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The health benefits of the infrared sauna
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Hyperthermic Detoxification Therapy Using the Far Infrared Sauna |
Cline
Medical Center
Nanaimo, British Columbia
Canada
HYPERTHERMIC DETOXIFICATION THERAPY USING THE FAR INFRARED SAUNA
Introduction
Saunas and steam baths have been used for centuries by cultures around the world to bring about detoxification. Traditionally, saunas have been used to improve mental clarity, to diminish pain and promote longevity. In the past few years, hyperthermic (sweat) therapy has been studied quite extensively and several papers on this subject have appeared in the scientific literature. Through this research, it has been shown that saunas greatly assist in the elimination of accumulated toxins. Toxic metals, including mercury as well as organic toxins such as PCB's and pesticide residues, are excreted in high quantities in the sweat during properly conducted hyperthermic therapy sessions.
Heat causes toxins to be released from cells. The toxic molecules will then reside transiently in the lymph fluid. Since sweat is manufactured from the lymph fluid, toxins present in the lymph fluid will exit the body through the sweat. Because the liver and kidneys are not required for this process, these organs are largely unburdened by hyperthermic therapy and toxins are able to leave the body even when liver or kidney function is impaired. This may be a distinct advantage for chronically ill patients whose livers and kidneys may already be under toxic stress.
OTHER ADVANTAGES OF HYPERTHERMIA IN THE CHRONICALLY ILL PATIENT
Hyperthermic therapy also is one of the few things, which brings about a significant rise in the level of growth hormone, an important hormone that helps to maintain lean body tissue, including muscle.
For the chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia (FMS) patient, hyperthermic therapy helps to restore normal autonomic nervous system functioning. This is the part of the nervous system, which governs unconscious functions such as muscle tension, sweating, blood pressure, digestion and balance. Autonomic dysregulation is the term used to describe changes in the nervous system, which result in many of the symptoms of chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia (FMS) . Muscle pain, excessive body odor, digestive complaints, visual disturbances and dizziness are some of the many manifestations of autonomic dysregulation. Repeated sessions of hyperthermic therapy can greatly assist in the restoration of normal autonomic nervous system functioning.
ADVANTAGES OF THE FAR INFRARED SAUNA
Many people with chronic
illnesses find the high temperatures inside a regular sauna or steam
room intolerable. In these traditional systems, the inside of the body
is heated completely from the surface of the skin. Even though you feel
very hot in these units, the heating is quite shallow - only a few millimetres
below the skin. In the far infrared sauna, invisible light rays emanate
from several infrared emitters. This infrared light penetrates deep
into the fat and muscles of the body, creating a more powerful detoxifying
influence upon the deeper tissues of the body. As well, since the air
temperature remains much lower than in a traditional sauna, the individual
feels more comfortable. Sweating often begins before the person feels
very hot at all and the sweating is more profuse than in a traditional
sauna.
Finally, unlike traditional saunas or steam baths, which can often leave
a person feeling exhausted, the far infrared sauna is usually quite
energizing. Many people actually use these before going to work in the
morning, something that one would never do with a traditional sauna.
Research conducted largely in Japan suggests that the far infrared sauna
has a wider range of therapeutic effects than traditional saunas or
steam baths, especially for detoxification.
Excerpted
from:
Sick and Tired? Reclaim Your Inner Terrain
by Robert O. Young, PhD.DSc.1999
Because of the level of pollution we are exposed to and its many sources, as well as poor dietary and exercise habits, the therapeutic value of regular sweating has become immense. It has benefits for both body and mind and, in fact, is the primary benefit of exercise.
One of the best passive exercises is the radiant heat of an infrared sauna which, causes a profound deep sweat. After about 30 minutes of exposure, the blood vessels of the skin dilate to allow more blood to flow to the surface to support the cooling process. The millions of sweat glands covering the body are infused with fluid from the blood. In turn, they empty to the skin's surface, thereby flushing large amounts of toxins, including toxic acids and heavy metals, from the body.
My research over the last two years shows that a radiant heat (infrared) sauna provides the following benefits:
-Speeds up metabolic processes of vital organs and glands, including endocrine glands.
-Inhibits the development of pleomorphic microforms and creates a "fever reaction" of rising temperature that neutralizes them.
-Increases the number of leukocytes in the blood.
-Places demand on the heart to work harder thus, exercising it and also producing a drop in diastolic blood pressure (the low side).
-Stimulates dilation of peripheral blood vessels thus, relieving pain (including muscle pain) and speeding the healing of sprain, strain, bursitus, arthritis, and peripheral vascular disease symptoms.
-Promotes relaxation thereby creating a feeling of well-being.
For those who are unable to exercise sufficiently, for whatever reason, the radiant heat infrared sauna is an excellent way to get the benefits of exercise without undue stress on the skeleton, muscles, and associated tissues. Such people have an even greater need for exercise and the sauna fills the bill.
TITLE : Electromagnetic Wave Emitting Products - Potentiate Human Leukocyte Functions AUTHOR : Niwa Y; Iizawa O; Ishimoto K SOURCE : Int. J. Biometeorol 1993 Sept; 37(3):133-8
In their abstract, the authors conclude that materials which emit electro-magnetic
radiation in the far infrared region, "…significantly increased
intracellular calcium ion concentration, phagocytosis…and the blastogenetic
response of lymphocytes to mitogens. The results suggest that materials
emitting electromagnetic radiation in the far infrared range, which
are widely used in Japan for cosmetic, therapeutic, and preservative
purposes, appear capable of potentiating leukocyte functions without
promoting oxidative injury."
