My Story

On the surface, 2019 and 2020 were disastrous years for me. Someone very close to me passed away suddenly, leaving me full of stress and grief. Then over the next few months, I suffered with increasingly painful mouth sores that made it difficult to eat. Then my joints started hurting, and with every day that passed I gained new aches and pains. I slept a lot, I lost weight, and I was exhausted.

Desperate for a solution, I went through a revolving door of doctors and specialists. Finally, just as my symptoms were becoming unbearable, I received a diagnosis: Behcet’s Disease. A rare disorder that causes inflammation of blood vessels and turns the body’s immune system against itself. That wasn’t good, but at least I finally knew what was happening.

I was prescribed immunosuppressant drugs, harsh compounds usually reserved to stop the body from rejecting organ transplants. And they worked! My mouth sores were reduced and I was able to eat properly again. The joint pain faded, my energy levels increased, and my life got back to something resembling normal. But there was one problem: I effectively had no immune system.

This was all happening during the pandemic, so I had to be extra cautious. But I was healthier than I had been in a long time, so I carried on. Fast forward a few months and I was in the hospital, a bacterial infection running rampant through my system. For a while, lying in that hospital, I honestly thought I would die.

But I didn’t. In a few weeks, the bacteria was brought under control and finally defeated. The experience left me shaken, but I had done a lot of thinking. I knew I needed to find a way to get off the medication, and when I got home I was singularly focused on that goal. I spoke often with my doctor, made radical changes to my diet, and started meditating.

Then I discovered Wim Hoff. His story resonated deeply with me, and I started doing breath work and taking cold showers. Over time I moved on to cold plunging in my bathtub, and I started feeling better than ever. Eventually my doctor agreed that I could try going off my medication. I’m happy to say that I’ve never taken it since, and today I remain healthy and symptom free.

I’m convinced that cold plunging played a crucial part in my recovery, and that led me to found North Plunge. I want to bring the incredible power of cold water therapy to as many people as possible. But without all the hassle of constantly buying ice, wasting water, and the inconvenience that comes with DIY solutions.

I hope you’ll join me on this incredible journey and Embrace the Cold.

 

- Seamus Lynch, Founder