If you’re intrigued by hyperventilating until you become lightheaded and tingle in places you didn’t know could tingle, why not? Wim Hof’s method enabled him to swim more than 50m under an ice shelf in the Arctic, so before we judge, let’s just breathe.
Hof, or The Iceman, is a freak of nature. Or is he? He claims that the method behind his madness is not pseudoscience and he has spent much energy trying to build credibility with scientific studies. He includes reference to these on his website.
Iceman Wim Hof had intense surgery and recovered without taking antibiotics ... after giving himself an enema with a fountain jet.
— New Age website High Existence
But first, who is he? New Age website High Existence, which carries content from play therapy and meditation all the way to LSD cheat sheets, ran an article called “13 crazy facts about Iceman Wim Hof that nobody talks about”.
One fact reads: “Iceman Wim Hof had intense surgery and recovered without taking antibiotics ... after giving himself an enema with a fountain jet.”
But let’s look at the Hof method. It is premised on breathing, cold therapy and commitment. All three of those techniques are used by athletes to varying degrees, and probably explain why he is at such pains to validate his method with science.
What he has achieved, in laboratory settings, is nothing short of remarkable. He believes with every cell in his body — that he can control and turn alkaline at will — that his method is transferable and useful in sporting endeavours, in improving the immune system and fighting disease, among much more.
‘Hypometabolic state’
He says practising his method enables feats you didn’t think were possible. One can actually hear the sport scientists scoffing — but, maybe not.
“The purpose of deep breathing is to induce a ‘hypometabolic state’, where autonomic and mental arousal are minimal. It is a resting, restorative state, a counter-anxiety, counter-stress response of the body induced by using the breathing that goes with relaxation to trigger a similar muscle response in the body.”
Those are the words of Robert Fried, a clinical respiratory psychophysiologist who retired from the Biopsychology and Behavioural Neuroscience Programme at the City University of New York in 2010, as quoted in a Discover Magazine article looking into Hof’s claims.
Not too long ago a colleague sent a short video clip of the most pristine sunrise on the Atlantic seaboard. It was the view of the tidal pool where she went for a swim at 6am without a wetsuit. She has done this for three weeks and says her life has changed.
Let’s put that on ice for now. Not too long ago a colleague sent a short video clip of the most pristine sunrise on the Atlantic seaboard. It was the view of the tidal pool where she went for a swim at 6am without a wetsuit. She has done this for three weeks and says her life has changed.
I have no doubt. But it’s the reasons she gave that led to pause for thought. Far from talking about the muscular healing and anti-inflammatory properties of cryotherapy — which is the subject of much debate in the scientific community — she said it made her happy.
The rush of adrenaline, followed by a cascade of hormones as she emerged from the water and her arteries dilated, had a positive effect on her mood, focus and drive, she said. Was this the third pillar of Hof’s method: commitment?
So convincing was her tale that the author of this curious column ended a 10km run by removing his Adidas runners just in time to dive into an ice cold pool, tights and all. There has never been such instant regret.
However, it was followed by a surge of that feel-good stuff you read about on sites such as High Existence. It comes with a disclaimer — get a doctor’s clearance before putting your body into any extreme environments.
Sometimes it’s about more than whether science can back up the claims of the metabolic effects of breathing a certain way or submerging yourself in ice. If it makes you happy and motivated, do it safely and responsibly.
Leave the nude hyperventilation on an Arctic ice shelf and natural fountain enemas to Wim Hof, and consider focusing on your breath and taking a cool swim or shower in the mornings. It may change your life.
