Immune System Therapy | Far North Infrared sauna Wellness
Submitted by Dr. Cory Hewko
Far Infrared Sauna Therapy (F.I.R.ST.) is one of the most effective ways to naturally boost our immune systems. An immune system is a system of biological structures and processes within an organism that protects against disease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumor cells. This is especially important during the cold and flu season when a large number of bacteria and viruses are being spread from person to person. With today’s fast paced lifestyles people suffer from acute and chronic stress, struggle to eat healthy, neglect sleep and exercise, and breathe in air full of toxins. It’s no wonder we have compromised immune systems.
Far Infrared Sauna Therapy (F.I.R.S.T.) helps to boost the immune system in many ways. First off, as the far infrared heat raises the body’s core temperature it also induces an artificial fever. A fever is one of the body’s immune responses that attempts to neutralize a bacterial or viral infection. White blood cells also rapidly proliferate due to the suitable environment and can also help fight off the harmful pathogens and microbes that invade the body.
Additionally, as far infrared heat penetrates deep into our body and increases the body’s temperature we sweat out 5-6 times more toxins, fat, and impurities than normal sweat. Every system in our body performs better when it functions in a detoxified state, especially our immune system.
With today’s high stress rate the perfect place to sit and relax is in a far infrared sauna. It helps to increase blood flow and soothe tight achy muscles as well as promoting a rebalancing of the body’s hormones through its effect on the autonomic nervous system.
Respiratory Infections |Prevent Upper Respiratory Infections
Submitted by Dr. Chris Spooner
The common cold is a fact of life during the winter months. By and large, upper respiratory infections usually run their course in a week or two but not without some discomfort. When viewed from the perspective of their overall effect on the population at large, they do have a significant risk for the elderly and chronically ill. They also have a significant economic impact, with colds causing more loss of productivity than any other infection. To date, there are no effective methods to consistently prevent colds, however a 1990 study published in the Annals of Medicine (1) attempted to determine if Sauna could prevent colds. In this study twenty-five volunteers were treated with regular sauna sessions once or twice a week with 25 controls abstaining from this or comparable procedures.
Sauna sessions were carried out as follows:
Warm shower then drying off,
8-12min sitting or lying in the sauna room and
15 min cooling with cold water and resting (room temperature 21“C).
This procedure was repeated two or three times, with an additional 20 min resting phase at the end of the session.
Sauna bathing was not done when the subject had a common cold or for a week after.
In both groups the frequency, duration and severity of common colds were recorded for six months. There were significantly fewer episodes of common cold in the sauna group. This was found particularly during the last three months of the study period when the incidence was roughly halved compared to controls. The mean duration and average severity of common colds did not differ significantly between the groups. It was concluded that regular sauna bathing reduces the incidence of common colds.
The results suggest that the frequency of common colds and the number of common cold days can be reduced by regular sauna bathing. It appears to take three months of sauna for the benefit to kick in. The major weakness of the study is that it was not random, however, the two groups were remarkably comparable.
The mechanisms by which sauna bathing could prevent common colds are not known. Hyperthermia induces DNA-synthesis (2) and increases immunoglobulins and leucocytes in the blood (3), changes which might contribute to increased protection against viral infections.
Given that sauna bathing is a relatively cheap, enjoyable activity with almost no harmful side effects and few contraindications (4), our results are promising, if preliminary.
Allergic Rhinitis can be a condition resistant to treatment
Submitted by Dr. Cory Hewko
Allergic Rhinitis (AR) represents a frustrating condition that is often resistant to treatment. It is the sixth most common chronic illness which has a significant impact on patients’ quality of life. The actual cost of AR is staggering, approximately $5.6 billion is being spent in direct and indirect medical costs per year.
AR is the result of an antibody reaction that results in inflammation with many of the symptoms likely due to changes in the permeability of blood vessels. The most common approaches for treatment include avoiding triggers, using antihistamine medications and desensitization injection, none of which are ideal. Far-infrared (FIR) is an invisible electromagnetic wave with a longer wavelength than that of visible light. Numerous studies have found that FIR can be used to treat vascular diseases and may increase blood flow.
Studies have shown that the symptoms of eye itching, nasal itching, nasal stuffiness, rhinorrhea and sneezing were all significantly improved during the period of FIR therapy.
In addition, the levels of a type of white blood cell, the Eosinophil, have been found to decrease significantly after sauna while other leukocyte counts tended to increase. Eosinophils along with basophils and mast cells, are important mediators of allergic responses and asthma pathogenesis and are associated with disease severity.
It appears that warming of the nasal passages might enhance a person’s natural defenses against the different factors leading to the symptoms of Allergic Rhinitis. FIRS has been observed to improve clinical symptoms during a course of the therapy. The effect that raising the body temperature has on the immune system suggests that sauna may have the the potential to improve immune function. FIR appears to improve the symptoms of AR and might serve as a novel modality in the treatment of AR.
