Welcome to the Dr. Gundry podcast, where Dr. Stephen Gundry shares his groundbreaking research from over 25 years of treating patients with diet and lifestyle changes alone.

Dr. Gundry and other wellness experts offer inspiring stories, the latest scientific advancements, and practical tips to empower you to take control of your health and live a long, happy life.

The benefits of cold plunging.

Oh my gosh, stress can be a good thing.

Nietzsche once said that that which doesn't kill us makes us stronger.

And that's the essence of what we're

delving into today. As I've discussed in the energy paradox, the amenities and comforts of modern

living, while soothing, may actually be at the heart of weakening our bodies. We've insulated

ourselves from the very environmental stresses that have historically kept

our ancestors robust and resilient. On episode 120 of the Dr. Gundry podcast, I actually

chatted with Wim Hof himself all about this. Now, Wimhoff has mastered the art of cold exposure.

Now, our skin, our largest external organ, is brimming with thermal and electroreceptors,

which are connected to our vascular and nervous systems.

By shunning the cold, we've actually neglected these receptors, and in turn, our vascular system

becomes understimulated. Having grown up in the Midwest and northern Midwest and Nebraska

and Wisconsin, and knowing these robust individuals, I can tell you that it was always talked about, that the

cold makes people hardy. And I have a number of my ancestors who lived well into their early

100s being exposed to cold. And so there's a lot of anecdotal evidence that cold exposure was really good for us.

So this lack of stimulation, this lack of stress really affects how we react to our environment.

Now, what about reproducing that stress with modern day technology,

like a cold shower or cold plunging? Now, when you step into a cold shower or hop into an

ice bath, you're exercising these millions of muscles in your blood vessels. They are actively contracting and actively

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