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Do hot and cold therapies work?

Chris and Xand explore your body's core temperature and ask what impact challenging your body with heat or cold therapies may have on your health and wellbeing.

Welcome to What鈥檚 Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken cut through the confusion around every aspect of our health and wellbeing.

In this episode, Chris and Xand dive into body temperature and how it can be challenged. How does the human body regulate its core and skin temperature? Can you change your body temperature from its average value? Should you challenge your body temperature by exposing yourself to hot environments? They explore the biology of body temperature, the impact of cold therapies and look at the claimed benefits of saunas.

Joining them to discuss this is Dr Heather Massey, Associate Professor of extreme environments and physiology at the University of Portsmouth.

If you want to get in touch, you can email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08000 665 123.

Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken
Guest: Dr Heather Massey
Researcher: Mili Ostojic
Producers: Faye Lyons White and Maia Miller-Lewis
Social Media Producer: Leon Gower
Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar
Editor: Jo Rowntree
Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable
Digital Lead: Richard Berry
Composer: Phoebe McFarlane
Sound Design: Melvin Rickarby

At the 麻豆社:
Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith
Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts

A Loftus Media production for 麻豆社 Radio 4

Available now

29 minutes

Last on

Tue 18 Nov 2025 16:30

Featured

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Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Chris van Tulleken
Presenter Xand van Tulleken
Producer Faye Lyons White
Producer Maia Miller-Lewis
Editor Jo Rowntree
Executive Producer Rami Tzabar
Composer Phoebe McFarlane
Commissioning Editor Rhian Roberts
Production Company Loftus Media

Broadcast

  • Tue 18 Nov 2025 16:30

Podcast