Transport was in chaos, motorists stranded, gas supplies under pressure, and yet last week’s big freeze saw brave souls daring to swim outdoors in the icy cold, and in normal swimming costumes. This may seem utter madness, but cold-water swimmers claim it does them good, such as by boosting circulation and the immune system, combating inflammation and fewer colds.

Looking back: Outdoor swimming Read more

One particular case of cold-water swimming seems to defy medical knowledge. A 28-year old man had suffered chronic and persistent pain for months following surgery, and no painkilling treatment worked. In desperation he plunged into the sea in the cold of winter, hoping it might take his mind off the pain. To his amazement the pain not only disappeared during the swim, but was permanently cured afterwards.



Doctors who studied this case are baffled. In their recent report in the British Medical Journal they describe how curing pain by swimming in the cold has never been documented before and seems inexplicable. The man was physically extremely fit, which may have helped, but how the pain remained permanently cured remains a mystery. The doctors warn, though, that anyone plunging into icy water for pain relief risks hypothermia, among other lethal effects.

