WHAT IS THE WIM HOF METHOD®?

The effects of the WHM techniques differ from person to person. Everybody’s experience is slightly different, and is partially determined by your goals and expectations. A professional tennis player for example, will likely seek improved athletic performance, whereas someone suffering from rheumatoid arthritis will sooner see benefit from lower inflammatory markers.

Reported general benefits of the Method include: increased energy, improved sleep, reduced stress and anxiety, heightened focus, accelerated recovery, and a general improvement in quality of life.

The potential benefits are numerous and diverse. Ultimately, the only way to find out what the Method does for you is to try it for yourself!

The Wim Hof Method can be practiced by every healthy individual. When the WHM is practiced in the correct way, it can contribute to a healthy, strong, and happy life. As breathing techniques and cold exposure can affect the physiology of the
body, this can have a profound effect on people in poor health or with certain illnesses. If you are dealing with a serious medical or psychological condition, we advise counseling a healthcare professional before attempting any of the WHM techniques.

We advise against practicing the WHM if you are dealing with any of the following:

• Coronary heart disease (e.g. Angina Pectoris; Stable Angina)
• Cold urticaria
• Epilepsy
• Kidney failure
• Raynaud’s Syndrome (Type II)
• High blood pressure (in case of prescription medication)
• A history of serious health issues like heart failure or stroke
• Shortly after an operation

If you suffer from migraines, we urge you to be cautious about taking ice baths.

The average daily investment is 20 minutes to start your day. During the day focus on deeper more conscious breathing. Once you have unlocked how to do the Wim Hof Method, you can access it indefinitely, and move through the stages at your own pace. The Wim Hof Method does not finish after our courses. The method should be implemented in your life daily to reap the full benefits. 

The breathing techniques can cause lightheadedness and even loss of consciousness. Children often have not matured to the point where they can adequately assess these risks. Moreover, their brains are also physically still developing.

Thus, we advise that children under the age of 16 are supervised by a parent or legal guardian. Please be careful with regard to cold exposure, and build this up gradually.

Start your day right and do them in the morning. Jump-starting your body right from the get-go will help you spend the day both energized and relaxed. For best results, do the exercises on an empty stomach. Click on the video below to hear Wim give you his answer to this question.

Although the Wim Hof Method has been known to bring symptoms into complete remission in some cases , WHM practice should be seen as a tool to help manage your health, rather than a cure. Since the Wim Hof Method moderates the immune response, it is most effective with conditions that follow from an underlying disturbance to the immune system. However, positive results are seen with a wide variety of conditions, and in addition the WHM affords many other benefits.

There has been considerable scientific research into the Wim Hof Method, and the results are very promising. However, there are hundreds of thousands of conditions and diseases. For the majority of ailments, we do not have the requisite knowledge to be able to speak with authority on the potential of the WHM as an effective treatment. Note also that results vary greatly from person to person, as there are numerous interpersonal physiological differences. Ultimately, the best —and really the only— way to find out what the Wim Hof Method does for you personally is to give it a try. You can also find testimonials from WHM practitioners for various health conditions here.

If you are dealing with a specific health condition, you may want to do a custom search on the WHM Facebook group to see what you can take away from personal stories that have been shared by other members. If nothing comes up, feel free to share experiences or ask questions of your own. This community is very welcoming, and eager to help and offer meaningful insights, and your contributions may in turn help others down the road.

Some conditions may be negatively impacted by WHM practice. If you have any deviations to physiological processes that are directly modulated by WHM practice —notably involving oxygen influx, blood pressure and/or (cardio)vascular complications— we strongly advise that you consult a medical professional. Out of precaution, we also advise against WHM practice if you are pregnant.

If you are pregnant, we advise against practicing the Wim Hof Method. We do not know if the increased adrenaline levels associated with the WHM techniques adversely affect the health of the baby. This is of course a tremendously delicate matter, and we want to be as careful as possible.

When the baby is born, you are safe to resume practicing the Method.

Click on the video below. Wim will give you his answer to this question.

Click on the video below to hear Wim give you his answer to this question. In addition, we suggest you limit your practice to the breathing exercises when feeling ill, and skip the cold therapy parts, as these tend to compound the existing stress on the body. Get well soon!

It's important here to differentiate between the two types of immune responses in humans.

The innate immune response is a kind of all-purpose, break-glass-in-case-of-emergency response. The proteins that are released use brute force to deal with the foreign threat. They attack almost anything in their path, to the point that they sometimes mistake healthy cells for sick ones. When they attack your healthy cells you become inflamed. Wim Hof Method practice suppresses this response.

Then there's the adaptive immune response. This is your body recognizing the invading pathogen, and creating antibodies to deal with that specific threat. This response is upregulated by WHM practice.

In order to become a certified WHM Instructor you must successfully complete the Wim Hof Academy. All the application requirements and course details can be found on our Academy page.

Although Wim would like nothing more than to personally engage with each and every one of you, he has become so popular that this not possible. For questions about the method itself, please visit our Facebook group. If you really absolutely must talk to Wim personally, you can do so at one of our expeditions.

If your question isn't listed in any of the FAQ categories, first head over to our WHM Community for help from other members and WHM Instructors. Then, try the WHM Facebook Group. Alternatively, contact our support team at support@wimhofmethod.com.