Apparently, some of us are behind the curve. There is a large and growing segment of the population using Far Infrared Ray (FIR) Saunas instead of steam saunas and they are wondering why the rest of us are not. Let’s see what all the excitement is about.

Infrared saunas work by using the some of the invisible natural rays that come from the sun. By using the only the healthy rays our bodies are able to directly absorb large quantities of infrared ray light, all to our benefit. Steam saunas simply heat the air around us which leads to the breathing difficulties that many of us are familiar with. FIR saunas can accomplish at the low temperature of 160-175F (70-80C), what the steam saunas must heat up to around 200F (95C) to do.

Infrared heat gets deeper into our bodies that steam heat can. This deeper heat penetration is more effective in a good detox. Muscle relaxation improves because at a 2-3 inch or 5-8 cm level of penetration more muscles are being reached and soothed.

Steam saunas do not offer the benefits of dry heat like infrared saunas do. Dry heat does not allow for mold, mildew or bacteria to thrive in the sauna environment. Sweating in an infrared sauna is the sanitary way to go.

According to the International Institute of Holistic Healing, humans sweat differently in a FIR sauna compared to steam saunas. Their research shows that typically the sweat from an infrared sauna contains 15-20% heavy metals, sulfuric acid, sodium, ammonia, uric acid and other fat-soluble toxins. Whereas, steam sauna sweat is mostly water with about 3% of it being toxins.

Since infrared heaters operate at a much lower temperature and still remain effective, they require much less energy to operate. Infrared technology is about 4-5 times more efficient than traditional methods of heating. Consuming less than 5 cents per kilowatt hour (varies by area), the infrared heater is easy on the wallet.

A major difference between infrared and steam is that infrared saunas are available as collapsible and portable units. The ability to pack you sauna up and take it with you is priceless. This has given infrared a marked advantage.

The many amazing health benefits and ease of use make far infrared ray saunas and easy sell. They seem poised to overtake the popularity of traditional steam saunas.

To learn even more about the benefits of using an infrared sauna, go to HEALTHandMED.com

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 24th, 2009 at 7:08 am and is filed under Diseases & Illness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.