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An integrative Method

An integrative method two million years in the making

The world in which our ancestors evolved is very different from the one we know today. For hundreds of thousands of years, are ancestors died of infections, cold, starvation, dehydration, and violence. Those who survived were not only resilient to those mortal challenges but were even able to procreate.

Who were those survivors, who lived in nature, and then created culture?

Although difficult to imagine, those survivors are the people of today’s ancestors, and we live in a world created by them. They took us out of nature but were not able to take nature out of us.

Today modern life has brought us food security, constant water supply, warmth and cooling installations, and even digital communication. And not far from now we will probably make trips to the moon.

These progressions are all part of the current Anthropocene in which we live, and thanks to evolution we evolved as intelligent creatures and managed to eliminate most of those ancient factors which killed us.

Nevertheless, progress also came with some negative secondary effects. Air pollution, poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, and sleep deficiencies are all consequences of a world created by humanity itself. Our modern brain is clearly responsible for all these creative inventions, but the fact is that that brain did not ask our immune system if it agreed with the speed of change.

The speed overrode our adaptive capacity and hence today we suffer from more chronic diseases than ever in human history. IL is the ideal antidote against the negative effects of modern life!  But don’t worry, there is no need to become a caveman again…

Taking back control of our health

The common opinion is that we are genetically no different from ancient hunter-gatherers. Could it be that the 0.1% of our genes which changed didn’t have an impact on our physiology, neurology, psychology, or immunology?

0.1% of our estimated 22.000 genes means a significant change of 22 genes! Our genome differs less from the Neanderthals genome than the one between ice bears and brown bears. Nevertheless, we look different, behave different, eat different and even move different than Neanderthals.

So yes, we are a new species, but perhaps not the one we would like to be. Homo sapiens has become fragile due to modern life, and modern life is the only reason why we suffer from illnesses which 300 years ago only were sporadic. We will never return to a life without comfort, food security and digital communication, yet we want to live long and healthy!

The answer to these seemingly contradictory demands is intermittent living. The combination of living ancestral challenges in a modern natural environment doesn’t only make you resilient it also helps you to enjoy the moments when you don’t do anything, you can be comfortably lazy without sense of guilt. 

Acute cold, heat, hunger, thirst, and even short oxygen deficiency activates a program that not only protects against these challenges themselves, but also against infections, cancer, and many other chronic diseases.

Our mision

To facilitate wellness, boost recovery, and inspire all humans to adapt and self-manage in the face of social, physical, and emotional challenges.

Our vision

To reverse the burden of the major epidemics of the modern era by promoting a proactive, rather than reactive, approach to health.
Intermittent Living Institute
Dr. Leo Pruimboom

Intermittent Living Institute

We aim to empower everyone to take control of their health.

The International Institute of Intermittent Living offers training programs centered on a group of practical health-enhancing strategies collectively known as Intermittent Living.

Grounded in the principles of psychoneuroimmunology, this research-backed strategy resets physical, psychological and social health, both in healthy individuals and those with a range of pathologies.

Action lines

  • Intermittent Living Academy: for health professionals who want to become an Intermittent Living coach or mentor, to help others reset their health. Learn more!

  • Intermittent Living Boost: for anyone who wants to take part in the Intermittent Living program and experience a week-long health reset. Take part!

  • Intermittent Living Research: for health professionals and researchers who want to contribute to the growing body of knowledge on the benefits of Intermittent Living. Contact us!

Organization

Director

    • Dr. Leo Pruimboom 

Scientific Committee

    • Dr. Leo Pruimboom
    • Dr. Bernardo Ortin 
    • Dr. Frits Muskiet
    • Dr. Marion Raab
Dr. Leo Pruimboom
Dr. Leo Pruimboom

Dr. Leo Pruimboom is the founder of the intermittent living concept and clinical psychoneuroimmunology, a translational medical discipline that studies the interaction between the neurological, endocrine, immune and metabolic systems, and their role in our health and wellbeing.

A biochemist by training, he has dedicated his career to developing medical protocols that not only treat the symptoms of diseases, but also address their underlying physiological, social and ecological causes. He trains medical and paramedical professionals in this integrative approach at the Pruimboom Institute, which he heads up as Founder and CEO.

Recognizing a need to bring these concepts to the general population, Dr. Pruimboom created Intermittent Living: a series of practical strategies that rebalance health and promote wellness. He has published several scientific papers on its benefits in both healthy individuals and those with various pathologies.

Pruimboom Institute
Pruimboom Foundation