Wim Hof Breathing MEthod & potential concerns

Wim Hof has developed a method characterized by simplicity and effectiveness. The effects and applicability of this method are being investigated by various scientific institutes, including Radboud University. Initial results have shown that the method appears to affect the autonomic nervous system and the immune system. This means that application of the Wim Hof Method (WHM) may be of particular importance in the fields of public health, sports and at many other levels.

The effectiveness of this method has been known to Wim Hof for years, which is why he wishes to share it with the world. He wants to ensure that this method will be applied on a large scale. To achieve this, his method is being scientifically investigated, he is leading training sessions and workshops, and he is giving interviews to national and international media.

History

Wim Hof has trained his body and spirit in hard natural environments, particularly  under conditions of extreme cold. Under these circumstances, breathing and mindset enhance the ability to withstand such extreme temperatures. Through  enhancing his resilience in the face of extreme conditions using these techniques. Wim has been able to constantly explore his own physiology and mental capacity in  greater detail. In doing so, he has continually developed and perfected his method  over the years, constantly shifting his goalposts higher and higher. 

Wim's impressive performance, especially under cold conditions, have earned him  fame, along with the nick-name “The Iceman”. In the meantime he has accumulated almost 20 world records, including the longest ice bath, climbing snowy mountain peaks wearing only shorts, running marathons around the polar circle, as well as  many others.

In 2007 Wim Hof was examined by the well-known  Feinstein Institute. The results  showed that Wim Hof appeared to be able to influence his autonomic nervous  system. From this moment onwards, Wim Hof made it his goal to share the possibilities offered by his method with the world. He also sought further cooperation with the scientific community to study the possibilities resulting from  his method.

Method

The Wim Hof Method (WHM) will be explained in this section. The three components of the method are outlined, along with the associated physiological effects on the body.

There are various methods that separately deal with breathing techniques, the training of mindset/concentration, or exposure to the cold. As far as we know, there is no method with an interactive basis between these three components. It is the very interaction of these components that appears to provide proof of the positive effect on the body, as shown by several scientific studies. (Hopman et al., 2010; Pickkers et al., 2011 and 2014; Kamler, 2009). The method consists of three components that reinforce each other and is characterized by simplicity and effectiveness.

The three components of the WHM are as follows:
• Breathing exercises
• Training of mindset/concentration
• Gradual exposure to the cold

To explain why the method is so effective, the above mentioned components will first be separately highlighted, followed by an explanation why the interaction between these three components is so effective.

Read More About Wim Hof's Breathing Method

The danger of lowering CO2

The Wim Hof Method incorporates a breathing exercise designed to regulate your autonomic nervous system and influence your immune response. This practice involves several rounds of controlled hyperventilation followed by breath retention, and concludes with a recovery breath.

During the controlled hyperventilation phase, you take 30 to 40 deep, rapid breaths. Hof explains this as breathing in fully but not exhaling completely — more of a quick, active inhale followed by a passive exhale. This technique increases the oxygen levels in your blood while decreasing CO2 levels.

After completing the controlled hyperventilation phase, you exhale fully and hold your breath for as long as you comfortably can. During this breath-hold, CO2 levels build back up in your blood, creating an urge to breathe.

This breath-hold phase, known as the retention phase, can last from a few seconds to several minutes. During this time, your body undergoes a controlled stress response, which is believed to strengthen your physiological resilience.
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When you can no longer hold your breath, you take one deep, full breath and hold it for 15 seconds before exhaling. This recovery breath re-oxygenates your body. Practitioners of this method often report tingling sensations and light-headedness, which can verge on euphoria, attributed to the increased oxygen and decreased CO2 levels.

Physiologically, Hof’s breathing method presents two main issues: first, the suppression of CO2 caused by hyperventilation, and second, the unnecessary activation of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline.

One of the benefits of intermittent hypoxia training is that it increases CO2 levels, which enhances the efficiency of oxygen transport and metabolism. The hypoxic state, or reduced oxygen level, also relaxes your capillaries. In the brain, hypoxia boosts blood perfusion by up to 40%. This response is normal and CO2 plays a crucial role in this process.

However, the intentional hyperventilation taught by Hof greatly increases CO2 removal, potentially leading to hypocapnia. This condition arises when CO2 is exhaled faster than it is produced by cellular metabolism, resulting in lower arterial CO2 levels.

The lightheadedness and tingling sensations people experience are due to the constriction of cerebral blood vessels and reduced oxygen supply to the brain and other tissues, which occur as a consequence of decreased CO2 levels.

​While it might surprise many, CO2 is one of the most effective strategies for life extension, second only to a low linoleic acid diet and reducing estrogen dominance. Unfortunately, this concept is not widely understood. Ray Peat, a biologist and physiologist who developed the bioenergetic theory of health, was one of the few who comprehensively understood the role of CO2 and strongly advocated for its clinical use.

