The use of saunas as a healing modality is thought to originate in the Scandinavian region; however, there are many references to sauna therapy throughout different cultures. Perhaps the oldest known in this region is the sweat lodge. Regardless of its origin, the sauna has been a traditional method of helping people cope with a wide range of health concerns.

The variety of saunas available to today's consumer is amazing. The general categories we now see are: steam sauna, dry heat sauna, infrared and far-infrared sauna. Gaining popularity in recent years are the latter two - infrared and far-infrared. These saunas use ceramic or metallic heat elements to emit energy.  The far-infrared tends to be gentler than the other traditional choices as it operates at a lower temperature. This allows people to sit for longer periods of time and thus creates two to three times greater sweat output.

Health Benefits of the Sauna

1) An increase in the body's metabolic rate - Because saunas create a thermal stress, the body reacts by increasing its metabolism along with oxygen consumption. The result is very similar to how our bodies react to moderate exercise

2) A decrease in pain - In the infrared and far-infrared sauna, muscles tend to relax and allow tendons and joint capsules to increase their elasticity.  Many people then experience a decrease in their muscular pain as a result, helping to break the pain/spasm cycle and promote healthy circulation to the healing muscle. Studies have shown a significant reduction in chronic pain with regular use of a sauna, allowing patients a greater chance at living a healthy and pain free life

3) An increase in cardiovascular health - Recent studies have been showing that routine use of a sauna under the care of a health care provider can help with hypertension and significant decreases in both systolic and diastolic readings. As well, studies are being conducted on the benefit of sauna therapy for congestive heart therapy. In general, statistically significant findings have reflected an improvement in patients with left ventricular ejection fraction, exercise tolerance, peak respiratory flow, and anaerobic threshold. (Although it should be noted that using sauna therapy for your cardiovascular health should be closely monitored by your health care provider).  The above studies all contained patients who had used a sauna regularly before any health concerns, therefore they were successful candidates for the use of the sauna in their therapy routine

4) A decrease in depression - With an increase in the relaxation response that the sauna provides, some patients find that they have a decrease in their depression

5) Changes in autoimmune diseases - Rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and Sjogren's syndrome patients participating in sauna therapy studies found dramatic improvements in their symptoms. Those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, in particular, found a decrease in not only pain and stiffness but also a decrease in fatigue

It is recommended that everyone check with their health care provider before engaging in sauna therapy. In particular, those people for whom safety may be a concern and the sauna is contraindicated are: persons with aortic stenosis, unstable angina, severe orthostatic hypotension or a recent myocardial infarction.  Sauna's are also not recommended for women in the early stages of pregnancy and should be monitored when using the sauna in later trimesters.

As sauna therapy continues to gain popularity in the west there seems to be a correlating increase in research on its benefits. The future is full of possible outcomes as we discover just how this traditional healing modality can be integrated into our modern practices.

Reference:

Crinnion, Walter J, ND. "Sauna as a Valuable Clinical Tool for Cardiovascular, Autoimmune, Toxicant-induced and Other Chronic Health Problems", Alternative Medicine Review (Volume 16, number 3), 2011