Scientific Breakthrough on Cooling Down

Two biologists at Stanford have developed a way of cooling down that enhances perfomance as well. The attached article describes how.

The concept is that the palms of the hands are the most efficient location in the body to cool down the blood which in turns cools down the body's core. This has proven of benefit in athletic endeavors as well as treatment for certain diseases.

The implications for me on the trail are to cool my hands as well as my head, such as with the cool stream soaked bandana. Now I'll also soak my glove liners during hot humid bug season hikes. The added focus of cooling a person at or near heat exhaustion could prove useful too.

Stanford Magazine article

Stan said:

Two biologists at Stanford have developed a way of cooling down that enhances perfomance as well. The attached article describes how.

The concept is that the palms of the hands are the most efficient location in the body to cool down the blood which in turns cools down the body's core. This has proven of benefit in athletic endeavors as well as treatment for certain diseases.

The implications for me on the trail are to cool my hands as well as my head, such as with the cool stream soaked bandana. Now I'll also soak my glove liners during hot humid bug season hikes. The added focus of cooling a person at or near heat exhaustion could prove useful too.

Stanford Magazine article

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Ohhhh, so thats why I feel better when i drink an ice cold beer!

Great article-thanks for posting the link.

Makes perfect sense. I've always found that a fast way for me to cool off is to plunge my wrists into any cold water while hiking. But now I see that maybe I should be doing it more frequently for increased energy and not just when I'm battling summer heat.

I've also noticed that regardless of how warm my gloves are in the winter, if my wrists are cold, then I'm cold. Again, the wrists with circulation so close to the skin is a critical point. I remember seeing polarfleece wrist warmers with a thumb hole developed by a runner. I think it might have been a high school runner who thought of them and got them marketed.

Gee, a long time ago my Mom taught me to run my hands and wrists under cold water to help cool myself down. And she isn't even a scientist!

daxs said:

Gee, a long time ago my Mom taught me to run my hands and wrists under cold water to help cool myself down. And she isn't even a scientist!

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Daxs: she was just trying to get you to wash your hands!

I'll definitely try this. It might explain why you feel so good when you put both hands on the bottom of a stream to dunk your head!

JJD said:

Ohhhh, so thats why I feel better when i drink an ice cold beer!

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One for each hand is even better!


I'm thinking, if this is the heat exchanger that helps cool the body's core, then it must be the place to help warm it too.

High Tech chill for the heat

U.S. Army Soldiers Systems Center in Natick has developed a way of cooling down their pilots. Read the info on the link below to get a better idea. I'm sure that in the not to distant future they will make the units smaller and sell them to the public for everyday use.


Army Advancement on Cooling

Scientific breakthrough...

it doesn't work for a 'hot flash'.

Red Square?

Ok I'm trying, but this is getting silly. I get a red square for a link to a news article?