Infrared sauna treatment is no longer considered an indulgent spa treatment—it provides several health benefits as well. According to Lawrence Wilson, a Phoenix-based holistic physician, infrared sauna lamp therapy debuted about 100 years ago, shortly after the invention of the light bulb. It is a safe, effective way to treat a wide range of conditions.
Detoxification
Perhaps the best-known benefit of infrared sauna treatment is detoxification. According to Wilson, the heat from this therapy induces sweating and helps to eliminate heavy metals and toxic chemicals through the skin. Unlike sweating during exercise, sweating when using an infrared sauna does not involve the sympathetic nervous system, which disrupts toxin elimination.
Weight Loss
The weight-loss claims made by infrared sauna manufacturers and marketers may have merit. As far back as 1981, researchers of a study published in the “Journal of the American Medical Association” that year explained that weight loss during sauna use is more than just water loss. They explained that sweating is part of a complex process in the body that increases heart rate, metabolic rate and energy expenditure. When these processes occur, you burn more calories and lose weight.
Heart Benefits
Infrared sauna treatments may help to improve cardiovascular health for some people. In one study published in the December 2004 issue of “Circulation Journal,” researchers investigated the use of sauna treatment on patients who were in chronic heart failure and had cardiac arrhythmias. One group received two weeks of infrared-ray dry sauna treatment for 15 minutes followed by 30 minutes of bed rest five days a week. The other group received only bed rest in a temperature-controlled room for 45 minutes. The sauna-treated group had fewer arrhythmias than the control group and experienced improvement in heart rate changes as well.
Hypertension Treatment
If you suffer from high blood pressure, infrared sauna can be an effective treatment. In a study conducted by the University of Missouri in 2005, two groups of participants received 30-minute treatments in either an infrared sauna or in a sauna that didn’t use infrared heat. The infrared sauna treatments lowered both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
Skin Benefits
An infrared sauna’s ability to stimulate blood flow is also beneficial for your skin. It opens up your pores and helps to detoxify the skin, according to the Camrose Acupuncture Clinic. The clinic also states that infrared sauna may help to heal skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis, and burns and wounds may heal with less scarring.
References
- Center for Development: Infrared Sauna Therapy
- “Effect of Sweating”; Journal of the American Medical Association; August 1981
- “Effects of Repeated Sauna Treatment on Ventricular Arrhythmias in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure”; Circulation Journal: September 2004
- University of Missouri: A Study of the Health Benefits of Far Infrared Sauna Therapy
- Camrose Acupuncture Clinic: Infra Red Sauna
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