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Study Reveals Brain Mechanisms That Allow “Iceman” Unusual Resistance to Cold

66 points by avonmach 9y ago

maxxxxx 9y ago
I am glad that they are trying to get some scientific data on extreme people like him. I have seen some yogis do stuff that are generally believed to be impossible so it's good to take a scientific look at these things. I have personally tried the Wim Hof method but I can't get used to cold showers during winter.
mettamage 9y ago
I have trained with him for 7 days. The WHM only works for me when I am alone and do not have a casual conversation or when I am in a group all focused on beating the cold. It turns out that you cannot control your breath when you talk! The extra freedom in not wearing a coat or worrying about the weather increased my happiness a bit. I live in Amsterdam, so the weather can be meh, but not anymore! :D Reading the article I notice it says that you release opioids. I figured something like this was happening because the WHM is my go to 'drug' for DnB parties.
- maxxxxx 9y ago
  What kind of practice do you do? I did an afternoon seminar with him and there the breathing exercises had great effect and the ice batch was no problem. Now that I am practicing home I am having trouble getting the same effect from the breathing. I also did cold showers over the summer but now that it's colder it's getting really hard. I just don't seem to get used to it.
  - mettamage 9y ago
    I was in an experiment with him for the Radboud University back then. It was kind of like a swim or die moment, almost literally since we had to swim in ice water. The first two days swimming in ice water were not pleasant. The 4th day we were walking on a mountain with -7 degrees celsius, only shoes and shorts. For me, I got the idea of the breathing on day 2 and really integrated it on day 3 and day 4. I think what also really helped is being in a group who's commited for more than one day. If you happen to live in The Netherlands, I would be willing to train with you for 2 days. I haven't done it seriously for a long time (other than DnB parties, don't ask). Edit: oh wait, it was 4 days (can't edit my parent comment). Memory got the better of me, it was like 5 years ago or something (or 4 or 6, definitely not 8).
    - maxxxxx 9y ago
      " I haven't done it seriously for a long time" Are you saying the effects lasted without practicing? Also, how did you do with cold before the training? My preferred temperature is 30C or more. Below I feel cold. Makes me wonder if some people have more talent/predisposition for the method than others.
- gascan 9y ago
  Funny, I'm going in the opposite direction. For a long time I omitted hats, gloves, and insulation for my legs on cold days, wearing mostly just a big jacket. I eventually figured out it was silently making me miserable, as my core temperature would slowly drop as I lose heat from my legs & head, and my glycogen stores deplete. I could slowly & silently endure subzero temperatures, for many hours or even days. Or I could take the time to remember to put on long johns, and be warm and happy.
  - maxxxxx 9y ago
    I can also handle cold by will power but doing this saps my energy. I think the point of the Wim Hof method is you don't have to tough out anything or endure the cold. You should embrace the cold.
arijun 9y ago
Perhaps a bit of a non sequitur, but it's a bit strange that WSU here means Wayne State University. I had assumed it meant Washington State University, and indeed that's the first result on Google when you search WSU. Wayne is not even on the first page of results.
- aaronarduino 9y ago
  There is also Wichita State University who is playing in the NCAA tournament this weekend. Having WSU in the title is certainly confusing.
  - avonmach 9y ago
    Had to wordsmith the title to fit the character limit (:
- taoistextremist 9y ago
  Lots of universities use similar or identical acronyms. UM can refer to a few different universities for example depending on where you are regionally Also for the record WSU in Google brings up Wayne State as the first thing for me, but perhaps that's because I'm in Michigan.
  - arijun 9y ago
    Yeah the results I mentioned were with incognito mode on the browser for that reason, but it's possible something still contaminated my results (not my location since I'm out of the country).
turc1656 9y ago
If anyone reading these comments hasn't seen the Vice documentary they did on him, it's quite interesting. http://www.icemanwimhof.com/vice-documentary http://www.icemanwimhof.com/vice-documentary Don't recall if it's in that video or I read it elsewhere, but I recall them doing a test with him and around a dozen of the people he has successfully trained in this technique. The scientists injected them all with a virus that should have made all of them temporarily very ill but not one of them got sick. This was another one of Hof's claims that turned out to be validated by science.
- joncrane 9y ago
  Why would scientists intentionally inject subjects with virii that should make them very sick? What kind of paperwork did they have to file with the IRB to be permitted to do that?
  - turc1656 9y ago
    Here's a different video with a more in depth look at the injection test. Also, it was "dead bacteria", not a virus, as I previously stated. Nonetheless, even dead bacteria should make people feverish and vomit, as explained in the video. This video does not include the tests with some of his students. That must have come later. They mentioned it at the end. https://www.youtube.com/embed/nRsNh0eB-Io https://www.youtube.com/embed/nRsNh0eB-Io
benevol 9y ago
For those looking for the ultimate life & health hack, read all you can on Pranism (also known as Breatharianism), the method that lets you live healthily without eating (although it's better to keep drinking at least water). https://raymaor.com/ https://raymaor.com/ for initiation weeks. He's proven the method under TV surveillance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVXxEaYRhrI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVXxEaYRhrI and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSlM8PYih7o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSlM8PYih7o Plus, the movie "IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS LIGHT" features other protagonists such as Yogi Prahlad Jani who have proven the method under full medical surveillance.
- Retric 9y ago
  Yea, that really does not work. It's a fairly easy test, and these people lose weight in controlled conditions.
  - benevol 9y ago
    No, it does work. How do I know? I've been doing it for a couple of weeks now and my weight has been fully stable. I live a normal life, two gym sessions a week. All without food.
    - Retric 9y ago
      You might be delusional, but no this really has been tested and everyone failed. PS: As recently as 1996 - 2015 there was a million dollar bounty for demonstrating this could work. It was not collected.
      - benevol 9y ago
        > this really has been tested and everyone failed. Source? > As recently as 1996 - 2015 there was a million dollar bounty for demonstrating this could work. It was not collected. Source? (I am willing to take a plane tomorrow to demonstrate that right away, just tell me who to contact.)

