Effects of Cold Exposure and Breathing Techniques on Immune Response (EXPOCOL)
Cold Exposure, Hyperventilation, Inflammation
About this trial
This is an interventional basic science trial for Cold Exposure
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- Written informed consent
- Male
- Healthy
Exclusion Criteria:
- Prior experience with any of the elements of the intervention developed by Hof
- Prior experience with other breathing, meditation, or cold exposure techniques
- Prior experience with mindfulness or yoga
- Prior experience with exposure to cold showers
- Frequent visits to sauna facilities (more than 1/month)
- Use of any medication
- Smoking
- History of asthma
- History of porphyria
- Previous spontaneous vagal collapse
- History of atrial or ventricular arrhythmia
- (Family) history of myocardial infarction or stroke under the age of 65 years
- Cardiac conduction abnormalities on the ECG consisting of a 2nd degree atrioventricular block or a complex bundle branch block
- Hypertension (defined as RR systolic > 160 or RR diastolic > 90)
- Hypotension (defined as RR systolic < 100 or RR diastolic < 50)
- Renal impairment (defined as plasma creatinin >120 μmol/l)
- Liver enzyme abnormalities
- Medical history of any disease associated with immune deficiency
- CRP > 20 mg/L, WBC > 12x109/L, or clinically significant acute illness, including infections, within
- 4 weeks before endotoxin administration
- Participation in a drug trial or donation of blood 3 months prior to the LPS challenge
- Use of recreational drugs within 7 days prior to endotoxemia experiment day
- Recent hospital admission or surgery with general anaesthesia (<3 months)
Sites / Locations
- Radboud University Medical Centre, Intensive Care
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Arm 3
Arm 4
Experimental
Experimental
Experimental
No Intervention
Cold Exposure
Strength Ventilation
Cold Exposure and Strength Ventilation
Control group
A group of subjects (n=12) that will receive an extensive course in cold exposure similar in length to our previous study (total of 10 days) before the endotoxemia experiment.
A group of subjects (n=12) that will be trained in the strength ventilation breathing technique before the endotoxemia experiment.
A group of subjects (n=12) that will receive both the cold exposure course (same as the STV group) as well as the training in the strength ventilation breathing technique (same as the CEX group) before the endotoxemia experiment.
A group of subjects (n=12) that will receive no training and will not be exposed to cold before the endotoxemia experiment.