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Saunas are relaxing, rejuvenating and can even feel indulgent. They are a pleasant way to enhance health. “Why Infrared?” According to Dr. Frank Lipman, “Because its radiant heat is known to penetrate the skin more deeply than traditional saunas, better aiding in a number of restorative body processes.” No one is immune to toxins in this day and age.
Even if you are doing everything right; exercising, eating organic, drinking plenty of water, and getting good quality sleep, our bodies are inundated daily with pollutants. Infrared sweat is 80% water & 20% toxins as opposed to sweat in a traditional sauna which is 97% water & 3% toxins. That’s almost 7 times the toxins secreted in one session.
Sweating is the body’s safe and natural way to heal and stay healthy. Far infrared sauna benefits the body by heating it directly causing a rise in core temperature resulting in a deep, detoxifying sweat at the cellular level. When you are relaxed, and sweating, it is then that your body is able to release toxins and heavy metals more productively.
According to Sauna Therapy, authored by Dr. Lawrence Wilson, an expert in detoxification, the deep penetration of infrared heat removes these neurotoxins, flushing them from the body more quickly and speeding the healing process. Detoxification directly through the skin also hastens the healing process by allowing neurotoxins to bypass the liver and kidneys, which become stressed by the overload of toxins. What’s more, infrared heat’s ability to increase blood circulation by penetrating deeper into the body’s joints, muscles and tissues allows more oxygen to reach injured areas of the body and reduces inflammation, helping to reduce pain associated with Lyme Disease.
Infrared Heat penetrates tissue, joints and muscles to relieve anything from minor aches and pains to chronic pain conditions, such as Fibromyalgia and Rheumatoid Arthritis, softening the connective tissue, making it less brittle and tight. Pain Management Professionals incorporate infrared heat therapy into treatment plans to decrease pain and muscle spasms and to speed up recovery time because the deep heat helps peripheral blood vessels dilate, bringing relief and healing to muscle and soft tissue injuries. Increased blood circulation carries off metabolic waste products and delivers oxygen-rich blood to muscles helping them to heal faster.
Soothing infrared heat penetrates into sore muscles and joints, increasing the flow of nutrients (glucose, amino acids, fatty acids, and oxygen) to the area while removing lactic acid and other metabolic byproducts.
The heat from the sauna also helps to reduce soreness and muscle spasms as joints and fibers are heated. Muscles relax most readily when tissues are warm for greater flexibility and range of motion. Infrared heat helps to relieve muscle tension and helps your body to perform more optimally when playing sports and exercising.
Feeling like you are on the verge of coming down with something? Head to the nearest infrared sauna as early as possible. The Infrared radiant heat will stimulate circulation, rev up the production of white blood cells and rally your immune system’s response to invaders. All of this makes your body a much less hospitable environment for germs to take hold and a great place for them to perish.
According to Mark Timmerman, M.D. of the North American Sauna Society, “During a sauna session, white blood cells increase in the bloodstream, suggesting an elevation of the body’s natural defense against Illness.”
In studies conducted by the British Medical Association, “It has become well known that people who take regular saunas (2-3 per week) reduce their incidence of colds and influenza by over 65%.”
Infrared helps to heal the epidermis and dermis layers of the skin and helps to stimulate collagen production to reduce wrinkles and improve overall skin tone. The increased circulation, elimination of toxins and flushing out of cellular debris enhances overall skin health, giving it a more radiant appearance. The Near Infrared heat promotes faster cell regeneration and human tissue growth which helps to repair wounds and prevent infection. Because the sweat carries toxins out of the body instead of via dead skin cells, it also is an effective solution to Psoriasis and Eczema.
Infrared Sauna Therapy induces a deep sweat, which in turn increases blood flow, lowers blood pressure and helps circulation which can all help to maintain a healthy blood pressure and a reduction of symptoms associated with higher than normal readings. Heating the muscles with Infrared heat produces an increase in blood flow similar to exercising. Regular infrared sauna use can significantly increase the blood flow up to twice the normal rate.
By taking the time (out) to decompress, in the gentle, soothing, and therapeutic heat that promotes relaxation and improved sleep, Infrared Sauna therapy helps you to relieve stress while receiving an invigorating deep tissue sweat, releasing cortisol and leaving you refreshed and rejuvenated after every session.
Between the Infrared rays and the Color Therapy lights, “Winter Blues” can be a thing of the past. 80% of people in the Northern Hemisphere experience this affliction due to the low level of light that we are exposed to during the Winter months. Doctors have found light therapy to be the most effective tool for SAD. A relaxing infrared sauna session raises your feel good hormones, in turn helping you to manage and elevate your moods more effectively.
Studies have shown the benefits of an Infrared Sauna Session can burn upwards of 300 – 600 calories (depending on length of session) while you are relaxing in sauna. While your body works to cool itself, there is a substantial increase in heart rate, cardiac output and metabolic rate, causing the body to burn more calories.
An Infrared Sauna session stimulates and increases the feel good neurotransmitters that due to environmental toxins, we all have too few of. Sweat induced from an infrared heat source is comprised of 20% toxins whereas sweat induced from traditional heating systems is comprised of 3% toxins. This is why it’s accurate to say infrared is 7x more detoxifying than traditional heat.
Exercise is a type of hormetic stress, as is cold stress and – you guessed it – heat stress. Sitting in a sauna creates heat stress, which causes the body to increase its production of heat shock proteins, which help repair damaged proteins and protect DNA.