The Benefits of Infrared Saunas and their possible help with covid-19
You can say opposites attract, or even that in combination they help to promote balance, think yin and yang. LondonCryo, known for our cryotherapy treatments, the use of low temperatures in medical and cosmetic therapy, offers fire as well as ice.
In addition to our traditional Whole Body Cryotherapy and other localised cryo (cold) treatments, we are now offering infrared saunas (at our Belgravia location). Similar to cryotherapy, the source is dry rather than wet allowing for more extreme temperatures and greater results. Sessions last from 25 minutes up to a 45 minute session.
At this uncertain time, the use of infrared saunas could be vitally important.
Unlike a traditional sauna, with its hot, wet air, an infrared sauna’s heat is dry and direct, so that the temperature is comfortably lower both in actuality as well as perception. Just imagine the difference between hot and dry and hot and humid.
The benefits of this heat therapy is what’s known as hyperthermic conditioning, which is triggered when body temperature is increased over a short period of time. Benefits include: detoxification, improved blood circulation, skin purification, a boost to the immune system, improved cardio health, joint and muscle pain reduction and stress reduction.
Infrared saunas are especially beneficial for everyone, and in specific to athletes who will notice:
Increased endurance - due to increased blood flow
Muscle growth - the release of “heat shock proteins” attack free radicals and promote cellular repair
Muscle recovery - by releasing muscle tension and reducing pain and inflammation
Mental relaxation - thanks to stress relief
Infrared sauna sessions work best when added to your cryotherapy regime. It’s important to note, that the sequence with the two matters. Always use the infrared sauna prior to the whole body cryotherapy. Infrared heat triggers vasodilation and detoxification, the cryotherapy then vasoconstricts tissue and blood vessels, reducing both inflammation and pain.
Most recently, and something we are excited to learn more about, Dr Rhonda Patrick talked about Sauna use and immunity with regards to COVID-19. Here is what she had to say:
“No data suggest that sauna use or other modalities of heat stress such as steam showers or hot baths will have any effect on COVID-19 illness. However, robust evidence suggests that sauna use promotes mild hyperthermia, which, in turn, induces a wide array of beneficial physiological responses.
These responses reduce oxidative stress and inflammation and activate cellular defense systems such as heat shock proteins, which provide protection against many diseases. Data from a 2017 study suggest that sauna use reduces the risk of developing certain chronic or acute respiratory illnesses, including pneumonia, by up to 40 percent.
Sauna use reduced the incidence of common colds in 25 participants who used the sauna one to two times per week for six months compared to 25 controls who did not. It is noteworthy that it took three months before sauna use had a protective effect. The mechanism by which frequent sauna use reduces the incidence of pneumonia and colds is unknown but might be related to modulation of the immune system.
Levels of white blood cells (especially lymphocytes, neutrophils, and basophils) are increased in both trained and non-athletes after sauna use. While these findings are interesting, they are still preliminary and larger studies are needed to confirm. Increasing evidence suggests that certain heat shock proteins play a role in both innate and adaptive immunity.
Heat shock proteins can directly stimulate innate immune responses, such as the maturation and activation of dendritic cells and the activation of natural killer cells. This indicates there may be a direct role for heat shock proteins in regulating the innate immune response, which plays an important role in the body's ability to fight off a disease that it has never been exposed to before”