INFRARED SAUNA AND FLOATING TO REDUCE INFLAMMATION
WHAT IS INFLAMMATION?
Inflammation is defined as a vital immune response within the body to protect itself from infection and injury. It is the body's way of signaling the immune system to heal and repair damaged tissue, as well as defend itself against foreign invaders, such as viruses and bacteria. However, when the inflammation response is constantly triggered without need, it can cause damaging effects. Triggers include germs, stress, chemical irritants, and toxins, as well as poor sleep, poor nutrition, dehydration, and excessive exposure to blue light & radiation.
There are two types of inflammation: acute and chronic. Acute inflammation most commonly occurs when you bang your knee or cut your finger. Your immune system dispatches an army of white blood cells to surround and protect the area, creating visible redness and swelling. The process works similarly if you have an infection like the flu or pneumonia. So in these settings, inflammation is essential—without it, injuries could fester and simple infections could be deadly.
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Unlike acute inflammation, however, chronic inflammation can have long-term and whole-body effects. Chronic inflammation produces a steady, low-level of inflammation throughout the body. Low levels of inflammation can be triggered by a perceived internal threat, even when there isn't a disease to fight or an injury to heal, and sometimes this signals the immune system to respond. As a result, white blood cells swarm but have nothing to do and nowhere to go, and they may eventually start attacking internal organs or other healthy tissues and cells, resulting in failing health and a host of diseases, including heart disease, cancer, and autoimmune disease.
According to Dr. Andrew Luster, a well-known inflammatory specialist affiliated with Harvard, inflammation within the body can best be compared to a fire - burning and damaging everything it comes into contact with. The goal, according to Dr. Luster, is to control the fire and prevent it from running wild within our bodies.
INFRARED SAUNA TO REDUCE INFLAMMATION
According to Dr. Will Cole, author of The Inflammation Spectrum, almost every health problem – autoimmune conditions, digestive issues, brain problems, and hormonal imbalances included – can be traced back to inflammation gone wild. Infrared saunas naturally reduce inflammation in the body by relieving its core triggers, such as toxins and stress, and promoting circulation and detoxification throughout the body. Here are some examples:
Detoxification:
The amount of toxins we are exposed to on a daily basis has risen exponentially. This rise of toxins is pervasive in our environment and bodies with more and more studies linking our exposure to the rise of autoimmune and other chronic diseases. Sweating is the body’s way of naturally detoxing. The FAR infrared wavelength targets tightly packed toxins trapped within our fat and tissue. The heat of the infrared uniquely breaks up those toxins, so once they are loose and free, they can be purged through sweat, resulting in 7x more detoxification than traditional sweating so you can help flush out these chemicals.
Circulation:
Infrared saunas stimulate cardiovascular circulation with oxygen-rich blood flow, producing white blood cells to reduce inflammation and calm swelling to alleviate chronic pain.
Chronic Pain Relief:
Research shows that infrared saunas can reduce pain even for those dealing with painful conditions like, fibromyalgia, chronic headaches, and rheumatoid arthritis, by releasing your body’s natural painkillers, endorphins, which have an opioid-like effect. The MID wavelength of our full-spectrum infrared saunas targets muscles and joints to relieve inflammation-causing pain.
Stress Reduction:
Studies show that chronic stress raises inflammation which is linked to multiple health problems. Infrared saunas promote relaxation and give you a chance to zen out and recharge. Sauna use can restore balance to the (HPA) axis, when out of whack, is responsible for adrenal fatigue, as well as rise BDNF levels to improve depression and anxiety.
FLOAT THERAPY TO REDUCE INFLAMMATION
Floating is rapidly growing as one of the most progressive health therapies to combat stress and pain, key triggers of inflammation. Here’s how:
Magnesium:
Studies have shown that magnesium deficiency is linked with an increase of chronic inflammation. Magnesium is known for reducing the inflammatory marker, CRP, in the body and providing a multitude of benefits including fighting depression, preventing migraines, and lowering blood pressure. In the same way that magnesium-rich foods (e.g. spinach, bananas, almonds) combat inflammation, so does floating! Our float tanks comprise approximately 1,000lbs of Epsom salt resulting in a huge dose of magnesium.
Stress Reduction:
Float therapy has been scientifically proven to lower anxiety, blood pressure and cortisol levels, which directly combat the effects of stress on the body’s systems. By removing the overload of stimuli we experience in life, leading to stress, we allow the body, mind and spirit to rest, relax and connect within. Floating also induces the body into a parasympathetic state, allowing it to rest, digest, and create a natural flow of calm.
Weightlessness + Pain Relief:
The high density of Epsom salt creates effortless weightlessness, relieving all pressure from the back, neck, spine, hips, allowing them to rest and recover. By relieving pain and stress on the body, we thereby reduce the trigger of inflammation at the same time.
YOUR WELLNESS PRACTICE
In these unprecedented times, joining the health and wellness movement to strengthen your immune system and relieve your inflammation triggers is more important than ever before. Early studies are even linking how hyper inflammation within Covid-19 cases is compounding the severity and symptoms.
As a wellness resource to our clients and community, we believe in creating a practice around living a healthier, more pain and stress-free life to boost immunity and create the building blocks of health when it matters most. We are grateful to serve our many clients with hyper-inflammatory symptoms and autoimmune disease, which is in part how we were permitted to serve as an essential business for those with medical need when the pandemic first hit.
Begin your journey to better health with a visit to our full-spectrum, infrared sauna + float studios.
Sources: Harvard Health Publishing. “Playing with the Fire of Inflammation.” Harvard Health, 2016. Hamblin, Michael R. “Mechanisms and Applications of the Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Photobiomodulation.” AIMS Biophysics, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2017.