AR can be triggered by perennial or seasonal allergens, the most common of which are house dust, animal dander, mold spores, and pollen. Sneezing, nasal itch, runny nose, and nasal stuffiness, are symptoms that arise from the stimulation of nerves, increased production of mucous from the glands in the nose, increased blood vessel permeability, and the movement of inflammatory cells into the area coming into contact with the allergen. Nitric oxide (NO) is an interesting signal molecule that cause increase blood flow by dilating blood vessels. It is produced in higher concentrations by the lining of the nasal passages of untreated AR patients compared with normal individuals . It is produced by a reaction between an amino acid, L-arginine, and an enzyme called NO synthase. This enzyme is produced by the cells lining the blood vessels (the endothelium) and a host of white blood cells, (macrophages, neutrophils, mast cells, fibroblasts). The evidence demonstrated that these substances are involved in the immediate allergic response, and together they are considered to induce the characteristic symptoms.
Akasaki et al. reported that repeated FIR therapy could upregulate the expression of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) . How this directly results in improvement of symptoms is unknown. However, Yu et al. considered that FIR therapy promoted skin blood flow through a mechanism closely related to L-arginine/NO pathway which suggest that there these substances and enzymes may be involved. Therefore, in addition to the thermal effects, the improvement of nasal symptoms may result from non-thermal effects of FIR.
Cardiovascular Health and Far Infrared Sauna Therapy
Submitted by Dr. Shelby Entner
Cardiovascular diseases are defined as diseases and injuries of the cardiovascular system; the heart, the blood vessels of the heart and the system of blood vessels (veins and arteries) throughout the body and within the brain. Stroke is the result of a blood flow problem in the brain and it is considered to be a form of cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease currently accounts for the death of more Canadians than any other disease, nearly 71,000 deaths (31% of all deaths) yearly. This means that approximately every 7 minutes, someone dies from heart disease or stroke in Canada.
Far Infrared Sauna Therapy (F.I.R.S.T.) has been used successfully to treat cardiovascular diseases and has been studied in many leading medical journals. Since Asian cultures have been using infrared therapies for over a century, many of the most recent and promising studies have been coming from the medical schools and journals in Japan and China. In a 2005 article from the Journal of Cardiac Failure, Japanese researchers studied the use of Far Infrared Sauna Therapy (F.I.R.S.T.) with patients who had systolic congestive heart failure, (CHF) which occurs when the heart isn’t able to pump blood normally. As a result, there is not enough blood flow to provide the body’s organs with oxygen and nutrients. The term “heart failure” does not mean that the heart stops beating completely, but that the heart is not working as efficiently.
The study included 15 hospitalized patients who used a Far Infrared Sauna Therapy (F.I.R.S.T.) daily for four weeks. Thirteen of the fifteen patients had reduced blood pressure and an increased exercise tolerance after only four weeks of therapy.
Their ejection fraction (the fraction of blood pumped out of ventricles with each heart beat) was significantly increased and they had an increase in oxygen uptake. Repeated 60 degrees Celsius sauna sessions were safe and improved symptoms and exercise tolerance in chronic CHF patients.
In a 2009 study from the Journal of Cardiology, researchers studied how sauna treatment could help patients with arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat). Over thirty patients who had been monitored with 24 hour Holter monitors where randomized into groups. Those who received two weeks of daily, fifteen-minute treatments with Far Infrared Sauna Therapy (F.I.R.S.T.) had a substantial decrease in abnormal heart rates over a monitored 24 hour period. The total number of PVCs (premature ventricular contractions) dropped down to approximately 900 abnormal beats compared to the non-sauna group who had over 3,000 abnormal beats in the same time period.
In a 2001 study from the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, sauna therapy was studied to evaluate if it improved endothelial (the thin layer of cells that line the interior surface of blood vessels) function in patients with coronary risk factors such as elevated cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes and smoking.
Twenty five men with these risk factors had a substantial improvement in vasodilation (widening of the blood vessels), reducing turbulence in the blood vessels and allowing blood to be pumped farther. This study also showed that Far Infrared Sauna Therapy (F.I.R.S.T) can be beneficial for patients who have an increased risk for atherosclerosis.
There are numerous studies that have been published that show that using F.I.R.S.T can be a successful and supportive therapy for patients who are currently faced with cardiovascular disease. From a preventative point of view, using Far Infrared Sauna Therapy (F.I.R.S.T) can be a pro-active, safe and enjoyable way to decrease risk factors for stroke, heart attack and atherosclerosis. For those people who are undergoing care for cardiovascular conditions, infrared sauna has been clinically shown to safely improve outcomes and quality of life.