DETROIT -Wayne State University is hosting a special seminar with internationally renowned Dutch adventurer, Wim Hof, on Wednesday, February 8, 2017 at 4:00 p.m. The seminar will be held at the Margherio Family Conference Center at Wayne State's School of Medicine, located at 320 E. Canfield Street, Detroit. The seminar is free; registration is requested. To register, visit https://rsvp.wayne.edu/feb-8-2017-som-seminar.

Wim Hof holds multiple records for endurance and resilience in particular for withstanding extreme temperatures with minimal protection. For his abilities, he has come to be referred to as "The Iceman." In addition to his numerous outdoor exploits, Hof has demonstrated endurance for prolonged exposure to ice baths in experimentally controlled settings. His ability to exercise conscious control of his body's autonomous systems is based on a combination of breathing and meditative techniques that allow him to voluntarily alter his physiology to adapt to environmental stress.

Hof's physiology has been studied extensively, as have been the effects of his techniques in increasing anti-inflammatory mediators in trained volunteers.

"Wim Hof is one of the more significant figures in international science and medicine today, despite not being a scientist or physician," said Vaibhav A. Diwadkar, Ph.D., professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences in Wayne State's School of Medicine. "He is the perfect intersection of science, medicine and popular culture. His ability to withstand cold  which has been documented in numerous records, is now being systematically studied by leading scientists at a number of universities including Nijmagen (Netherlands), Hanover (Germany), Stanford, and now Wayne State University."

His visit and presentation are sponsored by Professor Otto Muzik of Wayne State's Departments of Neurology, Radiology and Pediatrics, and Diwadkar with whom he is collaborating on fMRI and PET studies of thermoregulatory defense.

The seminar will be followed by a Q & A session.