Many things we invent can kill you, like skis on a backcountry trail, bikes in the forest, gliders made like parachutes, aircraft cobble together from wire and canvas, tanks full of air to breath underwater. The list of inventions goes on and on and is impractical for government to regulate until large number of practitioners get involved. I suppose the cryo therapy industry will improve its safety practice, but its a tragedy that a young woman has to die first.
1
Myself, I'll stick to ice packs. Much safer. And it's free.
Total body freeze, huh? Wow. I thought ice-cream headaches were bad. I wonder if it really works? The last time I stuck an ice-pack on my face I didn't look any younger afterwards. My face hurt too.
Total body freeze, huh? Wow. I thought ice-cream headaches were bad. I wonder if it really works? The last time I stuck an ice-pack on my face I didn't look any younger afterwards. My face hurt too.
4
Wow and I thought people in California did weird stuff. Getting into a tank of sub-zero air and you have to pay for this. Just move to Wisconsin and spend a lot of time outdoors; the scenery is better and it's free.
6
Everything can change in a fraction of a moment. I've wondered for a long time why it is legal for spas and gyms to allow people to use high-temperature saunas alone and unsupervised. Every so often you read of someone perishing in one unnoticed and being found the next morning. Whether it's therapeutic exposure to extreme heat or to cold, it takes so little for s person to pass out, or trip and fall, and then it's over if no one is there to pull you out. It would be so easy to make saunas and cryo-chambers unusable by a single person. You could require that two cards be swiped, two codes entered, or two levers pulled, or any two-part activation that cannot be performed by a single person.
5
Move up north. Go outside.
11
Yup, we have plenty of cold up here in Michigan's Upper Peninsula! It's free too!
5
This was a tragic accident. Whole body cryotherapy has been around for almost 40 years and this is the first time someone has died in the cryosauna. Hundreds of thousands of sessions have been performed, but the number ONE rule is never do cryo alone. There has been rare times that clients pass out in the cryosauna, but when a cryotech is administering the session they can take the appropriate actions so that no injury will occur. In the USA the number of facilities offering cryo has expanded from fifteen in 2011 to over 200 in 2015. Cryotherapy cools the skin temperature to about 45 to 50 degrees F within 3 minutes. This causes a bio-hack to occur. The body doesn't know how long it will be in this ultra cold environment so it prepares by activating the natural healing systems. It essentially triggers a placebo effect. There have been a lot of studies done.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/?term=whole%20body%20cryotherapy
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/?term=whole%20body%20cryotherapy
1
"....doctors do not agree on its benefits."
Actually, I'd say it's pretty much unanimous. Doctors agree that there are no benefits. Period.
Did you talk to any doctors who recommend this practice? Did you do any research at all?
Actually, I'd say it's pretty much unanimous. Doctors agree that there are no benefits. Period.
Did you talk to any doctors who recommend this practice? Did you do any research at all?
6
Dr. Oz recommends it for pain management.
http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/cold-therapy-does-it-work-oz-tests-it-ou...
http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/cold-therapy-does-it-work-oz-tests-it-ou...
1
I know someone who does this, for treatment of chronic and truly painful arthritis (thanks to Lyme Disease). They insist it works, for a couple of days after and during those times, she is comparably pain free. I completely get the pursuit of being pain-free, but there-in lies the danger, too. When in chronic pain, the call of pain-free could be a path to addiction. So I worry about that. But even more than that, I worry about long term benefits to all of the bodies organs. Freezing yourself over and over again can't be a good thing - it sounds like a path to permanently pain free. As for this young woman - tragic and the spa is way out of line calling anything this new and radical "safe". They are accountable for creating a culture that underestimated the risks. We just don't know yet.
3
Reminds me of the craze for radium-laced products in the 1920's. The radioactive element was the latest scientific discovery; they knew it shrank cancers, so it must be healthy, right? Here we are, a hundred years later, and no wiser.
5
"A local coroner’s office said the cause of death had not yet been determined."
I will guess that it had something to do with the fact that she was freezing her body in tanks of liquid Nitrogen.
Wow, people will do anything because some bozo tells them it will burn calories.
I will guess that it had something to do with the fact that she was freezing her body in tanks of liquid Nitrogen.
Wow, people will do anything because some bozo tells them it will burn calories.
2
Uh, no. She didn't immerse herself in a tank of liquid nitrogen. It was a chamber of extremely cold air. And air's heat capacity is about 1000 times less that of liquid nitrogen.
I think the practice is stupid, but please get your facts straight.
I think the practice is stupid, but please get your facts straight.
4
I prefer the tank of liquid nitrogen story.
2
What are basic safety rules & how to prevent careless risks is fundamental to any activity. Many activities and games ignore safety rules and pay the price by injuries and/or death.
1
This is my friend's girlfriend. I hope everyone remembers that Chelsea is someone's loved one before they write anything. Please have some respect and compassion.
24
Please tell your friend that I am very sorry this happened to his or her girlfriend. I am also sorry that some commenters need to feel superior by posting snarky comments about someone's death.
7
True. But we are all mortal and there is no better way to defuse our fear of dying than humor. God bless Chelsea.
JHP--I"m so sorry for your friend's loss, and everyone else's. She is someone's daughter, girlfriend, friend.... As I get older, these facts tend to obliterate everything else. A life is gone. Terrible for all involved.
1
If Hailey Cap, office manager of Rejuvenice, actually said that the nitrous gas used to chill the air can be debilitating, then she's clearly incompetent. Nitrous gas and nitrogen are hardly the same thing.
7
Clearly these machines need fail safes: a manual on/off switch with a timer; and an oxygen sensor to switch off unit if it falls below a safety limit.
1
Another placebo masquerading as science. Some people will believe anything, and that's why it "works" for them.
9
I get what you're saying - although a placebo is science too, in the sense that you're using the term science.
3
So no automatic safety shutoff device on the machine? And this is not a OSHA concern? She was an employee so their insurance company is going to pay up big time.
1
I read that the state of Nevada just shut them down because they had no workers' comp insurance. If they were operating without workers' comp insurance, I doubt they had any other insurance that would cover this. And as a lawyer, I can tell you that her family will never collect from the owners who will just declare bankruptcy. I don't do products liability law, but perhaps there could be a lawsuit against the manufacturer.
1
The headline trumpets "Scrutiny of Cryotherapy..."
Perhaps I missed it but I don't recall "scrutiny" being featured in this article.
Ok, OSHA says the accident is not in their lane, and the police say there's nothing for them to investigate further. That's all fine and factual... So perhaps a more reasonable headline should've used a less confused teaser.
Perhaps I missed it but I don't recall "scrutiny" being featured in this article.
Ok, OSHA says the accident is not in their lane, and the police say there's nothing for them to investigate further. That's all fine and factual... So perhaps a more reasonable headline should've used a less confused teaser.
7
This is a tragic story, a waste of a young life. Why, though, do people look for magic fixes? Staying healthy is not a great mystery, especially if you're young. Eat a healthy diet, get some exercise, and get some rest. Frying yourself in a tanning bed or freezing yourself in a cryotherapy contraption make no sense. And unless you have a specific medical condition, cutting out an otherwise nutritious category of food because you read an article somewhere that it is the cause of all human ills is just plain foolish. We continuously look for magic solutions, mysterious cure-alls with no evidence to show they are helpful. I
really wish it would stop.
really wish it would stop.
17
Your post contains the wisdom of ages.
2
So that this tragedy need not have happened in vain, there need to be safety measures that are built in, none were described here - such as auto shut off before critical exposure time limit, scanning for presence of a perosn in the machine to trigger more monitoring, alarms (including offsite notification) if a machine is occupied and turned on for such a long time. Just as much monitoring of the type that is done for an MRI or an x-ray machine, since misuse or malfunction can result in death.
4
Yes. If you're going to design machines that freeze entire humans, they should have an "auto shut off.".
3
I don't mean to be facetious but this 'therapy' seems much more robust and painless than the lethal injection woes that have permeated the news the past 2 years.
4
Wow....putting untrained people into an environment containing liquid nitrogen creates a very high risk for painless asphyxiation. How could such a business be allowed?
10
Let's see...
I am going to get into a machine that can FREEZE ME SOLID. Check.
I am going to get into said machine ALONE. Check.
You get the picture...
Some lessons are hard.
God rest this gal and please give her loved ones peace.
I am going to get into a machine that can FREEZE ME SOLID. Check.
I am going to get into said machine ALONE. Check.
You get the picture...
Some lessons are hard.
God rest this gal and please give her loved ones peace.
47
Except I don't think comments like yours will give anyone "peace". Just give your condolences; is that so hard?
8
I'm pretty baffled by the comments and ignorance. Then again, a news article doesn't tell the whole story.
I watch a lot of soccer and the idea of using cold after intense workouts or games is nothing new. It's commonly practiced to go into ice baths to help the muscles recover and its widely practiced by players, teams, coaches, exercise therapists/coaches.
I don't have scientific evidence (may or may not be out there) but if everyone is doing it then it probably has some benefit and their experience with it shows nothing harmful yet.
Yes you can harp on dangers, long-term effects, but we don't know until we find out and take that risk. You cannot suffocate yourself into paralysis in researching and finding these questions. Sometimes the research is first, or sometimes we practice a procedure and then later research shows benefits/harm.
Something like this could've easily been prevented but sadly we often wait for or have to see the consequences before we can set procedures to prevent them.
Using ice baths is nothing new, cryotherapy I'm not sure and someone should investigate the molecular mechanisms and potential benefits/risks w/this therapy.
I watch a lot of soccer and the idea of using cold after intense workouts or games is nothing new. It's commonly practiced to go into ice baths to help the muscles recover and its widely practiced by players, teams, coaches, exercise therapists/coaches.
I don't have scientific evidence (may or may not be out there) but if everyone is doing it then it probably has some benefit and their experience with it shows nothing harmful yet.
Yes you can harp on dangers, long-term effects, but we don't know until we find out and take that risk. You cannot suffocate yourself into paralysis in researching and finding these questions. Sometimes the research is first, or sometimes we practice a procedure and then later research shows benefits/harm.
Something like this could've easily been prevented but sadly we often wait for or have to see the consequences before we can set procedures to prevent them.
Using ice baths is nothing new, cryotherapy I'm not sure and someone should investigate the molecular mechanisms and potential benefits/risks w/this therapy.
