Meet the Ice Man

Wim Hof has left scientists scratching their heads with his seemingly superhuman abilities. Hof is the holder of multiple world records which include the longest under ice swim, the longest barefoot snow and ice marathon, the longest ice bath and he even reached the top of Kilimanjaro wearing nothing more than shorts and shoes. His abilities however are not limited to the ice which propelled him to fame and earned him the nickname ‘Ice Man’. Hof has even completed a full marathon across Africa’s scorching Namib Desert with absolutely no water. But Hof is more than an accomplished stuntman and his achievements go beyond hitting world records. Having already defied logic, he is now going after science and challenging the laws of biology. He claims to have the ability to influence his automatic nervous system, which enables him to control his body’s immune response in order to cure himself of illness. This outlandish claim made waves among in the scientific community given that the ‘automatic’ system is believed to be just that- automatic! This system controls things like heart rate and digestion and as logic and science would explain it is not voluntarily influenced or something we can choose. The claim prompted scientists to put Hof to the test. They injected him with an endotoxin which would trick the body into believing that living bacteria was present in the bloodstream and therefore stimulate the body’s immune response. This immune response would typically elicit flu like symptoms such as fever, nausea and headache. Astonishingly, scientists found that the wacky Dutchman alongside those that had been trained in his method had produced higher levels of a chemical called epinephrine, a stress hormone which suppresses the immune system. By ‘Hoffing’ they had indeed managed to significantly reduce their symptoms or even avoid becoming ill altogether. What’s more, scientists monitored Hof’s body temperature during his exposure to extreme conditions and found that despite the external temperature, his internal never changes.

With significant scientific backing, Hof has amassed a huge following even converting sceptics who had set out to debunk him into believers. But despite his otherworldly abilities, Hof maintains that his superpowers can be unlocked by any human mind and that they can be easily learned and applied. Since coming into the public eye, he has successfully trained other ordinary people in the art, even helping sufferers of chronic conditions to reduce pain and improve quality of life. His ‘Wim Hof Method’ combines third eye meditation and breathing techniques (similar to Yoga’s Pranayama) alongside cold therapy. These are his 3 pillars to unlocking human potential. He believes that “our breathing has the ability to enlighten and activate any physiological mechanism” and that we can “use the cold to awaken inner fire”. His tremendous feats lead us to wonder what human beings really are capable of.

Wim Hof wouldn’t be the first to astound the rest of us mere mortals with shows of the impossible. Shaolin monks have likewise been known to use breathing techniques and ‘chi’ energy to turn their bodies into impenetrable armor and showcase their ability to withstand mighty blows that should be bone shattering. And indeed, throughout history people with inexplicable capabilities have always emerged. Miracles? Magic? Messiahs? Martians? Myths? Whatever we label them and whether or not we believe in them, there always have been tales of people unlocking some kind of inner power to defy the laws of planet Earth and make us question our true nature and our purpose. As Enrique Vega puts it “an epic world of infinite possibilities lies within our reach”. All we have to do is open our minds to our capabilities and awaken our true potential.