What is Infrared Sauna?
One of the new health trends is a new twist on an old thing: the far infrared sauna. For years people have sweated in saunas or gone out to visit the Navajo and perform a sweat lodge ceremony that is supposed to cleanse a person both physically and emotionally.
Heat treatments have been around for thousands of years to help heal and detoxify what ails a body. Native Americans, Eastern Europeans, and ancient Chinese all have their own form of heat therapy – usually an enclosed room or closed-in sitting area that is heated with hot rocks pulled from a fire that carried the smoke and the heat up out of the lodge.
About a century ago Dr. John Harvey Kellogg created the first light-near infrared lamp saunas. Since then the advancements have not stopped being made, and various healers and holistic practitioners have grabbed onto these and use them constantly in their programs.
An infrared sauna is a type of sauna that uses heat and light to relax a person and help detoxify their body by sweating the impurities out. However, the far-infrared or near-infrared saunas omit infrared light waves that help create heat in the body forcing a person to sweat out the toxins and impurities that affect them.
Benefits of Far Infrared Sauna
Being relatively new, there are currently studies underway to determine their long-term benefit and potential effects. Early on in the studies everything looks good, they seem to be safe, are fairly cheap and powerful. So far the feedback is proving quite beneficial with many people who suffer from pain, feeling better and those with anxiety issues, are becoming more relaxed.
There are researchers currently trying to test the benefit of these saunas for anti-aging, enhanced detoxification, reducing pain in joints and muscles and cardiovascular healing. One benefit researchers hope to find proof of is parasympathetic healing, which is a fancy way of handling stress better, and hoping to widen the range of uses they already show proof of helping.
The main difference between infrared saunas and conventional saunas is their infrared light penetrates the skin and warms the body, but not the air around a person, it has zero impact on the surrounding environment which is why these could have a tremendous home market. Its proponents claim it naturally possesses an anti-inflammation effect, like similar antioxidant nutrients which activate cells, helps speed up healing of wounds and boosts the metabolism which carries toxins away and out of the body.
The therapeutic effect comes down to the science behind far infrared saunas and conventional saunas. Far Infrared radiation is capable of changing cellular DNA in proteins and fat cells, cell membranes, and especially in water molecules which, at a cellular level the altered cell membranes and mitochondrial activity take place which has an effect on the metabolism. Each treatment takes between 15-20 minutes and show great promise in changing the chemistry within a body to help restore a person’s balance, lower inflammation, pain, low energy, and improve a person’s circulation. There are 2 types of infrared saunas far light omitting and near light-emitting. The far light waves use metallic, ceramic, or black carbon elements for heating, while near-light saunas use incandescent reddish heat lamps which are far less expensive and can be bought at any home improvement, and of far less value clinically.
Remember. Not all Far Infrared Saunas are equal. The true value of a sauna lies in the power and quality of the wave generator. NOT the tent or box we sit while being exposed to this healing and tonifying modality.
Learn more about our preferred saunas and our Rental, Rent-to-own, and Purchase programs.
Call Natural Balance Wellness Medical Center at (734) 929-2696
