POISON PERSPIRATION exudes from the pores
when a user is exposed to
heat from an infrared
sauna, according to claims
made for the technology.
Image: JOHN FRASER
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I received a call several months ago from a publicist for a company promoting an infrared sauna--a machine that is supposed to heat the body, not the surrounding air, and so produce sweat more efficiently. The company, Sunlight Saunas, contends that users experience the "same healing energy that is released naturally by the sun." On its Web site, it claims, as do abundant other Internet-based sellers of infrared saunas, an amazing list of health benefits: pain relief, weight loss, detoxification, increased circulation, cholesterol removal and a boost for the "immuse [sic] system."
The sauna is supposed to emit radiation in the infrared part of the spectrum, which adjoins the microwave spectrum. I started to imagine my body undergoing a gentle, slow cook without sunburn and without any of the icky cold parts that always remain in the middle when I heat up a frozen taco in the microwave. I knew that I could use a little detox, too--and not because I enjoy a glass of wine with dinner. Scientific American's offices on Madison Avenue are less than a block away from environmental monitoring equipment that measures the worst particulate levels in New York City (and some of the worst east of the Mississippi). The diesel fumes from the bus lanes there were an inspiration for an ad from the Natural Resources Defense Council that read "Standing behind this bus could be more dangerous than standing in front of it...."
An x-ray of my lungs could probably illustrate a medical pathology textbook. (My home, by the way, is near the heavily trafficked George Washington Bridge.) What the heck did I have to lose but some excess sulfates and other toxins? I first asked the publicist whether I could go someplace in the New York metropolitan area to sit in a Sunlight Sauna hot box. She said not to worry, the sauna would come to me. A week or two later a box almost big enough to sleep in arrived.
I'm someone who has never contemplated inhabiting any structure that does not come equipped with a superintendent. The thought of standing in a Home Depot aisle trying to distinguish between a ground fault circuit interrupter and a hinged single-pole breaker lockout induces abject terror. But even I could manage the assembly of the Sunlight Sauna Solo.
My spa was a space that stretched nearly underneath the desk in an unused windowless office. No Arizona desert vistas for me. Lying in the sauna, I stared up at a bank of fluorescent lights, my trunk and limbs covered by two cylindrical carbon shells. This personal sauna resembled a minimalist version of a computed tomography machine. I wondered how claustrophobes would do. The carbon shells emitted infrared radiation in the range of four to 50 microns. According to Sunlight Solo literature, the wavelengths coincide largely with those emitted by the body, heating it up at a lower temperature than can be achieved with a conventional sauna. Lying on an infrared heating pad allows for the warming sensation on all sides.
As advised by the publicist, I stayed in the sauna for 30 minutes. I gradually turned up the heat a notch every few minutes until it hit the highest setting of 150 degrees. By the end of the half-hour, my forehead glistened; I had drifted into momentary sleep a few times. When I stood up, I felt lightheaded but not dizzy. The relaxed feeling lasted the rest of the day. I tried the sauna three other times on different days. A colleague who saw me shoeless and in shorts and a Scientific American T-shirt inquired about how my "research" was going.
I asked myself: How does this sauna differ from all other saunas? I never came up with a good answer. How did it feel? Well, you could say that it was warm, calescent or maybe even thermogenic--in other words, caldo, chaud, heiss, or just hot, hot, hot.
I tried a sauna at the local YMCA to compare. I usually stay in for five minutes after going swimming at lunchtime but decided to stretch it out to half an hour to equal my time in the Solo. It still wasn't a one-to-one match, because the unadjustable sauna at the Y was more than 180 degrees against 150 for the Solo. Unlike the Solo, I had to leave the Y's sauna every 10 minutes or so to get a drink of water, and I didn't sweat quite as much. But I found that the same adjectives applied to what is essentially just another form of infrared energy. Any subtleties eluded me. I called Sunlight Sauna to ask what it is I should be feeling. Co-owner Connie Zack said that I might not notice any fundamental physical changes from taking a sauna unless I was actually experiencing some health problem, such as chronic back pain.
