A mother-of-three died of a sudden heart attack after she plunged into a UK river for a $243 cold water therapy session, a UK court was told.
Kellie Jean Poole, 39, was confirmed dead in the River Goyt in Derbyshire, England on April 25, during a session organized by UK-based Breatheolution, according to The Times of London.
The company’s website says the therapy can improve mental health, relieve stress and boost the immune system.
“Cold water therapy is proven to have a significant effect on clients, and although it can be difficult including some uncomfortable body sensations, the benefits are incredible,” he said.
“Cold therapy and exposure to the cold is now proving to be very beneficial in many ways, from sports injuries to helping severe PTSD or anxiety sufferers avoid prescribed medications, not to mention what the cold sends to our immune and nervous systems.”
It was a calm day when Poole attended the session, but the participants were shivering before they entered the river because they were only wearing bathing suits, Poole’s friend Victoria Fielding told the inquest into his death on Tuesday, the UK Times said.
Kellie Jean Poole, 39, mother of two, was pronounced dead at the scene of the River Goyt incident in Derbyshire, England on April 25, 2022kellie.poole.9 / Facebook
He said the group did breathing exercises for about 15 minutes before they entered the water.
Breatheolution founder Kevin O’Neill then “faced each of us individually and asked if we had any medical conditions,” Fielding said — though he noted they didn’t sign any waivers.
At first upon entering the river, Fielding said Poole “enjoyed” the therapy, “laughing and laughing.”
But he then began complaining of a headache, and O’Neill advised him to splash cold water on his face as he scooped the water up the back of his head, the friend recounted.
The water was 51.26 degrees Fahrenheit that day.Getty Images/iStockphoto
Poole then fell into the water, Fielding said, and O’Neill performed CPR, but when paramedics arrived at the scene they pronounced him dead.
The post-mortem examination conducted by Dr. Abed Zaitoun recorded his death as a sudden heart attack caused by left ventricular hypertrophy — thickening of the walls in the lower chamber of the heart.
Dr Damien Kelly, a consultant cardiologist, explained at the inquest on Tuesday that the cold water – which was recorded at 51.26 degrees Fahrenheit – could have caused Poole’s “incapacitating” irregular heartbeat.
When asked by senior coroner Peter Nieto if he thought it was possible the cold water caused the sudden cardiac arrest, Kelly said, “Yes, I think that’s what happened. It’s hard not to see it as relevant.”
Zaitoun also noted that Poole was considered obese based on his Body Mass Index, and that his heart was heavier than expected.
A friend of Poole’s said the group did breathing exercises for about 15 minutes before they entered the water.Getty Images/iStockphoto
“In my opinion, it’s all about weight,” he said.
“The bigger the body weight, the harder the heart works for the body. That, in time, increases heart rate.”
Nieto said he doesn’t blame the Breatheolution founder for Poole’s death.
“I don’t see how Mr O’Neill could have predicted that Kellie would face the difficulties she did and unfortunately die on the riverbank,” he told the inquest on Tuesday, according to the Bristol Post.
“Simply put, he didn’t know he had a very serious heart condition, and he didn’t know himself, so I don’t think it’s possible to say his death was avoidable.”
However, Poole’s mother is now calling for more regulations on the activity — which has been praised by celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Chris Hemsworth, Kendall Jenner and Madonna.
“I can’t believe that this activity is unregulated,” Diane Service said.
“It’s a change that needs to happen soon,” he said, adding: “It’s too late for Kellie, but not for anyone else.”
Service said she knew her daughter’s death was “nobody’s fault, but I just couldn’t believe it.”
O’Neill also agreed that there needed to be more regulation, telling the inquest on Tuesday: “I’ve seen every possible reaction in the cold over the last three years, and it needs regulation.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
