A new study from the University of California San Francisco (20,000 participants in 106 countries) found that people with depression have higher body temperatures. The researchers believe these findings indicate the potential for depression treatments focused on lowering body temperature—and ironically, how temporarily heating people up (hot yoga, saunas, infrared saunas, hot water treatments), could lead to rebound body temperature lowering that lasts longer than simply cooling people down, as through an ice bath. UCSF is now studying heat therapies, in particular sauna treatments, as a body-based intervention for clinical depression symptoms.Â
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