Sauna Bath

So you're sweating, and heavily. But is it doing you any good? Are there any health benefits of sauna baths? Indeed there are. Health benefits of sauna baths are (among other things) the internal stimulation of all of your body organs - the heat creates a "fever" that kicks things into action. Not only are your organs cleansing themselves, your skin (the body's largest organ) is cleaning itself from the inside out by sweating. It just doesn't get any better than that.

Here is a point to mention about sweating, if you are having doubts about the health benefits of sauna baths. The Ayurveda, the oldest known medical document in history (586 BC) held that sweating was so critical to one's health, that it recommended sweat baths and 13 other methods to bring on a sweat. You'll find this therapy also mentioned in literature about the Finnish sauna, the Russian banai, the Islamic hammam and the American Indian sweat lodges. They knew then what scientists know now, that bathing in hot temperatures of 90 degree Celsius is beneficial for a healthy body.

So really, what are the health benefits of sauna baths? Sweating does three essential things for us - gets rid of body wastes, regulates our body temperature and keeps our skin clean and pliable. During a 15-minute sauna, approximately one liter of sweat is lost from your body. Another kind of sweat we secrete, and yes, this is another of the health benefits of sauna baths, comes from inside us and works its way through blood and cells to the skin surface (called insensible perspiration). Sweat bath or not, usually a liter of this perspiration seeps out of us and evaporates.

Sweat is known to eliminate wastes from your body. This is definitely one of the major health benefits of sauna baths. Sweating it out in a 15-minute session can excrete heavy metals that would take the kidneys 24 hours to eliminate. Granted over 90 percent of what reaches the skin's surface is water, but the remainder is wastes your body does not need. Interesting note: research shows some mental hospitals use sweat baths to calm mental patients.

Patients on kidney machines can take advantage of the significant health benefits of sauna baths, as the built up urea is flushed out of the system in the sweat. Sweating will also draw out lactic acid. Your skin temperature might rise about 10 degrees C, but your inner temperature only about 3 degrees C. This is commonly called the "fever" and as generations of Doctors and scientists noted, bacterial and viral agents do not survive at temperatures higher than body temperature. (98.6 degrees F/30 degrees C)

A higher internal body temperature also affects your endocrine glands which regulates metabolism, thyroid, adrenal, ovaries and testes. Your oxygen needs will increase making your lungs more efficient. Now this will either work well for you if the air is dry enough to promote easy breathing, or it will be more difficult to breath due to the high humidity. Only you will be able to decide if you can tolerate the change in your breathing.

As you have read, there are obvious health benefits of sauna baths. If you take the time to research saunas, you will be able to decide if they are something you want to try. In the meantime, rest and relax and enjoy the soothing, healing heat.

Sauna Bath |