Sauna Benefits - A Home Sauna Just Might Save Your Life!

The benefits of a sauna are amazing. The most notable health benefit is, of course, to the heart. Saunas can also give tremendous relief to people suffering pain and mental health problems. Currently healthy people can reap the benefits of saunas through preventive therapy to remain healthy. Having a sauna in your home can conveniently give you and your family these health benefits while also adding to the resale value of your home.

Heart benefits from a sauna have been proven through medical studies. A study recently published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology tested sauna therapy in people with coronary risk factors (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetics, and smokers). Even Chuwa Tei, MD, who led the study, was surprised at the level that sauna therapy helped the test subjects. The subjects went into a sauna daily, and in only two weeks, their blood vessel function improved by 40%. The study showed that even people who currently had heart disease or severely blocked arteries benefited greatly from sauna therapy.

The American Heart Association also likes sauna therapy for people with high blood pressure and other heart risk factors. Just like exercise, the relaxing of the blood vessels (vasodilatation) improves the way the heart can pump blood to the rest of the body. Sitting in the sauna basically gives you the same benefits as you would receive from a brisk walk. If you've experienced any heart problems or your family has a history of coronary risk, a sauna is definitely a worthwhile investment commonly recommended by doctors and cardiologists.

Pain relief from a sauna is amazing to people who first experience it. Arthritis sufferers who find no relief from Ibuprofen or other medications are in awe of the temporary relief provided by saunas. The relaxation and heat provides some of the pain relief, but the majority of the relief comes from the chemicals released by the body.

Doctors who recommend exercise for people suffering pain do so because of the chemicals that are released during exercise. The endorphins and other natural pain relieving chemicals give much-needed relief to sufferers of arthritis, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and even cancer patients. A daily sauna will give these people relief and a greater physical and mental ability to take on the rest of the day with more movement possible.

Mental health benefits from a sauna are also mostly due to the chemicals released from the "exercise" of sitting in the healing heat of the sauna. The endorphins provide mental clarity and mood elevation especially for people suffering from depression, bipolar disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder, and anxiety causing illnesses.

Health maintenance and prevention for currently healthy people is also a role saunas can play. Many experts have shown the benefits of detoxification of the body. What medical professionals don't like is that people usually go about this the wrong way. Fasting is the most common way to detoxify, but it can be very unhealthy. Relaxing in a sauna can give you even better detoxification benefits while protecting your body from adverse effects of starvation. This is especially great for people who live in urban, polluted areas or eat a lot of processed foods.

The most fascinating prevention brought about by saunas was discovered in a German study in 1989. Researchers found that people who used a sauna only two times a week got half as many colds as those who didn't use saunas. They don't know exactly why, but they think that breathing in air of more than 80 degrees kills any cold and flue viruses.