Do you constantly rage battles with thick smog and toxic chemicals in the big city? Are you desperate for real clean living? We consume toxins daily—from the air we breathe, the food we eat, and even the water we drink. Then, just when we think that we are safe at home, we come in contact with more, less obvious forms of toxins. Daily household toxins can come in the form of cigarette smoke, dust, pet dander, mildew, cleaning detergents, as well as chemicals from bathing water. And vanity does pay its price because even the soaps, lotions, ointments, creams, and deodorants we use everyday contain chemicals that are toxic to our body.
Nowadays, with more toxins in the environment than ever, “it’s critical to detoxify,” asserts Linda Page, N.D., Ph.D., the author of Detoxification (Healthy Healing Publications). By removing and eliminating toxins, detoxification helps protect us from diseases and renews our ability to maintain optimum health. There are different ways to help our body detoxify, like eating plenty of fruits, and vegetables, taking Vitamin C and other supplements, drinking plenty of water daily, among others. One yet-to-be-explored means of detoxification however, is the steam bath of Finnish origin, more popularly known as the “sauna”. Yes, saunas not only improve blood circulation and provide tension relief after a hectic day, but they are now being recognized as an effective method of detoxification.
Our skin is our body’s first defense against daily toxins which, therefore, makes it a major detoxification pathway. Many people’s skin, however, are very inactive. Many do not sweat. This may be caused by several factors like synthetic or tight clothing, sedentary living, or sun damage. This, then, is what the sauna zeroes-in on. How? There is a layer of fat and oil just beneath the surface of our skin. Heat from the sauna raises the skin’s temperature, causing these fats and oils to ooze out of the skin’s oil glands. As sweat and oil are secreted, the toxins dissolved in them are flushed out as well. By excreting these toxins and washing them off our bodies, our toxic load is lowered and cellular energy production is greater.
With the introduction of far-infrared saunas of late, wherein as far-infrared heats the body, the air remains cool and sweating begins quickly, the “sauna experience” becomes more pleasant. Also, the deep penetration of the infrared energy heats the tissues several inches deep, enhancing metabolic processes.
There are only more and more reasons to get rid of the daily toxins our bodies are constantly subjected to. What better way to do this than to “sweat it good while relaxing” in a sauna, for we may not be able to flee from every pollutant in the world but we do have the option to rid our bodies of these poisons naturally and safely. Now, we no longer have to feel guilty about spending those extra bucks, for a sauna not only feels right, it is right!
