SAUNA THERAPY BENEFITS

Heat exposure is not a new discovery.  Its benefits of cleansing, recovery, and purification have been recognized for thousands of years and used by many cultures. For the purposes of this article and for familiarity’s sake, we’re going to refer to a specific type of heat exposure: sauna use. The sauna is technically short exposure to high heat that results in hyperthermia. And hyperthermia is just an increase in your body’s core temperature, so don’t be alarmed!
People use saunas for a variety of reasons, but a few of the most common are: increasing blood flow to sore muscles/joints via blood vessel dilation and the delivery of nutrients, stress reduction/relaxation, and for deep sweating to purify, cleanse, and detox the body.


I wanted to write this for two reasons:
I am constantly amazed in the many ways we can naturally recover better, heal faster from disease and potentially increase longevity.
My personal journey using Sauna as one of the natural therapies has been very helpful recovering from Congenital Heart Disease, Surgeries and Stress reduction.


Read more about my Health Recovery Story here.


Before you read the benefits I want to state one thing:


A daily sweat is one of the best things you can do to stay healthy and to detoxify.


Cardiovascular Health
One of the most profound and proven sauna health benefits is for cardiovascular health.
In 1981, the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported that regular sauna use “may be as effective as a means of cardiovascular conditioning and burning calories as regular exercise.”19
In addition, a large, prospective study conducted in Finland showed saunas to be beneficial for preventing cardiovascular deaths.
In the study, compared to men who never use the sauna, frequent sauna users (4-7 times per week) were 50% less likely to die from cardiovascular-related causes.20


Immunity
The heat from an infrared sauna increases your body's production of white blood cells—your immune system's first line of defense when infection strikes.
As mentioned above, strong heat raises your core body temperature, inducing an artificial fever.
Fever is the body’s natural mechanism to strengthen and accelerate the immune response, so it can take the appropriate action against infectious agents, including viruses and bacteria.
The rise in body temperature also makes the body a less favorable host to viruses and bacteria, which are temperature sensitive. In studies, heat has been shown to destroy harmful germs and bacteria.3
A 1% increase in body temperature results in a 40% increase in immunity, according to Nobuhiro Yoshimizu, MD, PhD.4
 
Additionally, the heat shock proteins that are produced during infrared sauna use have also been found to improve the immune system.5
And check out this Austrian study published in the Annals of Medicine: it showed that those who regularly used saunas had 30% less chance of getting a cold or the flu than those who didn't use saunas.6

Mental Health / Anxiety / Depression

Saunas can really help people that struggle with depression. Lots of research shows that they can make you feel euphoric. Saunas are somewhat stressful on the body, so your brain produces and releases more euphoric hormones to deal with it (21-22). And these changes appear to be semi-permanent (23).  So if you use a sauna regularly, you'll end up being consistently happy.  Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman, MD, has completed two studies in which he had people with major depression sit in an infrared sauna.

In his first study, the participants had just one infrared sauna treatment and it reduced their symptoms by about 50%. In his follow-up study, he found that a single session caused a rapid and powerful antidepressant effect, and the benefits continued for six weeks, which was unexpected.  He concluded that whole-body hyperthermia holds promise as a safe, rapid-acting, antidepressant treatment with a prolonged therapeutic benefit (24-25). Not surprisingly, saunas can also reduce stress and anxiety. Several studies have shown that regular sauna use lowers levels of cortisol, your body’s main stress hormone (26-27).  In one study, researchers found that using a sauna can reduce both state and trait anxiety (28). And other research shows that sweating increases relaxation, and reduces feelings of frustration and anxiety (29). 

 

Detoxification
In today’s world, your immune system is always up against an abundance of toxins—pesticides, toxic metals, environmental pollution, GMOs, and more. It’s impossible to avoid ALL toxins.
But you can help your body get rid of them.
Besides your Kidneys and Gut, the skin is a major elimination system and Sweat is one of the major elimination channels for toxins. Many doctors recommend saunas for supporting your body's natural detoxification systems. 

Lack of sweating may actually result in increased toxic load over time, which can negatively affect your brain and mental health.
Research shows that mercury poisoning from dental amalgam affects the mind and emotions and plays a role in the development of mental illness (30). 
But by sweating frequently in a sauna, you can enhance your detoxification pathways and help your body remove mercury (31, 32). 
In fact, studies show that high mercury levels can be reduced to normal levels by using a sauna repeatedly (33). 
Researchers have concluded that “sweat-inducing sauna use can provide a therapeutic method to increase elimination of toxic trace metals and should be the initial and preferred treatment of patients with elevated mercury levels” (38). 


Weight Loss
Can you enhance your weight loss efforts by sitting in a sauna? Signs point to yes.
You can burn up to 600 calories in one 30-minute sauna session, according to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.1
Saunas heat your core body temperature, increasing your blood flow and heart rate (much like exercise)—which has been shown to help you lose weight.
Research conducted by Binghamton University found that, on average, participants who spent a 45-minute session in an infrared sauna 3 times a week lost 4% body fat in 16 weeks.


Longevity
In a study of 2,315 Finnish men, those who used the sauna 4 to 7 times per week had a 40% reduction in mortality from all causes.7
Another thing: the heat causes activity in the FOXO3 gene, which is a master regulator gene—and is linked to longevity. 8,9
"FOXO3 affects the immune function, DNA repair, alleviating pain, and STEM CELL activation!8,9,10,11
Toxicologists have shown that sweating is a major method of excreting pesticides12 and toxic metals,13 including cadmium, lead, and aluminum. 
Studies have also shown that saunas can help rid the body of Bisphenol A (BPA).14 Additionally, sauna therapy has proven to be useful for people with mold exposure and mycotoxins.15 
Detoxing into your muscle and fat, allowing your body to flush out more fat-soluble toxins, heavy metals, and other harmful substances.


