Infection invariably causes inflammation, but not all inflammation is due to infection. Sometimes the body perceives the need for an immune reaction, even when there is no threat present. When this happens, your immune system might inflame your own cells and tissues. If this kind of chronic inflammation goes on, it can lead to weakness, Read more…
Infrared Sauna for Chronic Inflammation
Infrared Sauna for Asthma
I recently did a web search on “health benefits of infrared sauna.” Most of the initial hits were lists of benefits that are well known and fairly well documented: blood pressure, cardiovascular health, tension relief, weight control, pain relief, and so on. I worked my way through nine of these web pages, and I’m pleased Read more…
Infrared Sauna for Arthritis
Arthritis is a name we give to pain or disease in the joints. There are over 100 types. The two most common are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis is a breakdown of cartilage in the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune response, in which your immune system attacks the linings of your joints. There are Read more…
Infrared Sauna for Fibromyalgia
I last wrote about infrared sauna for fibromyalgia a year and a half ago. At that time, I pointed out that infrared sauna can relieve pain, and that should make it a good fit for fibromyalgia sufferers. Nothing has happened to change my mind about that, but there is a lot of fibromyalgia research going Read more…
Infrared Sauna for Acne
Infrared sauna is good for your skin. Far infrared radiation actually increases collagen production. This means it improves skin tone and smoothness. You might think this finding would inspire a lot of research on infrared sauna’s effect on all sorts of skin conditions. But I have been unable to find any clinical or lab research Read more…
9 Health Benefits of Infrared Sauna
Skip this first paragraph if you’re not interested in the technical side of the health benefits of infrared sauna… Infrared light is not visible to the human eye, but it can act on your body in other ways. The smaller wavelengths of it (near infrared) penetrate the body most deeply, although you can’t feel them. Read more…
Infrared Sauna for Inflammation
Infrared sauna for inflammation seems counter-intuitive, doesn’t it? We associate inflammation with the generation of heat, and it seems to defy common sense that subjecting inflammation to more heat would limit or reduce it. Our usual response to inflammation is to apply cold, which reduces the swelling that usually accompanies it. But that’s acute inflammation. Read more…
Infrared Sauna for High Blood Pressure
There is a wealth of clinical research showing that infrared sauna can provide help for high blood pressure (hypertension). This is fortunate because hypertension is a high-stakes game. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), it kills nearly 1,000 people per day in the U.S. alone. Seven out of 10 adults in this country Read more…
Infrared Sauna for Weight Control
If you spend very much time on the web reading about infrared sauna and weight loss, you will very soon run across a claim that the heat of the sauna “melts” fat cells. Melt fat cells? The image is kind of poetic. But the words are marketing copy. Fat cells don’t melt. They can die, Read more…
Infrared Sauna for Acne
Those who study the global burden of diseases put acne among the top ten worldwide. Wikipedia offers a succinct description of its prevalence: “Acne commonly occurs in adolescence and affects an estimated 80–90% of teenagers in the Western world. Lower rates are reported in some rural societies. Children and adults may also be affected before Read more…