Could Saunas Cure Depression? Investigating a (Very) Hot New Theory.

Summary: Can getting really hot and then really cold cure depression? A new study in Colorado is testing exactly that. Researchers have noticed that people with severe depression often have a hard time controlling their body temperature—they run hot and don't sweat much. Because standard medicines only help about one in five people, doctors are trying a new extreme treatment.

They put patients in a super-hot infrared sauna tube until their internal body temperature reaches 101.3°F, giving them an artificial fever. Right after, the patients jump into a freezing 49°F cold plunge. The author, health journalist Bill Gifford, tried this intense therapy himself. At first, it was miserable. He had to be monitored with a thermometer, got a terrible headache, and felt completely exhausted. But the next day, while driving through a dangerous, windy storm, he felt a strange, peaceful calm and zero anxiety. This intense hot-and-cold shock might just be the hard reset the brain needs.

For more details, see Men's Health at menshealth.com/health/a70736969/saunas-for-depression-hotwired-book/ (opens in new tab)