Pain & Inflammation
Many sauna users report that their muscles and pain felt better, even after one sauna session.
A study conducted by the Department of Dermatology and Institute of Medical Research showed that near-infrared heat therapy helped 2 key factors in easing pain—alleviating inflammation and reducing swelling.16
And, notably, a Japanese study showed that chronic pain patients experienced a nearly 70% reduction in pain after the first session of infrared sauna therapy.17


Beauty
Using a sauna regularly can improve the look and texture of your skin.
Far infrared wavelengths have been shown to impact two essential ingredients to healthy skin—increasing the production of collagen (making the skin more supple) and elastic (making it more flexible).18
Far infrared wavelengths also improve the delivery of nutrients to the skin by increasing blood flow.


Saunas may be able to help:

  • Purify skin
  • Reduce wrinkles
  • Improve stretch marks and cellulite
  • Treat and prevent acne and blackheads

Check our Infrared Sauna Blanket that was designed specifically with EMF Safety as our vision. It has many advantages as no other sauna because you can lay down, while meditation or relaxing, breathing fresh air instead of feeling suffocated and you can bring it with you every where while you travel and use it anywhere.
   

Shop For our Infrared Sauna ZERO-EMF Sauna Blanket here.


References:

    1. W. Dean. Effect of Sweating. (1981). Journal of the American Medical Association. 246: 623. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/360118
    2. https://infraredsauna.com/weightlossstudy.pdf
    3. Soszyński, Dariusz. (2003). The pathogenesis and adaptive value of fever. Postȩpy higieny i medycyny doświadczalnej. 57. 531-54. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14737969
    4. Yoshimizu, Nakamachi Nobuhiro, M.D., Ph.D. The Fourth Treatment for Medical Refugees. https://www.bio-mats.com/infrared/the-fourth-treatment-for-medical-refugees
    5. Multhoff, G. (2006) Heat Shock Proteins in Immunity. In: Starke K., Gaestel M. (eds) Molecular Chaperones in Health and Disease. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, vol 172. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16610364
    6. E. Ernst, E. et al. (1990) Regular Sauna Bathing and the Incidence of Common Colds. Annals of Medicine, 22:4, 225-227. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2248758
    7. Laukkanen, Tanjaniina, et al. (April 2015). Association Between Sauna Bathing and Fatal Cardiovascular and All-Cause Mortality Events. JAMA Internal Medicine175, no. 4: 542. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25705824
    8. Flachsbart, F. et al. Association of FOXO3A variation with human longevity confirmed in German centenarians. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Feb 2009, pnas.0809594106. https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2009/02/05/0809594106
    9. Willcox, B et al. FOXO3A genotype is strongly associated with human longevity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Sep 2008. https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2008/09/02/0801030105
    10. Tsai, W. >et al.(2008). Functional interaction between FOXO3a and ATM regulates DNA damage response. Nat Cell Biol 10, 460–467, 2008. https://www.nature.com/articles/ncb1709
    11. Masuda A, et al. (2205). The effects of repeated thermal therapy for patients with chronic pain. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. 2005 ;74(5):288-294. https://europepmc.org/abstract/med/16088266
    12. Stephen J. Genuis, et al. (2016). Human Elimination of Organochlorine Pesticides: Blood, Urine, and Sweat Study. BioMed Research International, vol. 2016, Article ID 1624643, 10 pages. https://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2016/1624643 
    13. Genuis, S.J.,et al. (2011). Blood, urine, and sweat (BUS) study: monitoring and elimination of bioaccumulated toxic elements. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 61: 344–357. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21057782
    14. Genuis, Stephen J et al. (2012). Human excretion of bisphenol A: blood, urine, and sweat (BUS) study. Journal of environmental and public healthvol. 2012 (2012): 185731. https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jeph/2012/185731
    15. Rea, W.J. (2018). A large case-series of successful treatment of patients exposed to mold and mycotoxin. Clin Ther. 2018; 40: 889–893. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29861191
    16. LLidija Kandolf-Sekulovic, et al. (2003). Immunomodulatory Effects of Low-Intensity Near-Infrared Laser Irradiation on Contact Hypersensitivity Reaction. Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed 2003; 19: pp 203–212, Blackwell Munksgaard. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12925192
    17. Matsushita K, et al. (2008). Internal Medicine (Tokyo) Aug 15, 2008. The First Department of Internal Medicine, Kagoshima University Hospital, Kagoshima, Japan. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18703857
    18. Lee, Ju Hee et al. (2006). “Effects of infrared radiation on skin photo-aging and pigmentation.” Yonsei Medical Journal vol. 47,4 2006: 485-90. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2687728
    19. W. Dean. Effect of Sweating. (1981). Journal of the American Medical Association. 246: 623. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/360118
    20. Setor K. K., et al. (2018). Sauna bathing reduces the risk of stroke in Finnish men and women. Neurology. May 2018, 90 (22) e1937-e1944; https://n.neurology.org/content/90/22/e1937
    21. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2759081
    22. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3218898/
    23. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9103537/
    24. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27172277/
    25. https://blogs.webmd.com/from-our-archives/20160707/can-sitting-in-a-sauna-ease-depression
    26. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3788622
    27. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2759081/
    28. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18396259/
    29. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1744388107000850
    30. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2618948
    31. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22315626/
    32. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3312275/
    33. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3218899/