2
"I don't have scientific evidence (may or may not be out there) but if everyone is doing it then it probably has some benefit and their experience with it shows nothing harmful yet. "
There is no evidence supporting its efficacy, but lots of people are doing it so it must be ok and good?
So like smoking then.
There is no evidence supporting its efficacy, but lots of people are doing it so it must be ok and good?
So like smoking then.
4
"if everyone is doing it then it probably has some benefit"
Perfect illustration of the complete failure of our schools to inculcate anything resembling critical thinking in our young.
God save us -- because clearly, we may no longer be capable of saving ourselves.
Perfect illustration of the complete failure of our schools to inculcate anything resembling critical thinking in our young.
God save us -- because clearly, we may no longer be capable of saving ourselves.
3
Because the victim of this accident was alone, she must have started the machine herself, then got into it - which means that she entered it after it started up, so she entered it when it had already reached a lower temperature than typical for the first few moments in the machine. Her body went from room temperature to a low temperature environment - which is a shock to the system, and if she gulped the cold air due to thermal shock, may have led to a Valsalva maneuver moment, where the airway closes, and she fainted. Once in a faint, there was no one to monitor the machine or turn it off, leading to both asphyxiation and hypothermia. Finding the body rock hard frozen means that the machine was not turned off. Condolences to the family, but these machines (if they must exist at all, like tanning beds they seem to have only a monetary reason for existing, not a medical or ethical one) should have motion detectors that turn them off and returns the inside of the machine to room temperature if there is no motion inside, like a breathing ribcage.
14
It sounds like you have never done cryotherapy before. It has been around for almost 40 years and this is the first accident that has caused a death. You can go into the machine at any temperature and it will not cause thermal shock. She didn't have the hydraulic lift set at the correct height before she jumped in. It is rare but people do pass out from not being at the correct height so that there mouth is above the nitrogen. If someone is present to turn the machine off then there is no problem. The machine does have a timer that turns it off after 3 minutes. The uncle's statement is false.
http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/cold-therapy-does-it-work-oz-tests-it-ou...
http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/cold-therapy-does-it-work-oz-tests-it-ou...
Val in Brooklyn, NY
I'm sorry, but, I also feel the young lady was a fool.
I stopped watching the video 1:30 sec. in. I got disgusted. And this man is an M.D.? (M.D. or quack??) When I think of "cryo" I think "whatever." Also, freezing is for ice and storing & preserving INANIMATE food, etc.
This is meant as some sort of rejuvenative therapy and help for arthritis?
Oh please! I suppose a healthy life style is too much work or too quaint? Y'know, sensible eating habits, exercise & some yoga-meditation, maybe an occasional massage, a pet (or volunteer at a no kill shelter) and hugging some trees? Keep positive people in your life and/or see a therapist if you need help or bolstering (we all do occasionally).
Arthritis relief? My mom is 81 yrs old, has rheumatoid & osteoarthritis, is a great dancer and looks proportionately much better than Demi Moore. Though that's not hard, with Demi's granite-like face (excuse the pun)! No way would she go near this scam, nor would I let her.
This reminds me of the late Joan Rivers' death via plastic surgery and it's just as crazy. Eternal youth doesn't exist. But the chance to enjoy maturing with real beauty, dignity, grace and elegance does, if a person chooses to--like fine wine.
Submitted 10-27-15@12:24 p.m. EST
I'm sorry, but, I also feel the young lady was a fool.
I stopped watching the video 1:30 sec. in. I got disgusted. And this man is an M.D.? (M.D. or quack??) When I think of "cryo" I think "whatever." Also, freezing is for ice and storing & preserving INANIMATE food, etc.
This is meant as some sort of rejuvenative therapy and help for arthritis?
Oh please! I suppose a healthy life style is too much work or too quaint? Y'know, sensible eating habits, exercise & some yoga-meditation, maybe an occasional massage, a pet (or volunteer at a no kill shelter) and hugging some trees? Keep positive people in your life and/or see a therapist if you need help or bolstering (we all do occasionally).
Arthritis relief? My mom is 81 yrs old, has rheumatoid & osteoarthritis, is a great dancer and looks proportionately much better than Demi Moore. Though that's not hard, with Demi's granite-like face (excuse the pun)! No way would she go near this scam, nor would I let her.
This reminds me of the late Joan Rivers' death via plastic surgery and it's just as crazy. Eternal youth doesn't exist. But the chance to enjoy maturing with real beauty, dignity, grace and elegance does, if a person chooses to--like fine wine.
Submitted 10-27-15@12:24 p.m. EST
8
My approach is make some effort to be young, but use common sense and kinda act your age.
Dr. Oz recommends it for pain.
http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/cold-therapy-does-it-work-oz-tests-it-ou...
http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/cold-therapy-does-it-work-oz-tests-it-ou...
A good enough reason not to use it.
1
“Due to the fact that the employee was using the chamber for personal use, outside of business hours, OSHA does not have jurisdiction,...”
I find that conclusion astounding. Suppose a pilot with an airplane for hire died crashing the plane on a private outing, the federal government would not investigate the crash?
Regardless that I would never set foot in such contraption, it seems pretty obvious to me that mechanical failure may have been involved and the owner better has the machine examined.
I find that conclusion astounding. Suppose a pilot with an airplane for hire died crashing the plane on a private outing, the federal government would not investigate the crash?
Regardless that I would never set foot in such contraption, it seems pretty obvious to me that mechanical failure may have been involved and the owner better has the machine examined.
5
So much for longevity. When we start to alter normal physiology for this foolishness, don't be surprised at the price.
3
I guess now I've pretty much seen it all.
5
Could this have been a suicide? Just wondering.
2
Or foul play? I really need to stop watching murder mysteries.
1
Not if her fingernails were all torn up scratching at some exit lever.
Oh, come on OSHA. You can do better than that!
6
Look, I manage a research lab. Everybody is well trained about safety standards and how to protect themselves. We tell them over and over, we have inspections, and we have yearly trainings. Yet every year or so somebody in a lab somewhere around the US dies in a lab accident (almost always chemistry labs, but there have been a few in physics. Biology labs will occasionally have infection accidents). But the bottom line is you can't protect against bad judgement, and you can't teach common sense. I can't speak about the efficacy of the treatment, but the accident is so obviously user error that I don't see why it even warrants an NY Times article.
38
I think the distinction lies in the fact that working in dangerous conditions for the purpose of science is noble, while this is quackery.
1
Because it is bizarre?
Really, Metastasis, you don't see any public safety interest in this sad occurrence? For the 315 million or so Americans who have never even been in a research lab, let alone managed one, and who know little to nothing about either the attraction or the dangers of cryotherapy? I hope you're a better supervisor than this attitude suggests.
I think that this is a sad thing. The way Ms. Ake passed away. She knew that you weren’t supposed to do it alone. It may be safe but she knew that someone had to be with her. I hope the company is a little bit more cautious with things from now on. They should have rules as to using the machine. Look what it’s caused, a death. My condolences go out to her family and her boyfriend. It’s tragic, especially if you’re the one that found her. But it’s still very suspicious if she knew how the machine worked and everything. Something might have gone wrong. If she’s used the machine many times before why did it affect her now, this way? It’s strange that she died just minutes after she texted her boyfriend. But every unanswered question will be answer once the autopsy is done.
i am very sorry for this young lady and her family, but more people die in swimming pools and open bodies of water than in cryotherapy rooms.
swimming pools also need regulation. never drink alcohol and swim. watch for riptides.
swimming pools also need regulation. never drink alcohol and swim. watch for riptides.
2
This cryotherapy procedure seems not to rely on a prolonged exposure to extreme low temperatures as one finds in the northern climes, but on subjecting the cells to very short (seconds, a few minutes at most) exposures to extreme temperatures. Cells are shocked to response to such challenges, be it hot, cold, UV irradiation, by triggering a regulated production of special kinds of protein to help relief these stress. I do not condone the use of such procedure in these types of treatment centers. I am very sorry for Ms. Chelsea Ake-Salvacion and her family.
1
There's no scientific evidence that this is any kind of "therapy." All such centers should be closed down at once. If something is not effective, the question of whether it is safe should not need to come up!
31
There is a ton of evidence and the therapy has been around for almost 40 years. In the last 5 years the number of locations in the USA has gone from about 15 to about 250. Clients of all ages see amazing results for chronic pain, injuries and workout recovery. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/?term=whole%20body%20cryotherapy
Those studies you provided include studies of local cryotherapy (completely different) and whole body cryotherapy only in people with significant issues such as ankylosing spondylosis. I don't see anything that supports hopping there to stay young and lose weight.
3
So I guess we should also shut down big Pharma in america? The 30,000 deaths due to prescribed meds or maybe shutdown all highways too - they are quite i safe we lose tens of thousands each year on them.
1
Who on God's earth decided that this was a safe (much less, healthy) thing to do? The answer is no one. Are people next to be convinced that breathing natural gas is good for you? How about a spoonful of plutonium? We truly are doomed if this is the state of evolution of the human intellect.
13
But natural gas is at an all time low price!
2
Floyd Mayweather is taking uranium supplements, why aren't you?!
Wish you hadn't just given out ideas for a new business.
Some people will sell you anything.
Others will buy anything.
Put them together. And add the law of unintended consequences.
My sympathies to the family of this young woman.
Others will buy anything.
Put them together. And add the law of unintended consequences.
My sympathies to the family of this young woman.
9
Intendively working out, then doing a cryotherapy... People get high on so much excess of extremes. Why? Because they want to look good, better, best... And if it is not for the looks, it is for the endorphine kick of intensive training.
Why not just ferl goid instead of wanting to ferl better and better? Why not accepting natural beauty instead of hunting that dream shape?
Not to mention: why post your results on twitter or indtagram?
Human beings are loosing it more and more, all for the idea of better, more, even more and being best. I am not really touched by this happening, it's just proving natural selection... Sorry to say so! Editor’s note: This comment has been anonymized in accordance with applicable law(s).
Why not just ferl goid instead of wanting to ferl better and better? Why not accepting natural beauty instead of hunting that dream shape?
Not to mention: why post your results on twitter or indtagram?
Human beings are loosing it more and more, all for the idea of better, more, even more and being best. I am not really touched by this happening, it's just proving natural selection... Sorry to say so! Editor’s note: This comment has been anonymized in accordance with applicable law(s).
