• Hanna Tabisz, Aleksandra Modlinska, Sławomir Kujawski, Joanna Słomko, and Pawel Zalewski.
• Department of Exercise Physiology and Functional Anatomy, Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Świętojańska 20, Bydgoszcz 85-077, Poland.
• Br. Med. Bull. 2023 Jun 21; 146 (1): 437243-72.

IntroductionWhole-body cryotherapy (WBC) is a controlled exposure of the whole body to cold to gain health benefits. In recent years, data on potential applications of WBC in multiple clinical settings have emerged.Sources Of DataPubMed, EBSCO and Clinical Key search using keywords including terms 'whole body', 'cryotherapy' and 'cryostimulation'.Areas Of AgreementWBC could be applied as adjuvant therapy in multiple conditions involving chronic inflammation because of its potent anti-inflammatory effects. Those might include systemic inflammation as in rheumatoid arthritis. In addition, WBC could serve as adjuvant therapy for chronic inflammation in some patients with obesity.Areas Of ControversyWBC probably might be applied as an adjuvant treatment in patients with chronic brain disorders including mild cognitive impairment and general anxiety disorder and in patients with depressive episodes and neuroinflammation reduction as in multiple sclerosis. WBC effects in metabolic disorder treatment are yet to be determined. WBC presumably exerts pleiotropic effects and therefore might serve as adjuvant therapy in multi-systemic disorders, including myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).Growing PointsThe quality of studies on the effects of WBC in the clinical setting is in general low; hence, randomized controlled trials with adequate sample size and longer follow-up periods are needed.Areas Are Timely For Developing ResearchFurther studies should examine the mechanism underlying the clinical efficacy of WBC. Multiple conditions might involve chronic inflammation, which in turn could be a potential target of WBC. Further research on the application of WBC in neurodegenerative disorders, neuropsychiatric disorders and ME/CFS should be conducted.© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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