Far Infrared Sauna
No matter what your goal, being in peak cardiovascular condition will help you reach it sooner. But what if you don't have the time to run four miles every morning? Or you've got a sprained ankle? Or you have restricted movement as a result of rheumatoid arthritis? Thanks to breakthrough research over the past two decades, there is now a way to stimulate the cardiovascular system " and burn calories " without even moving.
The longest and most healing rays of the sun, the Far Infared (FIR) Spectrum is a form of radiant heat that can be felt on the skin but is invisible to the naked eye. It penetrates human tissue by 1 to 1.5 inches and creates a beneficial heart stress while the body attempts to cool itself. In the 1980s, NASA research found that FIR was an ideal method of maintaining the cardiovascular conditioning of astronauts immobilized during flights.
Indeed, there is evidence that FIR may be as effective a means of cardiovascular training as exercise. Blood flow during whole-body "hyperthermia," or a fever-like body temperature, is reported to rise from five to seven quarts a minute to as many as 13 quarts a minute. Moreover, FIR saunas generate two to three times the sweat produced in a conventional sauna, allowing people to burn 300-600 calories per thirty minute session.
Remarkably, even a person in a wheelchair or someone recovering from an injury can improve their cardiovascular fitness with FIR. Thus, this is truly a therapy for everyone, from the inactive to the elite athlete, because of its ability to safely induce passive cardiovascular conditioning at all levels. Notably, infrared light is considered so safe that hospitals use it to warm incubators for premature babies.
FIR produces hyperthermia at much lower air temperatures than our Oxygen Steam Bath. That's because infrared rays don't heat the air but only the body. If you find it difficult to stand typical sauna heat, FIR may be preferable for achieving the other positive effects of heat therapy. Benefits include reduced pain, faster healing, decreased stiffness, enhanced immune function, increased circulation, the elimination of lactic acid and detoxification.
When you sweat during FIR, you may be thinking the about calories you're burning but as an added bonus, your body will be ridding itself of all sorts of toxins stored in your subcutaneous fat, including heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium and lead as well as plasticizers, pesticides and dioxins. Without even knowing it, you'll be reducing the burden on your kidneys and cleansing your body-inside and out.
