Freeze me to -244, please!

Before I begin to explain what in the world the title of this post is, I have to bunny trail. Sorry, not sorry. Ahem. 

I love sweet potatoes. A lot. I eat them multiple times a week, actually. They're chock-full of good stuff like beta-carotene, vitamin C, B6, B1 (a brain vitamin), potassium, and they're a good source for carb consumption. They are also the perfect size to slip in your purse on the way out the door to your relatives' home for Thanksgiving dinner. You know... juuuust in case they forget that you can't have dressing or green bean casserole. Or white potatoes with gravy, Or even those tiny little marshmallows on the top of the sweet potato casserole.

Anyway.

I also have a sweet love for bacon. Which may or may not be considered "healthy" or "good for you." I, however, consider bacon to be delicious and treat it as such. So. If you take sweet potato wedges, wrap them in bacon, and roast them at 400* for 20ish minutes, it will change. your. life.

NOW. On to freezing at -244 degrees!

Three (3) months ago, I discovered the "coolest" place in town. Pun intended. A friend told me that there was this place that was full of "tons of alternative health solutions" and that I had to check it out. So, I went and I got in the infrared sauna and sweat like a pig for 30 minutes (another time, another story). Then, I got a rundown of all of the other gizmos and gadgets in the shop and my eyes landed on this:

That, my cyber friends, is a Cryosauna. And it is glorious. GLORIOUS, I tell you!

But what is this cryosauna I speak of, you're thinking? I'm going to try to tell you to the best of my ability. All of my friends say that I am the worst sales person for this therapy, but you honestly just have to experience it for yourself! So....my explanation of cryotherapy is as follows:

You get in this metal chamber that shoots out liquid nitrogen SO cold (I've hit -300* in the chamber before. It gets cold, y'all) that it drops your body (skin) temperature approximately 60 degrees for 3 minutes. And you're full-on commando while you're doing this. While you're in the chamber, your skin receptors will alert your body to rush all of the blood from your extremities (hands, legs, feet) to your core organs (heart,lungs,etc.) causing your body to go into what's known as "survival mode." When the 3 minutes are up and you get out of the chamber, your body temperature will rapidly rise to normal (although your skin may still be "freezing" and you may want a parka). When this happens, your red blood cells are recirculated/hyper-oxygenated so that you (for lack of a better word) have "new" blood rushing to all areas of your body. When your red blood cells are rich in oxygen, their potential to release healing properties all over your body increase tremendously!

Here's the scientific scoop on cryotherapy:

Cryotherapy has been around for centuries in multiple capacities. All  you have to do is google "cryotherapy" and it will take you back to Egypt in 25 B.C. It has been used by dermatologists for skin health, spot treatments have been done for treatment of chronic migraines, athletes have used it for recovery after a game or an intense run/workout.

While you're in a session, the process of "freezing" triggers a "fight-or-flight" response that causes blood to temporarily leave your "less important" extremities and rush straight to your core. While in this "fight-or-flight" mode, your body prepares to fix any potentially damaged vital organs by pushing more oxygen, enzymes, and nutrients into the blood. When the treatment is over and you step out of the tank, that same blood that is now enriched with all of those enzymes, nutrients  and oxygen, flows back into the rest of your body, causing accelerated cell renewal in tissues and skin.

Since this cell renewal takes place, an added benefit that can take place from a cryo session is skin tightening and cellulite reduction. How can this be, you say? When your skin receptors are cold, the body thinks that it is hypothermic (read: your body is losing heat faster than it can produce heat). When this thought takes place, your metabolism will rise in an effort to stay warm. Since your metabolism has been revved, you end up burning roughly 800-1,000 calories in a session and, ultimately, burn fat and tighten skin. Yes, this has happened to me so, yes, I believe it.

And okay, naysayers, yes. There are definite precautions that need to be taken and some negative side effects that could potentially happen. But. If you're going to a skilled cryo location, the person running the tank knows what they're doing and will make sure that everything runs exactly as it should. If it doesn't, they'll tell you to get the heck outta the tank.

But THIS. THIS is my favorite part...

Whole Body cryotherapy was invented in 1978 by Toshima Yamauchi, a Japanese medical doctor who was seeking a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. Now are you beginning to understand why I'm in love with it? Y'all, with the exception of my little 2 week stint with Bronchitis at the beginning of December and a few trips here and there, I have been going to cryotherapy sessions 5 days a week since October 3, 2016. I went once with a friend in September and could almost instantly see a  slight increase in my mobility and decrease in swelling (mainly in my hands and feet/ankles). 