2
If you believe these stars don't get plastic surgery, tummy tucks, breast enhancements then I got a bridge to sell you.
3
This "therapy" is a bunch of baloney.
5
Did anyone see the old Woody Allen film "Sleeper"? That concerned someone who was frozen and awoke several centuries later.
2
This is oblique argument for the Common Core educational effort. A well educated populace would reject these ridiculous forms of quackery.
As noted by others, the likely villain here was suffocation cause by the nitrogen gas......
As noted by others, the likely villain here was suffocation cause by the nitrogen gas......
4
This should not be called cryotherapy, which is actually a legitimate technique used by dermatologists to selectively destroy precancerous lesions on the skin.
19
Agreed, this is quackery, and real cryotherapy saves lives.
A very sad and it seems preventable tragedy because of the dangers of the nitrous gas involved - as other readers have pointed out, the lethal culprit is likely asphixiation, less the freezing. Deepest condolences to Chelsea's 'ohana.
4
It was nitrogen gas, not nitrous gas.
New ideas can be really stupid. My ancestors back in Norway long ago, and still today, accomplished essentially the same thing by sitting out on the ice in a sauna and then jumping out once in a while into the frigid water through a hole in the ice. Sure, I suppose that once in a while one of them may have gotten a little too drunk while basking in the sauna and maybe forget to come up for air after plunging into the water. But hey, maybe they didn't want to,life still goes on and it certainly wasn't something that "raised questions", like every new thing does today that essentially replicates something old, simply out of the sake for "high tech".
6
It is very sad that Ms. Ake-Salvacion lost her precious life in one of these machines. One should not blindly trust technology that can become fatal. A very healthy dose of skepticism or caution is sometimes beneficial.
Cryotherapy certainly looks like snake oil which is probably a good deal safer; if one wants cryotherapy, he or she should spend some time in northern ME in the winter. It's a lot more fun than being confined to a dangerous box.
Cryotherapy certainly looks like snake oil which is probably a good deal safer; if one wants cryotherapy, he or she should spend some time in northern ME in the winter. It's a lot more fun than being confined to a dangerous box.
6
First people cooked themselves in tanning beds...now they are artificially freezing their aches and pains away???? Oh that the effort that goes into homo sapiens entertaining themselves, feeding their vanities, trying to shortcut treatment to counteract the abuse they do to their bodies and fortify their bank accounts was instead directed toward maintaining our planet, our homes, our societies and our relationships -- all of which have much more value and cost much less.
It is always sad when someone dies because there are others who miss them, but this is really ridiculous! As are people jumping off cliffs and bridges, swimming with carnivorous animals, climbing rocks, etc., etc., etc.
It is always sad when someone dies because there are others who miss them, but this is really ridiculous! As are people jumping off cliffs and bridges, swimming with carnivorous animals, climbing rocks, etc., etc., etc.
3
Simple solution: freeze but have someone not frozen standing by. As usual, common sense works, fantasy should be used only in fiction.
5
While the merits of this "therapy" are certainly open to question all the righteous huffing and puffing taking place here seems somewhat overblown. The article does not mention any other reported deaths or injuries from this and it also appears that this young lady violated the usual safety procedures by getting into the tank alone. It's a sad death, but from the facts stated here the problem seems to be with the young lady, not the therapy itself.
2
Except this poor lady was the manager of the spa and thus chiefly responsible for enforcing safety in the establishment; her carelessness does not reflect well on the rest of the staff. Indeed, badly trained and undereducated staff handling dangerous equipment is the norm for beauty treatment centers all over America. When considering this fact, it's inevitable more accidents will happen, and inevitable some of them will be customers.
These things are accidents waiting to happen, even when manned by people who know what they're doing. Where you see righteousness, I see prudence.
These things are accidents waiting to happen, even when manned by people who know what they're doing. Where you see righteousness, I see prudence.
My guess is that these machines are a lot like tanning beds. They produce a high that is related to runner's high - your body produces endorphins due to cellular damage. People become addicted to these treatments, and can think of it as the key to their happiness. It is no different from other addictions. The sooner we start talking about this, the better. Very sorry for this young lady.
40
It is a very tragic event, but I am glad that it is starting a conversation. Good guess, but not correct. Whole body cryotherapy activates the body's healing systems by cooling the skin to about 45 degrees F. There is no damage from the ultra cool environment, but the body triggers the healing systems in response to this therapy. Many people are able to get off of their medications, because of the body healing itself.
Very sad story. Feel for the young woman and her family. The only true, potentially positive and lasting elixir is a change in consciousness. Liquid Nitrogen, a magic treatment or any material thing won't provide it. Like anything meaningful and authentic, it requires a ton of self effort.
2
The chambers are likely filled with nitrogen vapor, not nitrous gas (also known as laughing gas).
Liquid nitrogen and, more specifically, nitrogen vapor are routinely used in science laboratories. Personnel typically wear lab coats, eye protection, and thick cryogloves. It seems businesses like the one mentioned in this article expose clients to dangerously low temperatures because of how trendy and cutting-edge it appears, even if it's no more effective than other options. I have to wonder if this system is any better than a simple cold water plunge.
Liquid nitrogen and, more specifically, nitrogen vapor are routinely used in science laboratories. Personnel typically wear lab coats, eye protection, and thick cryogloves. It seems businesses like the one mentioned in this article expose clients to dangerously low temperatures because of how trendy and cutting-edge it appears, even if it's no more effective than other options. I have to wonder if this system is any better than a simple cold water plunge.
3
Cyrotherapy is an extreme version of a much safer and more common practice of combining periods in a hot sauna with brief plunges in cold water. This has been practiced for thousands of years with no problems. There is little risk from cold water (usually no colder than 55 degrees). The main risk is staying too long in the hot sauna! This is an example of where expensive high-tech is more dangerous and probably inferior in effect to the inexpensive traditional method.
2
I don't see how some comments are insinuating that the fault lies solely on the machine's design with the lack of a timer. While I do agree that the functionality of such a timer would have helped to prevent this unfortunate incident, the victim should never have operated that machine without anyone else present. That's basic safety that is practiced in even the most mundane of situations (weight lifting, for example).
The problem with unregulated health practices, such as cryotherapy, is that there aren't enough studies to sufficiently determine whether or not there are adverse health effects. The "only thing that could happen is you're there a little too long and you get frost nip on your fingers" statement serves as nothing but pure speculation that does not take the impacts of preexisting health conditions into account.
What the public needs to be made aware of is that subjecting your body to a -240 Fahrenheit environment is comparable to running around in the snow naked. Consequently the risks associated with a prolonged exposure to the environment should be carried over to cryotherapy, even if it is considered to be a controlled environment.
The problem with unregulated health practices, such as cryotherapy, is that there aren't enough studies to sufficiently determine whether or not there are adverse health effects. The "only thing that could happen is you're there a little too long and you get frost nip on your fingers" statement serves as nothing but pure speculation that does not take the impacts of preexisting health conditions into account.
What the public needs to be made aware of is that subjecting your body to a -240 Fahrenheit environment is comparable to running around in the snow naked. Consequently the risks associated with a prolonged exposure to the environment should be carried over to cryotherapy, even if it is considered to be a controlled environment.
4
How about the people be put on trial for murder?
Nonsense. If there was any trial, it would be of this poor woman for committing suicide, inadvertently. Nobody put her in the death trap, she did this alone and of her own free will.
"It's definitely safe".......that's definitely a lie.
8
The Republican Party will have the American public think that their Government just likes to regulate industries without any good reason; what they forget to mention is, regulation is usually borne out of situations like this one.
Here is a Question: how many deaths are acceptable in any industry before it needs a review?
Here is a Question: how many deaths are acceptable in any industry before it needs a review?
4
Too funny. All the regulations in the world would not have protected this woman from her own stupidity. The government can't be everyone's mommy and daddy.
Sounds like something Scientologists would invest in.
10
When will our schools begin to teach how to identify the quacker behind these unproven therapies.
Our ''free-market'' has always seemed to allow these snakeoil charlatans.
Let's not even get started on discussing the charlatans who rule the world of mind-control religious corporations.
Parents are losing their kids to both.
Our ''free-market'' has always seemed to allow these snakeoil charlatans.
Let's not even get started on discussing the charlatans who rule the world of mind-control religious corporations.
Parents are losing their kids to both.
11
What a scam.
13
Where was the safety feature that automatically turnes this device OFF after a pre-deathly time of freezing?
8
This matter should be reviewed by the FDA, not OSHA, if these cryotherapy groups are making marketing claims for a therapy and charging "patients" for their services. The FDA has warned people about the risks of tanning salons. I would imagine that once they hear of this case, they will be all over it. It will soon be a feeding frenzy for lawyers.
7
Let's see...I grew up in North Dakota (spent over 40 years there) raising grain and cattle so was outdoors continually, year-round. So I am a bit familiar with mind-numbing cold. I have moved to the Texas Gulf region for the past 25 years for career, and incidentally have benefited from the warm weather. I suffer from arthritis and bad knees and shoulders, some of it from horse and cattle injuries but mostly from the cold. Whenever I return to the Far North as we call it, in the winter I suffer greatly. Yet, according to this company, I should be in great shape, youthful and free of pain based on those years of exposure to severe winter climate. Guess I missed something. Or this is just another celebrity-fueled scam for the credulous with more money than sense.
15
Famous last words, "What could go wrong?"
6
Health Care's cutting edge??? No wonder health care in this country is unaffordable. Such nonsense passes for health care? And are insurance companies required to pay for this fad? No wonder premiums are going through the roof.
1
Cryotherapy appears crazy to me.
I sit in a hot sauna every day for my back. I want to get away from cold.
I sit in a hot sauna every day for my back. I want to get away from cold.
5
21st century quackery. Just as lethal as it always is (and was).
9
Macabre idea, I admit, but with people paying phenomenal sums of money to have their dead bodies -or just their heads (cheaper that way)- flash frozen in hopes of some sort of resurrection at a future time, this young woman would have made the ideal, if accidental, experimental subject in the field of cryo-preservation.
The quest for permanent youth is folly.
The quest for permanent youth is folly.
7
How is this legal?
44
Why should it be illegal?
