Within the thermal imaging community misunderstanding exists as to what constitutes acceptable methods for equilibration and cold stress testing. Since there are different protocols to accomplish equilibration and cold stress depending upon the type of study being done this is understandable. This paper will review some of the more common methods employed for both equilibration and cold stress testing across several disciplines including neuromusculoskeletal (NMSK), breast, veterinary, and oral-systemic studies. A framework will also be provided so that individual imaging labs may properly assess if an adequate cold pressor test was actually em-ployed.