The Science Behind Some of Today's Wellness Trends

Just about every year, something new comes along promising to decrease our pain and stress while improving mood and sleep.

Almost as quickly as these magical fixes arrive on the scene, many of them disappear — either because they lose their novelty and notoriety, or because they are displaced by the next great hope.

From copper bracelets to spinal braces, oxygen bars to cryo spas, soak tanks to fill in the blank; there is no shortage of “wellness products” that enter with a splash and exit with a whimper, promising to make quick work of complicated problems.

Whether they deliver the promised benefit oftentimes remains an open question.

The science of copper and compression

Products containing copper, specifically those which also provide compression, have become ubiquitous. They include copper socks, sleeves, and braces claiming to get you back in the game or even improve athletic performance.

Worn just above the calves, compression socks are believed to improve blood vessel efficiency. In a February 2015 study on compression socks, marathon runners who wore them for 48 hours after an event performed better on treadmill tests two weeks later when compared to a placebo group. Another study in February 2019 of elite volleyball players suggests compression socks can ease the stressors of long-haul travel. While claims of improved athletic performance remain unverified, the likelier scenario remains: Compression clothing, specifically socks, may help in recovery, even weeks after endurance events.

When it comes to compression back braces, however, claims of improved athletic performance as well as enhanced recovery remain unverified. Bracing of any kind is typically done to limit range of motion and provide stability after an injury. There’s also a specified duration for using most braces, typically four to six weeks. Braces are not meant to be a permanent wearable. Prolonged restriction of the spine, specifically, may lead to core muscle weakness.

Humans come with a natural lower back brace, sometimes called “the corset of the core,” in the transverse abdominis muscle. Strengthening the abdominals, as well as other core muscles, will lead to a stronger spine and less pain, which in turn could improve performance.

Perhaps the most surprising finding within the medical literature is the role of copper and its effect on skin. Wound dressings that include copper particles were patented less than a decade ago. There’s some indication that socks (and even pillowcases) made with fiber or thread containing copper oxide can have a healing effect on skin. Pillowcases are thus marketed to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, socks to increase skin elasticity and eliminate athlete’s foot infections, and wound dressings to enhance healing time.

A back brace will not improve your athletic ability and compression socks cannot help you run a marathon. Compression socks can, however, help in recovery — and the copper infused variety might minimize athlete’s foot and skin infections.

Freeze or float

Since the early 2000s, from New York to Los Angeles, two varieties of health spas have emerged with increasing regularity. One, the cryo spa, features a vertical tube-type device that you step into which surrounds your body from the shoulders down and engulfs you in nitrogen gas at temperatures below 230 degrees Fahrenheit.

The second type of spa offers variations on float therapy. Picture a large, domed bathtub for one person, where you float in water containing high amounts of epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) at body temperature, with sight and sound minimized or eliminated altogether.

Both industries have put forth a variety of health claims as to the benefits of cryo or float therapy, including enhanced focus, stress reduction, improved healing, weight loss, or better sleep. The supporting research, however, remains somewhat limited and inconclusive.

Here’s what we do know.

An ancient medical text known as the Edwin Smith Papyrus, dating back to 3500 B.C., made numerous references to the use of cold therapy. This understanding grew over time and led to icing parts of the body to numb them for medical procedures prior to the discovery of anesthetics. French army surgeon Baron de Larrey, during Napoleon’s Russian campaign, packed the limbs of soldiers in ice prior to amputations to render the procedures more bearable.

The idea behind cooling the entire body grew thanks to work by Japanese rheumatologist Toshima Yamaguchi in the 1970s, who treated patients with frozen instruments. Although today’s full-body cryo spas have yet to receive Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, this hasn’t stopped athletes, celebrities, and many others from stepping inside them.

Perhaps the most popular, best known, longest standing method for treating an injury is itself a form of cryotherapy — better known as an ice pack or ice bath. Among trainers and physical therapists, ice packs and baths are ubiquitous in locker rooms. The use of ice has been shown to decrease pain through a numbing effect on nerves, reducing blood flow (as well as white blood cells) into an area, thereby limiting swelling.

As for whole body cryotherapy, a study of 120 patients with pain conditions ranging from fibromyalgia to rheumatoid arthritis reported a reduction in pain, lasting about 90 minutes, immediately after their therapy session; another study suggests the treatment may be an adjunct in alleviating anxiety and mood disorders. To fully explore the promise of other benefits, including injury recovery, anti-aging, or weight loss claims, more studies are necessary.

The science behind float tanks is equally singular and small. Conceived in 1954 by American physician and neuroscientist John C. Lilly to study the origins of consciousness by cutting off all external stimuli, float tanks are touted by some as a form of “hyper meditation” to reduce stress and improve focus.

The European Journal of Medicine sheds light on such claims in a review titled “Curing the sick and creating supermen—how relaxation in flotation tanks is advertised on the internet.” They concluded that benefits of treatment are often exaggerated and not backed by specific science or corresponding studies.

Before stepping inside a float tank, consider a study of 46 participants which found doing so “temporarily inducing (of) psychosis-like experiences.” On the other hand, in a 2018 study, 50 participants who were anxious or depressed reportedly experienced a reduction in anxiety symptoms and a substantial improvement in mood.

The verdict

Theories behind float tanks, cryo spas, or copper compression clothing all come from areas and disciplines with some scientific validity. It’s hard to argue against the pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory properties of an ice pack; anyone who’s sprained an ankle or stubbed a toe can attest to its efficacy. It’s slightly more difficult to expand these claims to whole-body, nitrogen-based, below-freezing therapy.

While ice as therapy has been around since 3500 B.C., archeologists date the practice of meditation back even further, to 5,000 B.C. Float tanks are a way to induce the latter, or even supercharge the effect of meditation — present-time consciousness and connection between mind and body. Sure, copper is antimicrobial, but a brace made of copper fiber will not “heal” joints, improve performance, or speed recovery. Compression on the other hand, in some cases, will.

Upon deeper study and until further notice, the tried and true way might be best. A simple hot or cold pack can be surprisingly effective. Gymnasts, basketball, baseball, or football players immediately ice a suspected injury, and do the same after a long, grueling match. Prior to activity though, athletes hydrate and prepare for competition with a series of stretches or warm-ups to increase muscular blood flow. External heat (hot packs) can work much in the same way, preparing muscles for activity.

The idea that if something works, more of it would work even better doesn’t always hold up, and can even be dangerous. Any treatment will usually have parameters for a therapeutic effect — an optimal zone, if you will — where less wouldn’t help and more might be overkill.

So, before you reach for whole body cryotherapy, try a targeted ice pack, ice bath, or cold shower. Consider meditation before signing up for a float tank session. Runners or endurance athletes might try wearing compression socks, and evaluating their effect on recovery. For those who suffer from athlete’s foot, consider the copper infused variety. Whether it’s floating, compression, or extreme temperatures, the smart bet is to experiment and find your “Goldilocks Zone.”