A Super Relaxing Way to Detox

I’ve known about infrared sauna therapy for years and how it’s such a great way to detox, but I never actually experienced it until last summer at the Paleo f(x) conference in Austin, TX.

At the conference, there were a couple of infrared sauna vendors, and you could actually experience their sauna therapy right there on the expo floor. My husband and I were hooked, and we ended up purchasing our very own portable near infrared sauna! I know, I still can’t believe it myself—but after actually experiencing one, we had to have one of our own, and here’s why …

Near-infrared saunas are designed to penetrate deep into the body and stimulate cellular regeneration and anti-aging.

Throughout history, humans have used sauna therapy as a safe and powerful means of detoxification. From Native American sweat lodges to Finnish wood-fired saunas, the process is the same—raise cell temperature by several degrees for several minutes to activate cellular heat therapy effects. In doing this, it will trigger the tissues of the body’s core to activate the whole body’s detoxification response, and you’ll notice things like:

• increased blood flow to tissues
• increased tissue oxygenation
• a decrease in blood pressure
• a decrease in insulin resistance
• passive sweating as the body detoxes

By dramatically increasing blood-flow to the vital organs and skin, it cleanses even hard to reach toxins.

For many of us, we might think that sweating during vigorous exercise would do the same thing for our body as a sauna. But the truth is, though exercise does raise the body’s temperature, it decreases the body’s deep organ blood flow, which means very little detoxification takes place.

It’s better (and much more relaxing), to sit quietly in your sauna, sweating passively—that’s how deep detoxification occurs.

During this process, the skin, your largest detoxification organ is activated as a toxin eliminator and aids in the removal of toxic organic compounds and heavy metals.

And though detoxification is a key reason for using a near infrared sauna, there are additional benefits, such as:

• cellular regeneration
• anti-aging repair and skin rejuvenation
• athletic and cognitive enhancement
• muscle and joint pain relief
• cellulite reduction
• stress elimination and better sleep
• decreased risk of cardiovascular disease

In today’s toxic world no one can avoid exposure to harmful substances. Sauna therapy is a cornerstone of defense in the fight against toxin related illness and dysfunction. Just look at the list above—there’s so many benefits to using one! Not to mention how relaxing the entire process is.

For me, I sit in the sauna and relax for 10-20 minutes a day. While I’m in there, I practice deep breathing, meditation and prayer. And I’ve found that it’s truly a therapy everyone can benefit from due to the vast benefits for mind, body, and soul.

One thing I learned while I was attending the conference last year is that not all infrared saunas are the same. In fact, most of them use far-infrared technology or a combination of far, medium and near. And while you’re getting some benefit with these saunas, you’re not getting the maximum benefit you could get from a near-infrared sauna.

In deciding which sauna to purchase, we went with Sauna Space. Their portable Sauna is fantastic due to it's size, portability, and low EMF technology.

If you’d like to learn more about Sauna Space and the Luminati or Faraday Sauna, be sure to check them out here.

I’d love to hear from you. Do you use infrared sauna therapy? What is your favorite way to detox?