Most 'wellness' treatments are bogus — here are the ones that actually help your body

Business Insider

Whether it's a sweaty workout or an intense day at work that has your muscles in a knot, a wellness treatment like a massage or a trip to the sauna can sound like alluring medicine.

But not all spa treatments are created equal. Some of the oldest, simplest, and cheapest regimens offer the best results, while many of the newer and pricier treatments don't appear to live up to their claims.

Find out which wellness therapies, from cryotherapy sessions to a trip to the local steam room, will do your body good — and which ones aren't worth your money.

Hot baths — take them for muscle recovery and overall health

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While bathing in Epsom salts might be useless, there is real research — including a small recent study — to suggest that plain old warm baths have beneficial effects on the body, some of which are surprisingly similar to exercise.

Those effects may include an overall boost in metabolic health — measured by the study participants' ability to control their blood sugar before and after bathing — and an anti-inflammatory response that's similar to what you get after a workout.

Ice baths — skip them for athletic performance

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Submerging your body in a bucket of ice was all the rage for some time, with athletes claiming it could do everything from speeding up workout recovery to improving muscle tone. 

Studies suggest the chilling experience doesn't do a while lot for performance. One study, for example, showed that athletes who did ice baths after three months of strength training experienced less swelling and soreness but also made smaller gains in their muscle mass and strength. Another recent study that compared athletes who bathed in ice with those who took a dip in lukewarm water suggested that ice baths didn't help much with inflammation — i.e. swelling — at all.

Saunas — skip them for 'detoxifying,' but use them to relax

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It's widely believed that sitting in a hot, dry sauna is a great way to "sweat out" toxins from the body. 

While you'll certainly sweat, the stuff that comes out of your pores isn't actually made up of toxins. Substances like alcohol, aluminum, and mercury, for example, get filtered out and removed from your body by your liver and kidneys.

There are some science-backed benefits to saunas, however, which range from increased circulation (as a result of the elevated heart rate and widened blood vessels that accompany exposure to intense heat) to reduced muscle soreness and reduced joint pain.

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