Linda Music writes about health and wellbeing for various outlets. She did a deep dive into Wim Hof Method experiences, and profiled 4 different people who use the WHM to neutralize symptoms of their condition. We will be sharing these stories here over the coming weeks.
In 2015, Magdalena Bajer from Northern Canada received some bad news: she had cardiomyopathy, and the prognosis was not good.
Magdalena had difficulty breathing, her lower body was starting to swell, and the doctors informed her that she would only get worse. Due to her condition, she was told she would become less active until her condition would eventually kill her.
A staunch believer in natural medicine and energy practices such as Reiki (which she has practiced for 30 years), Magdalena decided to go against her doctor’s advice, which was to go on pharmaceutical drugs. She was informed that without these drugs, she would die.
Around the time of her diagnosis, Magdalena watched a video on The Iceman, and immediately felt a connection between what he was doing and her beliefs.
“I saw that he was getting breath through his whole body from the bottom chakra to the top. I thought to myself: if he can climb Mount Everest in just shorts, then I can get through this and get better.”
Magdalena signed up for the 10-Week Video Course and found that the WHM, together with the natural remedies she was taking, resulted in a huge improvement in her symptoms.
“One of the first things I noticed was how I responded to forest fire smoke. In 2017, we had 14 days of heavy forest fire smoke, that came with a wind change close to where I live. Despite having breathing issues due to forest fire smoke in the past, I was experiencing no problems this time round.”
Magdalena felt better than she had in years but felt that she had to prove it to the world.
“I had to attend a couple of hours of echo/electrocardiogram testing that thoroughly measures the heart and its functions,” she explains.
The results came in better than she hoped: a steady 50-60 pulse throughout the testing and normal blood pressure. In fact, her results were all within normal parameters.
The document “Explaining the Wim Hof Method” provides the reason why cold exposure can play a major effect on the heart and vascular system. Practicing cold exposure strengthens the cardiovascular system by training the tiny muscles within blood vessels to allow for easier blood flow. This then makes it easier for the heart to pump blood around the body.
However, doctors warn of the danger of cold immersion, particularly for people with heart conditions.
The WHM course does not advocate sudden exposure to the cold. In fact, the 10-Week Video Course takes people on a gradual journey, starting with short bursts of cold at the end of a warm shower before introducing ice baths much later in the program.
“I believe that if my doctor knew about the Wim Hof Method, she would have advised me not to do it,” says Magdalena.
Read Linda’s blog at lindamusic.com.au
