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Wim Hof’s teachings about breath work and the health benefits of cold plunges

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Re: Wim Hof’s teachings about breath work and the health benefits of cold plunges

#21

Post by jrm4 »

8f2ab37a-ed6c wrote: post #4

If this is revolutionary, why isn't everybody following his method? My skeptic alarm is going off, but also all of the investigative content I read about it seems to support the claims. I'm puzzled on why this hasn't seen mass adoption.

"Because it doesn't make anyone money" is my best guess. I kinda hate how conspiracy-theory-ish it sounds, but I can't much deny it any more?

I'm one anecdotal data point:

Never heard of this guy, but the cold shower thing just sounded plausible enough that I figured I'd try it.

Not even the whole thing cold -- I start off with a hot shower and then just drop it for the last minute or so, as long as I can stand.

And -- it's CRAZY. After getting the regular yearly colds that I just presumed were a part of life...they just stopped. I haven't had any sort of cough/cold sickness at ALL going on about 3 years.

Re: Wim Hof’s teachings about breath work and the health benefits of cold plunges

#22

Post by mhh__ »

7thaccount wrote: post #15
s5300 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find the sugar argument to be a strawman. Maybe ignorance/functional illiteracy of knowing how to read a nutritional label is a slightly more sound argument. Food deserts are a legitimate issue too. However, simply not caring is quite prevalent.

It's also legitimately hard to find foods without mass amounts of sugar. Just look at spaghetti sauce. Sugar is everywhere.

Exactly, this is why I really really hate it when people say "Poor people should cook themselves" as if they wouldn't if they had the time or energy to. If you work minimum wage all day, especially with kids, cooking from scratch is a chore and a half.

The stuff you buy off the shelves is either cheap or healthy, rarely both.

Re: Wim Hof’s teachings about breath work and the health benefits of cold plunges

#23

Post by mhh__ »

s5300 wrote: post #17
7thaccount wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's also legitimately hard to find foods without mass amounts of sugar. Just look at spaghetti sauce. Sugar is everywhere.

I come from a family that was borderline of the definition of "extreme poverty" within the U.S. This is a really poor argument. Aldi spaghetti sauces have ~10g sugars compared to a bottle of coke having ~65g sugars. Look into how many people are using Aldi's spaghetti sauces vs how many people are guzzling coke. Is over sugarized shit literally everywhere in the U.S.? Yes. Can you genuinely not find anything without?…

I think the problem is the amount of processed carbs rather than sugar on its own. Sugar is addictive but not in the concentration you'd get in a pasta sauce (in a can I assume).

IIRC most western countries are vastly over-caloried, and have a roughly inverse relationship between BMI and income too.

Re: Wim Hof’s teachings about breath work and the health benefits of cold plunges

#24

Post by brian_cunnie »

troughway wrote: post #5

From the intro blurb: >Wim Hof's teachings about breath work and the health benefits of cold plunges have attracted millions of followers who swear it has cured everything from depression to diabetes and makes them happier and stronger. If it cured diabetes, certainly there is a way to scientifically confirm this rather than merely "swearing" it is so. And if it did, that would be a breakthrough of unthinkable propor…

I have type II diabetes, and swimming in cold water (SF Bay, temperatures 50°-65° F 10°-18° C) 3 times a week for six years has not changed my A1c (measurement of diabetes).

No one is "cured" of type II diabetes (exception: gestational diabetes). The best you can hope for is not to have to take meds, but the price you pay is an exercise regimen and an extremely disciplined diet (I haven't eaten rice, bread, pasta, or potatoes in 9 years). I don't take meds.

Re: Wim Hof’s teachings about breath work and the health benefits of cold plunges

#25

Post by fiblye »

Hnrobert42 wrote: post #11
s5300 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not saying this specifically about Wim Hof, the topic at hand - but: People are lazy. This is quite simply a truth, especially with regards to the USA. If you're not from the USA, we have this absolutely fucking unfathomable obesity epidemic going on. It doesn't get talked about very much. 95%+ of the time, weight regulation is one of the simplest things we know of. Calories in and calories out. Anyways, nobody reall…

The US obesity epidemic probably has more to do with the sugar content of processed foods than with laziness. As you note, people in general are lazy. Vietnam has the lowest rate of adult obesity yet is the 8th most sedentary population in the world.