If people believe that some sort of crazy malarkey is good for them, or fun, or feels good, let them do it. The role of the law is to make sure the business is not making unsupported health claims -- and it does not seem like they were -- and to make sure it is safe when used properly -- and this does seem like a case of a thoughtless person ignoring explicit safety protocols. Yeah, it's sad, but our reaction shouldn't be to say that it ought therefore to be illegal.
If people believe that some sort of crazy malarkey is good for them, or fun, or feels good, let them do it. The role of the law is to make sure the business is not making unsupported health claims -- and it does not seem like they were -- and to make sure it is safe when used properly -- and this does seem like a case of a thoughtless person ignoring explicit safety protocols. Yeah, it's sad, but our reaction shouldn't be to say that it ought therefore to be illegal.
Whole body cryotherapy has been around for almost 40 years and is very safe. this was a tragic accident that occurred because Chelsea did a cryo session alone.
Because someone has to die before anything becomes illegal.
I question any medical therapy that has Groupon discounts.
31
It's like something they would've dreamt up for the opening sequence on Six Feet Under. This is awful, but as industrial mishaps and self-inflicted injuries go, probably one of the least painful at least. How terrible for her family. I can't believe a coroner would say something like that to a family member.
9
There are saner ways to get the same results. This should be under strict medical supervision and it shouldn't be a business.
6
“Cryotherapy is safe treatment, it’s definitely safe but it’s not to be used alone." Something that should not be used alone because you might die if you is NOT safe. It is inherently unsafe, by definition.
The whole practice of cryotherapy seems ill-advised, faddish, and nutty.
The whole practice of cryotherapy seems ill-advised, faddish, and nutty.
10
I'm confused. Do these people climb into vats of liquid or gas? What does the liquid / gas consist of? Why doesn't their skin freeze? How can they breath at all?
Brings to mind the old story about the guy who hits himself in the head with a hammer; when asked why, he replies "Because it feels so good when I stop."
Brings to mind the old story about the guy who hits himself in the head with a hammer; when asked why, he replies "Because it feels so good when I stop."
5
This seems to be something that people who are from warm weather climates do. Cold temperatures must be respected. This whole idea seems very silly and dangerous.
8
My guess is that she fell asleep and froze to death. It should have been forbidden for employees to use cryotherapy alone and there should have been a system in place to prevent its use after hours. And yes, cryotherapy appears to be quackery. Just visiting that Rejeuvenice web site shows that, with its glossy photos of models and outrageous, grammatically-wrong claims: "helps rebuilt [sic] serotonin"
5
Like just about everything else in today's post recession, 'less-government is good government' politic, sadly, just about everything or anything we do, buy, rent must, and I mean must be accompanied by a very stern "buyer beware" personal mindset because in most cases, if something goes wrong, doesn't work, or kills you, there is no honest avenue to pursue for mitigating your damages no matter how large or small. What a sad place we've become.
5
cryotherapy is not at the cutting edge of medicine.
It is at the cutting edge of garbage
It is at the cutting edge of garbage
11
I can only shake my head at this sad and senseless loss, while reminding myself that we were all 24 once and making 24yo type choices and decisions. Most of us survive that phase--often seeminlgly due to sheer dumb luck--but many do not.
12
This so called therapy is ridiculous. Take a cold shower instead.
3
Whatever happened to ice baths? They sound less dangerous than placing yourself in outer space cold.
2
My wife says that for any crazy idea, hundreds are doing it and 20 are earning money from it. Is this ice box near a brothel? People could go to freeze their joints.
2
More rubbish being peddled as therapy. H.L. Mencken was clearly correct when long ago he write that 'nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public'.
15
Too bad.
My condolences to her family.
I guess there is no really good way to die.
But this seems like a particularly stupid way to die.
My condolences to her family.
I guess there is no really good way to die.
But this seems like a particularly stupid way to die.
3
A sauna and a cold plunge or shower will have an anti-inflammatory effect without the danger.
2
We experience a 200 degree temperature change by going from a 160 degree F sauna to a 40 degree F swimming pool. It is exhilarating. If the pool gets any colder than tis it's time to winterize it.
The doctor uses liquid nitrogen to freeze my pre-cancerous scabs. I'm not getting in a tank of it.
The doctor uses liquid nitrogen to freeze my pre-cancerous scabs. I'm not getting in a tank of it.
1
Um, no. You experience a 120 degree change going from 160 to 40. You'd have to go to -40F to get a 200 degree change.
That (and more!) can be done, and supposedly is done, at the South Pole station, but very quickly.
That (and more!) can be done, and supposedly is done, at the South Pole station, but very quickly.
1
She thought this was a great idea to use this equipment alone?!? After hours?!?
Reminds me of the scene in the horror movie Final Destination 3 in which two teenagers decide to use the tanning booths unsupervised.
Some say the world will end in fire, some in ice.
Reminds me of the scene in the horror movie Final Destination 3 in which two teenagers decide to use the tanning booths unsupervised.
Some say the world will end in fire, some in ice.
5
This young woman's tragic accidental suicide is the stuff marketing dreams are made of. With a cover story on the NYT cryotherapy centers will be opening all over the country. (The concept was news to me and several friends.)
1
I never knew we had cryotherapy in Iowa. Then I realized we call it "winter".
8
This was a terrible accident. My condolences to Ms. Ake-Salvacion's family and boyfriend. I hope they find solace in faith.
OSHA does not have jurisdiction? A provably lethal machine in a workplace? Sorry, Ms. Williams, cop out.
Anyway, it seems that the business was simply too cheap to use mechanical refrigeration (i.e. sort of an air conditioner) and was running on tanks of liquid nitrogen and allowing customers to sit in the pure nitrogen vapor evaporating from the liquid. Honestly, no matter what means they had for controlling temperature, or even, obviously not, oxygen content at the customer's head, this practice is intrinsically too tricky to be safe. In fact, minor equipment failure could suffocate the entire workplace --- and actually really quickly. Not OSHA's concern, she says.
In facilities that use toxic or suffocating gases, elaborate safeguards not only exist, but are code. We don't even have to consider the 'non-medical' quack aspects, just the law.
Anyway, it seems that the business was simply too cheap to use mechanical refrigeration (i.e. sort of an air conditioner) and was running on tanks of liquid nitrogen and allowing customers to sit in the pure nitrogen vapor evaporating from the liquid. Honestly, no matter what means they had for controlling temperature, or even, obviously not, oxygen content at the customer's head, this practice is intrinsically too tricky to be safe. In fact, minor equipment failure could suffocate the entire workplace --- and actually really quickly. Not OSHA's concern, she says.
In facilities that use toxic or suffocating gases, elaborate safeguards not only exist, but are code. We don't even have to consider the 'non-medical' quack aspects, just the law.
18
Things like this are what make me more supportive of legalized pot, although I"m against it personally. It seems a lot safer than gizmos like this one which seduce the gullible.
3
If you go for a simple facial and end up with a second degree facial burn like my wife did in Florida that is "business negligence or even a crime". But if you take on a new fad alone, with little scientific knowledge, without supervision, without peer support, and then end up injured or killed...then it is entirely your fault. The woman is not a customer but a worker in the spa. She knew the rules. She broke the rules using her privilege as a worker in this spa. She does not deserve compensation, and thank goodness no customer was ever harmed by her, because she seems like a reckless type.
These young reckless spa workers, like the ones who gave my wife a facial burn that took years to heal and left her with facial hyper-pigmentation without compensation, are problematic.
If anything the customers, who now have reason to fear spas like this where the workers are immature, stupid and outright reckless, can endanger customers too. I suspect this Spa could loose customers. In this case the Spa should sue the dead girl and her family for recklessness as a worker and ruining the Spa's reputation.
In my wife's case it is the reverse. She should have received compensation for what she went through physically and mentally for a mere facial. Yet we got nothing. My wife was so debilitated by the experience she left the country for a while. My wife, the customer, was injured by the spa worker, here the spa worker chose to injure herself. There is a difference.
These young reckless spa workers, like the ones who gave my wife a facial burn that took years to heal and left her with facial hyper-pigmentation without compensation, are problematic.
If anything the customers, who now have reason to fear spas like this where the workers are immature, stupid and outright reckless, can endanger customers too. I suspect this Spa could loose customers. In this case the Spa should sue the dead girl and her family for recklessness as a worker and ruining the Spa's reputation.
In my wife's case it is the reverse. She should have received compensation for what she went through physically and mentally for a mere facial. Yet we got nothing. My wife was so debilitated by the experience she left the country for a while. My wife, the customer, was injured by the spa worker, here the spa worker chose to injure herself. There is a difference.
1
This is quackery - plain and simple. Absolutely no biological basis or evidence to suggest that "cryotherapy" works. You're better off going to a psychic - at least you won't die.
8
Tragic death of the lovely young Chelsea Ake-Salvacion in Nevada. Alas, she bought into the dream of halting age through deep-freeze therapy. Cryotherapy is as unnecessary as tanning salons, liposuction surgery and Botox, nips, tucks, facelifts and all the American trends to hold back time as if they deny the reality of human aging. We live, we die. And whatever we do to enhance ourselves from surgery to dietary supplements to sweat lodges to make-up is just icing on the cake left out in the rain. Excellent piece by Kimberley McGee and Julie Turkewitz on the death of a beautiful young woman.
7
Just because this particular therapy is a pseudo-scientific nonsense does not mean that all are. The desire to be young and beautiful as long as possible is deeply ingrained in the human psyche. And science gives us means to pursue this dream: average life expectancy today is almost 30 years longer than a hundred years ago, and men and women who take care of themselves can remain attractive well into the middle age. "We live, we breed, we die" is a philosophy for rabbits, not human beings.
hate to tell you this, but we do th same thing as rabbits
th big brain gives th illusion that its something more
th big brain gives th illusion that its something more
Our secular society is so obsessed with feeling and looking good that people chase after fads, instead of trying to make real connections with people.
Why am I not surprised that these centers are in materialistic pits like Las Vegas, New York, Los Angeles, and major American cities?
Why am I not surprised that these centers are in materialistic pits like Las Vegas, New York, Los Angeles, and major American cities?
2
"...definitely safe but not to be used alone"? Like, um, surgery?
The ghosts of Kellogg, blood-letting and and quackery in general live on. Cause of death: self-induced hypothermia. This has to be stopped.
The ghosts of Kellogg, blood-letting and and quackery in general live on. Cause of death: self-induced hypothermia. This has to be stopped.
