Cold Comfort

When I was a little girl and still being bathed by my mother, she always finished the bath with a generous splashing of cold water. We always squealed with mixed portions of delight and shock. As I’ve gotten older, the water has become a little warmer, but still on the cool side. I may go back to ending with cold because as it turns out, she may have been on to something.

I recently watched an episode of Gwyneth Paltrow’s new series, Goop Lab, on Netflix called Cold Comfort. In the series, Paltrow investigates different modalities of what I will call alternative medicine and treatments. She and her staff experience these modalities first hand. I have only watched two episodes so far but say what you will about Paltrow and her methods, there is compelling science behind all of what she explores.

In Cold Comfort, we meet a Dutch athlete named Wim Hof. Hof practices a method of deep breathing and exposure to cold to help his clients treat everything from panic disorder to autoimmune disease. He himself has set numerous world records with these techniques and has had some rather amazing results with his clients. Hof is not only a vigorous and enthusiastic teacher but his claims have been studied scientifically with very positive results.

This series is definitely worth a look-see.