|
Detoxification in a Toxic World
The Problem:
We are exposed to hundreds of man-made toxins and pollutants in our environment
as a result of modern lifestyles and technologies. Every day we
are surrounded by chemicals, no matter where we live or
how well we take care of ourselves and our families.
These chemicals enter our bodies by the air we breathe,
the food we eat, the water we drink, and by the things
we touch. We can't escape nearly constant chemical exposure,
whether from the pesticides sprayed on our neighbor's lawn, new
carpeting at the office, heavy metals in our tap water, or in
the hair styling products we use, just to name but a few
examples. Many of us are
reaching maximum body burden. We suffer from a wide
range of idiopathic (unknown cause) health conditions.
Is it any wonder? Avoidance and nutritional intervention
are necessary, but may not be enough. There are new
classes of xenobiotics (foreign chemicals) in our
everyday environment that cannot be processed and
removed by our body's natural detoxification pathways.
The body just doesn't "know" what to do with them. It simply
sequesters them, hiding them in tissues such as
fat. Forgotten, but certainly not gone! The only way to
remove these toxins may be by "thermal depuration" -
taking saunas!
The Solution:
Sauna or "sweat" therapy has evolved through the centuries to "purify" the
body. Ancient peoples in various places around the globe understood the benefits
of sweat therapy and practiced it using fire as a heat source. Today the
electrically-powered sauna is the preferred way to heat the body for
therapeutic purposes. Patients used to have only two sauna options: buying
an in-home sauna costing thousands of dollars, or finding public saunas. Using public saunas
such as at a
gym is not recommended for detox. Why? Public
saunas rarely use the proper dry far infrared
technologies and settings that are best for detox.
Patients are
exposed to the toxic vapors from other people,
and fungal skin infections are rampant. An
in-home solution is needed.
How it works:
Obviously saunas make you sweat. Most, but not all, of the therapeutic
benefits of sauna comes from copious sweating. The skin must be viewed as a
major organ of elimination. The body excretes unwanted waste products via
sweat. In many modern cultures, we live increasingly sedentary lifestyles,
largely indoors. We don't sweat very much; in fact we often view sweating as
socially inappropriate and non-hygienic. We avoid the healing rays of the
sun too much of the time. Our exposure to this most natural source of
infrared is limited, sometimes out of fear of ultraviolet exposure and risk
of skin cancer. But ultraviolet and infrared are at opposite ends of the
spectrum. Infrared has nothing at all to do with skin cancer. We need, and
we miss, the healthy deep warming rays of the sun.
When the body is heated, the heart rate increases and the
skin blushes, bringing blood closer to the surface. Small increases in core body
temperature cause metabolic processes to speed up. Some of the beneficial processes
of mild inflammation are set in motion. Detoxification processes accelerate.
Adipose or fat tissues, where so many toxins are
sequestered, begin to "loosen up". A natural process called lipolysis
accelerates, where fat tissues are broken down by the body. Toxins that were
locked in are released into the blood stream in a process called
mobilization. Some of these toxins are sweated out through the skin. Some
are delivered by the bloodstream to the liver and kidneys, and even to the
colon, for elimination. So not only can sauna therapy increase toxin removal
by sweating, but it also mobilizes toxins, and increases elimination by the
urine and feces.
Especially in the early phases of sauna therapy, some
patients will notice reactions such as burning urine or feces, skin rashes
and unusual odors. A physician should be involved to monitor and moderate
these processes of detoxification to avoid excessive suffering and stress.
Nutritional support and ample hydration will help the body to handle the
detoxification processes.
From a larger perspective, these reactions are the
hopeful signs of detoxification beginning at a new, higher level. In the
beginning, patients may feel weak and tired after a sauna session. Liberated
toxins are still in the blood stream. Not everything can be eliminated all
at once. Over time, after repeated sauna sessions, the concentrations of
toxins reduce, so that saunas become much more comfortable, and even can
seem welcoming and pleasant.
How does sweating during
exercise compare?
Exercise is needed for your health for many reasons, of course. When you
sweat with exercise, you may achieve some of the benefits of detox. But
exercise activates the "sympathetic nervous system", a part of the autonomic
nervous system. Activation of the sympathetic nervous system is your body's
natural response to a "fight or flight" situation. To prioritize the body's
energy resources for the muscles of movement, digestion and elimination
processes are slowed down. However, when you are relaxed, the
"parasympathetic nervous system" is activated instead. This mode means "rest
and digest". The organs of elimination are prioritized. When you are in a
sauna, in contrast to exercise, the parasympathetic nervous system is
activated. Researchers believe that sweating in a sauna is more useful for
detoxification than sweating from exercise because the body is ready and
able to support all of its detox processes.
|
