Health

One daily habit may help you fight stress and think more clearly, study suggests

Published

3 weeks ago

March 19, 2026

One daily habit may help you fight stress and think more clearly, study suggests

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The practice of combining cold exposure and breathwork — known as the Wim Hof Method — has gained popularity as a wellness practice, with some research suggesting benefits for stress, energy and mental clarity, though evidence for treating chronic disease remains limited.

And now, a recent study published in the journal Nature appears to support the technique’s potential health benefits.

The research included more than 400 healthy adults averaging 37 years of age, who practiced either the Wim Hof Method (WHM) or mindfulness meditation daily for about one month.

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The WHM practitioners were split into in-person and at-home groups, where one did ice baths and the other took cold showers.

The participants reported their energy, mental clarity, and stress and anxiety levels. The researchers also measured heart rate, breathing and sleep.

Wim Hof, creator of the Wim Hof Method that combines cold exposure and breathwork, is pictured among icebergs on Iceland’s Diamond Beach. (Wim Hof Method)

Participants in the breathwork and cold group had greater improvements in energy, mental clarity and ability to handle stress, benefits that were most noticeable right after their daily practice.

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The study also found that meditation reduced stress early on, but the WHM showed gradual improvements in stress levels over a longer time period. Differences in sleep, cognition and heart health measures were more subtle.

The short 29-day study period could pose a limitation in measuring long-term impacts, the researchers acknowledged.

Wim Hof is pictured meditating in the snow in Switzerland. “I felt that this was going to make a huge difference in people,” he said of his method. (Wim Hof Method)

The participants also knew which group they were placed in, which could have influenced the self-reported results.

“I felt that this was going to make a huge difference in people,” Wim Hof told Fox News Digital. “I had a lot of anecdotal evidence, but that doesn’t make it scientific.”

What is the Wim Hof Method?

The Wim Hof Method is comprised of three pillars: cold, breathing and mindset.

“It is a combination of the three … and when they come together, they reinforce each other and become stronger,” he said. “Use the cold well, and you bring the immune system, the energy system and your cardiovascular system to an optimum [state].”

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Breathing has been shown to lower inflammation, which is the main driver of disease, according to Wim Hof. Research has also shown that a change in mindset can re-circuit the brain to handle stress more efficiently.

Lowering stress levels is crucial to improving health, he noted, as high cortisol (the body’s stress hormone) and inflammation are drivers of chronic disease.

Sunday Swim, a group practicing the Wim Hof Method, does a cold plunge on a Long Island beach. (Sunday Swim)

Lead study author Dr. Jemma King, of the University of Queensland School of Psychology in Australia, said she entered the world’s largest Wim Hof study with a “healthy dose of scientific skepticism.”

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“People are really anxious, people are really burnt out, and the world is very destabilized at the moment,” she told Fox News Digital. “People are increasingly dependent on healthcare systems, and profits keep growing and people keep getting sicker.”

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“We’re glued to screens; we’re reaching for pills every time life feels hard. And so we really wanted to [find out] — is there a better way?”

Sunday Swim founder Brendan Cooke assists participants with breathwork on a Long Island beach. (Sunday Swim)

Although meditation is an important tool for some, an alternative method that involves more activity may be a better option for those with “busy brains,” according to the researcher.

“You’re not sitting there just accepting energy,” she said. “You can actually face it head on, and you can overcome your aversion to the cold, which is very invigorating.”

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“If you choose to do small doses of the right kind of stress, it doesn’t break you down. It actually makes you stronger,” King added.

Scientifically, breathwork can help flush the brain of toxins, clearing mental fog while increasing levels of the beneficial chemicals adrenaline and dopamine, she noted.

Cold exposure may not be safe for everyone, especially those with certain cardiovascular conditions. (iStock)

“We also found something really shocking and unexpected: The people doing the Wim Hof Method became more willing to speak up at work,” King shared. “They were more likely to raise hard issues or have a voice or take interpersonal risks.”

“If you train yourself to step into the cold water every morning, you kind of override that voice that says, ‘Don’t do that,’” she added. “This bravery, this toughness that you train every morning, starts to show up everywhere else in your life.”

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Starting safely

For beginners, Hof recommends simply stepping into a cold shower at home, which activates the cardiovascular system and boosts energy.

“Take the cold shower, go into that breathing, and suddenly you’ll feel an innate power awakening,” he said. “That is the nervous system, and you have control over that.”

Cold exposure may not be safe for everyone, especially those with certain cardiovascular conditions, such as abnormal heart rhythms, heart disease or Raynaud’s syndrome, according to Harvard Health.

Those with underlying conditions should get a physician’s approval before embarking on a cold plunge or another mode of cold exposure therapy, experts advise.

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“[For those who] have conditions, I say start with breathing alone,” Hof recommended. “Breathing trains the nervous system like weightlifting trains the muscles.”

“Know that you are built to have willful control over your health, happiness and strength,” he added.

Angelica Stabile is a lifestyle reporter for Fox News Digital.

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Health

Americans wait overnight for access to free healthcare as costs soar ‘out of reach’

Published

3 hours ago

April 11, 2026

Press Room

Americans wait overnight for access to free healthcare as costs soar ‘out of reach’

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The Trump administration’s recent pullback on health insurance has left fewer Americans with coverage.

For the uninsured, being treated for certain conditions may be out of the question due to high costs.

This has led some Americans to wait multiple days, some even sleeping overnight in their cars, to seek free free healthcare from volunteer clinics like Remote Area Medical (RAM).

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The Tennessee-based nonprofit organization, founded in 1985, employs volunteer healthcare professionals to treat Americans without insurance at no cost.

In a recent episode of CBS News’ 60 Minutes, host Scott Pelley spoke with people waiting to be brought into the clinic.

