The Wim Hof ​​method: is it based on science?

Wim Hof ​​is a sixty-year-old Dutchman who gate also the nickname ofIceman. Indeed, the latter is famous for the rather extreme method that bears his name, the Wim Hof ​​Method or Wim Hof ​​method in French. Meditation, very specific breathing exercises and long ice baths are, according to the latter, the ideal cocktail to reduce the stress and stay healthy. If the 60-year-old can spend several hours in bathtubs filled with ice cubes or meditating in shorts in the snow, one can legitimately wonder if such practices are not dangerous to health. Are the benefits of the Wim Hof ​​method based on scientific data?

Cold therapy used by athletes

Cold has been used as a therapeutic treatment for a long time, especially in the field of professional sport. Athletes use cold treatments to decrease fatigue and pains muscle. Consequently, scientific publications mainly concern the profiles of a very specific individual: sports people.

A systematic analysis, which brings together 9 independent studies published between 2005 and 2017, indicates that cold therapy following exercise physical is more effective at relieving muscle pain than a traditional rest period. According to the latter, immersing yourself in water at between 10 and 15 ° C for ten minutes, has an immediate and prolonged positive effect on muscle pain.

A second study comes to the same similar conclusion. Published in Plos One in 2015, the latter focused on the effects of cold on men and women who are more physically active. According to his findings, the cold has a beneficial effect on muscle pain for up to two days after physical exertion. Beyond four days after exercise, there is no difference with a simple rest period.

A potentially dangerous breathing technique

The second axis of the Wim Hof ​​method is breathing. The Dutchman presents a very particular technique which consists in making 30 to 40 successive breaths in a short period of time, then to hold his breath with the lungs full, then emptied. Breathing in this way is unnatural, it is called hyperventilation. Gold, hyperventilation syndrome is not to be taken lightly.

The capnie corresponds to the pressure partial CO₂ in the blood. During hyperventilation, the capnia drops below normal values, this is called hypnocapnia (PaCO₂).

This can cause effects like euphoria and loss of consciousness. Moreover, on his site, Wim Hof ​​warns that his breathing technique can cause the loss of control of movements or consciousness.

the Iceman promises that these hyperventilation sessions allow, among other things, to reduce stress, sleep better or calm the mind. No scientific study describes the beneficial effects of hyperventilation on healthy people. On the contrary, it is a chronic or acute disease that affects 6 to 10% of the population.

Mindfulness and mental strength

Finally, meditation and mindfulness are the last pillar of the Wim Hof ​​Method. According to the Dutchman, it is the control of his mind that allows him to stay in a tub filled with ice cubes sometimes for more than an hour. In a systematic study published in 2017, a group of researchers compiled studies exploring the link between mindfulness and chronic pain, depressive syndromes and quality of life. According to her, mindful meditation decreases chronic pain and depression, but the evidence lacks robustness.

In conclusion, the Wim Hof ​​method is a radical method that can involve significant health risks. If the therapeutic effects of cold on the muscles are proven, other supposed virtues of this experiment do not rest on any scientific basis. If you are considering trying this method for pain relief, consult your doctor first.