5
Tragic. This falls under a violation of OSHA's confined space guidelines in the workplace, and the spa owner should be held to task for it:
"Confined spaces - such as manholes, crawl spaces, and tanks – are not designed for continuous occupancy and are difficult to exit in the event of an emergency. People working in confined spaces face life-threatening hazards including toxic substances, electrocutions, explosions, and asphyxiation."
My condolences to her family.
"Confined spaces - such as manholes, crawl spaces, and tanks – are not designed for continuous occupancy and are difficult to exit in the event of an emergency. People working in confined spaces face life-threatening hazards including toxic substances, electrocutions, explosions, and asphyxiation."
My condolences to her family.
5
I live in an area where the winter temperatures frequently drop below freezing.........sometimes significantly below freezing (but not to the degree found in these chambers). I would NEVER dream of going outside for even a few minutes or seconds without proper winter attire. We are constantly warned about the dangers of frostbite and hypothermia.
2
This is another casualty of poor science education. An example that belief in pseudoscientific claims can kill you.
6
The fountain of youth doesn't exist. Easy money? There's no such thing.
But 'what happens in Vegas' is spurred on by both of these greedy mentalities.
Losing a pretty young face in this manner proves one thing. We are who we think we are, shallow, greedy, lazy people looking for an easy way to riches. And that pretty doesn't mean smart.
But 'what happens in Vegas' is spurred on by both of these greedy mentalities.
Losing a pretty young face in this manner proves one thing. We are who we think we are, shallow, greedy, lazy people looking for an easy way to riches. And that pretty doesn't mean smart.
2
A very frightening story. All of these new age and cutting edge health cures have some sort of danger to them. That is why the FDA and other various government health agencies should be listened too. There are many treatments that Americans use that are quite dangerous. Please think twice about using some of these new age cures. You are on your own when you use these untested and non government approved cures. And we as Americans think that government oversight on these devices is inhibiting our freedoms. we need more oversight not less on these fad cures. RIP Ms. Salvacion.
6
The price of "beauty"--a 24-year-old woman works out to the point of pain then goes into a chamber of -240 degrees to alleviate it. I wonder the ratio of men-to-women who use this deathtrap.
8
If this had any basis in reality, why don't those who live in northern climes have no aches and beautiful skin all winter long after being exposed to "treatments" every day? I can assure you, from personal experience, we do not all have beautiful skin, nor are we ache free, more like dry skin and aching joints all season long.
157
She was from Hawaii and lived in Las Vegas. My guess is, she knew very little of living in the cold.
Great point, thank you!
You can't get the benefits of whole body cryotherapy from going outside in the cold. Whole body cryotherapy works because it tricks the body in activating the natural healing systems in the body. WBC cools the skin down to 45 to 50 degrees F within 3 minutes. This rapid cooling of the skin hacks the system and produces the benefits. A similar therapy is what the polar bear clubs. Run into a cold body of water for a few seconds.
Some might say she found a way to use cryotherapy to give herself eternal life. (Not me).
They say they are scrutinizing their procedures. How about procedure number 1 NEVER WORK ALONE. How could they allow a procedure as potentially dangerous as this to be self administered without another employee present. Sounds like a few regulations are in order.
2
Who is the "they" you are referring to? This was the manager of the spa, taking it upon herself to do this, after hours. Tragic for sure, but solely her own fault.
“Cryotherapy is safe treatment, it’s definitely safe but it’s not to be used alone,” Ms. Iverson said. “It was misused.”
----------------------------------------------------------------
It's definitely safe definitely absolutely safe. Without qyestion. Except when it kills you.
----------------------------------------------------------------
It's definitely safe definitely absolutely safe. Without qyestion. Except when it kills you.
11
When I have pain I take an Advil.......and I'm over twice this girl's age....sheesh...there is no limit to the gullibility of some people.
4
Well, bully for you. Apparently, you know all the facts of the case and thus feel superior in your announcing your Advil regime. Which, by the way, greatly increases your risk of a heart attack or stroke, even when used short-term. http://www.webmd.com/heart/news/20150710/fda-warning-nsaids-heart_risks Now who's "gullible"?
If cryotherapy worked, wouldn't people who live in cold climates stay young and pain free for their entire lives? It sounds very fishy to me. Lots of people want to flee the cold because it makes arthritis hurt worse.
15
Isn't that why Rhoda moved to Minneapolis from New York? It was colder there, and she figured she'd keep better.
There is so much hype about these "treatments" mostly because of celebrity endorsements. A recent Cochrane systematic review concludes:
"There is insufficient evidence to determine whether whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) reduces self-reported muscle soreness, or improves subjective recovery, after exercise compared with passive rest or no WBC in physically active young adult males. There is no evidence on the use of this intervention in females or elite athletes. The lack of evidence on adverse events is important given that the exposure to extreme temperature presents a potential hazard. Further high-quality, well-reported research in this area is required and must provide detailed reporting of adverse events." http://www.cochrane.org/CD010789/MUSKINJ_whole-body-cryotherapy-preventi...
"There is insufficient evidence to determine whether whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) reduces self-reported muscle soreness, or improves subjective recovery, after exercise compared with passive rest or no WBC in physically active young adult males. There is no evidence on the use of this intervention in females or elite athletes. The lack of evidence on adverse events is important given that the exposure to extreme temperature presents a potential hazard. Further high-quality, well-reported research in this area is required and must provide detailed reporting of adverse events." http://www.cochrane.org/CD010789/MUSKINJ_whole-body-cryotherapy-preventi...
41
Thank you for the citation and for bringing in the scientific evidence (or lack of evidence).
I concur with your post.
Unfortunately, the herd mentality prevalent in our social media-hyped society makes rational, evidence-based decision making a rarity and not the norm.
Quite sad really.
Unfortunately, the herd mentality prevalent in our social media-hyped society makes rational, evidence-based decision making a rarity and not the norm.
Quite sad really.
When we have federal and state regulations for minor things, I cannot believe that these frozen tanks, creatively called cryotherapy is not regulated.We are heading back to the 19 th century where anything goes.
3
I think I'll just go for a brisk walk around the block in shorts and short-sleeves. It's free.
7
Snake-oil-on-ice; a tragic and unnecessary death.
9
People die doing stupid things every day and it always makes you sad to think people could be that dumb.
6
A healthy 24 year old woman who works out regularly should not be aching so bad she needs some weird new treatment. Heat and cold affect our bodies, but they certainly aren't fountains of youth, and going to extremes with either is a bad idea.
6
I'm tempted to call 'snake oil' on this one.
8
I would be interested to see empirical evidence regarding this so-called therapy. How many studies have been done testing its methods and effectiveness? I am going to guess the answer is none. What possible scientific basis could there be for such an extreme treatment? These types of fads appeal to some people's imagination and they immediately buy into it. It doesn't take long to engage the rational, logical part of our amazing brains to consider if this new seemingly wonderful thing makes real sense. Unfortunately too many people are in too much of a hurry to consider their potential actions critically and then we have these tragedies.
3
There is no scientific basis for this extreme treatment, but I'm sure there's a money basis.
A terrible shame. My sympathies to the family. They must be in shock.
2
Placing human body tissue at temperatures this low is quite literally insane. There is no therapeutic benefit to be had. This is 21st c bamboozlement at its worst.
4
I find it baffling that OSHA does not have jurisdiction, when the only reason she was able to access the otherwise locked facility was because she was an employee! Who cares what her shift hours were, when her death was only possible due to the access she had as an employee????
44
But you are ignoring that she was acting beyond the scope of her employment by being there after hours and using the machinery. It wasn't just that her shift hours were over, as I read the article, but that the business hours had ended. She wasn't there and in the machine at the employer's direction. Is is a tragedy for sure, but OSHA is already understaffed. Anyone see the recent segment on JOhn Oliver's show about workplace accidents in North Dakota drilling operations and how employer avoid liability by subcontracting (and other legal maneuvers and sadly how few workplace investigators are assigned to the DAkotas? All troubling, but with government budgets cut back, there is just so much that can be accomplished.
I understand the resource problem. But if she was there, she had the key and access, and the employer knew or should have known of the risks to its employees and taken reasonable steps. This was surely a duty of care on the part of the employer once she had the key; why OSHA would not also be interested in an act of negligence or worse by her employer is what I find baffling.
It wasn't a work related injury. "...the employee was using a chamber for personal use outside of business hours" It would be like OSHA having jurisdiction over a McDonald's Employee choking on his McDonald's Burger on the way home
Another 'get rich quick' American dream inspired business model where the entrepreneurs are engaging in willful ignorance, functional alienated confusion, to make a profit. The question that the story didn't answer is precisely why the procedure is 'always' done with more than one person present.
2
Inert gas asphyxiation is the term for her, highly probable, cause of death.
Wikipedia has a good and referenced review.
High potential risk, amplified by being alone in the setting of its use.
Deaths from this are not uncommon.
Therapeutic index is ratio of risk to benefit which seems tragically low for this.
Wikipedia has a good and referenced review.
High potential risk, amplified by being alone in the setting of its use.
Deaths from this are not uncommon.
Therapeutic index is ratio of risk to benefit which seems tragically low for this.
4
Sounds like a plot line for "CSI".
There will be more to this story; suicide, accident or murder. Every hear nitrogen narcosis? In SCUBA diving this happens when one overstays their depth. The person goes into a euphoric stage, and in extreme case remove their equipment under water. See "The Dentist" scene in "Little Shop of Horrors"; euphoric dentist dies from nitrogen gas.
As for cryotherapy, there are better ways to deal with pain. This seems to be a rather dangerous pursuit.
There will be more to this story; suicide, accident or murder. Every hear nitrogen narcosis? In SCUBA diving this happens when one overstays their depth. The person goes into a euphoric stage, and in extreme case remove their equipment under water. See "The Dentist" scene in "Little Shop of Horrors"; euphoric dentist dies from nitrogen gas.
As for cryotherapy, there are better ways to deal with pain. This seems to be a rather dangerous pursuit.
11
TRAGEDY COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED had the owners of the center had a better security system in place.
2
No, because she was an employee. She could as easily have been staying after hours to help clean up, or catch up on paperwork, or maintain or clean machinery, so her being there wouldn't necessarily raise any red flags in the security system.
1
Just remember, she was the one who closed the shop at the end of the day, she held the keys. She did this when she knew no one else would be around.
