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Citation
Kox M, van Eijk LT, Zwaag J, van den Wildenberg J, Sweep FC, van der Hoeven JG, Pickkers P. Voluntary activation of the sympathetic nervous system and attenuation of the innate immune response in humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 May 20;111(20):7379-84. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1322174111. Epub 2014 May 5. PMID: 24799686; PMCID: PMC4034215.
4 FUNDAMENTALS
1. Essential Background Material
Our immune systems are vital to our survival. But, in autoimmune diseases, overactivation of the innate immune response can be detrimental, causing problems such as chronic inflammation.
Somewhat unexpectedly, short-term, intense sympathetic nervous system activation (SNS; fight-or-flight branch) can reduce some of the harmful effects of inflammation. This seems counterintuitive—doesn’t stress cause inflammation? Yes, chronic stress can. But short-term SNS activation can actually reduce it.
The problem is that activating the SNS and influencing our immune system is thought to be out of our conscious control. This means we can’t just “turn it on at will” to reduce inflammation. But Wim Hof challenged this assumption.
As you might know, he proved that he could do precisely this using his method. Scientists assumed he was just an anomaly, but Wim insisted he wasn’t. So they put it to the test. This study documents if ordinary people can learn Wim’s techniques and achieve similar results in a randomized and controlled fashion.
2. What Did this Research Do?
Thirty healthy male volunteers were recruited for the study. Eighteen were assigned to the Wim Hof group (I’ll abbreviate it as WHM group), and 12 were in the control group. Note that only 12 WHM participants took part in the injection of the endotoxin described below. The others were there as backups.
The WHM Training
The WHM group trained with Wim and a few instructors in the method for just 4 days (that’s crazy). The core training included the 3 pillars of Wim’s method: breathing, cold, and meditation. They also did some of the other standard Wim Hof training: push-ups, yoga poses, horse stance, etc. Their training concluded with climbing a mountain wearing only shorts.
After the 4 days, they were told to practice the method on their own every day until the experiment, which occurred 5-9 days later.
The Endotoxin Experiment
The experiment involved injecting all participants with an endotoxin that has been given to hundreds of people, most of which develop flu-like symptoms (fever, headache, nausea, etc.).
The control group simply got the endotoxin injection, and their symptoms were monitored and recorded.
The WHM group, however, performed WHM breathing before injection and during exposure. Here are the two exercises they performed:
Standard WHM Breathing: 30 deep breaths —> maximum breath hold after exhalation —> inhale and hold for 10 seconds —>repeat.
Modified WHM Breathing: 30 deep breaths —> inhale fully —>hold for 10 seconds and tighten all muscles —> repeat. (This technique was not explained well, so this is my best guess based on other references.)
They started the standard WHM breathing 30 minutes before injection and continued it for 1.5 hours. Then, they began the modified WHM breathing for another 1.5 hours. That’s 3 total hours of WHM breathing.
The researchers measured inflammatory cytokine levels, fever, blood gases, and flu-like symptoms.
3. What Were the Major Findings?
The WHM participants suppressed and/or modified most physiological and subjective symptoms of the endotoxin injection.
They significantly suppressed proinflammatory cytokines (51-57% reduction) and increased anti-inflammatory ones (194% increase).
The participants also had massive increases in adrenaline, which correlated with these changes in cytokines. The authors even state that the rise in adrenaline was more than that seen in bungee jumpers (Wim says this a lot on podcasts, and it’s right here in the PNAS study).
The WHM group also reduced their fever and the number of symptoms they felt. At the peak, symptom scores reduced by ~56% compared to controls.
Lastly, during the breath retentions, WHM participants dropped their blood oxygen saturation down to about 50% (normal is 95% or higher).
4. Why Do These Results Matter?
This is the 4-minute mile of breathing.
For the first time, it is shown that ordinary people can use their breath to control their innate immune response and reduce acute inflammation.
Moreover, the results showed that participants could also reduce fever and subjective symptoms, meaning they felt better during the exposure, too.
Most critically, the administration of endotoxin is how some drugs (biologics) are first tested for autoimmune diseases. Thus, Wim’s method passed the same initial test that drugs must pass, using only the breath and mind.
However, more studies are needed to assess whether Wim’s approach can cause lasting reductions in chronic inflammation (spoiler alert: it can—learn more here).
1 BIG TAKEAWAY
With only 4 days of training, Wim Hof’s method allows ordinary people to consciously influence their sympathetic nervous system and innate immune response, giving them the power to reduce inflammation and flu-like symptoms associated with the injection of endotoxin.
1 PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Although the “1 Practical Application” is my favorite section, this one is challenging.
First, you need to work with a certified Wim Hof instructor to ensure you perform his method safely.
Second, we don’t have endotoxin to inject ourselves with 😊. You also probably don’t have 3 h you can spend hyperventilating each day.
Third, the participants were trained in the complete method (breathing, cold, meditation) but only performed the breathing during the experiment. So, it’s unclear whether breathing is most critical, or if the benefits were due to the previous training in all three pillars.
With those caveats stated, these findings might suggest that using Wim’s approach could help you feel better when you have cold/flu symptoms (or perhaps prevent them altogether if caught early enough). Remember, they started the breathing and increased adrenaline before injection, which helped suppress the symptoms from the start.
Moreover, if you have an autoimmune disease, these results suggest that practicing Wim’s method may reduce some of the detrimental effects of inflammation associated with the overactivation of the immune response.