Cold Showers

http://www.worldhairloss.org/index.php/forums/viewthread/739/

Seems like it's worth a try.

When rinse my hair I first rince with hot water, then follow with cold water for 10 or so seconds. This supposedly opened up blood vessels (hot) then once blood floods the scalp rinse with cold to close the vessels and lock in the blood.

the idea of temporary hypoxia applies here. also, when you get out of the shower you get all that blood rushing back into the area. It increases testosterone and I believe may ground one as well somehow

Anybody still doing this? If so what else are you doing with it? Brushing? Massage? Oil?

All I know that is that both Tim Ferris and Dr. Kruse recommend this type of cold exposure for body recomp purposes, as our exposure to cold has a strong tie to leptin signaling and basically enough exposure causes leptin to drop off the map. And while leptin is a good hormone, it is important for regulating adipogensis, many of those who are overweight and insulin resistant are also leptin resistant so reseting our levels should in theory help restore sensitivity. If we are able to lower bf %, this should also lead to an increase in testosterone and lowered inflammation. Dr. Kruse's own personal story is pretty impressive. I was doing cold showers for a while, and to be honest it sucks, I got to a point where I literally got nervous before a shower because I knew what was coming. I do have to say that the shower itself is torture, but the feeling afterward is phenomenal, very clear headed, alert, you can feel the blood flowing and there is almost a sense of euphoria. I only did this for about a month or so and did lose weight during that period, but I didn't notice any effects on hair. I wasn't doing any kinds of manual methods either though. I almost wonder if cold baths would be easier. I'm thinking it would be more like acclimating to cold pool water after a few minutes of being submerged. The thing with the shower is you never get adjusted to the cold, there is always one half of your body that isn't getting hit by the water, makes it difficult.

anthonyspencer54 wrote: I was doing cold showers for a while, and to be honest it sucks, I got to a point where I literally got nervous before a shower because I knew what was coming. I do have to say that the shower itself is torture, but the feeling afterward is phenomenal, very clear headed, alert, you can feel the blood flowing and there is almost a sense of euphoria.

lol, you dont need to experience trauma doing it, just regulate water with less temperature deviation.

Unlike manual methods i apply hot/cold shower therapy quite regulary and as offen as i shower. I first start with warm water and prepare body for a shock. First shock is easy one, i switch slowly towards cold water. After few repetition i become more agressive and increase the temperature deviation. Time and period time is totaly up to you and your body mechanism to regulate heat. Skin color is also a good indicator beside of how you feel. When you are agressive on yourself always cover your face with your hands - you dont want to break your facial thin skin cappilares with temperature shocks. Yes, similar to shower after finnish sauna. Beware.

After while doing it your body starts to crave it, cause it's rewarding with endorphines, alertness, increased body circulation (if done correctly!) and freshness. I also do cold baths sometimes after tennis or workouts. After i've done it a few times, i cant connect word ''torture'' to hot/cold showers anymore... I highly recommend doing it.

I think it's a bit hard to regrow any hair with this particular method so i do it for overall benefits, regardless of hair loss, which i managed to stop as soon i support my ''live healthy'' regimen.

I've started and stopped cold showers many times. I think they're pretty good, I need to start doing them again, they're not as bad as I think they're going to be. To add to what beebrox said about endorphines and circulation, I'm sure ive read that cold showers increase glutathione and white blood cells, although not sure if that was just a theory. I know some people are not a fan of cold showers as its a stress on the body.

tooyoung wrote:I've started and stopped cold showers many times. I think they're pretty good, I need to start doing them again, they're not as bad as I think they're going to be. To add to what beebrox said about endorphines and circulation, I'm sure ive read that cold showers increase glutathione and white blood cells, although not sure if that was just a theory. I know some people are not a fan of cold showers as its a stress on the body.

you've heard it right.

Uric acid and glutathione levels during short-term whole body cold exposure.

A Spence, totally hear you on the half of the body always being out of the water in the shower and having to readjust. Funny enough though, I find it much easier to bare the cold shower when it's REALLY cold. Like middle of winter water temp. The body just seems to go numb faster and the feeling afterwards is that much better. I mostly do cold showers and have for a while. I used to hot to cold, hot to cold etc... and found benefit from that as well. I think the only downside to cold only is that the hot seems to help in terms of exfoliation and so I don't think the skin gets as clean with cold only. This MIGHT lead to a little bit of a lessened efficiency of detoxing through the skin. Not sure. On the other side, we are definitely taking in more toxins with the steam and open pores that come with hot water that's been treated with fluoride and chlorine.

8. THE GENITAL BATH
This simple procedure, borrowed from the hydrotherapy literature, is often effective for alleviating vaginal, bladder, uterine and even prostate difficulties. Bladder and vaginal infections in women often respond very well to this procedure. Men can use it as well for urinary and penile difficulties.
The genital bath is probably effective because the cold water causes a reaction that greatly enhances the blood flow to this area. This in turn assists the healing process. The procedure is as follows:

* Sit on the side of a bathtub facing into the bathtub. Alternatively, sit on a stool placed in the bathtub. One can wear a shirt or sweater, as the water will be directed only at the genital area.

* Splash cold water on the genital area only, using a wash rag or a flexible shower attachment.

* Continue the procedure for 10 minutes, and repeat it three or more times per day.

* The genital bath can be repeated for as long as necessary with no ill effects.
...from http://drlwilson.com/detox_protocols.htm (other good info on that site as well)

On this forum there are older posts suggesting the above method (cold water on the testicles) grows hair.

I take cold showers in summer and maybe some of fall gladly it feels real refreshing, during winter though forget it.