Swimming in the ice hole and winter swimming: benefits and harms. Drunken unprepared people climb into icy water

Particularly severe Epiphany frosts, at least in Yekaterinburg, are not expected, but there will be no thaw either: the temperature on the night of January 18-19 and January 19 in the afternoon will stay at -15 ° C. Water in natural reservoirs, where Jordan has already been cut through, at this time of the year is usually about +3 ° C. People are not afraid of such temperatures: in recent years, Epiphany bathing has become a truly massive phenomenon. Last year, according to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, about 60 thousand people dived into the hole in the Middle Urals. No less is expected this year.

As a rule, in Yekaterinburg and its environs, about 20 fonts operate in Epiphany. There are more than 100 of them throughout the region.

It is believed that dipping into the Jordan (the baptismal hole is named after the river in which, according to the scriptures, Jesus Christ was baptized - Jordan) washes away the sins accumulated during the year and brings health.

Doctors do not agree with the last statement: in their opinion, swimming in ice water for an unprepared person is more harmful to health than good.

Natalia Berezenkova, therapist at the UMMC-Health clinic:

Epiphany bathing is primarily beneficial for the human soul, this is its meaning. It is wrong to approach this as a one-time procedure for healing the body: neither from the point of view of medicine, nor from the point of view of religion. As for medicine, immersion in ice water is stressful for the body, which can lead, among other things, to death.

According to Natalia Berezenkova, in order to plunge into the ice hole for Epiphany without negative health consequences, one should first prepare oneself for this. “Undoubtedly, cold water is beneficial to the body - the same hardening that everyone, of course, knows about. But you need to harden yourself correctly: for several months, pour yourself over, gradually lowering the temperature so that the body gets used to it. “Walruses” do just that: none of them climbs into the hole without proper training, ”explains the therapist.

One of the main risks ice bathing for an unprepared person - opportunity to overcool and, as a result, get colds. And it's not about ARVI or even pneumonia. "It can be tonsillitis, prostatitis, cystitis, pyelonephritis, arthritis - hypothermia can affect the body systems that" malfunction "without that, but only a person can not even guess about it - no one goes through a doctor's examination before diving" , - Natalia Berezenkova explains.

Next on the list - risk of heart attacks... As a result of stress, the heart begins to beat faster and drive blood through the vessels, which, in turn, shrink due to exposure to low temperatures. The possibility of getting a heart attack or stroke is greatly increased. Many people believe that blood vessels can be pre-expanded by drinking alcohol. But this is not at all the case. Scientists have proven that alcohol affects only the vessels that are located along the route of the drink - the esophagus, the gastrointestinal tract. The action practically does not reach the periphery, that is, the limbs. But in any case, the instant expansion, and then the same instant vasoconstriction, not even every more or less healthy organism can tolerate. What can we say about those who have some kind of diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Hypertensive crisis - another risk for those who decided to climb into the water without first checking the pressure and taking a little on the chest. At low air temperatures, the pressure is usually already increased, alcohol aggravates this. Rapid cooling can further increase the pressure, as a result, a person will receive a hypertensive crisis or hemorrhagic stroke due to a ruptured aortic wall.

Alcohol gives another problem: to the endorphins released into the blood under its influence, endorphins produced by the adrenal glands are added to neutralize stress, for the brain there is a lot of this amount: it loses its ability to recognize danger (for example, if a person has a convulsion from cooling) and give a signal to save himself at the right time.

Doctors note that the effects of ice bathing may not appear immediately, but within two to three weeks. These are mainly colds, as well as exacerbations of chronic diseases.

“If, nevertheless, an unprepared person decided to climb into the hole, then it is better ... he should not do this,” Natalya Berezenkova is sure. In the end, you can join the sacrament by pouring yourself with holy water at home. "Closed hot tubs also carry less health risks - the temperature difference in them is usually less, and the water is usually warmer than in natural reservoirs," the doctor notes. Another good option, in her opinion, is to plunge into the hole after the bath and return to the bath again.

For those who nevertheless dare to get into the water without prior preparation, doctors give such advice:

1. Do not drink alcohol under any circumstances - neither before, nor after, nor even more so during swimming.

2. Drink hot tea- you can do this before and after dipping: unlike alcohol, hot liquid really dilates blood vessels, warming the body.

3. Before swimming do a few warm-up exercises -hand swings, squats, running in place.

4 . Do not immediately throw off all your clothes.- it must be done gradually so that the body gets accustomed to the cold. First take off the top, after a couple of minutes - shoes, after another couple of minutes you can take off your trousers and go into the water.

