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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

#31

Post by junius2020 »

mhh__ wrote: post #23
s5300 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Processed carbohydrates are harmful, however sugar is particularly harmful in its effects on the hormonal system, insulin resistance, concentration, dental decay (and tooth growth in children), psychology of child, irratibility etc. Humans are simply not designed to consume such vast amounts of industrial grade sugar in such quantities.

You can literally throw sugar canes into a juicing machine and it has less sugar content than a can of coca cola

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

#32

Post by nabilt »

Something interesting I learned during one of his seminars was that breathing exercises can go a long way in providing most of the benefits. A lot of the media coverage focuses on cold exposure, but deep breathing is really the the core of the message. This is great because it means the barrier to entry is much lower since we all don't need to fill up our tubs with ice every week.

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

#33

Post by junius2020 »

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?…

The problem here is broken nutritional epistemology and lack of education. Remember that as recently as the early 1970s, it was broadly promoted, almost as a nootropic. In my home town in Australia it was common to add spoonfuls of sugar over breakfast cereal, Nutella and Milo (chocolate milk drink) were promoted as healthy sports foods for children, and a tablespoon of sugar (I know!!) was promoted as a good way to fix hiccups. My mother was ostracised by the other mothers at my school (in the early 00's, not the 70s) for not giving me Nutella, Chocolates, Lollies etc in my lunch.

I'm not making excuses here - it's more that unless you come from a privileged or niche background, especially before the internet, you would think this is normal. Imagine as a woman going to your GP doctor for a checkup in the 1980s and having them suggest you start eating spoonfuls of pure refined white sugar to help you control your appetite. Similar modern examples include the popularity of "Bubble tea" which should almost be regarded as a poison

It's not that its hard to find non-sugar food - it's hard to KNOW that's what you're meant to do, even in the most educated first world countries.

https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/19710510.jpe...

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

#34

Post by gxon »

nabilt wrote: post #32

Something interesting I learned during one of his seminars was that breathing exercises can go a long way in providing most of the benefits. A lot of the media coverage focuses on cold exposure, but deep breathing is really the the core of the message. This is great because it means the barrier to entry is much lower since we all don't need to fill up our tubs with ice every week.

Can you describe the breathing exercises? Is it literally just sitting and taking deep breaths?

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

#35

Post by mrslave »

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.

> why isn't everybody following his method

Eat less processed foods. Go for a walk. Stand up and stretch occasionally. Take the stairs. Lift some weights.

All will improve your life and are trivially achieved by almost everyone. Yet too many people - perhaps most - choose not to do any of these.

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

#36

Post by pugio »

For those interested in going deeper into the incredible world of breathing techniques I recommend "Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art" [0]. Part personal account, part research summary, the book covers a lot of the world's ancient breathing traditions (including Wim Hof and his antecedents), as well as what modern science has to say about them.

As with many other aspects of holistic health, it's incredible how Western medicine has ignored verifiable scientific evidence about the wide range of health benefits one can derive from these breathing techniques.

A smattering of advice from the book:

* Breathe through your nose, NOT your mouth (except when talking).

* Breathe slowly, softly, not (necessarily) deeply. Optimal breath rate is roughly 5.5s inhale, 5.5s exhale, 5.5 breaths per minute, 5.5 L of air inhaled.

* * Many people tend to over-breathe, which has a number of detriments, including stimulating anxiety.

* As with most aspects of health, the body does best with most-of-the-time low stress (see above "Breath slowly") punctuated by short intense intervals of high stress. Wim Hof breathing is the high stress workout that exercises your breathing system and builds breath flexibility.

* Chew tough stuff, exercise your jaw. This can help build wider mouths (new bone growth!) and open up your airways.

[0] https://www.amazon.com/Breath-New-Science-Lost-Art/dp/073521...

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

#37

Post by brnt »

ta1234567890 wrote: post #19

When a friend first told me about taking cold showers everyday, I thought he was incredibly motivated and a little crazy. Then when I finally decided to look into it and did the breathing technique, I realized I might be able to take a cold shower. Now I've been taking 1-2min cold showers (after my regular hot shower), every day for the last 4 months. It gives me a huge boost of energy, way better than coffee. Also,…

When you wrote 'way better than coffee', I had to think of my favourite morning routine: getting up and going straight to work on my bicycle. In winter this gives me a sort of freshness shock that may be similar to the cold shower. There's nothing quite like it in terms of waking up: indeed it's better than coffee.

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

#38

Post by spirobel »

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.

thats nonsense. The slimmest and fittest I ever was, was when I ate the most processed food in my life. I was cycling from my hometown in bavaria to nice in france. So I just had to eat all this garbage from the supermarket but it got burned immediatly. Funny that he gets downvoted he expressed his point in a very friendly way. I will just say it plainly: fat people are lazy. thats the reason they are fat. You can eat as much sugar and refined food as you want as long as you move around enough.

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

#39

Post by anitil »

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…

The claims by and around Wim Hof are often pretty absurd. I wouldn't go so far as to call him a charlatan, but there's a sliding scale and he's more to one side than the other.

I'm sure there's _some_ benefit to breathing techniques, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were at about the level of 'general exercise and wellbeing'.

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

#40

Post by starwatch »

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…

I believe there's a low-calorie treatment pioneered by a research group out of Oxford University a few years ago. The treatment was shown to send type II into remission.

It's currently available on the NHS in the UK: https://www.england.nhs.uk/diabetes/treatment-care/low-calor...

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