Most people laugh when they hear that
the Finnish Olympic team lugs a portable
sauna with them wherever they go.
However, the fair-haired Nordic athletes
might be doing more than simply acting
out a home-sick longing for the slender
birch trees and island dotted lakes
of the homeland. They could be on
to a secret, non-drug-induced means
of giving themselves an edge in the
fierce competition of modern-day Olympics.
Although most people simply consider
steam sauna a pleasant means of relaxation,
sweat therapy might in fact have powerful
heath-enhancing effects.
In the test of time is any measure,
steam bathing has certainly withstood
it. For thousands of years people
of all cultures have indulged
in the soothing warmth of sweat
baths. The Romans are well-known
for their elaborate baths. The
wealthy of 200 B.C. India did
not consider their mansion complete
unless it included a bathhouse
with a steam room. The Muslim
Hamman, or bathhouse, with its
domed, central steam chamber is
stall an integral part of life
in Muslim countries. A derivation
of the Hamman, the Turkish bath,
has been popular in Europe for
centuries.
Today, steam and sauna facilities
are an integral part of the hydrotherapeutic
offerings at European and American
spas, and steam rooms and saunas
are a common feature of health
clubs and public pools. Yet, there
is surprisingly little awareness
of the wide ranging benefits of
steam and sauna bathing. There
is evidence that these sweat-inducing
treatments stimulate the immune
system, improve circulation, and
help the body to purge itself
of impurities.
Hippocrates, the founder of Western
medicine more than two-thousand
years ago said, "Give me
the power to create a fever, and
I shall cure any disease."
Although often misunderstood as
a symptom of disease, fever actually
is a part of the body's natural
healing response. Steam baths,
steam sauna, and other heat-inducing
treatments elicit similar healing
responses in the body, and consequently
are often called "artificial
fevers".
During a fever, the functioning
of the immune system is stimulated,
while the growth of bacteria and
virus is forced to slow down.
The production of white blood
cells, the primary agents of the
immune system, is increased, as
is the rate of their release into
the blood stream. The generation
of antibodies speeds up, as does
the production of interferon,
an anti viral protein that also
has powerful cancer-fighting properties.
Apart from stimulating the immune
system, fever slows down the proliferation
of invading organisms by creating
an inhospitable environment. At
104 degrees F., for example, the
growth rate of the polio virus
is reduced up to 250 times; at
106 degrees pneumococcus, a bacterium
responsible for pneumonia, dies.
Before the advent of antibiotics,
syphilitics were often infected
with malaria to prevent the spread
of the disease. In addition, there
is evidence that the frequent
fevers of malaria might function
as a cancer-protecting factor.
Dr. Paavo Airola in his book,
Worldwide Secrets of Staying Young
relates the story of the Pontine
swamps near Rome in Italy, which,
until a few decades ago, were
a breeding ground for malaria-carrying
mosquitoes. The swamps were dried
out, and the malaria disappeared.
However, during the next decades,
that area, which had before been
almost free of cancer, saw an
increase in cancerous diseases.
After a generation, the cancer
incidence level of that area had
reached the level of the rest
of Italy.
Malignant cells are selectively
destroyed at temperatures of 106
to 110 degrees F., so the frequent
fever attacks of people in the
malaria-infected area might have
mobilized the body's own defenses
too frequently for a cancer to
take hold.
Although the artificial fever induced
by sweat therapy does not have
the comprehensive effect of real
fever, it still produces a striking
effect on a number of bodily processes.
There is evidence that artificial
fever works as an immune system
stimulant by increasing the number
of white blood cells in the body.
In a 1959-review of studies on
the effects of heat treatments,
Mayo Clinic researcher Dr. Wakim
and colleagues cite findings indicating
that the number of white blood
cells in the blood increased by
an average of 58% during artificially
induced fever. Researchers also
have found increases in the activity
of the white blood cells during
induced fever.
In addition, as in the case of
bodily induced fever, the raised
temperature during the artificial
fever reduces the growth rate
of most bacteria and viruses,
giving the immune system time
to mobilize its own forces. Indeed,
many regular steam or sauna bathers
have experienced that a good,
long sweat bath at the early onset
of a cold or flu can help ward
off the disease before in manifests
as actual symptoms.
Apart from the immune system-stimulating
effects of sweat therapy, many
thought it as one of the most
effective and painless detoxifying
treatments available.
Dr. Veronica Butler, medical co-director
at the Raj, a health center based
on principles of Ayurveda, recommends
herbalized steam baths, called
swedenas, to clients as part of
the ancient Ayurvedic purification
treatment, known as panchakarma.
According to the classical Ayurvedic
texts, for maximum results, a
swedena or steam bath should be
given while keeping the head cool
and the client supine.
"A swedena clears the shrotas,
the channels through which the
biological intelligence flows,"
says Dr. Butler. "If impurities
clog these channels, the flow
of intelligence in the body becomes
more susceptible to disease."
Heat speeds up the chemical processes
in the body, making steam and
sauna bathing one of the simplest
and most comfortable ways to rid
the body of accumulated toxins.
As the pores open up and the million
of sweat glands start to excrete,
the body rids itself of metabolic
and other waste products. Sweat
contains almost the same elements
as urine, and for this reason,
the skin is sometimes called the
third kidney. It is estimated
that as much as 30% of bodily
wastes are eliminated by way of
perspiration.
However, more than common metabolic
waste products are secreted through
the skin. Natural health practitioners
often notice that when heavy smokers
get a steam bath for a body wrap
(where the body 'simmers' for
up to 45 min. Under hot covers),
they will leave a yellow residue
on the towels. Reino Tarkianinen,
President of Finlandia Sauna,
reports that when the company
replaces sauna benches from public
baths, a thick, black layer of
accumulated tar can be found underneath
the benches.
In Finland, research is being done
on the use of sweat therapy in
the treatment of people who are
chemically affected. The purifying
effects of perspiration could
also be behind claims that steam
and sauna treatments can help
cur or control such ailments as
acne and arthritis.
Last but not least, steam and sauna
bathing produces powerful therapeutic
effects simply by increasing circulation.
As the carrier of the rebuilding
forces of the nutrients to all
parts of the body, the bloodstream
plays a crucial role in the maintenance
of health.
Steam and sauna treatments have
a stimulating effect on the cardiovascular
system. The pulse rate increases
from 75 beats per minute to between
100-150 beats per minute during
a 15-20 minute treatment. This
increases blood circulation, but
not blood pressure, since the
heat also causes the tiny blood
vessel in the skin to expand,
accommodating the increased blood
flow. The dilation of the capillary
vessels enables the bloodstream
to carry great amounts of nutrients
to the skin, enhancing the nutritive
status of the skin. The flushed,
youthful look that steam and sauna
bathers maintain for up to several
hours after treatment is due to
this effect.
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