66 points by avonmach 9y ago

I am glad that they are trying to get some scientific data on extreme people like him. I have seen some yogis do stuff that are generally believed to be impossible so it's good to take a scientific look at these things. I have personally tried the Wim Hof method but I can't get used to cold showers during winter.

mettamage 9y ago

I have trained with him for 7 days. The WHM only works for me when I am alone and do not have a casual conversation or when I am in a group all focused on beating the cold. It turns out that you cannot control your breath when you talk! The extra freedom in not wearing a coat or worrying about the weather increased my happiness a bit. I live in Amsterdam, so the weather can be meh, but not anymore! :D Reading the article I notice it says that you release opioids. I figured something like this was happening because the WHM is my go to 'drug' for DnB parties.

maxxxxx 9y ago
What kind of practice do you do? I did an afternoon seminar with him and there the breathing exercises had great effect and the ice batch was no problem. Now that I am practicing home I am having trouble getting the same effect from the breathing. I also did cold showers over the summer but now that it's colder it's getting really hard. I just don't seem to get used to it.
- mettamage 9y ago
  I was in an experiment with him for the Radboud University back then. It was kind of like a swim or die moment, almost literally since we had to swim in ice water. The first two days swimming in ice water were not pleasant. The 4th day we were walking on a mountain with -7 degrees celsius, only shoes and shorts. For me, I got the idea of the breathing on day 2 and really integrated it on day 3 and day 4. I think what also really helped is being in a group who's commited for more than one day. If you happen to live in The Netherlands, I would be willing to train with you for 2 days. I haven't done it seriously for a long time (other than DnB parties, don't ask). Edit: oh wait, it was 4 days (can't edit my parent comment). Memory got the better of me, it was like 5 years ago or something (or 4 or 6, definitely not 8).
  - maxxxxx 9y ago
    " I haven't done it seriously for a long time" Are you saying the effects lasted without practicing? Also, how did you do with cold before the training? My preferred temperature is 30C or more. Below I feel cold. Makes me wonder if some people have more talent/predisposition for the method than others.
gascan 9y ago
Funny, I'm going in the opposite direction. For a long time I omitted hats, gloves, and insulation for my legs on cold days, wearing mostly just a big jacket. I eventually figured out it was silently making me miserable, as my core temperature would slowly drop as I lose heat from my legs & head, and my glycogen stores deplete. I could slowly & silently endure subzero temperatures, for many hours or even days. Or I could take the time to remember to put on long johns, and be warm and happy.
- maxxxxx 9y ago
  I can also handle cold by will power but doing this saps my energy. I think the point of the Wim Hof method is you don't have to tough out anything or endure the cold. You should embrace the cold.

