The use of heat and sweating as a method of healing and wellness has been used around the world for thousands of years. Today, the most commonly recognized form is the sauna. Not all saunas however are the same in terms of the benefits they offer. Here we'll look at Infrared Saunas and how they offer one of the most important investments you can make in your health.

While traditional saunas rely on high heat to induce sweating, infrared saunas heat the body from the inside while keeping the ambient air much cooler and more comfortable. Heating the body and inducing sweat in this way is one of the best ways to force toxins out of the body, while also offering a number of other health benefits.


DETOXING THE BODY
In today's world, no matter how clean one lives or eats, we are constantly exposed to toxins through the air, food and water. HTMA testing allows us to very clearly see the toxic imbalances in our bodies. Copper toxicity for example is a silent epidemic that is affecting more and more people with each new generation. Levels of heavy metals including lead, mercury, aluminum, arsenic, nickel, uranium, and cadmium are also present to some degree in most people. These toxic metals (along with other chemicals and toxins) are not on the radar of most, but they can have serious health implications on energy, thyroid, cardiovascular, digestive, and even mental health.

Embarking on a properly designed mineral balancing program guided by the evidence provided through HTMA testing is a key approach to restoring depleted mineral levels, increasing cellular energy, and in turn helping the body detox. When paired with infrared sauna the benefits are even more impressive. Health practitioners and medical doctors worldwide recognize the ability of infrared sauna therapy for removing toxins and heavy metals from the body.  As sweat is pushed out of the body, it forces toxins under the skin to come out.  Of course, sweat can also be induced by exercise, but it is not nearly as beneficial. Here's why...

To most effectively detox, the body needs to be in a parasympathetic state. The parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) is the part of the autonomic nervous system that allows the body to rest, restore, and rejuvenate itself. In this state, the body is able to 'let go' of toxins more easily. Adequate bile production is essential for toxin elimination, and the PNS assists with bile secretion.  Exercise on the other hand stimulates the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which actually impairs the body's ability to detox and inhibits toxin elimination.[1] Stimulation of the SNS impairs bile secretion.  So, while exercise can certainly mobilize toxins within the body, if the body is unable to detox those toxins, they simply get stirred around and redeposited elsewhere in the body. The secret therefore is being able to induce sweat (which allows toxins out through the skin) without exerting oneself through exercise and stimulating the SNS. The infrared sauna does exactly that – allows the body to sweat out toxins while allowing the SNS to rest and allowing the restorative PNS to take over. It does this in a few ways:

• The sympathetic nervous system normally creates heat in the body. When the infrared sauna does this instead, it allows the SNS to take a break.
• When blood is moved from the center of the body to the periphery, heating the skin, it creates a parasympathetic effect.
• Just the very act of sitting or laying down in a sauna allows the body to relax. It offers a chance to quiet the mind and rest the body, bringing about a parasympathetic effect.

Both the traditional sauna and the infrared produce sweat, but we can see how much more effective the infrared is at releasing toxins by looking at the water content of the sweat. In a traditional sauna, about 97% of sweat is water. In a FAR infrared, the water content is closer to 85% with the remaining portion being toxins and metals!  The infrared sauna can also induce 2-3 times the amount of sweat compared to a traditional sauna, even though the air temperature in the infrared sauna is 50-100F degrees cooler (and therefore much more comfortable). 

With skin (and sweat) being a main elimination pathway for copper [2] and other heavy metals and toxins, infrared sauna therapy is one of the most cost effective yet powerful ways that you can reduce your toxic load and improve your health.


WEIGHT LOSS:
By increasing the core body temperature, metabolism increases. Most people with slow metabolism have a slow thyroid (we can see this mineral pattern clearly through an HTMA mineral profile), along with cooler body temperature. By increasing the body temperature (and metabolism) we also support the thyroid, and in turn assist in weight loss. In fact, a single session in a Sunlighten sauna burns about 600 calories (about the equivalent of running 10km!).  

Also, a toxic body tends to be more acidic and produces more insulin which in turn leads to fat being stored rather than burned for energy. Weight loss then becomes more difficult. The release of toxic chemicals allows for more efficient weight loss.


FIGHTING BACTERIA, VIRUSES, FUNGAL INFECTIONS, EVEN CANCER
Pathogens (bacteria, parasites, viruses) do not function well in high heat (this is why the body naturally produces a fever when trying to fight off a cold or flu). Most people have a lower body temperature, and this is one reason why they might be prone to chronic infections. By raising the body temperature we make our internal environment less friendly to nasty pathogens.

Cancerous tumors also do not tolerate heat well, and infrared sauna therapy , by inducing hyperthermia, is therefore used as a alternative, effective, and much safer cancer therapy. [3]

“Research has shown that high temperatures can damage and kill cancer cells, usually with minimal injury to normal tissues.” [2]


OTHER BENEFITS

• enhancing circulation and oxygenation of cells and organs
• ameliorating arthritis
• improving skin tone and elasticity while helping relieve conditions such as acne, eczema, and psoriasis.
• helping with allergies
• lowering blood pressure
• strengthening the cardiovascular system
• reducing cellulite
• improving the immune system (just as a fever helps fight off infection, so too does the internal heat created but the sauna)
• conserving energy (many people have adrenal insufficiency and exerting themselves through exercise only further weakens their adrenals. With an infrared they can achieve some of the same benefits of exercise (including burning calories) without any of the effort, giving their adrenals a better chance of recovery.
• increasing blood flow to muscles and helping to reduce inflammation and swelling when it comes to muscle, joint, and soft tissue / sport injuries, arthritis, and even CFS [4]

NEAR vs FAR INFRARED
Near Infrared (nIR) typically use incandescent reddish heat lamps. nIR penetrates the skin most effectively and is great for skin conditions (scars, acne, eczema, psoriasis) as well as boosting the immune system, speeding the healing of wounds, improving the elasticity of skin, and reducing cellulite. It also helps with removing toxins. However, Far Infrared (fIR), because of its deeper penetration is more effective at reaching the deepest parts of the body where many toxins are stored. fIR is great for weight loss, lowering blood pressure, and certainly for detoxing the body. The main concerns for each are that the heat lamps common in the nIR are not the most comfortable, while the typical fIR is infamous for emitting dangerous EMF (electromagnetic fields). For this reason some practitioners advise against fIR, despite its many detox benefits. If only they made an fIR that didn't come with the worry of EMF. Well, now they have!

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CHOOSING A SAUNA

​Working with clients every day who are on a mission to detox their bodies, I will only recommend to them what I feel are the best products. When it comes to infrared saunas, after much research, there are only 2 companies I choose to align myself with. These are Sunlighten, and Radiant Health Saunas.  If you want the best of the best, with the highest safety standards, these would be my picks, and of course between the two companies you have various options at different price points and designs.