Medical professionals from all around the U.S. volunteer their time at Remote Area Medical (RAM) clinics. (Remote Area Medical)

In February, Sandra Tallent drove 200 miles from Huntsville, Alabama, to RAM’s pop-up clinic in Knoxville, Tennessee, to have her teeth examined.

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She arrived at the clinic site at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday and spoke to Pelley from her car at 5 a.m. Friday, after sleeping for two nights in the parking lot.

Pelley asked, “If you didn’t have RAM, how would you get your teeth taken care of?” Tallent responded, “I wouldn’t.”

Some Americans have been waiting hours and even sleeping overnight in their cars to be seen by a doctor. (iStock)

Tallent was later seen by a dental expert and had dentures created in RAM’s 3D denture-printing lab.

Connor Gibson, a 22-year-old engineer, uses computer design to get the job done in just about an hour, according to the report. This is a process that can typically take weeks.

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“We see grown men cry sitting in the chair,” Gibson told 60 Minutes, describing what it’s like for patients to see themselves with a new set of teeth for the first time.

This includes Tallent, who looked in the mirror and smiled with tears in her eyes, expressing her gratitude.

Remote Area Medical clinic volunteers and patients are pictured at the center in Tennessee. RAM has recently expanded its services to include women’s health exams, general wellness check-ups and sports physicals. (Remote Area Medical)

In an interview with Fox News Digital, RAM CEO Chris Hall shared how their clinics pop up and move across the country to expand access for more Americans.

“All of our services are provided free of cost to patients on a first come, first serve basis,” he said. “And we do that through our team of dedicated volunteers and professionals that come from all around the county.”

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RAM provides cleanings, fillings and extractions, as well as comprehensive eye exams and access to an eyeglass lab that can manufacture eyewear and dentures, according to Hall.

About 60% of patients seek dental care, he said, and about 30% to 35% seek vision care.

RAM provides cleanings, fillings and extractions, as well as comprehensive eye exams and access to an eyeglass lab that can manufacture eyewear and dentures. (iStock)

RAM has recently expanded its services to include women’s health exams, general wellness check-ups and sports physicals.

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In 2008, RAM held about 10 to 12 events per year. Today, it has grown to 90 full-scale operations, with events happening nearly every weekend, Hall shared.

Hall said the demand for medical care has been consistent for the last 20 years. Even for some patients who have insurance, the out-of-pocket premiums and deductibles can be “out of reach.”

Chris Hall, CEO of Remote Area Medical, describes the operation as “inspiring, yet heartbreaking.” (Remote Area Medical)

“The communities that we go into, the patients who are coming through our door, these are working-class people,” Hall said.

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“Whether we’re doing events in rural Appalachia or downtown Los Angeles, the patients who are coming … they’re just isolated and do not get the care that they need,” he added.

Hall said he’s heard “heartbreaking” stories from patients who have put off medical care to keep the lights on in their homes and provide food for their families.

Angelica Stabile is a lifestyle reporter for Fox News Digital.

Health

Marriage status has surprising link to cancer risk, study suggests: ‘Clear signal’

Published

15 hours ago

April 11, 2026

Press Room

Marriage status has surprising link to cancer risk, study suggests: ‘Clear signal’

Marriage linked to lower cancer risk, study finds

Dr. Namrata Vijayvergia, a medical oncologist, shares insights into recent studies on health and lifestyle, explaining why marriage correlates with lower cancer risk due to better social support and healthy behaviors.

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Adults who never married are significantly more likely to develop cancer, according to new research from the University of Miami.

A large study of more than 4 million Americans across 12 states found that this increased risk spans nearly every major cancer type. It is especially true for preventable cancers, such as types caused by smoking and infection.

Men who never married were found to have a 70% higher likelihood of cancer than their married counterparts. For women, that gap was even wider, with never-married individuals facing an 85% higher risk.

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Previous research has linked marriage to better survival rates after a diagnosis, but this is one of the first studies to show that marital status could be a major indicator of whether a person will develop cancer in the first place.

“These findings suggest that social factors such as marital status may serve as important markers of cancer risk at the population level,” study co-author Paulo Pinheiro, a research professor of epidemiology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, said in a press release.

Adults who never married are significantly more likely to develop cancer, according to new research from the University of Miami. (Getty Images)

Between 2015 and 2022, the team examined cancer cases diagnosed at age 30 or older and compared the rates of various cancers to the marital status of participants. They then broke down the data by sex and race and adjusted for age.

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Adult men who were never married had approximately five times the rate of anal cancer compared to married men, the study found.

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Adult women who were never married had nearly three times the rate of cervical cancer compared to women who were or had been married.

“It’s a clear and powerful signal that some individuals are at a greater risk,” Frank Penedo, director of the Sylvester Survivorship and Supportive Care Institute at the University of Miami, said in the release.

For women, being married (and often, by extension, having children) was associated with lower risks of ovarian and endometrial cancers. (iStock)

For women, being married (and often, by extension, having children) was associated with lower risks of ovarian and endometrial cancers, likely due to hormonal and biological factors associated with pregnancy, according to the researchers.

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Experts stressed that these findings do not mean marriage alone can protect against cancer.

“It means that if you’re not married, you should be paying extra attention to cancer risk factors, getting any screenings you may need, and staying up to date on healthcare,” Penedo said.

Experts stressed that these findings do not mean marriage alone can protect against cancer. (iStock)

The researchers also hypothesized that people who smoke less, drink less and take better care of themselves may be more likely to get married, meaning other factors could influence the findings.

More research is needed to confirm the outcome, they noted.

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The study was published in the journal Cancer Research Communications.

Khloe Quill is a lifestyle production assistant with Fox News Digital. She and the lifestyle team cover a range of story topics including food and drink, travel, and health.