Can Cold Therapy Hurt YOU?

Cold temperature therapies are trending now, but there's an important factor many don't know about to be able to practice it safely: Omega fat ratios.

I just got used to the idea that fat is good for me, 

and now you're telling me there're ratios I need to concern myself with?

Our bodies are supposed to have a 1:1-3 ratio of Omega 3:6/9, meaning for every part of Omega 3, you should have a maximum of 3 parts of Omega 6 and 9 in your body, otherwise you are considered systemically inflamed. 

Ha! I'm not inflamed. I'm just big-boned...

In naturally-available foods, this ratio is easily sustainable. With a conventional diet that includes processed foods and oils (yes, that includes olive oil used in cooking!), the typical ratio is around 1:50 (yikes!!!). Even conventional produce and protein sources have been altered to the point the nutrient content is so far off what they were just 2 generations ago. Spinach now does not do the same for our bodies as spinach did 50 years ago. And unless you get your salmon sourced from places like Bluff, New Zealand or Norway, your salmon probably has fewer Omega 3's than you think. 

This means you're most likely systemically inflamed. 

Whyyyyyyyyy????

Instead of getting lab tested to see how your levels are, one cool (pun intended) trick to monitor whether your levels are ok is to submerge yourself in cold water (around 45-55 deg F) for a couple minutes. When you come out of the water, if your skin is cherry red (almost like in the picture below), you're good. It means your body can regulate circulation and energy to warm the extremities (not in sympathetic "fight or flight" survival mode).

On the contrary, if your skin turns white, then your body cannot budget its resources to regulate circulation to the extremities and is just focused on keeping the core alive. In this state, you are much more susceptible to getting hypothermia. 

To correct this dangerous state, just decrease your intake of processed foods like breads/pastas, junk food, and even microwavable meals (even if they're healthy!), and increase your non-starchy vegetable and natural-sources Omega 3 intake (like avocado, high quality fish oil or cold water fish like mackerel, cod, or salmon). Do the cold water test every couple weeks to monitor progress. 

I swear this is two pictures merged into one and my legs aren't really that long....

Also, I'm not sunburnt in the bottom picture...that's the cherry redness of my highly circulated legs ;) 

The more diligent you are with your diet, the faster you will see results. You may also notice that your circulation and energy in general will improve, you're less bloated and puffy, your brain might work a little better, and you might just be a little more happy. 

The Beaten Path Is Overrated

Do credentials really matter?

In today's society, we still seem to judge people and their professional competence/ability based on their credentials and titles. But what does having credentials and earned titles mean? Does it mean they are better than someone with fewer credentials? How do you determine the quality of two professionals if they have the same credentials? Experience? 

Sure.

So then does that mean the amount of experience is a better determining factor of a professional's quality? 

Well, no. Just because you've done your job for a long time doesn't mean you're any good at it. I'm sure we know many people who fit that bill. 

It's the people who go above and beyond what is deemed to be "necessary" by the industry who actually excel in what they do. It's the people who put in their blood, sweat, and tears into their craft, with the want and intention of getting better that will actually get better. It's the people who leave their brains and their passion into their work, not the ones who let their brains and passions fade in presence. 

Often, these types of people recognize that the traditional way of getting to where they want to go is not for them. Some recognize it early, some recognize it later. 

I work in two different industries: health/fitness/wellness, and pain resolution/rehab. There are many people in both industries who are successful, but not good, and vice versa. Let me be clear: success in a business/making money does not equate to quality of the work done. It just means you're good at business and marketing yourself. 

The higher quality professionals I know in my industries for the most part are considered "self-taught." Yes, there are a few with PhD's and academic resumes that would impress the Pope, but I'm finding that there are many more without the traditional academia background, and more of a forged, smart-choiced bushwhacked path exploration that tend to do well. They think out of the box, and they do it often. There's something in their personalities that has them waking up with this passion to improve as much as possible *again* that day, and the next, and the next. They meet like-minded people through various environments, learning opportunities, and networking. They don't buy into ideas easily, but they'll entertain them until they figure out what parts of those ideas to keep and what to discard. They form their own ways of doing things. They have their own reasons. 

Some of the best therapists I know have the simple licensure or certification of massage therapist, personal trainer, or even yoga instructor. Some have not graduated from a university. Some did not even begin university. Yet they have gotten better results than medical doctors, physical therapists, orthopaedic surgeons, and other what have traditionally been considered as the "go-to" people when you have pain. They do what those classically trained professionals are not trained to do: think out of the box. Look at the bigger picture. 

How did they get to where they are? Why will they be better tomorrow, when others will be the same? They attend carefully chosen courses, they not only absorb information but they actually process it and think about it. They don't believe everything they see, but they don't discount it, either. They refuse to be stuck in a "this is the only way" mentality. They believe there is almost ALWAYS another way. And they'll either find it, or they'll refer you to someone who already found it. 

The next time you ask about someone professionally, instead of asking about their credentials, ask about their results. Ask about their success rate. Ask about their WORK, not their ability to pass tests.