New reality trends: a healthy lifestyle or a tribute to fashion?
New trends in all spheres of life appear almost every day. A special role is played by the niche of beauty and health, innovations in which are perhaps the most rapidly developing. One of the relatively new directions in medicine is cryotherapy, which thanks to artificial cold (from – 120 to – 170 °C) helps to lose weight, recover from injuries, improve emotional health and more. We decided to talk about the history and key players in this cryo-industry, especially as some of them are related to Ukraine.
The introduction of cryotherapy technologies began in the1970s in Japan, when rheumatologist Toshima Yamaguchi created the first modern chamber for cryotherapy. Since the early 1980s cryotherapy has become increasingly popular in the global market of alternative medicine, because it has antidepressant, anti-anxiety, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, vasodilator, immunostimulatory and other positive effects on the human body. According to the study Global Liquid Nitrogen Freezing Chamber Market 2020-2025, the largest global manufacturers of cryotherapy chambers with liquid nitrogen are Vacuactivus, Physio Recup, Tasly, Krion and Armin Shegarf. Ukraine has its own national manufacturer of cryosaunas and local cryomachines MedStarCom, which is a part of the international company VACUACTIVUS. In 2019, a production department was even opened in Dnipro, Ukraine, which developed the CryoStar model and the Iceberg cryotherapy device for VACUACTIVUS. While the leader of cryogenic equipment manufacturing in Western Europe has been a German based Zimmer for a long time, the major player in the USA, Asia and Eastern Europe region is Vacuactivus, which has been on the market since 2005. Its main products are innovative devices for cryogenic use of CryoStar cryosauna, AquaShape underwater training simulator, interactive treadmills and more. Cryotherapy has become popular as a result of a number of studies on the healing effects of low temperature gases on the human body. Another advantage of using low temperatures is the rapid visible effect that the customers get. Thus, cryotechnologies began to be actively used by health care facilities, sports clubs and private medical centres that specialize in body care. Interestingly, Vacuactivus cryochambers are most popular in the USA, EU countries, Australia, China, Russia, UAE, etc. As for Ukraine, the domestic market is quite small, but the growth in the use of cryochambers is noticeable, along with private medical institutions and sports clubs. In summary, we can say that cryotherapy is experiencing a new wave of interest and tech development after an active phase in the second half of the 20th century. A special role in this is played by innovative approaches implemented by health, sports and medical centres using modern cryoequipment. Scientists who study the new positive effects of ultra-low temperatures on the human body and cryochamber manufacturers, who also conduct research and improve equipment, are also helping the industry grow.Such a trend fosters the growing popularity of cryotherapy and contributes to the development of the industry.
Vacuactivus (founded in 2010 in USA) is an international company for the production and sale of cryotherapy cameras and equipment for fitness rehabilitation. It is one of the three largest manufacturers of cryochambers and cryo-equipment in the world. The headquarters is located in Los Angeles, California. Plant departments are based in Dnipro, Ukraine and Slupsk, Poland.
Zimmer is one of the oldest European manufacturers of physiotherapy systems. Among the company's products are innovative cardiac devices, devices for diagnostic and aesthetic action, hyaluronic fillers. Zimmer MedizinSysteme has been on the market for over 50 years.