1
The worst result of this article is that it will probably spur curious readers to check out cryotherapy. Interesting that Dr. Jonas Kuehne, who in the accompanying video promotes the anti-inflammatory effects to "stimulate collagen production in your skin" appears to be a psychiatrist. Who knew that psychiatrists were such experts in skin rejuvenation? But should we be surprised that patients are exploited now that physicians can call themselves "Integrative Medicine" specialists and that the moniker CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) no longer requires explanation in medical circles? So it is with snake oil therapy in age of Dr. Oz. Clever social media marketing with a well-placed white coat and dubious credentials to extoll what are (always) highly subjective benefits of fill-in-the-blank treatment. Caveat emptor!
21
Indeed. Here's my question--who believe this stuff? Who would be driven to climb into a -240 degree tank with the hope of burning calories or slowing down aging? Are people still buying that baloney? Good grief, what a way to go. Her poor loved ones.
15
Another fraudulent 'health therapy' that at best just takes your money. But at worst, it can take your life. Its time we related all these quacks.
4
It's based on the practice of icing sore muscles after both injury and strenuous exercise in order to lessen pain and speed recovery. For some time amateur and professional athletes have been using ice baths after workouts and competitions, and many now use variations on the chamber described in the article. I've done it once and didn't like the experience. Three minutes in the chamber was recommended--I opted for two, and left after one and a half, and haven't been inspired to return.
9
Not to defend the practice of cryotherapy, which to me sounds like an expensive, energy-intensive waste of time, but this young woman's death does not imply that cryotherapy is dangerous per se, only that doing it alone is dangerous. There are many activities--Finnish saunas, scuba diving, off-piste skiing and heavy bench presses come to mind--that when practiced with a partner are well within accepted boundaries of safety yet that when practiced alone can quickly turn deadly.
26
Don't play around with definitions. Something that cannot or should not be done alone because you might die if you do is NOT a safe practice; it is inherently unsafe. Reading a newspaper or playing with a yo-yo are safe; positioning hundreds of pounds of weight over your trachea or subjecting your body to subzero temperatures are not safe.
«One reason people do not try it solo, Ms. Cap said, is that the nitrous gas used to chill the air can be debilitating.»
Surely this is a typo and they mean nitrogen (since nitrogen will displace oxygen and result in asphixia)?
Surely this is a typo and they mean nitrogen (since nitrogen will displace oxygen and result in asphixia)?
3
probably meant nitrous oxide? (but that's laughing gas.)
It probably is a typo, but not in the way you think. The air you breathe every day is about 75% nitrogen and 21% oxygen. Your lungs have evolved to function with this mix - the microscopic air sacs called alveoli in your lungs are where your body absorbs oxygen from the air you breathe into your bloodstream, and the nitrogen, which does not normally get absorbed in any real quantity, helps keep those air sacs open in order to function. (Scuba divers do absorb more nitrogen than usual because the weight of the water functionally results in increased partial pressures of all the gases being breathed, resulting in more gas dissolving into your bloodstream). The only way you can asphyxiate while breathing a nitrogen-oxygen gas mix is if the nitrogen percentage in that mix is significantly increased, resulting in a proportionate decrease in the percentage of oxygen in that mix compared to what you normally breathe. Liquid nitrogen, which is just nitrogen cooled to the point that it turns from gas to liquid form, is one of the main ways a whole-body cryotherapy chamber gets cooled to the desired temperature. "Nitrous gas" isn't a scientific term but may be a colloquial term for nitrous oxide, which has the formula N2O and is primarily used as an anesthetic gas or an oxidizer in engines. I don't know a lot about whole-body cryotherapy, but I don't see any reason why nitrous oxide would be involved in the process.
As hard as it is to accept, there is no gimmick to being healthy. Losing weight requires diet and exercise. Getting enough nutrients requires eating right. Clients should not delude themselves.
13
I am a little perplexed by OSHA's decision not to open a case. Yes, I realize that she used the machine for personal use that was not connected to her job responsibilities, and thus did not involve an issue of working conditions, per se. But surely her employer, who owns the machine and presumably trained her and her fellow employees about its proper use, bears some responsibility for the fact that this young woman apparently did not have an accurate understanding of the risks involved in going into the tank unattended. Did the employer have a stated policy prohibiting unattended personal use by employees after hours? If not, and if it is not required to have such a pol8icy, why shouldn't it be required to have one in place?
20
We can't legislate every aspect of personal responsibility away. As the colleague pointed out, the young woman misused the equipment, which means that presumably the employer did have such policies as you describe.
The lady was trained on the machine, and was using it knowing well what happens while inside of it.
She used it at her own risk, after hours. Like SPA staff using a tanning machine after the store closes.
Thus it is not the fault of the machine owner or OSHA. People need to learn personal responsibility and not blame everything on every one else.
She used it at her own risk, after hours. Like SPA staff using a tanning machine after the store closes.
Thus it is not the fault of the machine owner or OSHA. People need to learn personal responsibility and not blame everything on every one else.
That people are so ardent about the safety and benefits of something of controversy among experts is a symptom of an unscrupulous culture. This story shows the harm of heath fads that lack proper research and protocol.
14
When I am achy during physical therapy, my therapist massages BioFreeze into my joints. She is a trained and licensed physical therapist and I trust her judgement. That is quite different from immersing me in a tank of freezing air. This smacks of junk science.
"My body is aching". I don't know how many times I have heard that exact statement from perfectly healthy young adults as they swallow way more narcotic pain pills than any doctor would have ever prescribed them.
14
While we are on this subject, I would like to go on record as indicating my support for the first candidate for President who promises to get Ted Williams out of that stupid tank.
17
I just read a French thriller this past year called ATOM KA
the French book was a fun read, but i thought that the premise was too far fetched.
This Nevada death is right out of that book
the French book was a fun read, but i thought that the premise was too far fetched.
This Nevada death is right out of that book
7
@michael: "a French thriller this past year called ATOM KA"
"Atomka" is by Franck Thilliez. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be available in English:
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomka
"Atomka" is by Franck Thilliez. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be available in English:
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomka
Hard to convey to a 24 year old a sense of danger when the business is propagandizing quackery, but they were obligated to make sure no one used this dangerous equipment alone. People who don't think often have shorter lifespans.
12
Sheer stupidity and ignorance caused this death. Some of that has sadly passed away but more remains in the cryotherapy space. So many risks it is not even funny, when interacting with cryogenic liquids, including fast asphyxiation.
5
Why are these not considered and regulated as medical devices?
Oh, wait, cigarettes are not considered drug delivery devices.
Oh, wait, cigarettes are not considered drug delivery devices.
2
It's ridiculous that they couldn't even bother installing a closed-cycle cooling system so you don't have to inhale anesthetic while standing in the tank. Also, nitrous oxide is a much more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, so practitioners of cryotherapy aren't just harming themselves-they're also harming the planet.
16
Local Las Vegas media report that nitrogen gas, not nitrous oxide, is used to cool the air in the chamber.
"Questions about safety"? Really? The only "question" is how this UNREGULATED "procedure" was allowed to be performed on an ignorant and "unwarned" public as the scientific evidence concluded it was extremely dangerous. But, as with many "unregulated" or "slipped through the cracks" "medical" procedures, "cryotherapy" was allowed to exist in a sort of regulatory "fugue state" that eluded review and control. As it is categorized as a "medical treatment", but not deemed regulated by the FDA, "cryotherapy" is allowed to "skate".
5
I heard a story on NPR during the NBA playoffs about how LeBron James was using cryotherapy and another related technique to recover. I was so surprised by the story. Apparently the technique has been used in Japan to treat rheumatoid arthritis. The bodies response to the cold is apparently to release anti inflammatory chemicals.
1
It's hot in Vegas and the whole city is built on the dream of air conditioning.
2
Just to give some people on this thread additional facts. I live in the Las Vegas and have used this facility a few times. Chelsea went into the chamber alone and didn't set the platform so her head and shoulders were completely outside / above it (btw, this is why you aren't suppose to operate the chamber alone). Because she was too low she sucked in some of the nitrogen and within a few seconds passed out (unfortunately she didn't pass out toward the door; which was not locked and you could easily push open w/ your hand). OSHA has already told the facility that they did nothing wrong and the coroner has already mentioned operator error (even though the parents don't want to believe that could be true). It's really a shame that Chelsea died this way, she was a really nice girl. I just wanted to post some of the facts since I go there and live in Vegas.
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thanks for that. the article doesn't really give any idea how the system works or what it actually does.
Thanks for filling in those details.
One physical aspect of their cryo-chamber concept still bothers me, though: nitrogen is slightly lighter than air, not heavier, so as it warms to air temp I'd expect it would always envelope the area around a user's head, giving them a thinner atmosphere from which to find needed oxygen. Maybe there's forced-air circulation above the tanks?
One physical aspect of their cryo-chamber concept still bothers me, though: nitrogen is slightly lighter than air, not heavier, so as it warms to air temp I'd expect it would always envelope the area around a user's head, giving them a thinner atmosphere from which to find needed oxygen. Maybe there's forced-air circulation above the tanks?
rply to Romeo: Are there no types of monitors to measure nitrogen levels/oxygen levels? I do not know about these machines but it just seems like there should be additional safety measures so one doesn't "have to" manually manipulate a platform or ones body to insure you will come out alive.
1
The worker entered that tank after hours and without permission of the facility. I suspect that she has done this before without incident. It is unclear if she lacked the strength to unlatch the machine or if she simply stayed in the machine too long and froze to death.
She exercised bad judgment and it cost her life. I'm sorry for her family. We don't need more regulations to prevent future incidents. She made a mistake. I wish she didn't die. She seemed like a lovely, vibrant person.
She exercised bad judgment and it cost her life. I'm sorry for her family. We don't need more regulations to prevent future incidents. She made a mistake. I wish she didn't die. She seemed like a lovely, vibrant person.
5
This is absolutely absurd. The temperature at which atoms stop moving is -459.57F, the temperature of deep space. These 'treatment tanks' will go as far a one half that?
At that temperature skin and tissue would freeze solid in seconds.
At that temperature skin and tissue would freeze solid in seconds.
6
Even deep space is not at absolute zero. Some of our sophisticated telescopes, even with shading, need to carry a supply of liquid coolant such as helium to help maintain the low temperatures their sensors need.
But on the bright side, their mirrors don't fog up!
But on the bright side, their mirrors don't fog up!
