Should you try whole body cryotherapy? Not so fast according to the NY Times Whole body cryotherapy is becoming popular, with celebrities and professional athletes touting its benefits. The benefits of any cold therapy is not as well supported by evidence as we may believe. For pain control or for the health of it, the benefits may be scant as well and the FDA does not believe that whole body cryotherapy has enough evidence to support its use in the treatment of diseases as well. Should you try this method out, which involves going into a device that for under 2 minutes subjects your body to extremely cold temperatures? Read about it here first. Cold Therapy? Maybe Better Save Your Money Aaron E. Carroll My friends know they are going to get an evidence-based read on medical practices when they turn to me for advice. Not all of them enjoy the eye rolls that involuntarily occur when I hear what they are considering, like when a friend asked me about the benefits of whole body cryotherapy. Cryotherapy is the practice of subjecting tissue or lesions in tissue to very cold temperatures in an effort to kill something that is considered unhealthy. It can also mean the application of ice packs to reduce swelling or pain on a part of the body. But whole body cryotherapy exposes the body for a couple of minutes to vapor that has been supercooled to somewhere between minus 200 and minus 300 degrees Fahrenheit. It was once confined mostly to elite athletes, but now centers have cropped up across the country asserting that the practice can lead to any number of health benefits. Read more