How to Become a Superhuman,“The cold is my only master, and my only teacher.”—Wim

How to Become a Superhuman,“The cold is my only master, and my only teacher.”—Wim HofMeet Wim Hof, AKA “The Iceman”.  He has some very strange ideas.  Most notably among them, he claims that he is able to control his autonomic nervous system, thus slowing down or speeding up his heart rate at will, increasing or decreasing his body temperature at will, controlling his hormones, especially being able to release adrenalin at will, he even claims he can control his own immune system to fight off illness. According to Hof, he does this through his breathing. He takes in a deep breath, but does not full exhale, repeating this process for 30 breaths. After 30 breaths, he holds it, then repeats the process.  According to him, while breathing, he goes into a meditative state in which he can tap into the body’s autonomic nervous system and endocrine system.Now of course, most people would say this man is a lunatic full of humbuggery, and most people did. That was until he started accomplishing amazing superhuman feats back in the 1980’s.  Just to name a few…-He ran a marathon in Finland mid winter, barefoot, wearing only a pair of shorts. The temperature was -20 degree F.-He climbed Mt. Everest, without oxygen, only wearing sandals and a pair of shorts. He couldn’t summit because he injured his foot-He has set many ice bath records, eventually breaking his own and setting new records. His current record stands at 1 hour, 52 minutes, 42 seconds.-He swam under arctic ice for ten minutes while holding his breath.-He summited Mt. Kilimanjaro in two days, again only wearing shorts.-He holds other records not involving the cold, like when he ran a marathon in the Namib Desert without water, and when he suspended himself a mile in the air, hanging by a single finger on a wire suspended between two hot air balloons.-He currently holds 20 records in the Guiness Book of World Records.The superhuman feats accomplished by Hof are no bullshit, and scientists began to wonder if there was something to his claims. Universities in both Europe and the United States put Hof through a set of experiments and tests.  What they discovered was shocking.  Everyone of his claims seemed to be true to some extent. It seemed as though Hof can control his autonomic bodily systems. Some of the most bizarre tests involve the immune system. In one study, Hof and a dozen other volunteers who were trained by Hof in his method were injected with a bacterial endotoxin that causes flu-like symptoms.  A dozen volunteers who were not trained in the method likewise were injected.  Those using the Hof method did not get sick, those who didn’t fell ill.So are Hof’s methods legit? Most scientists either state that his feats are due to his physical conditioning, he has spent 30 years conditioning in extreme environments after all. Scientists also state that the tests run so far are not by any means conclusive or thorough, more tests need to be conducted under the strictest scientific standards before conclusions can be drawn. Beard enthusiasts claim he draws power from his beard. As a respiratory therapist who understands blood gasses, I know how he uses his method to hold his breath for long periods of time, and it makes sense. He is basically hyperventilating, thus blowing off CO2 and raising his blood pH. By not fully exhaling with each breath, he is essentially creating pressure in his lungs, expanding them, opening his alveoli, and hyperoxgenating his body tissues. We do this artificially on patients on mechanical ventilators with poor oxygenation, its called adding PEEP (positive end expiratory pressure). As for the rest, being able to withstand extreme environments, I have no explanation.  In the meantime, Wim Hof isn’t slowing up.  In fact he kicking it up a notch, preparing for more ice baths because some other superhumans have beaten his records.  He is also teaching his method for free, you can find his materials in the website below. I’m going to try it myself, and see what happens. Recently, to try to further prove his claims, he has started training people in his method, taking them on two day hikes up Mt. Kilimanjaro, wearing only shorts of course.Wim Hof’s website,http://www.icemanwimhof.com/en-homeFree online video coursehttp://www.wimhofmethod.com/video-miniclass/ -- source link

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