1
Not exactly. The temperature of "deep space" varies considerably depending on how far away you are from any heat-producing sources, and cannot get below -454 F. That is the temperature of background cosmic radiation. Other sources I quickly looked up claim that whole-body cryotherapy chambers go down to somewhere between -100 to -200 F, and the reason you don't freeze solid "in seconds" is the same reason you can step outside naked, albeit briefly, in -20 degree weather - air isn't a very good conductor of heat. You will eventually freeze solid at either temperature, but it takes some time, and you're not supposed to be in the cryotherapy chamber for more than 2-3 minutes, presumably before bits of you do begin to freeze.
"....though doctors do not agree on its benefits."
Greater detail as to why, please? you are supposed to be journalists.
Greater detail as to why, please? you are supposed to be journalists.
15
Because there are no benefits, and doctors are supposed to pursue the scientific method.
1
Sounds like a nutty fad to me. If you have a muscle ache, apply and ice pack (or hot pack, whichever gives relief) to that area. Why would I need to ice my fingers, nose, and toes if my thigh or back hurts?
21
I work with a lot of athletic people who incur a lot of sports-related injuries. Two of them recently talked up cryotherapy as a big solution for reducing inflammation. But inflammation, as I understand it, is a healing response to muscle injury, bringing fluids to the site that eventually repair damaged tissue. The swelling can be uncomfortable but it is temporary, in the same way that a fever is uncomfortable but is raising your body's temperature to kill a virus or bacteria. Suppressing this natural healing reaction with extreme cold struck me as completely wrong, even if it does seem to take away the discomfort--it disrupts and masks the deeper healing which needs to take place at the cellular level. At any rate, they both later told me that after a few rounds of treatment it seemed like the snake oil flavor of the day and neither continued treatment after a few sessions, seeing no sustained benefit. They felt their pain went away because the extreme cold 'distracted' their bodies, but eventually it came back.
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Taking a sauna and then jumping into a cold pool or shower is a safe way to reduce muscle pain.
Swelling at an injury site slows the recovery. The excess fluid impedes circulation and restricts the nutrients that help heal damaged tissue. Inflammation, for example in a sprained ankle, will help support the ankle, though. Better to ice and where an ACE bandage.
If this facility uses liquid nitrogen then there's a good chance that nitrogen gas is the culprit and not the cold temperature. Nitrogen gas readily displaces oxygen in the air and can lead to asphyxiation. The victim can be completely unaware physiologically until it's too late. A similar hazard exists when dealing with dry ice - the sublimation of carbon dioxide from solid to gas can lead to suffocation if the person and dry ice are in confined quarters together. This almost happened to me once many years ago at a biotech company when I walked into a cold room containing, unbeknownst to me, many boxes of styrofoam containers with frozen biological samples and dry ice in them. I gasped for air and luckily had time to exit the room safely.
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Open Minded, you must've let your high school chemistry drain away because the air you breathe every day is 78% nitrogen and this makes your suppositions virtually meaningless.
2
Not only that, but with nitrogen, as opposed to CO2, you wouldn't even notice that you're suffocating until you feel the effects of severe hypoxia which can be very subtle. By the time you feel lightheaded you may have only seconds before losing consciousness. CO2 is much safer because it happens to be a metabolic waste product. The body actually regulates breathing based on internal CO2 levels. The feeling that people associate with being out of breath, or with having the compulsion to breath after holding the breath, is caused by an internal buildup of CO2 that needs to be expelled, and not by hypoxia. Divers who dive with oxygen rebreathing rigs use sodasorb to scrub the CO2 they breath out, but if the sodasorb is bad you'll notice pretty quickly, and have plenty of blood oxygen left to make a safe ascent. But if divers fail to perform the proper purge technique, to rid the rebreather of nitrigen, then they can blackout underwater and down very easily. Often the first symptom a diver will notice is numbness, or tunnel vision. At that point you have maybe 10, 15 seconds before everything goes black.
1
I wonder how you conclude that nitrogen readily displaces oxygen in the air? Air is already 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen. If you are talking about the separate gasses Nitrogen and Oxygen, both are diatomic molecules, and the molecular weight of oxygen is greater than that of nitrogen. So the oxygen would readily displace the nitrogen, since it is heavier. By the same token, air is heavier than nitrogen alone, so even the air would displace pure nitrogen, in that sense. By the same token, dry ice, which is carbon dioxide as you point out, is even heavier than oxygen or air, and would therefore settle to the floor in a room.
1
What a tragic loss. It is baffling healthy people would use such extreme measures for minor physical discomforts, though.
27
A young woman, with no one else there to assist, climbs into a device capable of killing her in minutes. Is there any kind of law or regulation that could have changed the outcome? But leaving her decision and judgement aside, there should be a good deal of investigation:
What is this nonsense all about?
Is there any credible evidence of its value?
How about risk vs benefit?
Who made that machine, and who approved it for use on humans?
Why is it not considered a medical device, because that would be regulated.
The only bright side to the story is that (thus far) there's been no dermatologist involved, cashing in on a non reimbursable procedure.
What is this nonsense all about?
Is there any credible evidence of its value?
How about risk vs benefit?
Who made that machine, and who approved it for use on humans?
Why is it not considered a medical device, because that would be regulated.
The only bright side to the story is that (thus far) there's been no dermatologist involved, cashing in on a non reimbursable procedure.
35
Be rational: A chain saw can kill its user in seconds.
Legislating common sense is an all around bad idea. It would lead to too many regulations. Common sense is nuanced and thus difficult to precisely state in every single case. Luckily, common sense is common sense and not too hard to figure out.
Minus 240 degrees? I spent a couple minutes -- while wearing a coat and hat -- in a minus 50 cold storage facility and that was plenty for me. This sounds so outre a "treatment," so dangerous, so risky I can't believe people go near it. But they do, and honestly someone should -- the state should -- step in to protect the gullible. Calling Darwin Awards on cryotherapy is juvenile and cynical, not sound public policy.
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How sad for the young woman's family and loved ones. For future reference, anyone desiring cryotherapy should move to Montreal. True forty below is about as cold as it ever gets here, but it's free and, unless you're homeless, it won't kill you.
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Ah yes, I remember the Montreal winters of my youth when minus 15 was a heat wave.
It is downright unpleasant however.
I had one such cryotherapy session in Montreal several years back. It was free all right, but I still experience the chills and shakes whenever I think about it.
What a horrible tragedy. These machines should not be operable without tons of sensors and a required attendant, and several panic-stop buttons that quickly blow warm fresh air into the chamber (assuming that this is the best recovery procedure for the well-studied hazards and effects of this "treatment").
What a horrible tragedy. These machines should not be operable without tons of sensors and a required attendant, and several panic-stop buttons that quickly blow warm fresh air into the chamber (assuming that this is the best recovery procedure for the well-studied hazards and effects of this "treatment").
It is terrible that this young lady died while treating herself in this so-called therapeutic chamber. What is disconcerting is that the march of insanity continues unabated. Regulation is not enough. This is potentially dangerous and fatal and should not be managed by lay people with little knowledge of the participants health and mental status. Perhaps it should be banned altogether.
61
Hello Garry,
I completely disagree. I live in LV and know exactly what happened. The girl went into the chamber alone and didn't set the platform so her head and shoulders were completely outside (above it). She sucked in some of the nitrogen and within 2 seconds passed out. OSHA has already told the facility that they did nothing wrong and the coroner has already mentioned operator error (even though the parents don't want to believe that could be true.) I don't think you should ban the entire thing b/c a girl who knew she shouldn't be using the machine alone didn't set the platform correctly.
I completely disagree. I live in LV and know exactly what happened. The girl went into the chamber alone and didn't set the platform so her head and shoulders were completely outside (above it). She sucked in some of the nitrogen and within 2 seconds passed out. OSHA has already told the facility that they did nothing wrong and the coroner has already mentioned operator error (even though the parents don't want to believe that could be true.) I don't think you should ban the entire thing b/c a girl who knew she shouldn't be using the machine alone didn't set the platform correctly.
1
Another poor soul lost in the world of dreams and elixirs but these scams are much more dangerous than the stuff being sold out of Professor Marvel's wagon. The only time it is a good idea to get into a minus 240 degree vat would be after you are dead.
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Now why didn't I think of this instead of merely spending my career administering anesthetics so people can get needed surgery. Foolish me. I could be doing a nitrous anesthetic followed by a nice little freeze and then master card or visa please unless it's cash and then maybe a bit of a discount. Ahh the life of the medical entrepreneur.
29
Probably because you're in the business of medicine to actually help people fight debilitating diseases and maladies, and not to serve their vanity or your own ego. And what you get, aside from a pay-cheque, is respect. Keep doing what you're doing.
1
The people interviewed keep saying Cryotherapy is safe. How is it safe when it means getting inside a chamber to freeze? What's sad abut hearing things like this is that it takes the benefits of simple icing (like after an a rigorous athletic endeavor ) to a place that makes no sense at all.
204
The theory behind cryotherapy is apparently based on the common belief that if some of something is good, more must be better, and lots and lots must be excellent.
1
Whole body cryotherapy has been around for almost 40 years. This is the first accidental death and it was the result of breaking the cardinal rule which is never do a session alone, for that very reason. WBC helps people of all ages for many different reasons. People with chronic pain like arthritis, people post op for knee replacement and hip replacements, athletes looking to recover from injuries like pulled muscles and sprains and for workout recovery.
It sounds like some of the stuff I used to see on CSI, set in Las Vegas. They had one episode years ago about an anti-aging clinic and how it was involved in the death of a lady the CSI team was investigating. They need them here because the Nevada OSHA people are saying they have no jurisdiction due to it being after business hours.
These places need to be regulated if an employee can give herself a 'cryobath' and end up like a piece of frozen fish, with nobody else present. For Ms. Ake-Salvacion's friend and colleague to say she misused the treatment is stating the obvious. The lady ended up dead. I'm guessing this 2-store outfit may be shut down after this. One expensive lawsuit could sap their profits.
23
All this talk of regulation... where are the tea party republicans when you need them!! : )
1
"misused the treatment" what an understatement. The human body is NOT made to sustain that kind of cold for any length of time.
In the linked video, does the white gas look like the gas that sublimates from dry ice? If so, the carbon dioxide could fairly easily asphyxiate an individual. Seems dangerous, but no need to regulate the "industry". No government intervention, please. We know best.
