Many have experienced a sauna: at the gym, or at the condo.  Often as a way to relax tight muscles after exercise, or to generally cleanse and revitalize the body, as the Scandinavians have learned over hundreds of years.  However, many may not have heard of the ‘far-infrared’ sauna and its (amazing) benefits. 

 

Far-infrared makes up about 50% of the sun’s energy that is responsible for warming the body when you are outside.  It is not ultra-violet, so it won’t give you a burn or cancer, like the UV-A rays would cause from excess sun exposure.  Far-infrared (FIR) is a form of safe natural energy that penetrates the body very efficiently and is no wonder that it is used in pre-mature baby incubators to keep them warm and safe.  FIR energy used in a sauna is very different from a regular sauna in that it penetrates the body deeper (heating the body more than it heats the air inself in the chamber), helps you sweat quicker and at a lower more tolerable temperature (45-60 degrees Celsius).  Regular saunas are much higher in temperature (70-100 degrees), and create hotter and more humid air inside the sauna, which can make breathing difficult and hard to stand for more than about 5-10 minutes.  A FIR sauna session typically lasts 15-60 minutes depending on the goal and your state of health.

 

 

1.  Blocked arteries.  It is heart health month and it’s appropriate to talk of the cardiovascular benefits of far-infrared saunas.  A ground-breaking 2012 Japanese study published in the International Journal of Cardiology found that patients who had proven full blockage of a coronary artery, and also had peripheral artery disease, benefitted significantly from far-infrared sauna therapy.  Treatment included 15 minutes of daily far-infrared sauna treatment at 60 degrees Celsius, then 30 minutes of rest.  After only three weeks the blockage improved, the blood vessels were more able to open, and the studied patients could walk longer on the treadmill without symptoms.  Other studies have shown benefits of supervised FIR sauna treatment in people with mild-moderate congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, and other cardiovascular and pulmonary illnesses.

 

2. Depression.  In another study using the far-infrared sauna, patients had depression as well as fatigue and reduced appetite.  Over the course of four weeks of FIR sauna treatment, there was a significant improvement in their ability to relax, better appetite, and reduced overall body complaints.

 

3. Pain and auto-immunity.  People with rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and Sjogrens syndrome, all auto-immune illnesses, have shown benefit after undergoing far-infrared sauna therapy.  Improvements have included reduced pain and stiffness, improved energy, and less antibodies in their follow-up blood tests.

 

4. Skin health: cellulite, acne, psoriasis, eczema.  Many of my patients have experienced improvements in the level of inflammation on their skin.  Even hard to treat cases of psoriasis have improved dramatically after use of the far-infrared sauna, often over the course of only one or two months of treatment.

 

5. Chemical intoxication and sensitivity.  For about ten years, I have been using FIR sauna therapy for those with toxic exposures or chemical sensitivities to reduce associated symptoms.  Click to learn more.

 

If you or a loved one would like to take advantage of a supervised program including far-infrared sauna treatment, we are offering a special for February and March: 10% off all sauna programs.  Call or email the office to book your assessment and treatment package.