THE SAUNA EFFECT

Suzin Stockton
 

Because of the heat they produce, saunas help your body perspire, thus promoting elimination of stored toxins through the skin, one of the major organs of elimination. Releasing toxins through sweat also helps take the toxic load off the kidneys and liver, enabling them to function more efficiently.

According to detoxification expert, Sherry A. Rogers, MD, “A sauna program is the only known way of getting rid of twentieth century man-made chemicals”1 such as PCBs, dioxins, pesticides and phthalates (plasticizers). PCBs, one of the most potent causes of cancer known, are persistent environmental poisons, which are present in 100% of humans, according to EPA studies.2 The sauna, as a form of “sweat (hyperthermic) therapy,” not only releases toxins from your body, but also relaxes your muscles by aiding the autonomic nervous system, which governs muscle tension, as well as perspiration, blood pressure, digestion and balance. Raising the core temperature of your body through the hyperthermic effect can help normalize all of these functions and has also been shown to have a favorable impact upon the immune system.

As Dr. Rogers points out, saunas have helped detoxify people who have had significant toxic exposure: drug addicts, fire fighters, Viet Nam veterans (exposed to Agent Orange), farmers, and pesticide pilots, to name a few.  Saunas are also an excellent detoxification aid for people with multiple chemical sensitivities and others with “incurable” symptoms.

The downside of the conventional sauna is that some people cannot tolerate high heat, especially heart patients and those whose nervous systems have been damaged from toxic exposure. The dilemma here is that those patients most in need of the sauna due to heavy toxic accumulation are apt to be the least able to tolerate the heat produced by ordinary saunas. There is, fortunately, a solution: the infrared sauna.

In recent years, infrared saunas have been widely used for their superior therapeutic effect. Infrared heat is radiant heat. It heats objects directly without heating the air in between. In the infrared sauna, only 20% of the infrared energy heats the air; the other 80% is directly converted to heat within the body. The result is that the body perspires more quickly at lower temperatures than in a conventional sauna. The heat also penetrates more deeply, although without the discomfort and draining effect often experienced in a conventionally heated sauna. An infrared sauna produces two to three times more sweat volume, and because of the lower temperatures used (110-130 degrees, as opposed to 180 to 235 degrees in a conventional sauna), it is considered safer for those at cardiovascular risk. 

People suffering from sports injuries, arthritis, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, as well as other painful conditions, have successfully used infrared saunas. These saunas accelerate the removal of toxic metals, as well as chemicals like those mentioned above, which are stored in the fatty tissues of the body and are not easily dislodged. 

The heat produced in infrared saunas is extremely beneficial for those suffering from such skin conditions as acne, eczema, psoriasis and cellulite. The sweating caused by deep heat helps eliminate dead skin cells, and improves skin tone and elasticity. Weight loss is facilitated through use of an infrared sauna – probably due to the increase in growth hormone that it produces. It has been calculated that one can burn 600 calories in 30 minutes in an infrared sauna. Health benefits can certainly be obtained in a conventional sauna as well, but the infrared sauna has a greater range of therapeutic efficiency, especially for detoxification. The infrared sauna actually has an energizing effect on users, making them feel good as toxins are eliminated.