a day ago
- Health
- Wall Street Journal
‘What Doesn't Kill Us' Review: Freeze Your Enthusiasm
In 2017 the investigative journalist Scott Carney wrote 'What Doesn't Kill Us.' The book featured Wim Hof, an unorthodox health trainer from Holland who could push people (including Mr. Carney) past previously unthinkable physical barriers.
The book became a bestseller and helped transform Mr. Hof into a celebrity, popularizing his training methods—particularly cold plunges, which involve immersing oneself in frigid water for a few minutes at a time. Capitalizing on the sales of 'What Doesn't Kill Us,' in 2020 Mr. Hof wrote his own book, which has been translated into multiple languages.
Never mind that Mr. Carney's book came with an ominous full-page disclaimer, warning that the practices described in the book 'are inherently dangerous and could result in grave harm or death.' It's tempting to dismiss the foreboding tone as a publicity stunt to juice sales. But since then, Mr. Carney tells us in a new edition of his book, he has 'collected more than thirty reports of people who have drowned while following Hof's example by practicing his breathwork techniques in water.'
In a 15-page afterword to the new edition, Mr. Carney tells us that Mr. Hof's representatives respond by insisting there are warnings—for instance, in the descriptions attached to Mr. Hof's demonstration videos on YouTube—against using his breathing techniques 'in a swimming pool, before going underwater, beneath the shower, or piloting any vehicle.' Mr. Carney isn't convinced, citing a video marketed by Mr. Hof in which he contradicts his own guidance. 'At the very least, the juxtaposition between the written warning and Hof's own words is confusing. At worst, it's a dramatic acknowledgment of the sort of negligence that could get someone killed.'
