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Are Infrared Saunas Good for You? – According To Science
Produced by Thrive Global and hosted by Zoe Foulkes, According To Science is a show that unpacks the latest and most talked-about scientific discoveries, studies, and trends. From health and well-being to technology and the cosmos, we’ll explain it all.
Infrared saunas have been growing in popularity for the last few years. But how are they any different from regular saunas? And are they really any better for you? We're breaking down this hot trend just for you.
Let’s talk about infrared saunas. If you haven't heard about them, you soon
will. Much like the Kardashians, the craze started
in LA and now they're all over the place. I'm Zoe Foulkes and this is According To Science. From Harper’s Bazaar to Sports Illustrated
and even National Geographic, infrared saunas are one of the hottest health trends, and
have attracted celebrity fans like Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez and Chelsea Handler. Infrared enthusiasts make a lot of health claims
about the practice – from detoxification to anti-aging and weight loss. So what are infrared saunas? Do they really work? First, the idea of sweating as an act of purification
or well-being has been around for thousands of years. From ancient Greece and Rome to the temazcal,
also known as “house of heat” in Mesoamerica, to the culture of saunas in Finland, which
is where the word sauna comes from. With traditional saunas, wood or electricity
is used to warm the air in a small room to around 160 to 190 degrees. The intense heat makes you sweat and increases
your heart rate, which is thought to have many health benefits, similar to moderate
exercise. A study of middle-aged Finnish men showed
that being in a sauna 2 to 3 times a week lowered heart disease risk by 23 percent. So, you might be wondering… how are infrared saunas different? They use infrared wavelengths of light to
heat the body from within rather than heating the external air. The appeal is that infrared saunas can produce
effects similar to traditional saunas, but at a lower – and much more tolerable — temperature
of around 110 – 120 degrees. The claim is that because the light penetrates
the skin more deeply than a traditional sauna, more sweat is produced and, among other health
benefits, more toxins are released. Experts point out there's no evidence that
infrared saunas actually detoxify your body. After all, your body is detoxified by your
kidneys and liver, not through sweating. However, some studies have suggested other
benefits, including the treatment of heart arrhythmias, chronic pain, and diabetes. So should you spend your hard-earned money sweating in one? Experts say that there doesn't seem to be
anything wrong with some sauna time, as long as you don’t overdo it and stay hydrated. As one Dutch doctor put it, “death in a sauna
is a rare event.” And a possible title for one of those dark,
Nordic thrillers. So feel free to hop into an infrared sauna, but keep your skepticism on. I’m Zoe Foulkes and thanks for listening
to According To Science. See you next time!
#Infrared #Saunas #Good #Science
source
Why do we need to know which celebrities use it?
Iam ready to buy a sauna to put in my insulated garage. However been doing lots of research and 90% of the people talked to and all the reviews I have read are negative towards the IR saunas. I was about to buy one already but now iam having second toughts. All the negative reviwes are about IR sauna not getting hot enough and some people have to use a towel so they can sweat??. I been recomended to get a traditional sauna instead since is alot more enjoyable…So iam still don't know what to get🥺
If I go the traditional route do you guys know if I would need a 240v cldedicatwd circuit, drainage, water supply close to it, etc…?? What about moisture?
Here in clovis ca where I live the the temperature varies from 40° to 105° F. and rarely gets down to 31° and 110° F
Iam getting a single sauna for my garage but don't know if I should get infra red or traditional??? Many people like the traditional better since it heats up hotter cause it heats up air as opposed as your body directly like Ir.
Anyways if I put it in my 3 car garage/gym will I need to have some ventilation or will it be ok if garahe is completely sealed??
Iam installing a mini split system there too so I am sealing every single Crack/gap in garahe so minisplit can be more efficient.
If anyone's wondering about what saunas to buy, I've made a trillion videos about it.
Would a water proof wind breaker have a similar effect? If Heat & sweat is all that is required to gain these benefits.
Don’t drink alcohol and sauna
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szoval EZT NEM EN IRTAM valaki attkoltotte attszerkesztette de miert GYERE TE NAGY KOLTO GYERE ES BESZELGESSUNK
melyikjobb az infrared vagy a farinfrared melyik egeszsegesebb
Ok, several concerns here- Not sure who these "experts" are that these facts are coming from, but you may want to look for any other source. There are countless studies and papers written for decades on how sweating detoxifies the body. Your body will induce sweating during sickness and fever to attack and clear out viruses, bacteria that is attacking the body or any other cell that does not in fact carry your DNA including poisons, metals and the like.
During my college days back in the 80's we conducted several experiments collecting our sweat and analyzing what was in it. Many samples contained lead, mercury and several biological components from those who were at the time of the collection sick with some illness or another. I think this is the first time I have ever even heard someone state that sweating was NOT detoxifying the body in some way or another. Please consider using another source than these "experts" you are mentioning. Just a suggestion.
