Infrared
sauna and light therapy
by Joe Bella
Infrared light has been purported to relieve pain, aid the body
in releasing its toxins, improve circulation and metabolism. How can
light have that supposed ability?
Infrared heat application isn't new. It's produced by the sun
too. This is the heat you feel penetrate your skin when you stand in
the sun - and miss when you walk into the shade. Infrared energy is
also given off as body heat.
Have you ever been outside on a partly cloudy spring day of
about 50F and felt quite comfortable until the sun was suddenly obscured
by a cloud? Although the air temperature had not had time to drop, you
felt chilled, as the cloud would not let the warming infrared rays through
to reach you.
Incidentally, panels that produce similar infrared rays are
used in hospitals to warm newborn babies. Even NASA has used infrared
heat to keep their astronauts warm. So no need to worry. Infrared energy
has nothing to do with either ultraviolet radiation (which gives you
a sunburn and damages your skin) or atomic radiation (the kind from
a nuclear bomb).
The infrared segment of the electromagnetic spectrum occurs
just below or infra to red light as the next lowest energy band of light.
This band of light is not visible to human eyes but can be seen by special
cameras that translate infrared into colors visible to our eyes. We
can, however, feel this type of light that we perceive as heat.
And according to the "9th edition of Clayton's Electrotherapy",
"infrared is the only antidote to excessive ultraviolet radiation."
Far infrared heat/energy is also capable of neutralizing the negative
effects of toxic electromagnetic frequencies (EMF's).
Because it uses infrared radiant energy to directly penetrate
the body's tissues to a depth of over 1.5", researchers have worked
at harnessing this potential and Chinese researchers consider the band
from 2-25 microns as the most therapeutic. That's 2-25 microns of far
infrared radiation. The Japanese too have spent years investigating
the effects of light on human health and have made great advances.
Infrared light is an important energy force that promotes healing
- a raising of the white blood cell count. Why is that good? Because
more white blood cells mean greater immunity. Greater immunity means
greater health and a better quality of life.
Today we're seeing new technologies employing far-infrared
energy in health care products an din clinical protocols such as hyperthermic
therapies for detoxification and cancer treatment.
Energy medicine is an ancient practice and Chinese health practitioners
would use healing touch therapies for improved cell growth, DNA synthesis
and protein synthesis in cells. Although these ancient practitioners
did not know the technical terms as to why their therapy improved health,
they were sure their patients got better.
Yes, the human heat from their touch increased immune defense
response in which white blood cells surround and ingested small living
things (like bacteria) and cell wastes.
Far-infrared heat follows the same principle: warm the injury
site to speed healing. Why is infrared heat better than say, a heating
pad? Because the vibrational energy of far-infrared light is unlike
that of the heat energy we use for everyday functions, like cooking.
Boiling water could actually damage our skin but it doesn't heat internal
organs.
Sunlight heats us in a profound way, however, because it contains
penetrating far-infrared rays as well as the full range of energy in
the electromagnetic spectrum.
About the Author:
Joe uses far infrared sauna therapy almost daily for lactic acid release
and detoxification. His favorite infrared source can be found here: Saunas
for the Home
