Cold immersion is an age-old tradition in hydrothermal bathing. The Finnish were the first known culture to actively use hot and cold contrast therapy as part of a cleansing or bathing ritual. After spending time in a hot Finnish sauna, bathers would leave the hot, smokey cabin (sweating profusely), and then take roll in the snow to both cool down and cleanse the dirt from…

As women go through the process of aging and childbirth, they may experience changes in their genitalia. The most common changes that can impact a woman’s quality of life are vaginal laxity, stress urinary incontinence, loss of vaginal lubrication, loss of tone of labia majora, stretching of labia minora, and a decrease in sensation. Although surgical vaginal tightening procedures are not new, historically they have…

The skin periodically encounters a variety of incursions and, within its extraordinary capacity for surveillance, is able to initiate its defense systems at a moment’s notice to fight infection and initiate healing. The intricate relationship that the skin has with the body represents a complex network of communication via the entire integumentary structure: nervous system (neurons for sensory function), immune system (healing response and defenses),…