“There was nothing left to see, no inflammatory response, nothing. My hemoglobin level is really high, so that's great. In my experience, it is impossible that if you have rheumatism, you do not do cold therapy. This makes you fitter, you have less pain and the whole process is stopped. It's fantastic."
For a few weeks now, people have been stepping into the cold water of our Icetubs in various places in the Netherlands and even across the border. At gyms, companies, retreat locations and of course at people's homes. This is also the case with Bram van Peenen (55) from Goes. Bram has Rheumatoid Arthritis. We talked to him about what cold means to him and what a daily dip in the Icetub does to him.
Bram: “I have had rheumatism for 3.5 years. I had my first rheumatism attack during a diving holiday with the family on Bonaire. It was such a severe attack that I became partially disabled. I've never had any trouble with it before. Then it turned out that I have Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)*.”
“I was then given heavy medicines that all did not work well enough or had many side effects. Then I got Biologicals, the heavier stuff. This is medication aimed at switching off the cells that attack your own tissue. A form of immunotherapy. The rheumatologist indicated that this would help reasonably but would cost me 10 years of my life. So I thought, excuse me how much? You ingest so much poison that your life expectancy would be ten years shorter. Then I said: then I will stop today.”
*If you have RA, it means your own body is attacking your joint capsules and everything around them. As a result, you have continuous inflammatory reactions in the body and you experience constant pain.
COLD THERAPY
Instead of continuing with the medicines, Bram started to delve more and more into cold therapy. He is a gym and biology teacher, so cold therapy was not new to him. The realization of what it could mean for him was just not there yet. The question of what cold means to Bram was quickly answered:
Bram van Peenen in the Icetub
"New life. Yes, really that much. I started looking more and more at the Wim Hof method, with breathing exercises and cold showers. The next step for me was a cold bath. I also increasingly sought out the cold water outside. Last winter was a good winter. I then regularly meditated in my swimming trunks in the snow. Especially with the breathing exercises, I noticed after a few days that I was making progress. My energy returned and I felt better. Then I bought a wine barrel of 500 liters. I put in cold water and ice blocks.”
Bram started cold therapy last year in the winter, but after last summer he came to the conclusion that this was not really an option for him. Outside he couldn't get the water cold enough and inside a bath with cold water where he had to throw ice blocks in himself every day, was also not a success for every day. He went looking for an Icetub.
“I came across Icetubs online and kept an eye on it. After a phone appointment with Jesper it didn't take long. We did have an appointment to test the bath. But when I made that appointment, I thought to myself why? I just want to have that bath. Not just for now, but for the rest of my life. So I immediately called back to say that it had been sold.”
The Icetub is now at Bram and his wife's home for a few weeks. “He likes it very well. Setting the temperature is easy. My wife also uses it very regularly. We have passed the age of 50 and she is also getting more and more problems with the joints here and there. The cold has a positive effect on her body, which she already notices when she regularly takes an ice bath.”
DAILY ROUTINE IN THE ICETUB
A dip in the ice-cold water every day. It has become a daily routine for Bram and his wife. “Every morning we do the breathing exercises of Wim Hof together and then go into the bath. The breathing exercises I do take 20 minutes in total. This includes retention phases where, for example, you take 40 breaths and then hold your breath for 2 minutes. After that you have to hold your breath for 2.5 minutes and then for 3.5 minutes. I find the breathing exercises really indispensable in this whole.”
Where it is still quite spicy for his wife, Bram no longer has any problems with the cold water. “We now have it at 5 degrees. I go in there for 5 minutes in the morning and at the end of the afternoon too. Every day, without exceptions. I sit in the bath and don't really feel any pain. My breathing doesn't even go up anymore. I think that's also because of the 10-12 hours of sports a week, which I did before I got rheumatism. This keeps me in good shape. It's different for my wife. I guide her with the breathing. Then she can focus on that and get it back under control.”
Now that you have heard of the benefits an ice bath brings to Bram, are you ready to get started? We will be happy to help you with your first and certainly your next ice bath sessions. Check out our products or contact us!
