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No claims are made for any procedures described here. Nor are these procedures intended as treatments or prescriptions for any disease or condition. The following is presented for educational purposes only.
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How Often. One may use a sauna twice a week to twice a day. If one is very debilitated, begin with once a week. Work up to daily use as one is able. When beginning, many people do not easily sweat. Instead, their bodies overheat and tolerate less time in the sauna. In a few weeks to a few months, as the body acclimates and is more able to regulate its temperature, sweating becomes easier. Also, the more one relaxes, the more one will sweat.

Before a Sauna Session. Avoid heavy meals two hours before a sauna session. Avoid alcohol or other intoxicating substances. Drink eight ounces of water before entering a sauna. Add sea salt and two tablespoons daily of kelp to oneís diet, especially if oneís water is mineral-free. Remove metal jewelry before entering the sauna, as it may become very hot.

Before entering a hot air sauna, preheat to 150ƒ F. With a far infrared sauna, enter as soon as one turns it on or just preheat to 100ƒ F. Warm up with the sauna. When it reaches 115-120 F., open the door 1/2" so the elements or bulbs remain operational but the sauna stays at this temperature.

During a Sauna Session. Light clothing may be worn in a hot air sauna but is not as good in one heated by infrared. Use a small towel to wipe off the sweat. Sit on another towel. Have a third towel on the floor to avoid slipping. Talking or working are not recommended while in a sauna. Meditate or relax.

To enhance the effects of a sauna session, visualize absorbing the heat and energy. Deep, slow breathing and good posture are very helpful. Sound therapy such as listening to low tones is also excellent. Aromatherapy is also very effective during a sauna session.

If oneís sauna uses infrared heat bulbs, turn every few minutes to heat the body evenly. Sit on a stool or a chair without a back. Face the bulbs, turn to the side and around to the back. Avoid touching the hot bulbs. Looking at the bulbs is okay according to the manufacturer, but not recommended. Do not let water, a towel or clothing touch the hot bulbs. One will not get a tan in an infrared sauna, though the skin may redden for an hour afterwards.

Finishing Up. How long one remains inside a sauna depends on oneís condition. Body temperature should not increase more than four degrees. The pulse should not increase more than 50% of the resting pulse. Begin with 15 minutes if one is ill. If the heart begins to race, sweating stops or one feels very faint, end the session immediately. Sixty minutes is a maximum time.

When finished, take a shower, warm or cool but not hot. Avoid soap if possible as one should be very clean. Soap leaves a film and clogs the pores. Wipe off sweat with a skin brush or loofa. Brush all over, even face and hair. Painful at first, it soon feels wonderful. Brushing enhances the cleansing effect. Use shampoo and conditioner only if needed. Most contain chemicals toxic to the body. Also skip most oils, lotions and creams. These also contain chemicals that may clog the pores. Rinse off the towels used to wipe off sweat in the sauna and hang them to dry.

After a sauna session drink eight ounces of water. Sit for at least 10 minutes. These simple steps allow the body to reap the full benefit of the sauna experience.

Healing Reactions. Healing reactions are temporary symptoms that occur as toxic substances are eliminated and chronic infections heal. Symptoms vary from mild odors, tastes or rashes to periods of fatigue, bowel changes, aches, pains or headaches.

Many people have chronic infections, often treated with antibiotics that killed most of the bacteria but did not eliminate bad tissue and all the organisms. These may flare up as they are healed due to repeated sauna use. Most healing symptoms are benign. Consult a knowledgeable practitioner if any cause concern.

Emotional healing also takes place. Memories may arise consciously or in dreams. Temporary anxiety or other emotional states may occur and usually pass quickly. Some are directly related to elimination of toxic substances. Others are associated with emotional clearing.

Supervision and Safety. Saunas are safe for most people providing one follows the rules here described. Always move slowly and carefully in and around a sauna. Accidents often occur due to slippery surfaces.

Supervision is always best, especially if one has a health condition. If debilitated or very heat-sensitive, begin with less time in a sauna. The presence of an attendant or friend is also most helpful.