Optimizing CO2 levels can be achieved through proper breathing techniques, avoiding hyperventilation or overbreathing. Chronic CO2 deficiency, often caused by chronic overbreathing, can lead to premature death, contrary to the promises of the Wim Hof method.

Essentially, life-extending breathing involves breathing less and slower, allowing CO2 to accumulate. This is why breathwork focusing on subtle breathing has extensive benefits. Suppressing CO2 routinely is not advisable because CO2 protects against oxygen toxicity. In trauma or ICU settings, premature oxygen delivery to a patient in shock or suffering from an ischemic attack can be deadly due to the resulting massive cytokine storm—a severe inflammatory reaction—when cells lack sufficient CO2 to utilize the oxygen properly.

Given this context, it’s counterintuitive to deplete your cells of CO2 through hyperventilation and then flood your body with oxygen daily if your goal is longevity and health.
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CO2 deficiency can also trigger seizures. Historically, hyperventilation was used to test seizure susceptibility; rapid mouth breathing for 30 seconds would induce seizure symptoms if CO2 levels were insufficient, highlighting its critical role.
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Hyperventilation-induced CO2 reduction raises blood pH, causing respiratory alkalosis, which negatively impacts enzyme activity, electrolyte balance, and blood flow. It may also hypothetically promote cancer formation over the long term. Respiratory alkalosis increases intracellular water uptake, a cancer hallmark, and higher cellular pH leads to the overproduction of inflammatory mediators, including lactate, another cancer cell characteristic.

​Furthermore, when your CO2 levels are too low, your body resorts to using nitric oxide (NO) as an "emergency" vasodilator. NO, a reactive nitrogen species, can combine with superoxide to form highly harmful peroxynitrite.

There are three types of nitric oxide synthases (NOS): neuronal NOS (nNOS), endothelial NOS (eNOS), and inducible NOS (iNOS). Low CO2 levels trigger the activation of iNOS, which is less than ideal. Unlike eNOS, which stays primarily within blood vessels, iNOS spills into the bloodstream, mainly to combat pathogens. iNOS is produced either as an emergency vasodilator or in response to bacterial or viral invaders.

Unnecessary activation of iNOS is undesirable because it becomes systemically available. Low CO2 levels lead to elevated NO levels, which can form peroxynitrite, damaging polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) incorporated into your cells, regardless of their location.
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NO can also bind covalently with Complex IV in the electron transport chain (cytochrome c oxidase), the rate-limiting step of oxidative phosphorylation. This inhibits energy production in your mitochondria, which is crucial for maintaining optimal health and preventing disease.
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Another issue with elevated NO is pseudohypoxia, where oxygen is present in cells but cannot be utilized because NO impairs Complex IV in the electron transport chain. CO2 prevents this by dissociating the bond between NO and Complex IV, thus optimizing oxygenation. Therefore, CO2 helps keep your blood vessels flexible without hindering Complex IV.

The bohr effect

Optimal oxygen delivery is vital for good health, but it isn’t achieved by breathing more rapidly or deeply. Instead, it’s enhanced by increasing CO2 levels.

When you inhale, oxygen from the air binds to hemoglobin in your blood circulation. This bond is relatively strong and requires CO2 to break it and deliver oxygen where it's needed, a process known as the Bohr Effect.
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The Bohr Effect explains how CO2 weakens the bond between oxygen and hemoglobin, allowing oxygen to be released into tissues. As hemoglobin releases oxygen, it binds to CO2, which is then expelled when you exhale. Without sufficient CO2, oxygen cannot be effectively liberated from hemoglobin to nourish your tissues.

Benefits of Carbon dioxide

CO2 offers several benefits, many of which are lost with routine hyperventilation. Key advantages include:

• CO2 attaches to proteins and forms an electric cloud, protecting them from oxidative damage caused by LA metabolites like OXLAMs.
• It modulates the functional expression of proteins and hormones, enhancing their efficiency. Since most hormones are proteins, increasing CO2 can significantly improve their function.
• When administered rectally, CO2 acts as fuel for anaerobic bacteria called Akkermansia in the large intestine. Akkermansia boosts glucagon-like peptide (GLP), which is beneficial for treating diabetes and obesity. Ideal Akkermansia levels should be about 10% of your microbiome, but most people have less than 1%.
• A nearly 150-year-old medical book detailed the numerous uses and health benefits of CO2 known at the time, covering a wide range of ailments, including dementia, psychiatric disorders such as mania, dysentery, fistulas, fibrotic conditions, whooping cough, and tuberculosis. Bioenergetic researcher Georgi Dinkov, citing this book, noted:

“Virtually every condition, both physiological and mental, can be alleviated and often cured by increasing endogenous CO2 production and decreasing its degradation.”

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References

Hof, W. (2015). The Wim Hof Method Explained.