By George Savastio, ND
We are quite pleased to announce the arrival of an infrared sauna that we believe will add another powerful therapy to our line of available treatments at Elemental Medicine. We wish to express our gratitude to our friend Ann Sousa for donating the sauna to us. Ann has been an important part of the local healing community for the entire time we’ve been in the area, and she will be missed by us as she prepares for the next phase in her adventure of living.
An infrared sauna differs from a traditional sauna, which is basically a hot, dry room that slowly heats up the body and eventually produces a good sweat. An infrared sauna heats up the body through light waves that penetrate into the body and heat it internally without heating the room nearly as much. This “deep heat” produces different effects with greater rapidity than a traditional sauna.
The first important therapeutic property of the infrared sauna is its ability to detoxify through perspiration. The body stores many of its toxins in the muscles, fat and connective tissues just under the skin. In a sense, the body dumps toxins into these tissues to get them out of the blood and away from the precious organs. From there, they have no way out of the body except through sweat. We take advantage of this routinely when we perform the Ayurvedic cleansing therapies known as panchakarma. Studies have shown that the sweat produced by the infrared sauna has more heavy metals, fat-soluble toxins (the ubiquitous chemicals that permeate our lives), sulfuric acid, ammonia and uric acid when compared to sweat from traditional saunas.
Another healing property of the infrared sauna is increased oxygenation. This is more important for those who are too ill to perform exercise to bring more oxygen into their systems.
The infrared sauna is also immune boosting. It mimics fever that the body may not be able to produce on its own. Cancer cells are particularly vulnerable to increases in body temperature. Research suggests that cancer cells display so-called “heat shock” proteins on their membranes after exposure to significant heat. Immune cells recognize these proteins as signs of cellular distress, and routinely destroy such distressed cells.
Another significant benefit of the infrared sauna is relaxation. Heat reduces muscle spasms and fosters a feeling of peace. For some patients, achieving peace is very difficult. But, as I always stress to patients, peace of mind is essential to the healing response, as the body cannot repair under conditions of feeling anxious and stressed.
Because of its ability to relax and open tissues, the infrared sauna increases the circulation. This is particularly important in the treatment of long-standing infections, such as Lyme disease where immune complexes tend to clog up the microcirculation. Poor circulation means poor healing, and it can block medications and herbs from reaching their target tissues. The sauna increases the heart rate by up to 30% as the body works to cool itself and brings blood to the surface where toxins can be released.
Finally, the sauna can be an aid to weight loss. The body typically burns 3-500 calories in a sauna session as it works to cool itself.
For now, the infrared sauna is available at limited times. Patients can call to schedule a 30 minute session after checking in with their doctor.
The sauna will be priced at $35 per 30 minutes session, or you can pre-pay for 3 sessions at a discounted rate of $90.
