HERE’S A CHALLENGE!!!
I don’t get my inspiration or insights or ideas because I’m particularly organized….I’m not! But it fascinates me how stuff/information, etc. comes my way.
For example, I’m watching this series on Netflix (Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop company) and one of the episodes is about this guy called Wim Hof aka the Iceman. Now this guy is something else. He’s already got over 25 Guinness Book of world Records for mostly “cold” related feats.
Such as:
–doing a half marathon in minus 30 degree Fahrenheit wearing only shorts (barefoot)!!
—climbing Mount Everest in shorts, no oxygen tanks (he did wear boots for this one).
–sitting in a tank of ice water for two hours
and finally (and this one caught my attention), he was injected (in a hospital, being monitored) with an endotoxin (e-coli) and did not have any of the normal symptoms (fever, headache, etc.)
Then he trained 12 of 24 participants in his breathing method, etc. and they were all injected with the same endotoxin and NONE of the people who he trained (in a very short time) got sick. The other 12, who he didn’t train, all got sick.
Then I went down the rabbit hole of the Internet watching everything I could about this guy who is revolutionizing our understanding of the human body AND autoimmune disease.
It’s a fairly simple process. It involves a breathing technique. Cold showers (or sitting in ice water). Meditation. Yoga. Mostly it’s the first two that are really important. So, I thought, what the heck, I’m doing yoga already–started a couple of months ago (when I stopped smoking) why not try this??!!
And I’ve been doing it religiously for two weeks.
Let me tell you about COLD SHOWERS. The first time I did it I just about jumped out of my skin. Then I watched a Ted Talks video with this young guy who did a 10 minute talk about taking cold showers. The long and short of it was that this young, fit, strong looking fellow said that the first time he stepped into a cold shower he screamed like a little girl.
That was encouraging after my first shocking shower. So, I kept it up and it got a little easier. But what I learned was that all I had to do was focus on how good I felt when I got out of the shower (my body felt alive, it’s a really amazing feeling) instead of focussing on how shitty it’s going to feel stepping into that icy cold water (and trust me, our water comes from mountains close to Vancouver and at this time of the year it is bloody COLD).
See, I’ve had this hunch for some time that cooling the body is important for healing psoriasis. I got some of this from reading about Chinese medicine. They make cooling teas. Remedies that cool the liver (the seat of anger).
I mean, think about it, inflammation is about heat. Our skin (psoriasis) is red and inflamed. A few years back, I started soaking my feet in cold water–but I didn’t stick with it. This time I am. And I’m seeing some results already. I had some little spots on my legs from testing “illegal”:) substances (dairy) and they have mostly just vanished.
Wim Hof has worked with serious autoimmune disease patients. And he’s gotten some amazing results. He pushes people hard to do really difficult (crazy? jumping into freezing cold lakes) and science is taking notice. This isn’t just some nut case who has a website and is selling some voodoo product. Scientists are monitoring him because he’s onto something.
If you want to take a look at his method he has a website: WimHofMethod.com where he gives a free mini lesson on his breathing. If you’re intrigued he does two Joe Rogan podcasts–youtube (the 1st one is better). And there are a number of documentaries on him. And, of course, the Netflix Goop episode.
You can pretty much put together a routine of his method by watching what he does with other people. It’s not rocket science.
Oh, and here’s a food tip. I loved (love) yogurt. And I particularly love plain, unsweetened yogurt. Until recently I have been eating the flavored non-dairy ones by this company called la Riviera from Quebec. And a few others.
HOWEVER, I couldn’t find a plain yogurt that I liked. Finally I did find the Silk, plain, unsweetened coconut based yogurt. The texture was pretty good but it still didn’t have that “bite”. So, just for fun, I put a little lemon juice into a cup of this brand of yogurt and HURRAH!, it actually tastes a lot like real, plain yogurt.
Ok, that’s all for this time. I hope you have all entered 2020 with optimism and some good goals.
Much love,
Dakota, Lucky and Charlie♥️♥️♥️