Your main detoxification organs are the liver and kidneys. Additionally, your lymphatic system, digestive tract, skin, and lungs also play a part in how your body detoxes. Altogether, these organs create detoxification pathways in the body
Here's a thoughtful review od data sponsored by The NIH
J Environ Public Health. 2012; 2012: 184745.
Unless you are a Liberal funded Scientist infrared saunas are great
My mother's people were Finns and grandpa, who came from the old country, built his own sauna. I believe a true Finnish sauna always uses steam as the heat source so an infrared "sauna" is more like a sweat lodge, using a native American term. As far as the word "sauna"..I've always heard it pronounced something like sow-na not saw-na, at least by the Finns I've been around.
I’m not sure what your health background is but all the scientist keep saying it doesn’t detox your body of course it doesn’t a detox is the skin the largest organ in the body dumb ass
Exppoeeerrtss🧟♀️🧟♀️🧟♂️🧟♂️🧟♀️🧟♂️🧟♀️
F 'celebrities'
F 'celebrities'
Title content?
Whoever said that the liver and the kidneys were the only two detox organs doesn’t know what they’re talking about… Typical allopathic medicine tunnel vision . The skin is one of the major detox organs.
According To Science : "Kardashians … Selena Gomez … bla bla bla … more celebrities" 😂🤣
I've seen a study that found that the concentration of certain heavy metals in sweat is equal to the concentration in the blood.
If I sweat a liter per sauna session, weighting 80kg, I would eliminate 31% of the heavy metals in my body during a month, which is actually a notable acceleration of the natural process of heavy metal detoxification for cases like Cadmium, that has a biological half-life of 10-20 years otherwise.
The body definitely does detoxify through sweat, in addition to the kidneys and liver. How else would the toxins leave the system if those were the only detox organs? That's why sweat, pooping, and peeing are all methods of excretion, which is part of detoxification.
They've also tested what's on towels after sweating to see toxins excreted.
Kerr K, Morse G, Graves D, et al. A Detoxification Intervention for Gulf War Illness: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019;16.
Genuis SJ, Lane K, Birkholz D. Human Elimination of Organochlorine Pesticides: Blood, Urine, and Sweat Study. BioMed research international 2016;2016:1624643.
Genuis SJ, Birkholz D, Rodushkin I, et al. Blood, urine, and sweat (BUS) study: monitoring and elimination of bioaccumulated toxic elements. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 2011;61:344-57.
There are actually a number of research studies which show that more toxins are released during infrared saunas. Highly misinformed video. This is not Science.
The great health benefits of sauna come from the high heat -like those listed in this video too, that's the benefit of traditional saunas. But people with hard cintion can't take that strain – but the same goes for exercie, infrared sauna and steamroom, depenidin on the stress. And sauna heat can be regulated milder, and the steam can be regulated by how much water goes to the hot stones.
Steamroom gives you more sweating. Sauna does that a bit less, but still a clear increase in detoxification by sweating there too. And while the inner organs like liver and kidneys do that – the skin does detoxification too: some toxics leave more by sweating than by the inner organs. One study showed that especially mercury leaves your body by sweating. And certainly fat, like anybody having a hot bath have seen the oily layers in the water. They leave our body, yet oil the skin on their way.
So the infrared sauna falls between these two in benefits. Sauna or steamroom depends how much you aim for that detoxification – without that, the heat treatment of sauna gives more of those benefits for blood flow, heart conditions etc Besides, infrared is a new technology, so be careful with the baby hick-ups: just before watching this video I saw a video suggestion on the feed of the inner department fires increase in some area in the States, was it in Kansas area?
The saunas and steamrooms have been used for 1000s of years, they are tested. And infrared going inside our skin… traditionally human body hasn't been exposed to that. Are we sure it's tested enough? I mean we went to coal industry without too much testing, tested atom bombs with human casualities. Now we are tested how to store the nuclear waste. Infrared of course meats our skin in the normal daylight – but is it meant to go deep inside our skin – is the body prepared for that? Some studies warn about an emf risk, electromagnetic field. But if the most reliable docs have long term evidence infrared is harmless, go for it.
I think this is slightly misinformed; our skin is our biggest detoxification organ. We consume a horrendous amount of environmental toxins, sweating them out as part of a practitioner-supported detoxification protocol has incredible results. It's a bit misleading to say 'oh our kidneys and liver do this for us' – most people's livers and kidneys are not functioning at full vitality due to the plethora of environmental toxins in their bodies.
See a qualified practitioner, get diagnostics done, and detox with their support! No need to blindly believe me or random YouTube videos. 🙂
For consideration: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3312275/pdf/JEPH2012-184745.pdf