arijun 9y ago

Perhaps a bit of a non sequitur, but it's a bit strange that WSU here means Wayne State University. I had assumed it meant Washington State University, and indeed that's the first result on Google when you search WSU. Wayne is not even on the first page of results.

aaronarduino 9y ago
There is also Wichita State University who is playing in the NCAA tournament this weekend. Having WSU in the title is certainly confusing.
- avonmach 9y ago
  Had to wordsmith the title to fit the character limit (:
taoistextremist 9y ago
Lots of universities use similar or identical acronyms. UM can refer to a few different universities for example depending on where you are regionally Also for the record WSU in Google brings up Wayne State as the first thing for me, but perhaps that's because I'm in Michigan.
- arijun 9y ago
  Yeah the results I mentioned were with incognito mode on the browser for that reason, but it's possible something still contaminated my results (not my location since I'm out of the country).

turc1656 9y ago

If anyone reading these comments hasn't seen the Vice documentary they did on him, it's quite interesting. http://www.icemanwimhof.com/vice-documentary http://www.icemanwimhof.com/vice-documentary Don't recall if it's in that video or I read it elsewhere, but I recall them doing a test with him and around a dozen of the people he has successfully trained in this technique. The scientists injected them all with a virus that should have made all of them temporarily very ill but not one of them got sick. This was another one of Hof's claims that turned out to be validated by science.

joncrane 9y ago
Why would scientists intentionally inject subjects with virii that should make them very sick? What kind of paperwork did they have to file with the IRB to be permitted to do that?
- turc1656 9y ago
  Here's a different video with a more in depth look at the injection test. Also, it was "dead bacteria", not a virus, as I previously stated. Nonetheless, even dead bacteria should make people feverish and vomit, as explained in the video. This video does not include the tests with some of his students. That must have come later. They mentioned it at the end. https://www.youtube.com/embed/nRsNh0eB-Io https://www.youtube.com/embed/nRsNh0eB-Io

benevol 9y ago

For those looking for the ultimate life & health hack, read all you can on Pranism (also known as Breatharianism), the method that lets you live healthily without eating (although it's better to keep drinking at least water). https://raymaor.com/ https://raymaor.com/ for initiation weeks. He's proven the method under TV surveillance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVXxEaYRhrI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVXxEaYRhrI and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSlM8PYih7o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSlM8PYih7o Plus, the movie "IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS LIGHT" features other protagonists such as Yogi Prahlad Jani who have proven the method under full medical surveillance.

Retric 9y ago
Yea, that really does not work. It's a fairly easy test, and these people lose weight in controlled conditions.
- benevol 9y ago
  No, it does work. How do I know? I've been doing it for a couple of weeks now and my weight has been fully stable. I live a normal life, two gym sessions a week. All without food.
  - Retric 9y ago
    You might be delusional, but no this really has been tested and everyone failed. PS: As recently as 1996 - 2015 there was a million dollar bounty for demonstrating this could work. It was not collected.
    - benevol 9y ago
      > this really has been tested and everyone failed. Source? > As recently as 1996 - 2015 there was a million dollar bounty for demonstrating this could work. It was not collected. Source? (I am willing to take a plane tomorrow to demonstrate that right away, just tell me who to contact.)