunges are less evident.
“So far, there haven’t been any clinical trials conducted [on the effects of cold plunges on cancer prevention or treatment], so cold therapy is not a part of the standard of oncology care,” explains Ting Bao, MD, MS, co-director of the Leonard P. Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies and Healthy Living at Dana-Farber. “There is anecdotal evidence that cold plunges may help with joint or muscle pain, but more research is needed.”
Can cold plunges cause tumor reduction?
While data on cold plunges specifically is limited, recent research suggests that other forms of cold therapy may have a beneficial effect on shrinking tumors, albeit in animal models. In 2022, a study in Nature reported that mice housed in a 4ºC (39.2ºF) environment experienced an 80% reduction in tumor growth compared to those housed in 30ºC (86ºF) environments, based on observations 20 days after inoculation with colorectal cancer cells. Scientists observed a similar effect in mice with transplanted tumors, such as fibrosarcoma, melanoma, pancreatic cancer, and genetic models of breast cancer and intestinal adenomas.
Tumor reduction through cold therapy is rooted in the activation of brown adipose (fat) tissue, a type of body fat that breaks down blood glucose (sugar) and fat molecules to create heat and help maintain body temperature. When brown fat is activated to warm the body, it uses glucose. As a result, cancer cells that also depend on glucose may have less fuel for growth.
Cold therapy to help with side effects of cancer treatment
Other forms of cold therapy may be helpful for certain side effects of chemotherapy — namely hair loss, nail damage, or loss of the fingernails and toenails. This can include:
- Cold capping, or scalp cooling. This works by vasoconstriction, or narrowing of the blood vessels and reducing blood flow to the hair follicles. When cold capping, patients wear a tight-fitting silicone cap with an outer cover before, during, and after a chemotherapy session. The cap is connected to a machine that delivers liquid coolant through channels built into the cover, and the scalp is cooled to 64-72ºF.
- Cold mittens, which can help reduce damage to fingernails and nerves in the hands and fingers.
- Cold socks, which can help reduce damage to toenails and nerves in the feet and toes.
Like cold caps, they work by decreasing blood flow to the hands and feet, limiting the amount of chemotherapy that reaches those areas and reducing the toxicities.
“With reduced blood flow, less chemotherapy medicine reaches that area, potentially preserving the hair or affecting it less,” says Bao.
Talk to your care team
Before trying any form of cold therapy, it’s important for patients to discuss potential benefits and risks with their care team, including:
- Discomfort, especially for those who may not have tried cold therapy before
- Infection, particularly in those with open wounds or lowered immunity because of cancer treatment and other underlying conditions
- Stress on the body, especially cold plunges, for those with cardiovascular disease or high or low blood pressure
“It is important to understand that patients with cancer or who are in active treatment may have special considerations regarding risk,” says Bao.
About the Medical Reviewer
Dr. Bao is the past president of the Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) and current co-chair of SIO Education Committee. She is the Co-Director of the Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies and Healthy Living at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She was a joint faculty member at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) Integrative Medicine and Breast Medicine services and the director of Integrative Breast Oncology program at MSK from 4/2014 to 7/2023. She is a board-certified breast medical oncologist and medical acupuncturist, and integrative medicine physician. She has conducted a number of clinical trials that examine the safety, effectiveness, and underlying mechanisms of acupuncture and yoga to improve cancer patients' quality of life and to address treatment- and disease-related symptoms. Because of her clinical and research expertise, she is a member of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Physician Data Query Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Editorial Board. She is also a member of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology Symptom Intervention Committee and she is a speaker and panelist for NCI conducted workshops on oncology acupuncture and cancer CAM.
Born and raised in Beijing, China, she received her medical education at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, with residency at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and medical oncology fellow at the Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her Masters of Science in clinical research is from the University of Maryland. Prior to her position at Memorial Sloan Kettering, she was a joint faculty member at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center and Center for Integrative Medicine. She is board-certified in medical oncology, internal medicine and acupuncture.
Fascinating article. Thank you.