Vail Health is diving into the science of saunas and cold plunges to treat depression
New behavioral health research center began enrolling patients for its first study in May
Dominique Taylor, Vail Health/Courtesy Photo
Cold plunges have begun to gain popularity in recent years, with wellness and fitness enthusiasts sharing how the icy dive has transformative impacts on their minds and bodies.
Now, the science is starting to catch up. Research into the effects of such treatments includes a new study launched in Vail into whether a cold plunge (following heat therapy) can lead to lower levels of depression.
One year after its creation, the Vail Health Behavioral Health’s Innovation Center has started enrolling patients for its inaugural research study, the “CHILL’D “study, exploring just that.
“We have a lot of people who are either in therapy or on medications or both, and they’re just not seeing an effect with traditional treatments. And, especially with medications, a lot of people have unwanted side effects or other ways in which they just don’t want to be on the medication,” said Chloe Sorensen, the clinical research supervisor for the innovation center and the CHILL’D study.
“So, in recent years, there’s been a huge interest in exploring these kinds of alternative therapies,” she added.
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Dr. Charles (Chuck) Raison, a professor at the University of Wisconsin and the innovation center’s director, has previously studied many of these alternative therapies and novel treatments, including using whole-body hyperthermia or heat to treat depression.
Last June when the center opened, Raison told the Vail Daily that past research has shown that the heat therapy has “a really striking antidepressant effect.”
“It’s not new, people have been using saunas and sweat lodges for thousands of years, but it’s new as a treatment for depression,” he noted.
What the study will explore
The CHILL’D study at Vail Health will expound on past research in hyperthermia and depression — including research done by Raison and Dr. Ashley Mason, who is a clinical psychologist at UC San Francisco, and who is a collaborator on the study.
There are two primary factors that the study will explore: whether adding a cold plunge after heat therapy will enhance or dampen its effect on depression as well as whether antidepressants enhance or dampen the effects.
Today, most of the evidence around cold plunges and depression is “anecdotal,” Sorenson noted.
“There has been a lot of scientific research looking at sauna use, but nothing with the sauna plus the cold plunge,” she added.
In May, the research center began seeking participants for the study. So far, from around 70 applicants, one has passed the screening and participated.
The screening includes a medical health assessment and psychiatric screening including a depression rating. All participants are ranked on the Montgomery Äsberg Depression Rating Scale, which sets a “baseline score” for depression.
“It ranges from 0 to 60 with 60 being the most depressed and 0 being not depressed at all. They have to have at least a 28 in order to enter the study. So they do have to be about mild to moderate depression,” Sorenson said.
Those selected will all receive one treatment — with a randomized selection of who receives just the heat therapy and who receives both the hot and cold therapy. This randomization will also be stratified based on whether the individual is on an antidepressant or not.
All will receive a sauna treatment in a dome-like structure where the individual’s core temperature will be slowly elevated to 101.3 degrees Fahrenheit. Those selected to receive the cold treatment (50% of participants) will then transition to the cold plunge, which is set to 49 degrees Fahrenheit for between two to 10 minutes.
Dr. Barry Sandler, an osteopathic physician and medical director at Vail Health Behavioral Health, is the main investigator for the study in Vail and will be on site for all administrations of the hot and cold therapy. Patients’ vitals are monitored throughout the treatments.
Immediately following the treatment, the participants will receive an acute mood assessment. However, the study will also give the patients another assessment (based on the same depression scale used to establish a baseline) both one week and two weeks following the treatment. The primary variable they’ll be looking at is depression, Sorenson said.
“The primary change we’re looking at is from baseline to two weeks after the treatment because the previous studies have shown that that’s kind of where you see the biggest effect here,” she added.
However, in addition to looking at any change in depression, there are a few other quality-of-life factors the team is looking into, including one in partnership with the Steadman Philippon Research Institute.
“We’re collecting blood before and after the treatment at each of those time points, and they’re looking at how the treatment impacts various inflammatory biomarkers and also what are called senescent cells, which are basically cells in your body that have stopped growing and dividing,” Sorenson said.
Individuals with higher levels of senescent cells typically have higher rates of heart disease, diabetes and more.
“We’re trying to understand whether this treatment acts as what’s called a senolytic, helping to clear those cells out of your tissues,” Sorenson said.
Additionally, studying this could identify whether there’s a potential connection between high inflammation and depression, she added.
What comes next
The study is expected to continue for the next two to three years, with researchers hoping to enroll 100 individuals during that period. In total, participants will have to complete four visits including the initial screening visit, the treatment visit and two follow-ups. Participants do not have to be based in Eagle County but do have to commit to being in person for all four visits.
In addition to the benefits of contributing to science and maybe experiencing a positive impact of the treatment, participants can earn up to $200, Sorenson said.
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After the data collection has been completed, then begins the process of looking at results and writing a lot of papers, Sorenson said.
With the research center getting rolling, it is expected to expand its research into other novel treatments for anxiety and depression. This includes a study on using psilocybin to treat mental health conditions, which is expected to begin enrolling patients this year as well. As it grows, the center is also expected to have dedicated space by next year within the Weigers Mental Health Clinic in Edwards.
“All of these sort of novel treatments are based very strongly in emerging science, but that are not widely used in mental health in America, which is still very much about giving people an antidepressant pill very often,” Raison said last June.
To learn more or apply, visit VailHealthBH.org/CHILL.