Consult a health professional if one has any serious health condition. Those who have used LSD or other psychotropic drugs require an attendant close by, as removal of drugs from tissue storage sites may cause flashbacks and even full-blown LSD trips.

Pregnant women and children under five should avoid saunas. Young children must be accompanied by an adult. Continue prescribed medication while taking saunas unless directed otherwise by the prescribing physician.

For Acute Infections. If one has an acute infection with fever or other acute symptoms, more frequent, shorter sauna sessions are better until the infection subsides. Most people can use the sauna 15 minutes about 5 times a day during infections. Always check with someone knowledgeable if you are unsure about sauna use, although in general saunas are quite safe. For medical references for saunas, see the Sauna Therapy article below.

INFRARED LAMP SAUNA THERAPY
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INTRODUCTION

                  As a holistic physician, I am ever searching for better ways to heal the body that are safe, inexpensive, and powerful enough to handle today's health disasters. I receive a flood of new products and machines to test, and I hear about a multitude of techniques and procedures. Over the past three years, I have experimented with the use of infrared lamp saunas. Rarely have I seen such an impressive healing modality.

                  This type of sauna is old, first invented by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, MD of Kellogg's Cornflakes fame. He was a naturopathic type of doctor who used many of the spa modalities available at the time he lived, about 100 years ago. He used baths, herbs, food and saunas, among other therapies.

                  The electric light bulb had just been invented by Thomas Edison, and Dr. Kellogg built a heating unit or sauna made of 40 small bulbs. He found it removed toxins faster than the traditional saunas available. He was not aware that incandescent lamps give off a lot of infrared energy, particularly near infrared. This was really the first infrared sauna.

                  NO MEDICAL CLAIMS ARE MADE FOR SAUNAS OR SAUNA THERAPY. The following article is an introduction to the subject of sauna therapy. Also available is a book on the subject for those who want to study it in much more depth. I am pleased to report findings by myself and other doctors and patients regarding this therapy.

Warning: The material presented here is for educational purposes only. I work as a nutrition consultant, not as a licensed medical doctor. Sauna therapy is not intended to replace regular medical care. Always consult your doctor before beginning a sauna therapy program, as saunas are powerful devices and require that you be monitored. Saunas are not intended to replace any therapy for any purpose whatsoever. For liability reasons, no plans are able to be on this website any longer.

Infrared Lamp Sauna Therapy
by Dr. Lawrence Wilson

              The following is excerpted from a recent book, Sauna Therapy, with 16 chapters on sauna physiology, procedures, protocols, cautions, construction details and many references for sauna therapy.

              Infrared lamp sauna therapy is one of the least costly, safest and most powerful ways to eliminate toxic metals, toxic chemicals and chronic infections. The benefits include:

*          Skin rejuvenation. Sauna use slowly restores elimination through the skin. The skin is the largest organ of the body and a major eliminative channel. In most people, it is inactive, congested and toxic. Sun exposure, use of synthetic clothing, bathing in chlorinated water and exposure to hundreds of chemicals damage the skin. Excessive sympathetic nervous system activity and emotions such as fear, anger and guilt cause blood to be withdrawn from the skin, contributing to inactivity of the skin.

*          Enhanced sweating. Sweating in a sauna is a by-product of applying heat to the body. The sweating process gently and safely helps eliminate all heavy metals and toxic chemicals. Medical studies demonstrate that most toxins can be eliminated through the skin, relieving the burden on the kidneys and liver.   Sweating increases dramatically in most people after several months of daily sauna use.

              Sweating during exercise is not nearly as effective for detoxification because exercise activates the sympathetic nervous system. Sympathetic nervous activity inhibits toxin elimination.

*          Exercise benefits. Saunas provide many of the benefits of exercise with much less expenditure of energy. These include enhanced circulation and oxidation of the tissues. Repeated sauna use can lower elevated blood pressure and improve the elasticity of the arteries. Saunas are most helpful for cardiovascular rehabilitation, arthritis, allergies, skin conditions and chemical sensitivity.

