DSU Embraces Cryotherapy

It’s no secret that Dakota State University is remarkably passionate about maintaining the health and wellness of its students. The Student Health office is always available (during office hours and with student ID) for minor illnesses and injuries, and the nurse can refer more serious cases to a local physician as one of three free visits per year. The Madison Community Center is available for students to work out and participate in sensational fitness programs like Aqua Zumba and Shaun T’s Piyo. However, a lesser known service has been under our noses all along: the top floor of the Mundt Library has long been a floor-wide community cryotherapy chamber.

Cryotherapy is commonly known as the use of extreme cold to rejuvenate the body and promote healing. This, of course, comes as no surprise to the regulars of the Library who return day after day, mysteriously drawn to the floor despite the cold. Rest assured, its perfectly normal — the resulting adrenaline rush from cryotherapy is known to be addictive, and benefits accumulate with each treatment. While not technically a medical procedure, cryotherapy functions similarly to acupuncture; it has health benefits without being necessarily performed by a medical professional, which means that it’s legally safe (but if you have high blood pressure, are pregnant, or are a child, you should probably ask a doctor). According to medicalnewstoday.com, benefits range from pain relief, muscle healing, and reduced inflammation to dementia prevention, lowering the risk of cancer, and treating migraine headaches.

Always the innovator, DSU has opted for some small changes in the cryotherapy process to more adequately benefit students. Traditionally, cryotherapy necessitates the participant to strip down to underwear and enter a chamber of approximately -200 degrees Fahrenheit where they stand between 2 and 4 minutes to prevent frostbite. Participants in DSU’s cryotherapy aren’t expected to adhere to these extremes — that would be sadistic — but instead, students are allowed to remain dressed, stay as long as they like during library hours, and even sit down. Students can also bring their laptops and textbooks, able to work on school assignments until their fingers freeze solid thus preventing them from typing.