May 8, 2019

"Look at this beautiful tree. An oak, Quercus robur. It’s yelling at us, 'Helloooo!'"

"... says Wim Hof, the doyen of cold endurance stunts, as we head across Hampstead Heath, north London, for a swim in one of the ponds. Soon he’s catapulting himself into a gaping hole in its trunk, peeping out excitedly like a child. 'Here I am, talking to the tree,' he beams. 'I see the tree has personality. I go in. We are one. It’s alive. We are alive. Is that crazy? Bloody crazy! Yes I am.' Best known for trying to scale Mount Everest in only a pair of shorts and hiking boots, Hof has broken more world records than even he can count. His feats include a near-fatal 57-metre swim under ice during which he went temporarily blind, and a barefoot half-marathon in the Arctic. He’s also immersed himself in a tub of ice for almost two hours. Scientists have begun studying his methods to evaluate if they can offer universal benefits to people. 'Live your body, stimulate your body,” he implores. 'Arthritis, Crohn’s disease, psoriasis, depression – all of those diseases are a result of our neglected biochemistry. We need to be stimulated to help fight disease. Cold is a great stimulator.'"

Like marmots and marijuana, it just might work. By the way, I'm giving this guy a free pass to wear shorts any time, anywhere. He is the Man in Shorts.

The article, in The Guardian is "A cold-water cure? My weekend with the ‘Ice Man’/Wim Hof does the ‘horse stance’ on a tree on Hampstead Heath. Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian/Wim Hof claims cold-water immersion can help fight modern diseases. As outdoor swimming becomes ever more popular in the UK, photojournalist Jonny Weeks joined him for a weekend to experience it firsthand."

Like the unfortunate couple who ate raw marmot organs and died of the plague and Willie Nelson inhaling/scarfing down marijuana, there's a thing that can be done and a human mind to imagine that it could work. It could work and it could cause a lot of damage, so... do it!

19 comments:

LakeLevel said...

Rural, poor Minnesotans have nearly the highest life expectancy in the world. Why would that be? Well they have to go out into the extreme cold now and then.

RNB said...

The 'Cold Water Cure' was a huge fad -- back in the Nineteenth Century.

Earnest Prole said...

The twitter guy too. Remember, two points of data equals trend.

etbass said...

Althouse, I think it's the hairy legs, you like. Does Meade not have hairy legs? He's always in long pants, I notice.

Nonapod said...

The 'Cold Water Cure' was a huge fad -- back in the Nineteenth Century.

Everything old is new again. We're living in the age of cryotherapy clinics and extolling the benefits of cold shock proteins on podcasts.

wild chicken said...

Cold water is good for what ails ya. Maybe because it feels so good to get out.

Meade said...

"Best known for trying to scale Mount Everest in only a pair of shorts and hiking boots..."

Do or do not. There is no try.

Fernandinande said...

Like marmots and marijuana, it just might work.

Or, like feminism, it won't work.

JAMA says: "Medical cannabis laws are associated with significantly lower state-level opioid overdose mortality rates."

My life partner of gender has bad pain from arthritis and a botched surgery for arthritis, and doesn't like to take opiates; she gets quick, not quite complete, relief with CBD vape pens.

wwww said...

"Arthritis, Crohn’s disease, psoriasis, depression – all of those diseases are a result of our neglected biochemistry."

Huh. I bet walking or jogging on a beach in the sunshine and getting a lot of vitamin D would be a LOT more helpful then running around in -30 weather in shorts.

Tom T. said...

Whatever his good points, I don't want this guy as my tour guide. He sounds like he's auditioning for the Johnny Depp role in a Willy Wonka sequel.

Ann Althouse said...

"Althouse, I think it's the hairy legs, you like."

It's not that I like Wim Hof. It's that I think he's so weird and ridiculous that I accept him doing anything. He can do what he wants, including freeze to death on Mount Everest.

rehajm said...

Why would that be?

The weather culls the herd of the weak ones.

rehajm said...

As a one time veteran of a New Year's polar bear swim I will say cold water immersion does something to you.*

(*Now I try to take my new year's day swim in the lower latitudes)

Yancey Ward said...

I want him to do the liquid nitrogen challenge.

wild chicken said...

Medical cannabis laws are associated with significantly lower state-level opioid overdose mortality rates."

Maybe because NiH started cracking down on prescription opioids in the same period. Until street heroin rode to the rescue.

dbp said...

I can't comment on all the cold stuff, but I do know a lot about barefoot running--even in the cold.

I've done a half-marathon barefoot (not a race, just a normal weekend run) and that is about my limit. As for cold, if the roads are dry and it is sunny, the high 20's are quite comfortable. Wet roads and you need high 30's. Sometimes I would go on a bike path and much to my chagrin, would hit a snowy patch--30 yards in the snow and my feet are frozen. It takes 1/4 mile on dry warm pavement before they are right again.

tim maguire said...

'Arthritis, Crohn’s disease, psoriasis, depression – all of those diseases are a result of our neglected biochemistry. We need to be stimulated to help fight disease. Cold is a great stimulator.'"

Well, I could see depression. Who could be bothered to be depressed while they're freezing their butt off?

wwww said...

+30F is warm if there's no wind. -30F is not.

I doubt jumping into freezing water will cure arthritis or auto-immune disease. But if you feel well enough to do a polar bear jump, your health is pretty great.

wwww said...

"Well, I could see depression. Who could be bothered to be depressed while they're freezing their butt off?"

Agree. I take my last statement back. Depression might be the one exception where a polar bear jump could help. Still think walking on a warm beach with an iced tea would be the preferable treatment.