Infrared Sauna Therapy

Infrared Sauna Therapy. A few years ago, back before I was diagnosed with cancer and started on my journey of healing and wellness, if you had suggested that I should purposely put my body in a state of hyperthermia on a regular basis, I would think you were crazy. Now, however, this is exactly what I’m doing. It’s called Infrared Sauna Therapy, and this is what I’ve learned about it and what my experience has been like…

What is Infrared Sauna Therapy & how does it work?

An infrared sauna is a sauna that uses infrared light to heat the air. Just like any other sauna, sitting in an infrared sauna causes your body temperature to increase, creating hyperthermia (which is just another word for “elevated body temperature,” i.e. a “fever” reaction) without exposing you to harmful UV rays like what is found in sunlight.

When you undergo Infrared Sauna Therapy, the sauna’s heat penetrates deep into your body. As your temperature goes up, your body releases that heat through sweat. Sweating, of course, is one of the ways that you rid your body of toxins. By creating very high body temperatures for relatively short periods of time, Infrared Sauna Therapy therefore accelerates this toxin release.

What are the potential benefits of Infrared Sauna Therapy?

Infrared Sauna Therapy has been studied for over 40 years. It is believed that Infrared Sauna Therapy:

• Helps you detoxify your body – During each treatment, potentially cancer-causing chemical toxins and heavy metals are flushed out through your sweat glands.
• Stimulates your immune system – Increases your white blood cell count, giving you more ammunition for fighting cancer cells and to improve your immune response in general.
• Helps kill cancer cells – High heat can damage, reduce or kill cancer cells.
• Helps kill viruses and bacteria – Virus and bacteria do not do well in high temperatures, either.
• Relieves muscle and joint pain – The heat opens up your blood vessels, which enhances blood flow deep in your tissues. It also relaxes your muscles and joints. All of this can combine to provide pain relief.
• Reduces radiation burden – The heat helps remove radioactive particles that are in your tissues.

How does Infrared Sauna Therapy affect healthy cells?

The good news is, Infrared Sauna Therapy is generally considered safe for healthy cells. While cancer cells do not tolerate a lot of heat, “normal” cells can.

Where do you go for Infrared Sauna Therapy?

Although I am blessed to be able to have a sauna at home, most patients receive this therapy outside of the home. Facilities that may offer it include wellness centers and naturopaths’ offices.

What does Infrared Sauna Therapy feel like?

A nice thing about Infrared Sauna Therapy is that the air in infrared saunas is not as hot as that in other types of saunas, and infrared saunas don’t cause that feeling of suffocation and discomfort that a lot of people experience with dry and steam heat saunas. This makes it easier to stay in long enough to receive the full benefit of the therapy.

On the other hand, inducing high temperatures in your body can be tiring. I have been doing this therapy three times a week, for 30 to 45 minutes each time. After each session I need to shower and then take a little time to recuperate and rebalance. I can’t just jump right back into other things.

Do I feel noticeably better and stronger immediately after I have recuperated? Yes, as I believe that Infrared Sauna Therapy is working synergistically with the other things I am doing (including other therapies, nutrition, supplements and lifestyle) to boost my immune system. I feel good. I feel strong. And although my tumor has not disappeared, it also has not spread or grown.