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12 Comments
Add CommentThis is a great article, I was about to purchase a sauna from Sunlight today till I read this article, now I am nit sure
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIs this saun good for anything except warming your body??
A press release went out from Sunlight Saunas around the time Jeremy Piven was hit with mercury toxicity (excessive sushi consumption) in late 2008. In the release Dr. Klinghardt found "...that the sweat of people using a conventional sauna was 95-97% water while the sweat of those using an infrared thermal system was 80-85% water, the non-water portion consisting of toxins including heavy metals." It also quotes Dr. Rachel West, an LA based doctor who uses a combination of chelation and infrared sauna therapy to treat her clients "...whereas chelation therapy can be very expensive, difficult to administer and cause negative side effects, the infrared sauna treatment is a non-toxic, no side-effect way of ridding the body of harmful pollutants, especially heavy metals."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisA lot of people trust these saunas for something other then warming the body; I know I do.
Compared to a traditional sauna which operates in the 80-90 degrees Celsius range, infrared saunas are low heat saunas that operate at 40-50 degrees Celsius. Instead of heating the air with a powerful heating element, infrared saunas use infrared radiation to heat the body directly, which is more efficient and uses much less energy than a traditional sauna. In an infrared sauna, the IR radiation emitted from ceramic plates penetrates the outer two inches of your body, where it is converted into heat energy and stimulates the sweat glands. Since the air in an IR sauna does not feel hot, like in a traditional sauna, there is no shock to the cardiovascular system; you feel comfortable warmth as opposed to the intense, burning heat of a traditional sauna, and you sweat profusely. You will actually start sweating before you feel warm. Most people cannot tolerate the high heat of a traditional sauna long enough to break a significant sweat, hence the development of the infrared variety. Since sweat is a major route of elimination, the IR sauna "detoxifies" the body by enhancing sweating. The IR sauna also stimulates lipolysis. Heavy metals are stored in our fat tissue. Gradual fat breakdown releases them to the circulatory system for excretion by the liver, kidneys, or sweat, depending on the metabolic processes that act on the "toxin" in question. Sauna therapy is not just for detoxification. Search PubMed for studies on its clinical application in pain management and cardiovascular disease before dismissing this important clinical tool.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisFor an article appearing in Scientific American, this is very short on actual science. It doesn't go any further toward answering the question in its own title other than reiterating other findings and results. There's no testing, no establishment of the writer's "toxic load" of any chemical either before or after their trial, no measurement of toxins in the actual sweat they excreted, just a personal and unscientific comparison of their experience of the sauna to another sauna and warmth they had experienced. The trial was also too short to be of any use. This sort of article serves to discredit your publication, and worse still, the research and findings of actual scientists and medical personnel who have conducted, and continue to conduct, research into the detoxification effects of far infra red saunas, many of whom can actually qualify their reports and articles with hard, first-hand data.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI have to agree with Madchook. The article is actually pretty stupid and useless. I have owned my Infrared Sauna for two years and I can't even tell you the benefits it has had on my body. I suffer from Fibermyalgia and my mother, who also has one, has Lyme Disease. The Infrared Sauna has helped both of us tremendously with our aches and pains and had a much deeper heat than a traditional sauna.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTo the person above that has now re- thought buying a infrared sauna based upon this story, why not base your decision on the hundreds of positive reviews instead of the one negative review. It amazes me that 100's of people can have nothing but great reviews and then one person, who claims they didn't feel much of anything, would alter that person mind. Those are also the type of people that can gain 30 pounds and not even notice. Ridiculous if you ask me .
My mother had a wart on her finger for over a year that wouldn't go away with traditional medicine, but after one month using the infrared sauna, the wart is gone and she hasn't had one flair up with her Lyme's disease since she has been using it.
There is a huge difference in the way a Regular sauna and Infrared Sauna feels on your body and it doesn't take a rocket scientist, or excuse me Scientific American, to notice that. Lame!!