When I took the plunge and started daily treatments, I was having difficulty moving at the rate I knew I could. My feet were bothering me (making walking a chore), my hips and knees were acting up, and bending my fingers was almost an impossibility within the first 1-2 hours of waking up in the morning thanks to swelling. It was so physically draining. You could see the pain in my eyes and my overall appearance was sluggish. (Sometimes you've just gotta survive, people.) 

Within 2 weeks of treatments, I wasn't having any trouble moving. (I was actually "bounding" into the clinic, ready for my next treatment!) My eyes were bright and vibrant and I actually looked like I felt better. I'm going on 3 months now and I still see results after each session. I can walk in saying "my hands are swollen and hurting" or "my back is causing issues today because of extended periods of sitting" (the pros and cons of having a desk job) and leave with an instant boost of energy and a decrease in inflammation. 

Here's one CRAZY thing that I noticed about a month into treatments. I have Lichen Planus in some not-so-comfy places and I have a lovely little skin disorder that I haven't been able to get under control. I've been to a dermatologist multiple times and all he can think to do is prescribe a medication, schedule me to come back in a month, and then we inevitably switch the medication because the first one did nothing. By now, you know how much I detest taking medication long-term, so I'm basically fed up with my skin and want it to heal itself. 

Enter: cryotherapy. 

When I first started going, the tech gave me the rundown of all of the health benefits that can come with cryo (it's a great anti-depressant, energy + mood booster, helps decrease and manage joint pain + acute and chronic inflammation, helps treat migraines, jet lag, acne, scarring, and wound healing). At that moment, I was more interested in the whole "manage joint pain + inflammation" part of her script and didn't really hear the rest that she had to say. At that point, my legs were so bad that I almost hated to wear shorts or skirts, I mean, I did because I love my body and I'm just so happy that it's not still actively trying to kill me everyday. But I hated the way that my legs looked with all of the lesions and scarring - to the point where I would put concealer on my legs if I had to wear a short dress in public. (Do you know how time consuming it is to put concealer on your legs? Yeah. I don't recommend it.)

I haven't had a Lichen Planus flare since I started treatments and I can't tell you how happy that makes me. But y'all, the scarring from my skin disorder is going away. Which sounds CRAZY. Because it's scarring. I wish I had taken a before and after picture. I really, really do because it's so hard to believe! In all honesty, THAT is what sold me on cryotherapy. I love that it consistently helps me treat my RA/Sjögrens symptoms so that I can "human" more like normal humans. I mentioned here that I quit my meds, cold turkey back in October. Minus taking Mobic while I had Bronchitis so that my chest would stop feeling like it was on fire and causing me to not be able to breathe, I haven't touched my RA medications since October 1st. That's over 3 months now and I feel BETTER than I did when I was taking them! 

The bottom line is: Cryotherapy is a (yes, crazy) way to help treat and heal SO many things. It's helped me with my chronic inflammation with RA, Sjögrens, and Lichen Planus. It's helped a friend recover from a back injury related to a workout mishap. And it's helped another friend with tendonitis. Honestly, this is one thing that you just have to experience for yourself to believe. 

I'm not that big into New Years Resolutions. To be honest, I despise them. But, since they're all the rage right now, why not spend 2017 resolving to treat your body well? To eat well, act well, travel well, love well. And to give cryotherapy a whirl!

XOXO,

Heather

P.S. Hattiesburg just got a Panera Bread (we're always late to the show, I know). When I went, I tried their Autumn Squash Soup and it was pretty fantastic. One amazing thing that I discovered about Panera is that they take food allergies seriously. As in, if you have a food allergy, you tell your server and they then have to go and get their manager to place your order. They prepare your food in a separate location so that there is no cross-contamination. It's pretty great and I was highly impressed. Hattie is currently experience temperatures of 24 degrees, so that calls for copious amounts of hot chocolate and soup. 

I love this copycat Panera soup because it's made in my beloved Instant Pot (💖) and is ready to go in about 20 minutes. And homemade soup in 20 minutes on a cold Winter evening is right up my alley.

Copycat Autumn Squash Soup

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

6 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed

1 apple, rough chopped

1/4 cup red onion, rough chopped

1-15 oz can pumpkin

1-15 oz can coconut milk

2 cups chicken broth

1 cups apple cider or apple juice

2 Tablespoons honey

1 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon curry powder

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in your beloved Instant Pot insert. 
Set manual pressure to fifteen minutes. 


Once the timer has beeped, naturally release the pressure with the knob on your Instant Pot lid. Once the pressure has completely released, remove the lid and use an immersion blender (or a regular blender) to puree the soup until smooth. 
Serve immediately!

**If you don't have an Instant Pot yet, this can be made on the stove too! Nothing can stop this soup from happening!