19
I'm sorry. We have regulations to prevent the building of decks that collapse or electrical wiring that burns your house down while you sleep. Most people do not have a PHD. This is why we have government regulations. I am not saying that all government intervention is good. But using the simplistic argument that all is bad makes as much sense as attempting to freeze your pain away. If it is portrayed as a medical treatment than it should be examined and outlawed or regulated or are you arguing that Doctors don't need a license
5
The myth that "we know best".... yeah, we're all walking around with Ph.Ds in whatever subject we think doesn't need to be regulated including climate change, health and safety, statistics etc....sure. Having an opinion (especially an anti-regulation opinion usually based on some financial interest) and having thoroughly researched a subject before coming to a conclusion are two very different things.
1
Charlie. I think Freethink was being sarcastic and thinks there should be some regulation.
1
What a terribly sad story. I've also heard of people dying in a hot tub. Are these extreme therapies monstrous outgrowths of ice packs and warm baths? If a little is good, is a whole lot supposed to be better? Where is the sense?
27
This reminds me of the case where some people died in a sweat lodge undergoing "therapy"; it can be dangerous to use methodologies which can affect the body's thermal regulation. She was 24 and interested in "rejuvenation". Sad commentary on our culture.
167
if your medical procedure gets airplay from Entertainment Tonight then go ahead with the incorporation procedures
15
Cryotherapy, sweat lodges, tanning beds and their ilk should all carry black box warnings, since common sense is usually trumped by the seductiveness of whatever is the latest concept in health or beauty.
296
Or maybe the should be outlawed as the useless and dangerous things they are.
1
Quackery like this should be banned or at least regulated. This is why we need government, Republicans. There are many useful, life-saving things it can do.
1
Theyou should all be illegal. Never underestimate the willingness of Americans to engage in dangerous, unregulated activities.
1
There doesn't seem to have been any measures taken to try to revive her as has been done successfully more than once recently with very frozen apparently dead victims. What a shame if they just brought her right to the Coroner's Office as the article suggest.
9
People recover from hypothermia. They do not recover from being frozen solid.
122
Frozen solid at minus 240. I don't think so.
54
She was frozen solid.
24
So is anyone going to investigate? OSHA has no jurisdiction. Any other state or federal agency feel like looking into such a weird death? It's so odd that they were operating just as though nothing had happened the next week.
21
It's well beyond "odd," more like ludicrous, that such an outfit should ever have been allowed to operate in the first place.
4
The machine should have a timer that required manual intervention to reset and continue treatment after the minimum safe time period.
236
The machine does have a timer. It's the credit limit on your visa card.
97
PLUS the facility has a policy of not using equipment alone in after hours. I wonder if an alarm went off but no one there to hear?
Here's the thing: cryomachines can freeze you rock hard in a matter of SECONDS. SECONDS. SECONDS. In tech manufacturing you are NOT allowed anywhere near these machines without protective gear; I can not imagine going into one of these WITHOUT protective gear.
"....though doctors do not agree on its benefits."
This suggests that some doctors agree, some do not. How about New York Times, you be more forthright and clarify that no doctors, no peer reviewed research, no science, supports the benefits of this?
And how dare these snake oil sellers argue "its definitely safe" but do not do it alone?
This suggests that some doctors agree, some do not. How about New York Times, you be more forthright and clarify that no doctors, no peer reviewed research, no science, supports the benefits of this?
And how dare these snake oil sellers argue "its definitely safe" but do not do it alone?
435
Dr. Oz recommends cryotherapy to manage pain.
http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/cold-therapy-does-it-work-oz-tests-it-ou...
It is very safe when you follow the safety protocols. This is the number one rule of cryotherapy. People do pass out very occasionally and they come to very quickly if the tech turns the machine off.
http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/cold-therapy-does-it-work-oz-tests-it-ou...
It is very safe when you follow the safety protocols. This is the number one rule of cryotherapy. People do pass out very occasionally and they come to very quickly if the tech turns the machine off.
1
By stating it this way they provide legitimacy to this unproven an harmful "therapy."
1
I'd never heard of it before I saw this article, but it certainly sounds nuts to me.
2
Sounds to me like she was rendered unconscious by the nitrous gas and as a result was unable to regain consciousness to unlock herself and was frozen solid.
As with anyone who's been placed under anesthesia with nitrous, at least we would safely assume that she likely felt no pain and simply drifted off to la la land never to wake up. Tragic, but sometimes these accidents need to happen in order for true safety measures to be enacted with new technologies.
Condolences to her family friends and colleagues!
As with anyone who's been placed under anesthesia with nitrous, at least we would safely assume that she likely felt no pain and simply drifted off to la la land never to wake up. Tragic, but sometimes these accidents need to happen in order for true safety measures to be enacted with new technologies.
Condolences to her family friends and colleagues!
55
True safety measures to be enacted with new technologies? The true safety measure would be NOT to get into the "new technology" in the first place. Use some common sense.
2
nitrogen is a gas at room temperature (about 79% of air). Nitrous oxide is an anaesthetic. Different stuff.
4
"the only thing that could happen is you’re there a little too long and you get frost nip on your fingers." Excuse me? I have frost nip as a result of skiing recklessly as a kid. Gloves do nothing for me now. My fingers and toes ache in winter if I shovel snow for more than 5 minutes, or even cycle in weather below 32 degrees. A little frost nip? Without battery-warming gloves and socks, I don't have a prayer. This sounds like a very dangerous industry to me.
246
This industry has been around for almost 40 years. This was a tragic accident caused by operator error. This therapy has helped hundreds of thousands of people with pain and inflammation. You can keep your hands above the cold if they are very sensitive to the cold. It is just 3 minutes so the temperature of the skin goes to about 45 to 50 degrees F. It tricks the body into activating the body's natural healing systems.
http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/cold-therapy-does-it-work-oz-tests-it-ou...
http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/cold-therapy-does-it-work-oz-tests-it-ou...
Yes, that struck me as an odd "only" to me too.
Folks looking for this sort of therapy could merely spend a winter in Minnesota.
375
Or Winnipeg if you are into foreign travel. You will experience first hand that 40 below is the same in C and F.
3
Couldn't agree more. Winter does wonders for one's health, turning folks into athletes. Nothing like -20°C to compel you to run like crazy from shelter to shelter.
6
What with the global warming, that's just not as reliable a path to cold as it once was. (Some of our state's cold testing work has migrated to Manitoba and Alaska) On the other hand, Minnesota is looking like it may be among the winning locales in the great Global Climate Change lottery!
Did the salon tank have a lid? A lot of the cryo tanks I've seen online don't have lids.. If the lid was closed, is there a way out? Wondering how that works.. think they should do an investigation, it could help save future lives from similar situations..
8
My barber is more regulated.
369
Correct. Cells are prominentlying water and burst when frozen solid. This has been the argument against cryogenics all along
1
Regulation!? What's the death of one person compared to the burdens that would be inflicted on untold dozens of snake oil salesmen whose job-generating businesses would be threatened by mountains of government-generated paperwork? Isn't it easier for these businesses to just issue their sincere apologies, promise to be more careful and then suggest we all move forward, chastened, of curse, by the sad experience but confident that the market will one day justify our refusal to be responsible for this tragedy?
4
seems to me that slowing down heart-rate quickly and intermittently over a long period of time could have an impact on brain function.
36
Sounds to me like "the impact of brain function" happened long before she or anyone else enters the chamber.
6
Like dietary supplements (which are not regulated in this manner) these "alternative" beauty / health treatments should be federally regulated to prove efficacy and safety
210
And who will pay for this regulation? Who will staff the massive apparatus needed to review all of the day spas and wellness retreats offering the latest quack treatment? We don't do enough as it is to keep track of drug side effects and faulty medical devices. I hate to be unkind, but anyone idiotic enough to step into a cryogenic chamber set to minus 240 degrees is probably beyond the government's help.
66
The "live forever and stay beautiful until you die" industries continue to proliferate, and as Mr. Barnum already told us - there is a sucker born every minute!
The 'treatments' devised over the past twenty years seem to use either ancient concepts - no longer truly understood, or what appear to be space-age technologies not yet fully understood. And they called the folks weirdo freaks who used health stores back in the day!
We have two choices in this life - get older, or not. That is all there is, the rest is snake oil hucksterism.
The 'treatments' devised over the past twenty years seem to use either ancient concepts - no longer truly understood, or what appear to be space-age technologies not yet fully understood. And they called the folks weirdo freaks who used health stores back in the day!
We have two choices in this life - get older, or not. That is all there is, the rest is snake oil hucksterism.
10
The same as the FDA, it's paid for by companies applying to have their drug or device certified.
5
Why are we so fascinated with the cutting edge? Slow down everybody and look where you're going and why.
39
How very sad for such a young person to die in such an accident.
133
Perhaps a large 'may be fatal' warning sticker might be appropriate, OSHA ?
131
The mission of OSHA is to ensure working conditions are safe, and to provide recourse if workers are subjected to unsafe conditions. This woman was not performing her duties of her employment, so OSHA doesn't have jurisdiction.
52
" This woman was not performing her duties of her employment.."
According to whom? Her employer, who might bear some liability if it was so determined? So that's the only "story" we're supposed to accept? How would we know that was what actually transpired?
I wouldn't be so quick to accept the version of events presented by the entity most at risk of liability.
Something stinks here.
According to whom? Her employer, who might bear some liability if it was so determined? So that's the only "story" we're supposed to accept? How would we know that was what actually transpired?
I wouldn't be so quick to accept the version of events presented by the entity most at risk of liability.
Something stinks here.
9
The only thing that stinks is the urge for folks to find someone at fault besides the person who caused their own problem. It is absolutely regrettable this young woman was so seduced by this technology she allowed herself to do something so very unsafe. But the employer has nothing to do with her death. She was alone, and after the hours of her employment day. The rest of us would probably take some Advil for sore muscles, this woman decided to use a cryotherapy tank instead. At some point we all have to take full responsibility for our actions. I do not want to be cruel, but it is ridiculous to try to blame the employer.
21
These places sell snake-oil to the gullible and needy.
196
In what way are the clients of this procedure needy?
7
People who are truly "needy" have neither the time nor money for self-indulgent nonsense like "cryogenic therapy." But you hit the nail on the head with "gullible."
3
Psychologically.
10