My Prosperous World

Infrared ray saunas, it turns out, are very effective and have been clinically researched quite thoroughly in Japan. Raising our bodies temperature in the sauna’s controlled environment assists our bodies’ tissues activate and function more efficiently. Below is a helpful list of some of the many health benefits that come from infrared ray saunas.

Asthma: May be cleared up (like moving to Arizona’s dry air). A case study was reported in which a 41 year old male suffered from toxic occupational asthma, headaches, depression and other complaints. Serum analysis revealed an extremely high level of toluene (a toxin) and antibodies to isocyanate, TMA and formaldehyde (toxins). He was placed on a FIR therapy program and his lungs cleared up within 3 days. After 52 days, his health had improved by 85%. Post treatment analysis revealed no detectable levels of any volatile compounds.

Blood Flow/Circulation: Blood flow during whole-body hyperthermia is reported to rise from a normal five to seven quarts a minute to as many as 13 quarts a minute, which is a blood flow similar to that seen during exercise. Several reasons FIR sauna therapy boosts blood flow and circulation: 1. FIR Sauna Therapy increases your heart rate which relaxes the smooth muscles in the blood vessels and causes them to dilate, which in turn increases blood flow. 2. Temperature elevation which reaches the subcutaneous tissues produces an increase in blood flow and dilation directly in capillaries, arterioles and venules through direct action on the smooth muscles. 3. The heat radiated by FIR saunas causes a phenomenon called resonance when it is absorbed by the cells in the body. This invigorates and boosts cellular metabolism and blood circulation instantaneously. 4. The release of bradykinin from increased sweat-gland activity also produces increased blood flow and dilated blood vessels. 5. Heating one area of the body produces reflex-modulated blood vessel dilation in distant-body areas, even in the absence of a change in core body temperature; i.e., heat a forearm and both lower extremities dilate; heat the front of the trunk and the hand dilates. 6. Through other metabolic reflexes. This increase in blood circulation helps to flush out impurities and metabolic wastes from the blood out through the sweat and increased energy.

Cardiovascular Conditioning (Passive): 1. The August 7, 1981 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that regular use of a sauna may impact 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. FIR Sauna Therapy makes it possible for people in wheelchairs, or those who have a disability that affect their ability to exercise to achieve a cardiovascular training effect. Due to the deep penetration of the infrared rays generated by the Far Infrared Sauna, there is a heating effect deep in the muscular tissues and the internal organs. The body responds to this deep-heating effect via a hypothalamic-induced increase in both heart volume and rate. This beneficial heart stress leads to a sought-after cardiovascular training and conditioning effect. Medical researchers confirm the use of a sauna provides cardiovascular conditioning as the body works to cool itself and involves substantial increases in heart rate, cardiac output and metabolic rate. 2. 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. 3. A person using an FIR sauna will burn between 900 and 2400 calories during a 30 minute period. This is equivalent to the consumption of energy in a 6-9 mile run. For comparison, persons using a rowing machine or running a marathon burns only about 600 calories in 30 minutes. Therefore, the infrared sauna can play a pivotal role in both weight control and cardiovascular conditioning. It is valuable for those who don’t exercise and those who can’t exercise and want an effective weight control and fitness maintenance program, and the benefits regular exercise contribute to such a program. The cardiovascular demand imparted by thermoregulatory homeostasis (sweating, vasodilation, decreased afterload, increased heart rate, increased cardiac output) is similar to that achieved by walking at a moderate pace. As such, FIR saunas might be of particular benefit to those who are sedentary due to various medical conditions, such as osteoarthritis or cardiovascular or respiratory problems.

