What 12 Years Doing the Wim Hof Method Taught Me
It's hard to believe that I began my journey with Wim Hof 12 years ago next month. I had no idea that my attempt to debunk an eccentric ice-guru in the mountains of Poland would so profoundly change my life. That week at his dilapidated training center ultimately spawned 2 books, stopped me from getting canker sores ever again and gave me tools to tackle depression and anxiety. More than that, it opened me up to a really great community of fellow ice seekers.
But after 12 years of (nearly) daily practice I also have a few thoughts about the overall direction of InnerFire and the official Wim Hof Brand as well as some observations about how some effects of the method seem to trail off after extended practice. So I put together an off-the-cuff video where I only drop a few bombshells.
New Research in Nature demonstrates how cold exposure can cure cancer
Last month the most astounding research I've ever come across on cold exposure appeared in Nature, the world's most prestigious scientific journal. The study showed how regular cold exposure can slow the growth of cancerous tumors by activating brown fat (BAT) which denies the tumors the glucose that then need to sustain their uncontrolled growth. The article, titled "Brown Fat mediated tumor suppression by cold-altered global metabolism" is the first real peer-reviewed study making the link that the type of cold exposure that I wrote about in What Doesn't Kill Us and The Wedge had a significant anti-cancer effect. Indeed, the results were so promising that the researchers said that cold exposure "will provide a general approach for the effective treatment of various cancers." On the page, that sentence might not look like much, but it basically means that cold exposure could become a staple of any anti-cancer treatment as well as for anyone looking to prevent themselves from getting it.
This High-Altitude Breathwork could Save Your Life
In 2016 I did something either colossally stupid, or very very brave—I climbed to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro with Wim Hof in a record-setting 28 hours. This is the breathwork that kept me alive when the Dutch Mountaineering Association predicted that we would all definitely die.
What is the placebo effect, really?
One day Mr A walked into the emergency room where he just barely was able to tell the nurse on duty that he’d taken all of his pills before he collapsed at her feet. In his pocket was a jar of pills from a local clinical trial—but with no information about what exactly they were. The medical team eventually figured out that he was in the control group. He’d taken a whole jar of placebos. . .
Does the Wim Hof Method Cause Tinnitus?
It's perfectly normal for the Wim Hof Method to make your ears ring for a few minutes after some intense breathwork. But a few years ago people started emailing me, asking why the ringing never went away for them. Then over the last year I noticed that my own ears were ringing.
Finding a Wedge for Anxiety in the Time of Social Distancing
Many of us are struggling to find our bearings in a world that feels out of control. While we can't change the events of the moment, we DO have a measure of control over how our bodies deal with the stress.