5. It is better to approach the hole in woolen socks - you can plunge into them.

6. You can stay in the hole for a maximum of two minutes, better - less: further the body will begin to hypothermia.

7. Immediately after bathing, rub yourself with a towel and put on warm underwear.

25.01.2018 76393

Most recently, the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord took place, and most of the believers gladly plunged into the ice-holes on this day. Such a procedure, undoubtedly, is able to increase immunity and temper, and with a positive attitude and belief that this is done with God's help, it can completely heal from some ailments. But are you doing it right? Can swimming in an ice hole really benefit an unseen person? How to temper yourself so as not to cause even more harm to your body? Let's take a closer look.

What do the doctors say?

It should be recognized that therapists and immunologists argue that there can be no benefit from dipping into an ice hole once a year - only harm! Even on the feast of Epiphany, the water does not become healing, no matter how much one wants to believe in it. Many people think that health problems can be solved in one go - by dipping into "holy" water or eating a wonderful pill that will immediately heal from ailments. In fact, everything is much more complicated. Any disease must be overcome in a comprehensive manner, for this you need not only to drink medicine, but also to lead a healthy lifestyle, and, first of all, to start with increasing the immunity and the body's defenses.

In this regard, cold dousing and winter swimming can really help only if you start to perform them gradually and do it regularly. And many people confuse a one-time dipping in an ice-hole with hardening, believing that it will benefit the body. Moreover, there have been no major studies on hardening at all. Since the days of Soviet medicine, short periods of exposure to the cold have been considered beneficial for immunity, and in some cases this may be true. Although, we repeat, there were no global studies on this topic.

Should you swim for Epiphany?

If this is important to you from a religious or some other point of view, then yes, you can do it. But here it is worth adhering to several important recommendations.

• First, you should not have colds or any other illnesses that can be aggravated by being in the cold.
• Secondly, be sure to take a towel or a bathrobe, dry warm clothes and think about how quickly you can get into a warm room after swimming.


• You need to be in the water no more than 10-20 seconds - plunge headlong three times, as is traditionally done, and get out of the ice hole.
• Immediately blot the body with a towel, although rubbing cannot be done - you can damage the skin.
• The same applies to the feet: do not walk on snow or frozen ground, put on socks and warm shoes immediately.
• Ideally, go immediately to a room that is warm and heated, drink hot tea or eat something hot.
• And no alcohol! It dilates blood vessels, while a cold hole narrows them. This can lead to heart and blood pressure problems.
• Try not to be in a crowd for a long time, especially where there is a crowd of people, and people are coughing around. After strong cooling, the body will be weakened and more susceptible to various viruses and infections.

When should you not do this?

January 19, the day when the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ is celebrated in Orthodoxy. Epiphany bathing in the ice hole (font) has long become a folk tradition. They say that on this day, if you swim, you will not get sick. BUT! Still, there are medical contraindications and they are worth paying attention to. Let's look at the main contraindications and rules for bathing at low temperatures:

(and here at your own risk, as they say, and the risk) to people with cardiovascular diseases (high risk of heart attack or stroke), epileptics, respiratory diseases, diabetics, if there were previously traumatic brain injuries, with stomach ulcers, cholecystitis and arthritis. And also with sexually transmitted diseases. And there are many more contraindications.

Try to choose the right place to swim

1. Whenever possible, choose a location that is trusted, best organized, with a group of people.
2. The depth of the bathing area should not exceed 180 cm
3. If possible, try to fence off the swimming area to avoid falling.

Appropriate equipment required

Swimming trunks (swimsuit), a towel (bathrobe), take slippers (only not rubber ones, as they slip a lot), or you can go into the water in socks.

Remember to warm up before diving into the ice hole

Make a few swings with your hands, a couple of bends, etc., the main thing is not to overdo it and not sweat.

If you want, then of course you can plunge headlong, but this is optional.

Plunging in, euphoria (feeling of joy) arises, and you may want to stay in the water, but this feeling of euphoria is just a chemical reaction in the brain to cold. So, do not linger and risk your health.

Immediately after swimming in cold water, you need to warm up

Rub yourself with a towel and drink something warming (green tea).

Do not drink alcohol before swimming

It is a misconception that you need to drink because it warms you up. But in fact, the effect is the opposite.

This is of course optional, but you can pray

For reference

From the Greek "baptize" or "baptism" means "immerse in water." Water, as everyone knows, is the source of life. The Sahara and other deserts are dead because there is no water there. Water can also be the cause of many disasters (the Bible story of the flood, tsunami, and more).

Epiphany bathing symbolizes purification and the beginning of a new life. Good luck and take care of yourself!