Detoxification: Hyperthermia (fever) is the body’s natural way to eliminate bacteria, viruses and toxic organisms by sweating them out through the skin. Infrared sauna use is perhaps the most effective method of prompting hyperthermia (rise in body temperature) for the purpose of detoxification. Increased blood circulation stimulates the sweat glands, quickly expunging built-up toxins and waste, through the skin, the body’s largest organ. Daily sweating can help detoxify the body as it rids itself of an accumulation of potentially carcinogenic heavy metals (lead, mercury, nickel, cadmium, aluminum) as well as alcohol, nicotine, sodium, sulfuric acid, arsenic, cholesterol, ammonia, uric acid, hydrocarbon residues, narcotic drugs and hormone disrupting chemicals (dioxins, PCBs, formaldehyde, agricultural chemicals, industrial chemicals, gasoline, pesticides, food additives, etc.). These toxins may be deposited deep beneath the skin in the body fat and internal organs. Infrared is able to penetrate deep into the body and cause a resonance in the water molecules that surrounds the cells. Because the far infrared frequency matches that of the body, this resonance allows the water molecules to move more freely in and out through the membrane of the cells. As sweat and oils and secreted, the toxins dissolved in them are secreted as well.

Coronary risk factors including high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obesity and smoking: In a randomized trial of persons with coronary risk factors, 14 subjects had 15 minute daily FIR sessions for two weeks. Systolic blood pressure was significantly reduced in the sauna group after therapy from on average 125 mmHg to 110 mmHg. Another marker of coronary disease was also significantly reduced in the treatment group. In a sequential, longitudinal, interrupted time series cohort trial , 25 men with at least one coronary risk factor underwent 15 minute FIR sauna sessions over a two week period. Ten additional men did not receive any sauna treatment. Systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, weight and fasting blood glucose concentrations all decreased in the treatment group. Endothelial (blood vessel) function was impaired in the control group and improved with treatment.

In a sequential, longitudinal, interrupted time series trial at the Mayo Clinic , 15 hospitalized patients with congestive heart failure underwent daily 15 minute infrared sauna treatment for 4 weeks. These serious end-stage congestive heart failure patients were maximally medicated, unable to walk across the room without shortness of breath and were unable to tolerate warm baths. When they were treated with FIR sauna therapy, symptoms improved in 87% of patients (13 of 15). Left ventricular ejection fraction increased from 30% to 34% on average, meaning that their hearts beat more efficiently and with less effort. Every patients 6 minute walking distance increased. Distance increased from an average of 388 meters to 448 meters (15% faster pace). Average plasma epinephrine (adrenaline) concentration decreased by 48% from 40 pg/mL to 21 pg/mL. Average plasma norepinephrine decreased by 30% from 633 pg/mL to 443 pg/mL. These two are both used to diagnose congestive heart failure. Diastolic blood pressure (the low number) decreased but systolic pressure (the top number) was unchanged. This means that they did not get hypertensive and the work that the hearts had to do decreased. There were no side effects (something that never happens with drugs and surgery). No patients had dyspnea (shortness of breath), angina (chest pain) or arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), or complained of excess heat. FIR sauna therapy literally saved their lives.

Lung Disease (Severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease): 13 patients with chronic obstructive lung disease who had breathlessness despite repeated treatments underwent 15 minute FIR sauna sessions once per day for four weeks. The results showed improved pulmonary health, breathlessness, exercise tolerance and quality of life.

Muscle Spasm: Muscle spasms have long been observed to be reduced through the use of heat, whether they be secondary to underlying skeletal, joint, or neuro-pathological conditions. This result is possibly produced by the combined effect of heat on both primary and secondary afferent nerves from spindle cells and from its effects on Golgi tendon organs. The results produced demonstrated their peak effect within the therapeutic temperature range obtainable with FIR heat.

Rheumatoid Arthritis: 14 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 14 patients with ankylosing spondylitis, an inflammatory arthritis that causes fusion of the spine, were treated with eight sessions of far infrared sauna therapy over four weeks . These patients experienced significantly decreased pain and stiffness in the short-term and clinically relevant long-term effects from the therapy.

Hopefully this list of health benefits will be useful. More positive results keep coming in from users and researches around the world so we will have to keep an eye on incoming information.