Cold Therapy for Long COVID – A Scientist’s Self-Experiment

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By Dr. scient. pth. / M.A. phil. Katharina Ohana

I am one of those affected. As a neuropsychologist and scientist, I tried to understand this still "vague disease" and find a means to improve my symptoms. Here is my experience and research report:

I was initially shocked by the helplessness of my general practitioner and another internist I consulted: nobody knows anything – that was my first feeling. Additionally, there was a suggestion that it could "just" be psychosomatic – implying that if doctors don't understand it, it must be psychological.

However, psychosomatics is my own field, and as a psychologist and trained psychoanalyst, I know this: if symptoms suddenly appear after a severe infection (and this doesn’t just apply to Long COVID), it is certainly not "psychological"! That is to say: no personality disorders, internal conflicts, or repressed fears suddenly emerge overnight, leading to total exhaustion and full-body pain.

Of course, everyone feels anxious when they are suddenly pulled out of their active life and can only lie down, constantly experiencing body aches and headaches, and finding it hard to concentrate. Their normal life ends abruptly – and no doctor has an answer!

So I started researching myself: Long COVID is generally thought to be an overreaction of the immune system after a COVID infection and, in rare cases (about 1-2% of those affected), even after a COVID vaccination. Too many COVID antibodies are produced, which remain active and lead to ongoing inflammation, particularly in the vessels (veins), the heart muscle (which is difficult to detect even with a standard ultrasound), and the nerve cells, including the brain. (This is, of course, a simplified representation, and I hope the few experts will forgive that.)

The consequences are fatigue, diffuse pain, cognitive impairments (difficulty thinking clearly, finding the right words, or remembering things). In some people, this is so severe that it is referred to as "fatigue syndrome" (French: fatigue = tired). These people often spend most of their time lying in the dark! Interestingly, often athletic individuals – especially athletic women – are affected, and so far, no one knows why. It is suspected that the immune systems of those who exercise are generally more active, which is indeed the goal of exercise and physical activity.

What can be done about it?

There is currently no specific test to determine if someone truly has Long COVID, nor is there an official therapy. The best summary of all current findings and treatments I've seen is from my colleague Hirschhausen:
Video: Hirschhausen and Long COVID – Hirschhausen – ARD | Das Erste

In my self-experiment, I tried blood thinners (ASA 100 mg) and another COVID vaccination (which in some patients can reset the overactive immune system to normal), but unfortunately, nothing changed for me: tired and with body aches, I dragged myself through the day; my energy was constantly depleted, like an old mobile phone battery.

Then, during a longer stay in Frankfurt, I discovered doctorfrost and their cryotherapy chambers, based on a recommendation from a fellow sufferer.
Fortunately, my fear of temperatures like -85 degrees or even -110 degrees was not as great as my will to finally find a remedy for my Long COVID symptoms. However, it did take some effort, especially since I often feel cold already! The kind gentlemen at the entrance seemed familiar with these fears and explained everything to me in detail. (Moreover, in my own research and books, I advocate the therapeutic idea of "corrective experiences": Only those who consistently expose themselves to new experiences can change themselves, their brain, and their character in the long term – and hopefully, alleviate Long COVID symptoms with cold exposure.)

So, I tried the -85 degree cryotherapy chamber for 4.5 minutes at the introductory price, dressed in underwear with the equipment provided by doctorfrost: hat, gloves, felt slippers, and a surgical mask (which we are all too familiar with now…). You shuffle along, looking through the glass door at the tablet outside in the private anteroom, which counts down the time visibly, and you are surprised that although it is cold, you don't shiver internally.

Then you come out, and as I dressed, I first noticed that I suddenly felt warm and my metabolism became very active. This effect lasted about 2 hours.

The next day – and this is important – I tried it again. Inflammation – one of the main causes of Long COVID – only improves if repeatedly exposed to cold. Cold is an ancient remedy for inflammation – since antiquity, not only heat but also cold has been considered a form of therapy (Greek: Frost/Ice = Kryos = Cryotherapy, as cold application is also known). Thus, cryotherapy is already recognized and covered by some health insurance companies for rheumatic complaints (joint inflammation). After a week, I even tried the -110 degree chamber, also for 2 consecutive days for 1.5 minutes each – and now I feel much less of my disc problems than before. Afterward, you feel like Super-Woman. And after all these months with this truly annoying disease, the cryotherapy chamber in Frankfurt feels like a miracle, as I could barely remember what it's like to have energy and be pain-free.

Long COVID patients should definitely clarify with an internist or cardiologist with an MRI examination beforehand whether the heart muscle is inflamed. This is important anyway, as it can be very dangerous and occurs more frequently, especially in the first months after the onset of the disease.

For more information on the current research on Long COVID, visit the University of Jena, which has recently launched a major research program:
[https://www.uniklinikum-jena.de/Forschung/Covid_19_Forschung-p-24560.html](https://www.uniklinikum-jena.de/Forschung/Covid_19_Forschung-p-24560.html)

And if the cold doesn’t help (it is said to also make one young, slim, and beautiful by stimulating metabolism), I hope you find something else soon. For me, it was like a liberation – especially from my helplessness.

There are already cryotherapy centers in other big cities – but often they don't really reach -110 degrees. To achieve such low temperatures, a so-called pre-chamber is needed: you first spend 30 seconds at -60 degrees in the pre-chamber before moving into the main chamber at -110 degrees for 1-2 minutes (on the way out, you stay in the pre-chamber for another 30 seconds).

This is also important to know because without such a pre-chamber, like the one doctorfrost has in Frankfurt, many providers cannot reach -110 degrees. Once the door opens to room temperature, the extreme cold dissipates, or is only "left" at -85 degrees…

So, if you want the full effect, be sure to ask about the pre-chamber. (But even -85 degrees already helps…)

For any other questions, feel free to contact me via my website [www.katharinaohana.de](http://www.katharinaohana.de)

Best wishes for success with the cold therapy and a speedy recovery to all affected and their loved ones (who are also often caught up in these health issues),

wishes you,

Dr. scient. pth. / M.A. phil.  
Katharina Ohana  
[www.katharinaohana.de](http://www.katharinaohana.de)  
mail@katharinaohana.de

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