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#017 Wim Hof (the Iceman) on Defeating Extreme Cold & Attenuating the Immune Response

Oct 22, 2015 50m 6s 10 insights
<p><strong>Wim Hof</strong></p> <p>Wim Hof, also known as "the Iceman", holds the world record for the longest ice bath (1 hour and 53 minutes and 12 seconds), just to name one of his many impressive feats. Dr. Patrick and Wim talk a bit about Wim's back story that culminated in him trying out cold water immersion, the relatively recent 2014 scientific publication of the "Wim Hof Method" which includes cold exposure during training, exposure to bacterial endotoxin, Wim's breathing techniques, and meditation.</p> <p><strong>In this episode, we discuss... </strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>(00:00)</strong> Introduction</li> <li><strong>(02:08)</strong> Wim Hof tells the story of how he fell in love with the cold</li> <li><strong>(08:35)</strong> Activating the sympathetic nervous system to lower inflammation </li> <li><strong>(14:37)</strong> Hyperventilation changes blood pH enough to inactivate pain receptors</li> <li><strong>(16:24)</strong> Just four days of breathing exercises decreased inflammation</li> <li><strong>(28:06)</strong> How much of the effects of meditation are due to breathing technique?</li> <li><strong>(36:45)</strong> Cold exposure increases norepinephrine two- to three-fold</li> <li><strong>(44:05)</strong> Treating depression with cold therapy</li> </ul> <p>If you're interested in learning more, you can read the <a href="https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/wim-hof">full show notes here</a>.</p> <p>Join over 300,000 people and get the latest distilled information straight to your inbox weekly: <a href="https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter">https://www.foundmyfitness.com/newsletter</a></p> <p>Become a FoundMyFitness premium member to get access to exclusive episodes, emails, live Q+A's with Rhonda and more: <a href="https://www.foundmyfitness.com/crowdsponsor">https://www.foundmyfitness.com/crowdsponsor</a></p>
Actionable Insights

1. Engage with Inner Nature

Go back to your inner nature and inner mechanisms to regain control over your physiology, including the autonomic nervous system, immune system, and endocrine system. This reconnection makes you happy, strong, and healthy by tapping into your deepest levels of physiology.

2. Practice Controlled Breathing

Engage in controlled breathing (similar to hyperventilation) to decrease carbon dioxide, raise blood pH (to 7.75-7.8), and deactivate pain receptors, thereby gaining mastery over your body and its chemistry. This technique also increases adrenaline and epinephrine, leading to anti-inflammatory effects and a stronger immune response.

3. Implement Cold Exposure

Regularly expose yourself to cold (e.g., ice baths, cold showers) to naturally force deeper breathing, increase oxygen in cells, raise pH, and enhance control over neurotransmitters. Cold also increases norepinephrine, which aids in focus and mood regulation and suppresses cytokine production.

4. Ignite Immune System

Perform the controlled breathing technique right before facing an immune challenge (like an infection or stressor) to rapidly produce adrenaline and ignite your immune system, helping it reset and fend off disease effectively. This can lead to a complete dominion over bacteria and inflammatory responses.

5. Disconnect from Stress

Use profound breathing to disconnect from the sympathetic nervous system activity driven by the neocortex, allowing blood flow to shift to the limbic system and activate the parasympathetic nervous system. This process creates new energy, reduces anxiety, and brings about a state of relaxation.

6. Challenge Comfort Zone

Step out of your comfort zone and engage with nature (e.g., cold exposure) to tap into the full human potential of your physiology, which is far beyond what is currently exercised. This can help address diseases, depressions, and optimize body chemistry by making use of inner power.

7. Prioritize Happy, Strong, Healthy

Focus on cultivating happiness, strength, and health as fundamental aspects of life, for yourself and as an expression of love for your children. This holistic approach is supported by scientific evidence of physiological control and can be achieved through natural methods.

8. Trust Inner Feeling

Pursue what you feel is right, even if it contradicts societal or educational expectations, by engaging in self-study and deep introspection. This approach allows you to discover profound connections within yourself and nature, leading to a sense of tremendous power and control.

9. Practice Breath Retention

After deep exhalation, refrain from breathing for about 1.5 minutes (retention) to ‘fool the brain’ by allowing oxygen saturation to drop while maintaining a high pH. This technique helps to connect with the primitive brain’s reactive mode in a controlled manner, enhancing the body’s natural capabilities.

10. Cold for Mental Health

Consider cold baths as a treatment for depression and mental disorders, as historically practiced and supported by the cold’s ability to increase norepinephrine and suppress cytokine production. This natural method can offer relief from symptoms without the side effects of conventional treatments.