I have to agree with Madchook. The article is actually pretty stupid and useless. I have owned my Infrared Sauna for two years and I can't even tell you the benefits it has had on my body. I suffer from Fibermyalgia and my mother, who also has one, has Lyme Disease. The Infrared Sauna has helped both of us tremendously with our aches and pains and had a much deeper heat than a traditional sauna.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTo the person above that has now re- thought buying a infrared sauna based upon this story, why not base your decision on the hundreds of positive reviews instead of the one negative review. It amazes me that 100's of people can have nothing but great reviews and then one person, who claims they didn't feel much of anything, would alter that person mind. Those are also the type of people that can gain 30 pounds and not even notice. Ridiculous if you ask me .
My mother had a wart on her finger for over a year that wouldn't go away with traditional medicine, but after one month using the infrared sauna, the wart is gone and she hasn't had one flair up with her Lyme's disease since she has been using it.
There is a huge difference in the way a Regular sauna and Infrared Sauna feels on your body and it doesn't take a rocket scientist, or excuse me Scientific American, to notice that. Lame!!
It will be true that now The carbon shells emitted infrared radiation in the range of four to 50 microns.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this<a href="http://www.infraredsaunaathome.com/"><b>Home Sauna</b></a>
t will be true that now The carbon shells emitted infrared radiation in the range of four to 50 microns. http://www.infraredsaunaathome.com/
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAn attack on the ridiculous claims made by infrared room dealers is long overdue. I don't have a problem with infrared rooms and I think it's great that people are able to find some measure of relief with their use. What I have a problem with is the unjustified claims that are used to lure people into buying them vs a traditional Finnish sauna.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this1. "In an infrared room you sweat 20% toxins." Are you kidding me? You expect me to believe that 20% of my sweat is cholesterol and heavy metals? Don't you think you'd be able to see and smell that difference? Of course you would. Many infrared dealers basically infer that you sweat fat. Absolutely untrue.
2. "Infrared rooms remove 7-10x as much "toxins" as a traditional sauna." What? Completely untrue. No credible study has every proven this.
3. "Conventional saunas CANNOT raise your core body temperature. The 3 degree raise in temperature produces all of the health benefits." Also completely untrue. You really think that sitting in a 180 degree room won't raise your core temperature? Of course it does. I've tested mine several times out of curiousity. People have known forever that traditional Finnish saunas raise core body temperatures. That's why people who own traditional saunas (and infrared) aren't sick as often. The raising of core temperature simulates a fever.
Once again, I BELIEVE that your infrared room produces health benefits. I'm not arguing with that. You are not, however, sweating 20% toxins, nor is it 7-10x more effective than a traditional sauna. Not by a long shot. I'll gladly eat crow if anyone can prove me wrong with a legitimate study that isn't funded by an infrared dealer.
Clint Carlson
Contributor at saunatimes.com
Hi Clint!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThanks for your posting.. I use a traditional sauna at my local 24 hour fitness and am considering buying one.. I tried an infrared at a local spa and hated it.. I use a sauna mainly because my body holds water a bit much.. and it has helped my metabolism too!
Can you suggest a good reasonable source to purchase one?
Thanks
Swati.
Sure! Buying traditional saunas new is quite expensive. I'd recommend either buying a used one on Craigslist or building one yourself. No reason to feel weird about buying a used sauna. When you get it home you can sand the interior (benches too) down with 800 grit sandpaper and it will be as good as new. Keep your eye out on Craigslist and you'll find a 2-4 man unit for $1500-$3000. You'll also have to have an electrician hook it up, since it requires 220V (same as your dryer). Depending on your setup, that will be $500-$1000.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe other option is to build one. This isn't as complex as it sounds. You can build a sauna with a Skilsaw and basic tools. The door is a little tricky, but the rest of it is do-able. Connect with Glenn and myself over at saunatimes.com and we'll help you along the way. Good luck!
Clint- I guess I agree that claims might be exaggerated but i would be interested how you know far infrareds do not produce more toxins in the sweat of its users?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAlso worth noting is that the author of the article does not seem to clearly state if she had any benefit form the far infra red experience but instead seems to imply a kind of slieght of hand to suggest only that the makers of the product are trying to tell her what they believe she should expect. Weak!