Hey Jen,
Argh cold water immersion! Hardcore 
I’m definitely wayyy to much of a wimp for that 
I live in Germany and they love that stuff here. They go onto the sauna, come out then jump in a freeeeezing cold plunger thing. I think I’d have a heart attack! Somehow wet cold is worse than dry cold.
I tried turning the temperature down in my shower to experiment- it quickly went back up again!
If you can do that hats off to you! 
I hear you @Cal! I tried just a bit of cool in the shower and had the same reaction as you 
.
Also, I did some research and the latest Cochrane review, whilst suggesting cold water immersion does have some positive effects, noted that it needed to be below 15 degrees C, and that massage is slightly better. So I’m going with massage whenever I can (also I think actually finding enough water to immerse in that is below 15 degrees C might be quite tricky where I live - we just live in a sauna most of the time in summer)
Edit - that Cochrane review was for healthy people and they were trying to assess what has an effect on post-exercise inflammation, not for treatment of symptoms of PsA
Let me know how the consecutive treatments work. They are 3 minutes each.
One time in this box usually helps my back muscles. I haven’t tried two days in a row. Each time I go back they run the temp down more. The goals is -200 F.
It cost me $33 a treatment if I pay for 3 at a time, otherwise $50 each.
So happy for you. Your post will probably lead to people looking into a treatment they weren’t aware of.
Do you know if any studies have been done using the opposite, like a traditional sauna on a regular basis? Do the Norwegians have less RA and PsA as a result of traditional sauna use.
How did your multiple treatments go @Cal?
Not that I’m aware of as I know a few Norwegians with PsA. I couldn’t think of anything worse than a sauna though. Anything hot and humid like that makes me swell up like a balloon! Give me the snow and ice anytime instead and I’d thrive.
Hey tamac, I’m actually still away doing it!
Initially the plan was to have ten, but it didn’t work as well as it did before. I will explain why I think that is and then give another little update after I finish the treatments.
Two weeks ago today I started doing my cryo sessions. Twice a day mon-fri. Once a day on Saturday’s. I went to a hospital that I’ve never been to before because my usually hospital cryo centre is still not allowing out-patients due to COVID. So I found somewhere else.
This new hospital has a different type of cryo chamber and different rules, you’re only allowed to stay in the really cold chamber (there were 3 compartments) for a maximum of two minutes.
I had a total of 16 sessions there, and towards the end it became obvious that I wasn’t going to leave there symptom free as I had hoped- and was usual for me after cryo. My joints were better, and I even could do quite a lot of swimming, but it was still painful. My knee which is usually quite swollen is still swollen but the swelling was reduced by about 3/4.
The psoriasis on my skin did not disappear, or even seem reduced- which it always has done before.
I don’t know why it was not as effective this time, I know that what has worked in the past may not always work in the future so I had somewhat prepared myself for this possibility. But I also thought it could be due to one of the two following reasons;
due to COVID und being unable to access cryo for so long my condition had become quite a lot worse. So I was already starting off from a worse place that I had before. Maybe then it just takes longer/more treatments to achieve the same symptom free level.
it was a different cryo chamber plus I wasn’t allowed to stay in there for the full 3 minutes every time (although I did manage to talk a nice nurse into allowing it a couple of times) maybe the reduced time, and different equipment could have effected the results.
Anyway so at the end of my stay there (last Saturday) I decided to immediately book myself into a different centre starting from Monday. In order to leave no gap in the treatments and keep it consecutive as the dr’s suggest.
I have been here now at this new place since Monday, this is my third day. I’m still doing two sessions per day. But here it’s up to 3 minutes (they even said 3 1/2 if I wanted!) and it’s the same cryo equipment as the one in the hospital I used to go to before COVID.
I’m going to do 10 sessions here. Twice a day finishing on Friday.
I can barely notice my knee pain right now. I can’t see the swelling visually any more. But I can feel it a bit if I rummage around.
My shoulders are still a bit sore. But wayyy better than last week.
I’m not sure yet what the results will be. I will post again after it’s finished and my body has a chance to settle down. It’s been quite intense.
Obviously I have gone to quite some lengths and takes a lot of time to do this. I had to travel a long way to both cryo centres and also arrange hotels. The first hospital charged 18€ per session. The new place I’m at now has a monthly card for 200€ but then you can use the cryo up to twice a day every day for that month.
I just wanted to give it all I could to see if it will still work, so I will never wonder if I did enough or if it could have worked if I do more. After these 26 cryo sessions I really feel like I will have given it a good chance to work!
And maybe it doesn’t go away completely this time like it did before. But I do feel a lot better right now. I will now more in a week or two. As long as it has significantly improved (as it has at the time of writing this) then I will persue it and come back for more in a month or so in the hopes of reaching that symptom free goal.
I can upload a photo of the cryo chamber if you like? If this one works maybe the type of equipment/time spent in there is really important. I know that the little one-man pod that I used in Berlin just didn’t work for me at all.
Ok. That’s enough for now:) hope yr nice and warm there;) 
Cal
Hey Amos, Poo beat me to it 
(hi Poo).
I don’t know either. I haven’t looked into warm therapies at all as it seems like cold works for me. Although I do love a good sauna in the winter so maybe it could work. It would definitely not be a sacrifice! Maybe I can try it out for you - in the name of science.
Well I live in The northeastern part of Australia, so most of the summer here is considered a sauna by most people 
I don’t think heat is generally thought to help the inflammation (could possibly make it worse, why you ice an injury) - the thing it can help though is stiffness in the tendons and muscles many of us get. That can mean a lot of temporary symptomatic relief.
My personal favourite is a hydrotherapy spa (not a fan of saunas - too much like summer! ).
Come move to “Winterpeg”. Cold Therapy at Portage and Main. I guess I have been mislead again! I “heard” that sauna’s fix everything from heart issues, E.D.,(hypothetically of course) and cancer! Throw in a bit of aroma therapy (I like Irish Spring Soap) and live pain free! So I guess my hope once again trudges back to “old faithful”… biologics etc. But I do appreciate @Cal sharing his journey. I’ve been checking Amazon for a “Build your own” Cryotherapy Chamber but no luck…yet!
Hi Cal! I was just wondering if you have an update?
Hi Rachael, I’m really sorry for the delayed response. I haven’t been checking in often, and so I’ve just read this. So I have been continuing full body medical Cryo (with anti chamber) not the one where your head pokes out the top, or there is only one room. These do not work… for me at least. I think they are cosmetic treatments.
I haven’t had any symptoms (touch wood) for a year or so. I discontinued all my medications. I live a relatively normal life now.
I know people have their own strategies. But I’m glad I’ve found mine. And I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s completely changed my life. I do have to do it often. And it isn’t cheap. But I don’t have to worry about side effects from meds. I don’t really have to think about psa anymore. Just need to keep my Cryo appointments at the right intervals to intervene before a flare up.
Pain very rarely. And much fitter than been for years. I hope you have access to this in your area and it’s something that could help you?
Thank you for the update and your not alone on being late to respond ( just saw this now). When searching the one’s I saw were mainly the room version and had not thought about the different options. Was focused on location and cost to give it a trial. Will refine my search but since the pandemic the providers have narrowed considerably. Such a wonderful outcome for you and hoping to give it a go soon myself.