Oso planning to go pro
I'm very skeptical that infrared wavelength has anything to do with the effectiveness of a sauna. Also the very existence of a reference to "detoxification" makes me skeptical of your sources.BUT,I do like saunas, and there seems to be some decent studies out of Finland that suggest that sauna has health benefits. From what I've read the benefits are largely thought to be linked to thermal stress. The Finns run their saunas at crazy high temperatures, so there's a bit of a question as to whether the home infrared saunas reach a high enough temp to elicit the same effects. I think Dr. Ronda Patrick (I know, not exactly a nobel laureate but she uses footnotes so at least you can check her sources) has written about saunas in a couple places that might be a good spot to look, follow the footnotes, and see where research on the infrared style saunas falls.
thank you for your well respected thoughts. i'm not blind with emotional ambition on them. what i mean is the thing about "toxins" can be a real head nodder, both ways. although i haven't read anything by dr. ronda yet, and i will, has anyone run tests on peoples sweat to see what "toxins" they've excreted? we have to be careful of what we believe, when we believe it. if these "toxins" things are all the big whoop, then why wouldn't these things be endorsed left and right to as a preventative measure? i'm still doing a lot of research on them cuz the last thing i need is a couple of thousand dollar red cedar closet in my rec room that was supposed to keep us looking like teenagers, drop 20 lbs for me by sitting on my ass and keep us cancer free my understanding of infrared saunas are they are supposed to heat you from within, not at the surface, depending on the wavelength i guess
IMO, you are cleaned by your liver. So, toxins are filtered from there. Any cleanse, medication, wrap, lotion, etc that claims to eliminate toxins is BS. I truly don't believe there is any physiological mechanism/process for eliminating "toxins" any other way in the body except the liver. And that includes sweating them out.
has anyone heard, used or are using one of these types of saunas? my research seems to point me toward the jnh-lifestyles brand, 2-3 person size. they get the best ratings. recommendations are for a western hemlock or red cedar wood with carbon fiber heater panels and LED lights providing. some differences between models however, include the wavelengths provided. the far and mid wavelengths seem to provide most of what people are looking for while the full spectrum seems to be like the "go big or go home" " Far Infrared vs. Mid vs. Near - The Health Benefits As we mentioned above, each of the three wavelengths of infrared penetrates the body to a different degree, and as such provides unique benefits that the others do not.Here is a general breakdown of health benefits and which wavelengths offer it:Relaxation: Far, Mid and Near InfraredDetoxification: Far and Mid InfraredPain Relief: Far, Mid and Near InfraredCardio: Far, Mid and Near InfraredAnti-Aging: Far and Near InfraredWeight Loss: Far and Mid InfraredSo as you can see, your best bet may be a full spectrum sauna where you can choose which infrared wavelengths you want depending on the desired results. my wife has known her massage therapist(a female) for many years. she(her therapist) has recently teamed up with a facility where some fairly prominent pro athletes have come to train off season here in waukesha. the big thing has been incorporating the infrared sauna into their heavy duty workouts providing all of the above. i understand this type of thing may have been around for quite awhile for those who NEED their bodies at full efficiency for sporting events. i'm sure this has trickled down to more the "mainstream" populace figuring,,,well, why not? as some of you may or may not know, my wife is on her last few months for her breast cancer treatment-a small, early diagnosis 4-7mm lumpectomy, negative node involvement, but HERS II protein +. everything is going very well. she has a great oncologist who treated her very aggressively because she is young, her body could tolerate it and to minimize or prevent recurrence. she had 3 weeks of chemo followed by 4 weeks of radiation and now herceptin every 3 weeks thru may and then an anti-cancer drug for 5 years or something. i do not mention this to garner sympathy but to provide a fuller picture of where i'm coming from with this newer or ressurgent type of therapy all in all, as i'm sure many of you have experienced in some form or another, a life challenging event, we tend to look for something that may "purify" or optimize our bodies health as naturally as possibleamazon offers the 2 person jnh lifestyles for around $1k. there are tent style all the way up to 5 person or more
eh, I guess I was a bit more flippant in my post than I wanted to be. Sorry about that.I kinda wanted to draw a distinction between thinking the benefit is as wideranging, or narrowly calibrated, as that quote you posted made it seem. I'm not a sauna scholar, but I fell down the rabbit hole reading about them about a year ago. I don't recall anything seriously differentiating between the near vs far infrared spectrum. The takeaway I got from my reading was that the spectrum business was mostly marketing and the temperature/duration were the operative inputs.However, I do feel great coming out of a sauna (especially after a hard workout). I do think there's some science that shows that sauna use seems to associate with with positive health benefits (associates with, because there's probably a huge healthy-user bias in these studies, and I can't imagine how you'd control to determine causation in a study like this). Honestly, I'd say that if even thinking that one piece of the spectrum causes relaxation, and sitting in the sauna does relax you, then it's a net positive. I think we as a culture underestimate the negative impacts of stress, so a means of destressing that doesn't otherwise harm you seems like a great idea. If there's a sauna that checks this box, I'd say go for it.You've got more walking physiology knowledge than I do even if its dusty from dental school, so you can probably check this science more rigorously than I ever could dream of doing. But here's a long, detailed post about sauna science: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/topics/saunaAgain, disclaimer, it's been a while since I've read it, she may have updated since I did, and I could be very, very wrong about everything I've said. I am, afterall, just some random guy on the internet.
no, all good jf-the article you cited is incredible! incredibly good! it gets right down to the nitty gritty cellular function, repair, immunology, physiology, etc etc...now i know one cannot expect all of these things to be some sort of magic elixir for everyone, but if you can expect even a good few of these physiological activities, including the stress relief-win-win. houwarrior-what an amazing story-thank you! while the finnish people weren't privy to the aforementioned studies, they inherently knew whatever they were doing was of a great benefit. what a cool reminiscence that needs to be passed onforgetful-thank you for your kind words. the article you cited is another excellent read. thank you! i am also a big proponent of antioxidant metabolism and through increased circulation with the proper diet and exercise keeps our bodies refreshed. infrared may just be a more refined source of energy than houwarrior's fire. anyway, all good stuff. now i'm back to leaning toward that fancy closet in the rec room. they make them with glass doors and windows to the front. so i'll either be able to watch the golf channel thru it, or see the clothes i have hanging in it. the former is the goal. thanks guys!
Yo, kin, you tryin to make code words for goin to da red lite district or what?
My mother in law has an infrared cedar sauna in her spare bedroom. She swears by it. It has a glass door and a tv mounted on a swivel arm so you can watch your favorite shows while sitting in it.With regards to the actual health benefits, I cannot specifically speak to whether or not it is any more affective than a traditional sauna, however, if you are looking for a good sweat, an infrared sauna will produce the results you are looking for.I always found a good sweat after a heavy night of drinking did wonders for me...whether it was hitting the gym or lacing up the old skates and hitting a pickup game at the local rink, I always came out feeling better after getting in a good sweat.Good luck in your search and I wish your wife a speedy recovery.
IMO, you are cleaned by your liver. So, toxins are filtered from there. Any cleanse, medication, wrap, lotion, etc that claims to eliminate toxins is BS.
Wow, I'm very concerned for Benny. Being able to mimic Myron Medcalf's writing so closely implies an oncoming case of dementia.