> Vietnam has the lowest rate of adult obesity yet is the 8th most sedentary population in the world.

I'd like to see a citation for this claim and how it was measured. People in Vietnam seemed much more up and active than people in America and they're much slimmer despite drinks there being sweeter than pure syrup in America.

Re: Wim Hof’s teachings about breath work and the health benefits of cold plunges

#26

Post by pm »

disposekinetics wrote: post #7
8f2ab37a-ed6c wrote: post #4

If this is revolutionary, why isn't everybody following his method? My skeptic alarm is going off, but also all of the investigative content I read about it seems to support the claims. I'm puzzled on why this hasn't seen mass adoption.

The debunking podcast "Oh No Ross and Carey" did at least four episodes [1] on Wim Hof. I recommend them if you want a skeptical take. [1] https://ohnopodcast.com/investigations/2020/7/19/ross-and-ca...

Without having to listen to 4 hours of podcasts, what was their take?

Re: Wim Hof’s teachings about breath work and the health benefits of cold plunges

#27

Post by brian_cunnie »

Hnrobert42 wrote: post #11
s5300 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not saying this specifically about Wim Hof, the topic at hand - but: People are lazy. This is quite simply a truth, especially with regards to the USA. If you're not from the USA, we have this absolutely fucking unfathomable obesity epidemic going on. It doesn't get talked about very much. 95%+ of the time, weight regulation is one of the simplest things we know of. Calories in and calories out. Anyways, nobody reall…

The US obesity epidemic probably has more to do with the sugar content of processed foods than with laziness. As you note, people in general are lazy. Vietnam has the lowest rate of adult obesity yet is the 8th most sedentary population in the world.

Agreed. I'm of the belief that Americans aren't obese because they're lazy or because they're gluttons; instead, I believe it's the food that's killing us. Processed food especially.

When I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, I had to switch to a low-cab diet (which cut out a huge swath of processed foods), and I dropped from 170 lbs. to 150 lbs. in a few weeks. And I wasn't trying to lose weight—it just came off.

Re: Wim Hof’s teachings about breath work and the health benefits of cold plunges

#28

Post by brian_cunnie »

s5300 wrote: post #13
Hnrobert42 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The US obesity epidemic probably has more to do with the sugar content of processed foods than with laziness. As you note, people in general are lazy. Vietnam has the lowest rate of adult obesity yet is the 8th most sedentary population in the world.

I find the sugar argument to be a strawman. Maybe ignorance/functional illiteracy of knowing how to read a nutritional label is a slightly more sound argument. Food deserts are a legitimate issue too. However, simply not caring is quite prevalent.

Don't take my word for it (how bad sugar is). Go to an expert: Dr. Robert Lustig, Endocrinologist at UCSF. "Sugar, the Bitter Truth" [0]. He'll describe the metabolic pathways of sugar. Key take-away: fructose is processed by the liver, and much of its calories is turned to fat.

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

Re: Wim Hof’s teachings about breath work and the health benefits of cold plunges

#29

Post by humanlion87 »

mhh__ wrote: post #20
calibas wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure mass adoption is a good way of judging anything.

Medicine and computers are pretty good by the looks of things

I think there are a lot of examples of mass adoption of "bad" things also. Fast food and processed sugar are the ones that come to mind immediately.

Re: Wim Hof’s teachings about breath work and the health benefits of cold plunges

#30

Post by FPGAhacker »

brian_cunnie wrote: post #24
troughway wrote: post #5

From the intro blurb: >Wim Hof's teachings about breath work and the health benefits of cold plunges have attracted millions of followers who swear it has cured everything from depression to diabetes and makes them happier and stronger. If it cured diabetes, certainly there is a way to scientifically confirm this rather than merely "swearing" it is so. And if it did, that would be a breakthrough of unthinkable propor…

I have type II diabetes, and swimming in cold water (SF Bay, temperatures 50°-65° F 10°-18° C) 3 times a week for six years has not changed my A1c (measurement of diabetes). No one is "cured" of type II diabetes (exception: gestational diabetes). The best you can hope for is not to have to take meds, but the price you pay is an exercise regimen and an extremely disciplined diet (I haven't eaten rice, bread, pasta, or…

If you don't mind sharing, what do you eat?
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