(NaturalHealth365)  You’re about to discover the underappreciated health benefits of infrared sauna therapy.  Share this lifesaving news with family, friends, and your healthcare provider.

Every day, our bodies are besieged by toxins, including heavy metals and industrial chemicals – a non-stop bombardment that can threaten to overwhelm the body’s natural defense system.  In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency notes that the average American has over 700 chemicals in their system – including arsenic, lead, mercury, aluminum, and cadmium.

The accumulation of these toxic substances can set the stage for a host of serious diseases, including cancer and dementia.  Fortunately, there is a safe and effective way to rid the body of heavy metals and other pollutants, relieving the burden on your immune system and helping to prevent and even treat cancer.

Infrared saunas detoxify and heal the body with therapeutic radiant heat

Typical “wood box” saunas use a mixture of near, mid, and far infrared light energy to induce sweating.  The air temperature of these saunas can be quite high, making them very uncomfortable to use.  In contrast, infrared sauna rays use radiant heat similar to that of the sun – but minus the harmful ultraviolet rays – allowing the infrared rays to penetrate the skin, heating up your body from the inside out.

In fact, a good quality far infrared sauna will effectively raise your core body temperature by up to 3 degrees.

Experts advise temperatures of 105 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit as optimal for infrared saunas.  The result is a higher comfort level and the ability to remain in the sauna longer for maximum therapeutic effects.

Avoiding cancer cell growth with the help of far infrared sauna therapy

Millions of mutated cells exist in everybody, but the immune system is designed to kill them off before they have a chance to multiply and grow into tumors.  However, an immune system overwhelmed by toxins may not do this effectively – hence, the development of cancer.

Because cancer cells have a poorer tolerance to heat than healthy cells, infrared light is just the ticket to kill them off – and stop potential cancers in their tracks.  Dr. Rolf Issels, MD, Ph.D., of the University of Munich, notes that the heat produced in an infrared sauna can create “heat shock” proteins on the surfaces of cancer cells, causing them to be more vulnerable to attack by the immune system.

Sauna heat therapy can help reduce the size of existing tumors

Research shows that heat therapy via infrared saunas activates natural killer cells, T-cells, and macrophages – the body’s natural cancer-fighting defense troops.  Raising core body temperature can speed the death of tumors, as well as help clear the body of carcinogens that contributed to their formation in the first place.

In fact, hyperthermia (or heat therapy) is acknowledged by the American Cancer Society as a “promising” way to improve cancer treatment, while the National Cancer Institute reports heat therapy has been shown to reduce tumor size in some cases.

In a review published in Lancet Oncology in 2002, researchers noted that heat therapy has shown a beneficial effect in controlling certain types of cancer – such as breast cancer and malignant melanoma – and boosting patient survival rates.

But when it comes to treating cancer, an infrared sauna is not a magic bullet or even a “single” bullet.  It is merely one weapon in the cancer-fighting arsenal.  Both mainstream and holistic practitioners agree: heat therapy must be combined with other forms of cancer treatment for the best results.

Infrared saunas use multiple actions to fight cancer

In addition to killing cancer cells outright, infrared saunas combat cancer by helping to improve oxygen-carrying blood flow – important because cancer cells can’t thrive in an oxygen-rich environment.  Infrared saunas also promote weight loss and fight obesity – another anticancer effect due to the fact that cancer-producing hormones and carcinogens accumulate in fatty tissues.

Other beneficial and chemoprotective effects of infrared saunas include increased wound healing, increased production of beneficial nitric oxide, and improved blood flow through dilation and widening of arteries.

Say “goodbye” to heavy metals and other dangerous toxins

Infrared saunas promote sweating that helps detoxify the body from heavy metals such as lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, and nickel – along with other unwanted toxins such as pesticides and herbicides.

And they do it more effectively than typical saunas. For example, while sweat generated in a conventional hot rock sauna has been found to consist of 95 to 97 percent water, the sweat produced by infrared saunas contains only 80 to 85 percent water.

This means that the remaining 15 to 20 percent of the sweat should represent toxins that have been cleared from the system.  And this fact was proven in spades – the remainder was found to be laden with toxins such as heavy metals, sulfuric acid, uric acid, and excess sodium – demonstrating that infrared saunas are more effective at eliminating toxins from the body.

And by helping toxins exit the body via the skin, infrared heat helps relieve the eliminatory and detoxifying burden on the kidneys and liver.

What’s the difference between far infrared and near infrared saunas?

Although both have therapeutic benefits, far and near infrared have some key differences.  For example, while far infrared saunas use metallic, ceramic, or black carbon elements, near infrared lamp saunas utilize 250-watt incandescent red heat lamps – the same type that can be seen heating French fries at burger outlets.

In addition, near infrared sauna rays only penetrate the skin a little, while far infrared rays can penetrate up to 2-3 inches.

Naturally, if you’re dealing with health issues, we suggest you talk to an integrative healthcare provider about the value of using a sauna for your healing journey.  And, of course, when you’re ready, relax in the healing, soothing and detoxifying rays of a far infrared sauna.

To learn more about the value of sauna therapy, watch this video now – created by Jonathan Landsman … all about the sauna he uses every day for detoxification and overall wellness.

Sources for this article include:

MayoClinic.org