As your body increases
sweat production to cool itself, your heart works harder pumping blood
at a greater rate to boost circulation, supplying the conditioning benefits
of continuous exercise. Heart rate, cardiac output and metabolic rate
increase, while diastolic blood pressure drops, for improved overall
cardiovascular fitness.
As reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA),
August 7, 1981
"A moderately conditioned person can easily sweat off 500 gms.
in a sauna, consuming nearly 300 kcal - the equivalent of running 2
- 3 miles. A heat-conditioned person can easily sweat off 600 - 800
kcal with no adverse effects. While the weight of the water loss can
be regained by rehydration with water, the calories consumed will not
be." Since an infrared sauna helps generate two to three times
the sweat produced in a hot-air sauna, the implications for increased
caloric consumption are quite impressive.
In Guyton's Textbook of Medical Physiology, we find that producing one gram of sweat requires 0.586 kcal.
Burns 600 or more calories in just one 30-minute session!
Calories a 150-pound person normally burns up in 30-minutes of exercise:
|
SPORT |
CALORIES |
| Marathon Running | 593 |
| Vigorous Racquet Ball | 510 |
| Swimming (crawl stroke) | 300 |
| Jogging | 300 |
| Tennis (fast game) | 265 |
| Cycling (10 mph) | 225 |
| Golfing (without a cart) | 150 |
| Walking (3.5 mph) | 150 |
| Bowling | 120 |
The JAMA citation referred to above goes
on to state that,
"Many of us who run do so to place a demand on our
cardiovascular system, not to build big leg muscles. Regular
use of a sauna may impart a similar stress on the cardiovascular
system, and its regular use may be as effective, as a means
of cardiovascular conditioning and burning of calories,
as regular exercise."
As a confirmation of the validity of this form of cardiovascular
conditioning, extensive research by NASA in the early 1980's
led to the conclusion that, infrared stimulation of cardiovascular
function would be the ideal way to maintain cardiovascular
conditioning in American astronauts during long space flights.
A Soft Heat ® infrared sauna can therefore, play a pivotal role in both weight control and cardiovascular conditioning. This would be most valuable for those who don't exercise and those who can't exercise yet want an effective weight control and fitness maintenance program. This also allows for more variety in any ongoing training program.
Some weight loss authorities believe that our bodies use fat to dilute toxins. As an infrared sauna is an unsurpassed expeller of toxins, it is also a great way to get rid of any fat our bodies are using to dilute toxins we are storing.
Repeated Sauna Treatment Improves Vascular Endothelial
and Cardiac Function in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure
Kihara T, Biro S, Imamura M, et al
Journal of the American College of Cardiology
March 6, 2002 (Volume 39, Number 5)
Rationale and Design
This group previously showed that thermal therapy by dry
sauna improved clinical variables and cardiac output in
congestive heart failure (CHF) patients. In the current
study, the investigators sought to determine the mechanisms
of this improvement and the effects of thermal therapy on
endothelial function.
Twenty patients with CHF class II or III and mean age 62
± 15 years were studied. The mean ejection fraction
was 38 ± 14%. The patients were placed supine in
a 60-degree C infrared-ray dry sauna for 15 minutes and
then removed and kept at bed rest with a blanket for an
additional 30 minutes. Sauna therapy was performed once
a day 5 days a week for 2 weeks.
Symptoms were evaluated with a self-administered questionnaire,
and patients were divided based on their responses of improved
or no change. Fasting blood was obtained to evaluate neurohumeral
factors, atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), brain natriuretic
peptide (BNP), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF). Endothelial
function was evaluated using a noninvasive ultrasound method
to determine hyperemic response in the right arm and response
to sublingual nitroglycerin.
Results
All enrolled patients completed the study. Clinical symptoms
improved in 17 of 20 patients and were unchanged in 3. Two-week
sauna therapy significantly increased the %FMD (flow-mediated
dilation) in the improved group but not in the unchanged
group. BNP concentrations were lower after 2 weeks of therapy
but ANP and catecholamine levels were unchanged. The left
ventricular end-diastolic dimension decreased significantly
compared with baseline. There was a significant correlation
between the change in %FMD and the improvement in BNP (P
< .0005).
Editor's Comment
It is known that CHF patients have impaired endothelial-dependent vasodilatation and the proposed mechanism for this is decreased peripheral vascular production of endothelium-derived nitric oxide. Endothelial function in CHF can be improved with ACE inhibitors, physical training, and vitamin C. This study showed that 2 weeks of sauna therapy also improved endothelial function and decreased the BNP. BNP levels are an important marker of cardiac status and prognosis in heart failure, as highlighted by several recent studies. The sauna therapy also reduced systolic blood pressure. The precise mechanism by which sauna therapy improves CHF is not clear from this study, but the authors hypothesize that sauna therapy acutely causes vasodilatation, which leads to upregulation of eNOS protein in the endothelium. Clinically, it is worth commenting that sauna therapy may be widely applicable to CHF patients and could also be used in patients incapable of exercise.
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