*          Decongesting the internal organs. Heating the body powerfully shunts blood toward the skin to dissipate heat. This decongests the internal organs and greatly stimulates circulation. Sinuses, joints and many other tissues benefit greatly.

*          Fever therapy (hyperthermia) for infections. Raising body temperature powerfully assists the body to kill bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses. Many people have a low body temperature and, for this reason, cannot get rid of chronic infections. Common sites of infections are the sinuses, ears, eyes, bladder, throat and intestines.

*          Tumors, radiation poisoning and mutated cells. Hyperthermia also helps kill other types of abnormal cells. Tumors, for example, tolerate heat poorly. Raising body temperature hastens their death. Though not a conventional method, hyperthermia is a well-researched therapy for cancer. Heat also disables or kills cells mutated by radiation or damaged by other toxins.

TYPES OF SAUNAS

              Three basic types of saunas exist.

           Traditional saunas consist of a small room or space with an electric, gas or wood heater, or heated with hot rocks.

           Far infrared saunas use ceramic or metallic elements for heating that mainly emit in the far infrared range.

           Infrared lamp saunas use incandescent infrared heat lamps for heating. They emit mainly near infrared, some middle infrared and perhaps a tiny amount of far infrared energy. They also emit a small amount of red, orange and yellow visible light.  This type also provides warming and stimulating color therapy. Red, orange and yellow assist the eliminative organs.

              While traditional saunas require high temperatures for copious sweating, infrared penetrates the skin and heats from the inside as well as on the skin. This means the air temperature in the sauna can remain cooler, yet one sweats plenty at this lower, more comfortable temperature.

              The infrared lamp sauna penetrates deepest, we believe, and we are waiting for formal studies to confirm or disprove this hypothesis. They may penetrate up to three inches or so, so the air temperature can stay coolest of all the types of saunas with the same effectiveness. Preheating is usually not necessary, saving time and electricity. While some people like the intense heat of the traditional sauna, many find it difficult to tolerate, especially those when feeling ill.

              Infrared is an antioxidant nutrient, activates the cells, supports metabolic processes and decouples toxins from water molecules. Near infrared is helpful for wound healing and cellular regeneration as well.

SUPERVISION AND SAFETY

              Supervision during a sauna therapy program is always needed. The presence of an attendant or friend close by is also most needed if you have any type of health condition.

              Removing drugs from tissue storage may cause flashbacks or temporary drug effects, the same as when you took the drug. If you have used LSD or other psychotropic drugs, have an attendant near by, as a few have experienced flashbacks or even full-blown LSD trips.

              In addition, follow the basic safety procedures below:

           Begin with only 20 minutes in the sauna. After a few weeks, only if you feel well enough to do so, you may increase to 30 or even 40 minutes. Never begin with sessions longer than 20-minutes once a day because this can cause massive healing reactions that are unpleasant and even dangerous.

           If debilitated or very heat sensitive, begin with 15 minutes or less in the sauna.

           Always rest for 15 minutes after a sauna session. Shower off and then relax after a sauna session to allow the body to readjust. Do not go right back to daily activities. It is best to use a sauna first thing in the morning or the last thing at night. These are the times one is most relaxed and it will be most effective.   The more one relaxes, the more one will sweat.

           Always consult a health professional if one has a chronic illness.

           Pregnant women and children under five should avoid saunas. Young children must be accompanied by an adult.

           Continue prescribed medication while taking saunas, unless directed otherwise.

           Use a sauna twice a week to twice a day. If one is very debilitated, begin with once a week. Work up to daily use as you are able to do so.

           Healing reactions are temporary symptoms that occur as toxic substances are eliminated and chronic infections heal. Symptoms vary from mild odors, tastes or rashes are very common and usually pass quickly.   Some people feel great fatigue after sessions and this is normal. Some people have bowel changes, aches, pains or headaches.

           Old infections may flare up as they are healed due to repeated sauna use. Usually only rest and natural remedies are needed to help infections resolve faster.

              Almost all healing symptoms are benign and will pass quickly. Consult a knowledgeable practitioner if any cause concern.