You may not normally associate heat and sweating with being healthy for the heart but as any cardiologist will tell you, it can be. Patients with advanced heart disease are fortunate to have many treatments available to them, such as medications, surgeries and devices. Even so, these come with risks. To truly heal the heart and to live longer without having to deal with side effects and/or risks, saunas are a recommendation more doctors and cardiologists are beginning to make.
For over two decades, doctors in Japan have been testing sauna heat on heart health, particularly infrared dry sauna therapy. They have been testing heart and vascular patients, publishing numerous academic articles showing support that sauna use can strengthen the heart. What these Japanese doctors do for their patients is sit them in an infrared sauna set at 140 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes followed by a rest outside the sauna for 30 minutes. To them, this therapy has come to be called ‘waon therapy’. Here are some of the things it’s been shown to do.
Artery health.
Our arteries are lined with a single layer known as the endothelium. The cells here produce dozens of compounds to ensure the arteries resist building plaque, developing blood clots, and/or constriction. As it turns out, sauna therapy improves the function of these cells and the blood carried.
Inflammation.
When we are affected by disease, eat junk food or processed foods, are stressed, or are overweight, our bodies produces more molecules triggering inflammation and destructive processes. After a few weeks of infrared dry sauna therapy, doctors have found these molecules decrease in patients with heart disease as well as in regular patients who have no signs of heart issues. The lower your inflammation, the less likely you are to suffer from things like chronic pain.
Exercise.
Sauna therapy impressively improves one’s ability to exercise, something which can be very important to people with heart disease. Heart disease can be limiting in a person’s ability to exercise. After a few weeks of regular sauna use however, people demonstrated the ability to walk, exercise, and partake in fitness activities more readily without assistance.
Life-saving.
Naturally, we don’t want to make any claims that are untrue or suspect at best. A recent study analyzing the responses to sauna use of 129 patients with bad heart problems found that two sessions per week or more lowers hospitalization rates and death by 50 percent. Assuming this is similar to what one would find all over the word, it’s unknown why infrared saunas are not more recommended and why we continue to favor risk-heavy pharmaceutical medications.
Why aren’t doctors recommending it?
The biggest reason, we think, as to why saunas are not being recommended for health purposes more frequently by doctors is because not a lot are familiar with the strong data in support of it and the benefits. Regardless, if you’re at-risk of heart disease or are struggling with heart issues, you may want to consider looking into an infrared sauna room at at-home or joining a club where you can enjoy the advantages that come with regular sessions.
If you’re looking to install an infrared sauna at home or want more information about saunas, steam rooms, and more, visit Steam Sauna today. Learn more about how to unlock your body’s natural healing mechanisms and heal your heart session-by-session.