Your Path to Healthy Living and a Healthy Life

THE HOTTEST WAY TO HEALTH
by Dr. John Yim

This article first appeared in the Nanaimo News Bulletin

            I am excited about a hot investment I recently made.   This investment is not a stock, it’s not a mutual fund, and it’s not real estate.  This investment actually promotes good health.

            In September I purchased a far infrared sauna.  The idea of using  saunas or sweat lodges has been around for thousands of years and used by many different peoples from North American aboriginals to Scandinavians to Asians.  The far infrared sauna is just a new spin on an old idea.

            The sauna or sweat lodge has traditionally been used for cleansing and purification.  This makes perfect sense today because we know that the skin is a major organ of detoxification and elimination.  Through the skin, sweat can carry all kinds of toxins from the body.

            Studies have shown that properly conducted sauna therapy can help the body eliminate drugs of all kinds, heavy metals like mercury, PCB’s, herbicides, pesticides, and a range of other chemicals.

            This is highly beneficial for individuals suffering from multiple chemical sensitivities, chronic fatigue, allergies, environmental illness, cancer, toxic chemical exposure, and a host of health conditions.  In fact, the sauna can benefit the healthy as well as the chronically ill.

            Since a sauna can assist in the elimination of toxins, people with all kinds of skin conditions such as acne, eczema, psoriasis, and even cellulite

(lumps of fat under the skin caused by trapped toxins) can benefit.

            Sauna’s greatest health benefit besides detoxifying the body is in boosting the immune response of the body.  The heat stimulates the activity of the white blood cells.  When the white blood cells are more active, they are more effective at gobbling up viruses and bacteria, preventing or alleviating the symptoms of infections.

            Pain relief is another benefit derived from the sauna.  In Europe and Japan, infrared therapy is used for arthritis, bursitis, fibromyalgia, strains, sprains, and other musculoskeletal ailments.  Heat relaxes the muscles and dilates the blood vessels.  This brings fresh blood along with nutrients and oxygen to the joints, muscles, and soft tissues.

            For those who are fortunate enough to be healthy, but are more concerned about weight management, the sauna can be a fantastic tool.  In a 30 minute session in an infrared sauna, you can burn 600 or more calories due to an increased metabolic rate.  If I was doing a high impact aerobics class for 30 minutes, I’d only burn about 300 calories.

            By sweating, you not only lose sweat, but toxins as well.  The fewer toxins in the body, the less water you will have to hold in order to dilute the toxins.  Also, the liver will not have to work as hard, so it can metabolize fat more efficiently.

            The far infrared sauna is a perfect investment for your home.  These prefabricated units are compact and easy to install.  They cost little to run since the bulbs use very little hydro.  They are also far more comfortable since they induce two to three times the amount of sweating at a lower air temperature compared to hot air saunas.

            With all these benefits, it is no wonder that an infrared sauna is “the hottest way to health”. 

For information on the Infrared Sauna Dr. Yim recommends please click here.