12 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
Local & Entertainment
9 reasons to try
infrared saunas
Wellness Watch
By Tonya Dias
Saunas have been around
for centuries, are popular
with nearly every culture,
and are widely recognized
for having health and well-
ness benefits. Howeve , the
newest sauna technology is
a far cry from the steamy
saunas of old.
Instead of using water
poured over hot rocks to
create steam, infrared sau-
nas deliver infrared rays
to excite water molecules
in our bodies (70% water),
causing them to vibrate
and creating heat. This
vibration reduces the ion
bonds and the eventual
breakdown of the water
molecules causes encapsu-
lated gases and other toxic
materials to be released.
Infrared waves are de-
scribed as being near, mid
or far, and each of those
lengths has its own set of
benefits, which we will
look at a little later.
Another difference
between traditional steam
saunas and infrared sau-
nas is that steam saunas
operate at temperatures
between 180-220F, while
infrared saunas typically
are between 100-135F. The
harshly hot air inside a tra-
ditional sauna can be very
hard on a person’s respira-
tory system. If you’ve
ever been in a sauna, you
may have noticed the air
was very harsh to your
mucous membranes and
maybe you even found it
hard to breathe. Since the
infrared saunas use a much
lower operating tempera-
ture, you still perspire, but
don’t have the breathing
difficulty or uncomfor -
able feeling. In fact, since
infrared technology is most
like the sun’s rays, your
body responds positively
to treatment and instead of
feeling drained; you actu-
ally feel revitalized.
Recently there’s been a
lot of talk in the health and
wellness world about the
benefits of using infrared
saunas for weight loss,
detoxification and more.
According to Sunlighten
Saunas, a brand of infra-
red sauna, there are nine
health benefits to using an
infrared sauna:
1. Detoxification. Since
the skin is your body’s
largest organ, it is a very
effective means of elimi-
nating toxins from the
body. However, in order to
do that, you must sweat.
Infrared saunas that use far
infrared to heat the body
directly, which causes
a rise in core tempera-
ture and creates a deep,
detoxifying sweat at the
cellular level, where toxins
are stored, which is very
important to overall health.
2. Anti-Aging & Skin
Purification. Using near
infrared wavelengths helps
to heal the skin as well as
the layers beneath the skin
by stimulating collagen
production. This can re-
duce wrinkles and improve
the overall appearance of
the skin.
3. Pain Relief. Because
infrared heat is deep pen-
etrating, it can help relieve
not only minor muscle and
joint pain, but also chronic
pain such as fibromyalgia.
4. Improved Circulation-
The heating of the body
increases blood flo . The
mid infrared range has
been shown to have effects
similar to exercise with
regular use.
5. Wound Healing. As
with the anti-aging proper-
ties discussed previously,
near infrared waves en-
hance healing by promot-
ing faster cell regeneration
and tissue growth, thus
allowing wounds to heal
faster and prevent infec-
tion.
6. Weight Loss. Studies
suggest an infrared sauna
session can burn up to 600
calories, while you are just
sitting there! As the body
gets heated by the infrared
technology, it must work
to cool itself by raising the
heart rate, thus burning
calories.
7. Lower Blood Pressure.
Similar to the weight loss
and increased circulation
benefits, the deep sweat
induced increases the heart
rate, which lowers blood
pressure. Studies show
using an infrared sauna at
least two times per week
helps lower blood pressure.
8. Relaxation. Since
infrared saunas don’t
feel unbearably hot like
traditional saunas, you can
actually relax. When you
leave the sauna, you feel
relaxed and rejuvenated.
9. Cell Health. Because
of the heat produced and
the increased blood flo ,
toxins are released from
the cells to the skins
surface via perspiration.
Getting toxins out of your
body helps heal body.
Since we happen to have
a local place to enjoy an
infrared sauna treatment,
I decided to see what the
fuss was about and try it
out.
I went to Barefoot Well-
ness in the Baker Towers
and had a lovely detoxi-
fication session in Toni’s
Sunlighten Sauna. During
the 35-minute session there
was nice, relaxing music
playing; the sauna wasn’t
unbearably hot (in fact, I
thought it was perfect!);
and after the session ended
I felt relaxed, but ener-
gized. It certainly was a
departure from the tortur-
ous steam sauna sessions
of old!
I absolutely recommend
seeing if the infrared sauna
would work for you in
your healthcare regime.
Think of it as another tool
you can use on your jour-
ney to wellness. It would
probably be a good idea to
consult with your doctor
before using the sauna, es-
pecially if you have health
concerns.
Happy Sweating!
Tonya Dias is a Certi-
fied Holistic Health Coach
and the founder of Intuitive
Nutrition. She received
her training at the Institute
For Integrative Nutrition
in New York and her certi-
fication f om the American
Association of Drugless
Practitioners. She teaches
wellness workshops, as
well as individual and
group health coaching
sessions. You may reach
Tonya at intuitive.nutri-
tion@hotmail.com.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2015
Bebe’s word search
This week’s crossword puzzle
Across
1- Goad;
5- Without ___ in the
world;
10- Furthermore;
14- Impose, as a tax;
15- Bottom line;
16- Caucus state;
17- Away from the wind;
18- Connect with;
19- Beat it!;
20- Needlefish;
21- Nomenclature;
23- Immoderation;
25- Fiend;
26- Group of seven;
29- Help;
33- Scores;
35- Very, to Verdi;
37- Pitch;
38- Grand Ole ___;
39- Recipient;
40- Bicycle;
41- Implore;
42- Roman goddess of
the hearth;
43- Have a feeling
about;
44- Refrigerator;
46- One’s husband or
wife;
48- After John in the NT;
50- Diving seabird;
53- Witches;
58- Malt beverage;
59- Actor Estrada;
60- Body of salt water;
61- Work without ___;
62- Soccer legend;
63- Inscribed pillar;
64- ___ extra cost;
65- Nailed obliquely;
66- Glacial ridge;
67- Slippery ___ eel;
Down
1- Sandy bathing beach;
2- Make less tense;
3- Charge too high a
price;
4- Coloring material;
5- Bear witness;
6- Coconut-husk fiber;
7- Up and ___!;
8- Rate;
9- Stretch;
10- Bridal paths;
11- Bananas;
12- Festoon;
13- Like Cheerios;
21- Cookbook amts.;
22- Estimator’s phrase;
24- Hard to hold;
27- Old Testament book;
28- No-nos;
30- Travellers;
31- Fifth Avenue store;
32- It transforms carbon
dioxide into oxygen;
33- Mongolian desert;
34- Crude cartel;
36- Jump;
39- Form of glucose;
40- Of the highest qual-
ity;
42- Sotto ___;
43- Takes to court;
45- Financed;
47- Kitchen utensil;
49- Religious offshoots;
51- Actress Verdugo;
52- Divulge;
53- Equinox mo.;
54- Sweet sandwich;
55- Rub the wrong way;
56- Go after;
57- Cut-price retail
event;
61- Small battery size;