For thousands of years, humans have been immersing themselves in cold water to cure what ails them. The beneficial effects were being noted as far back as 3500BC in ancient Egypt, but formal research into the topic didn't begin until the early twentieth century. Today, the benefits of ice bath therapy are backed by a steadily growing body of evidence.

Weightlifter Karyn Marshall takes an ice bath as part of her athletic training (July 2011). Original photo by Dr Dennis Cronk. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5.

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