10 chose

Once a year, a significant part of the population in our country becomes "walruses" for a dayand with joy and delight or horror and shudder sinks into the icy water of the ice-hole. It is easy to guess that this day - January 19, in the Orthodox calendar, the feast of the Epiphany... According to the scripture, on this day many centuries ago, Jesus Christ was baptized in the waters of the Jordan River. And although we live in completely different latitudes, for many centuries Russian people on this day courageously climb into the hole, following the example of the Savior. By the way, the traditions of winter swimming as a health-improving practice grew out of this very custom. But you and I are rational people, we are more concerned not with the traditions of Epiphany bathing, but with their effect on the body.

There is no consensus on this issue: some experts point to a positive effect on the body of winter bathing, while others warn of possible health hazards. The truth, as is often the case, is somewhere in between, and you can find out only by weighing all the pros and cons and making your own decision.

But experts agree on one question: only a very healthy person can afford to plunge into the hole. If you have doubts about your own health, it is better to find another way to join the holiday. For example, douse yourself with holy water at home in the bath.

Benefit

In childhood, the benefits of hardening were told not by priests, but by quite pragmatic physical education teachers. But after all exposure to cold temperatures is exactly hardening (especially if it happens more than once a year, on an Orthodox holiday, but with some regularity). An organism accustomed to stressful situations does not react so painfully to them. That is why statistics show that "walruses" get colds less often than their heat-loving fellow citizens.

During winter swimming, oddly enough, people feel not cold, but inner heat... This is due to the fact that the capillaries of the skin are narrowed, blood is directed to the heart and brain to support vital organs in a stressful situation. Under the influence of cold water, the body fights for survival, immunity increases, and some not very serious, but "long-lasting" sores pass by themselves. In any case, experienced "walruses" talk about how they got rid of some chronic diseases after being addicted to cold water.

Usually people who have plunged into the hole the mood rises, they are charged with optimism and good spirits... Painful sensations, if any, go away. The thing is that adrenal glands in a stressful situation begin to produce endorphins - hormones of joy. Therefore, it is not surprising that people who once decided to swim in Epiphany frosts usually do it as their tradition.

Harm

Tempering is always advised regularly and gradually, and a single exposure to cold temperatures can do more harm than good, an unprepared person can simply catch a cold and get sick. And, I must admit, Epiphany bathing is just such a one-time effect. Few people prepare for them ahead of time, gradually lowering the temperature.

But also "professional walruses" have their own "professional" problems. As I said, during winter swimming, the body produces the hormone of joy. Accustomed to this sensation, people "get hooked" on it. And if they stop dipping in the cold, they may have psychological problems: sadness, apathy, and even depression.

"So don't stop!"- you say. But even here it is not so simple. The fact is that if the body often has to deal with stressful situations, it wears out faster. The hormonal system, so actively used, can fail after some time. In addition, with age, any person may have contraindications to such a cold bath.

Contraindications

As I have said, only people who are confident in their health should get into the icy water. But apart from that there are very specific contraindications for Epiphany bathing.

• Cardiovascular diseases - a sharp temperature drop causes vasospasm and has a serious load on the heart. In the worst case, a diseased heart, unable to cope with the load, may even stop.
• Epilepsy and seizure tendency. Ice water can provoke an attack or seizure.
• Inflammation of the kidneys and broncho-pulmonary system.
• Hypertension.
• Thyroid problems.
• Infectious diseases.
• Allergy to cold.
• Alcohol. This is not a joke: a strong drink drunk before dipping "for courage" is a serious reason not to go swimming. First, alcohol dilates blood vessels, and cold water, on the contrary, constricts. This difference puts even more stress on the heart. Secondly, there is no need to explain that in this stressful situation you have to control what is happening very well.

For those who decided

If you were not scared by the cons and contraindications, and you still decided to join Epiphany bathing, I will tell you a little about exactly how to take a dip to avoid health problems.

Before you plunge, you should do some warm-up exercises: run a little, wave your arms and legs.

You need to cool down gradually:first take off your outerwear, after a couple of minutes your shoes, then undress to the waist and go into the water. This will prepare the body for the effects of the cold.

You can stay in the water no more than 1-2 minutes... After that, you risk getting no longer tempering and elevated mood, but banal hypothermia.

When you get out of the water, rub yourself thoroughly with a towel, get dressed and go to a warm room where you can drink tea.

Have you ever plunged into an ice hole? Would you like to try? What do you think is more of this activity: benefit or harm?

On January 19, Orthodox and Greek Catholic Christians celebrate Epiphany. Early in the morning on this day, it is customary to bless the water. It is believed that on Epiphany it acquires healing properties and retains them throughout the year. Also, another tradition is connected with this day: in the old days, on the eve of Jordan, a large cross was cut out in the ice and installed vertically next to the hole. The ice cross was decorated and poured with beet kvass, from which it turned red, and everyone who wanted to plunge into the hole. This tradition has survived to this day. Anyone who dared to do this believes that the healing Epiphany water will give him health for a whole year. There are daredevils who, even in severe frost, jump into icy water. We will tell you about how not to behave if you decide on this feat.

