The metabolic benefits of deliberate cold exposure are so extraordinary, we built this scientific summary of the mechanisms by which cold cures diabetes, inhibits tumors, improves cardiovascular health, and promotes fat loss.

At the center of it all is blood glucose. According to @BenBikmanPhD in Why We Get Sick (2020) many of the leading causes of death originate in a phenomenon called insulin resistance.

Although the mechanisms of insulin resistance are complex, mitochondrial abnormalities are the primary culprit.

Are you getting enough vasoconstriction?
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Fitness bloggers talk about building or keeping skeletal muscle because more skeletal muscle looks good and promotes health and longevity.
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But almost no one talks about smooth muscle.

Here's why this type of muscle is so important: Smooth muscles attach to our stomach, intestines, bladder, arteries, and veins.

They operate under involuntary control, which means there are no workout videos or fitness machines for strengthening smooth muscle tissue.

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Yes, it's possible to feel relaxed in an ice bath...and here is how: It was discovered that practicing structured breathing and relaxation while immersed in cold water can strengthen the parasympathetic nervous system and create a feeling of euphoria when emerging from the cold water.

The psychological benefits of deliberate cold exposure only kick in when your anxiety does.

DCE offers many metabolic benefits, including stabilizing blood glucose and thyroid activity and reducing inflammation.

Nonetheless, the best reason to Forge might be to manage stress. Cold activates your fight or flight response.

By taking control of your breathing in this situation, you're able to strengthen your parasympathetic nervous system to keep yourself calm under stress.

Power Pose⁠!

This pose is actually called "Arms Akimbo"!

Why does our Cold Coach @AJezick place people in this pose post-plunge?⁠
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The same reason we call it by its nickname, Power Pose. ⁠
⁠ @AJezick This is the pose of the warrior!

Standing this way for two minutes invokes chemicals in the brain that increase our calm and confidence.
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We can change the state of our brain and emotions with body language.

We invoke the "fight or flight" response when we take an ice bath.

Many articles describe the benefits of deliberate cold exposure to recover from trauma, including:

- Cancer
- Depression
- Brain injuries
- Metabolic disorders
- Autoimmune diseases

Almost no one writes about using an ice bath to help you prepare for the trauma about to come Maybe that's because so few of us choose a traumatic experience of our own free will.

But there are rare times when we walk willingly into our metaphorical inmost caves to accept the challenge of confronting ourselves in the hope of finding a power we never knew we possessed.

In @EdLatimore's review of @Iceman_Hof Method, he emphasizes the breathwork. Ed used to think of "the damn ice baths" as "a necessary torture," but now he no longer feels apprehensive -- because he has learned to gain control.

edlatimore.com/wim-hof-method… The definitive investigation of the Wim Hof Method is documented by @sgcarney in 'What Doesn't Kill Us.'

scottcarney.com/what-doesnt-ki…

"There is evidence that zinc supplementation is effective in preventing acute respiratory infection." @Mangan150 @bengreenfield

researchgate.net/profile/Luis_C… Zinc is essential for modulating inflammation and resistance to infection mdpi.com/2072-6643/9/6/…

Dr. Anthony Fauci just published a new article on COVID in the New England Journal of Medicine. We don't have to tell you who Dr. Fauci, or his job title, or his credentials, because those reading this tweet already know. This is what he said in his article: "The median age of the patients was 59 years, with higher morbidity and mortality among the elderly and among those with coexisting conditions (similar to the situation with influenza). Of note, there were no cases in children younger than 15 years.