Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Infrared Sauna Rejuvenated!

Ahhhhhhhh. One more patient this evening and I'm going to scoot into our infrared sauna. I hadn't been in the sauna for quite a few months because most evenings at 6:30 I just want to get home to make dinner and spend some time with my husband.

So last week with some free evenings and not having to rush out of here, I decided to re-aquaint myself with my soothing and relaxing infrared sauna. For those not familiar with an infrared sauna it is a dry sauna that uses the infrared wavelength to heat the body from inside out. A conventional sauna just heats the air around you and you can only really sit in it for 15 minutes.

The heat penetrates deeply so it hits the tiny blood vessels in the joints and muscles, and the fat cells where toxins may be stored. This is why people with arthritis, or fibromyalgia find it helpful in increasing range of motion and decreasing pain. It's also wonderful for weight loss because depending on the temperature and how long you sit in there it also burns calories (because you sweat like crazy!).

The skin is a major organ of detoxification and we release toxins when we sweat. An ND in Owen Sound, Sat Dharam Kaur, also recommends to prevent breast cancer because we can eliminate a good proportion of environmental toxins and hence reduce our risk. Her book 'A Call to Women' is a great resource as a naturopathic guide to preventing breast cancer and includes a chapter on the infrared sauna.

Can't wait to sit for an hour and finally have a chance to read my new Elle magazine!

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