10 ANTI-ADVICE FOR WALRUS BEGINNERS

No preparation

Baptism happens once a year, and nothing terrible will happen if you dive in without any preparation. Only real bores are pounded with snow and doused with cold water in the shower. But they get pleasure from swimming in the hole, not inflammation.

Dress more glamor

No hat, more buttons and fasteners - let everyone see how good your taste is. In the meantime, you will be pulling and buttoning all this beauty - you will definitely freeze to the skin.

Go dive hungry

Although the food you eat will go to warm the body and give energy to endure cold stress, why waste extra time on food?

Come alone

Then no one can give you a towel and call an ambulance if you suddenly feel bad.

Have an aperitif

Alcohol will contribute to rapid hypothermia and put an extra burden on the heart, which means that pneumonia and other inflammations are not far off.

Directly into the water

Dived, dived and done! And at the same time, blood will flow in a rapid stream to the heart and brain, threatening you with a heart attack and stroke.

Do not take off your swimming trunks

Why deprive others of the opportunity to admire your swimsuit, which you will take off for a long time in the cold and twist, wasting precious minutes.

Sit longer - get healthier more

Following this logic, the longer the exposure to holy water, the more diseases you can heal. But 10 seconds is enough - just have time to plunge three times, as traditionally should. If you sit longer, your body may not be able to handle hypothermia.

From the water to the ice

After the ice hole, jump straight onto the ice, because you forgot to bring a rug with you. Just do not stand too long - wet heels quickly stick to the ice.

No time to wipe

And without that, there is enough trouble - buttoning up buttons and combing hair in the cold. Of course, a wet body under your clothes will quickly freeze, and you are guaranteed a cold.

SPECIALISTS 'OPINIONS

Alexey Ivakhnenko, neurologist, director of the treatment and diagnostic center of the International Institute of Biological Systems:

“In fact, there is nothing terrible for health in such a ritual. When it comes to short-term diving. The stress that the body receives in a fairly short period of time does not have time to harm a person's health, rather the opposite. A sharp immersion in cold water is a strong stress (not only physical, but also mental), a kind of shake-up for the whole organism. There is a powerful release of adrenal hormones. And, as you know, hormone therapy is considered one of the most powerful tools in the treatment of many diseases. With a short-term immersion in cold water, only the outer covers are cooled, the internal organs, especially the brain, will not have time to feel the effect of the cold. And to increase your "frost resistance" you can eat a tablespoon of fish oil with a slice of well-salted black bread one and a half to two hours before swimming.

But if you sit in an ice-hole until goose bumps, it will not lead to anything good, even if the person is absolutely healthy. Blood rushes to the heart and brain, stimulating the work of these organs. Due to vasospasm, there is a risk of heart attack, stroke, seizures and the rapid development of pneumonia. In addition, reproductive function suffers as well as digestion. You also need to remember that swimming in an ice hole is categorically contraindicated for cold allergies, inflammatory gynecological diseases, tuberculosis, impaired renal function, pregnancy, epilepsy, and diseases of the heart and blood vessels. "

Igor Pashko, Orthodox priest, archpriest of the Church of the Presentation of the Most Holy Theotokos in the Church:

“Unfortunately, many people perceive swimming in the ice hole for Epiphany as a sacred ritual. But it has nothing to do with faith or God. This is an old pagan tradition, clothed in the framework of Orthodoxy. With the same success, you can plunge into the ice hole on any other day and get a healing effect according to the laws of winter swimming. The composition of the water for Epiphany does not change. Its properties change after consecration in the temple. Water combines with Divine energy and acquires healing power. And you can plunge, the main thing is the right attitude. After all, cold water is a strong stress for the body, if you add fear to it, the body gets sick. After all, stress and fear are cognate words that have the same energetic nature. Moreover, ablution in baptismal water does not automatically cleanse one from all sins; for this purpose, one must go to confession and communion. But the water consecrated in the temple really heals. And it is impossible to explain this phenomenon of a miracle in physical terms. The healing effect occurs through faith, through collective prayers. This water has a long shelf life, and you can use it when you are sick.

In the church for Epiphany, water is consecrated twice: on the eve of the holiday - on January 18 and on the 19th. The first portion of water is usually used for washing rooms, animals, cars, etc. The second portion is used for drinking in health. And do not overstrain, taking away from the temple that day a canister for a dozen or two liters. Consecrated water can be added to simple clean water, and all of it will be just as full of grace and also will not deteriorate. Therefore, it is enough to take a small bottle - and there will be enough water until the next Epiphany for you and your loved ones. "