May 12, 2016 4 min read

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During a winter snowstorm earlier this year, Dr. Joshua Goodrum walked outside wearing only a pair of swim trunks, lay on the ground and remained still while his wife shoveled snow on him until only his head was exposed.

He stayed buried for more than 10 minutes.

In January, he ran the Cupid Run, a 5K race, in subfreezing weather, in shorts.

Why, you wonder?

Goodrum, a family medicine doctor in Washington, practices the Wim Hof Method.

The method was developed by Hof, a 57-year-old Dutchman nicknamed “The Iceman,” who holds more than 25 Guinness world records for withstanding cold temperatures, including the longest time spent in an ice bath – 1 hour and 52 minutes (remarkably, his core body temperature did not change). He also climbed the 19,340-foot-high Mount Kilimanjaro and completed a marathon in Finland in 4-degree weather, wearing nothing but running shorts on both occasions.

Goodrum became intrigued with Hof last summer while watching a documentary about his feats. He also was drawn to Hof’s desire to help people become “happy, healthy and strong.”

Researchers have been studying Hof’s mental and physiological training techniques to determine how he controls his immune system and autonomic nervous system to withstand cold.

Hof’s training includes breathing, meditation and cold exposure, and resembles a type of Tibetan yoga called tummo, or “inner fire,” which has been shown to increase body temperature.

Hof believes he has simply tapped into a physical and mental ability that everyone possesses, and that people can consciously control their immune systems to fend off sickness, suppress autoimmune malfunctions including arthritis, reduce stress, and even fight drug addiction.

Goodrum related how in 2013, for example, 24 participants in a scientific study were injected with Escherichia coli, a bacteria that induces temporary fever, headache and shivering. Before they were injected, half of the participants traveled to Poland to undergo Hof’s training program, which included swimming in frigid water and practicing the breathing and meditation exercises. The other 12 volunteers did not undergo training.

Surprisingly, recruits who underwent Wim Hof training reported fewer flu-like symptoms than those who didn’t. Also, Wim Hof students produced lower amounts of several proteins associated with inflammation, and higher levels of an inflammation-fighting protein called interleukin-10.

“The first tenet in osteopathic medicine is we all have the innate ability to heal ourselves,” said Goodrum. “There are a lot of medical issues that we can take care of on our own.”

Goodrum has practiced the Wim Hof method since July, and he says his health – both physical and mental – has improved.

“In July, I weighed 30 or 40 pounds more than I do now, I had all kinds of aches and pains. My aches and pains went away, and I’ve shed pounds, even though I really didn’t change my diet or exercise regimen, which I found quite amazing,” said Goodrum. “The better result, I think, is the reduction in stress that one gets. I sleep better. I started noticing that I felt better.”

Particularly interesting to Goodrum, who also works in the field of drug addiction, is the potential the Wim Hof Method has to help addicts stop using drugs.

Consider cocaine use. Cocaine blocks the re-uptake of certain neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin.

The Wim Hof process actually signals the release of the same neurotransmitters and even more beneficial substances, but in a more controlled manner and without any of the negative side effects, Goodrum said.

“Every single chance I get, I try to tell people about Wim Hof. I get to really talking about it and seem like a crazy person. I’m not normally like this, but I get jazzed up because I really think it can be helpful for everybody, but I think that definitely in certain circumstances it can be more helpful as an adjunct treatment, like in autoimmune diseases, addiction and other diseases like fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome,” said Goodrum.

Goodrum regularly takes cold showers, cleans the snow off his car wearing shorts and a tank top, and has submerged in ice water and held his breath for one minute.

He will continue to test his limitations.

“I want to see what’s possible with this,” said Goodrum, noting that more scientific and medical researchers continue to study Hof and his methods to determine their merit. “Now, we’re on the side of nontraditional medicine with this. But it’s a strategy that’s proving to be effective for dealing with stress and increasing the ability to ward off illness. There is something to it.”