Saunas have long been known for their health benefits, including improving circulation, detoxifying the body and decreasing stress. A saunas’ dry heat has profound effects on the body, causing the temperature of the skin to soar to about 104 degrees in just a few minutes. The pulse rate of the average person increases by 30 percent or slightly more, allowing the heart to pump double the amount of blood it normally does every minute. Most of this extra blood flood is directed to the skin.
The sweat that is released helps to eliminate toxins from the body that come from the thousands of chemicals found in our environment that make their way into the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink.
No matter how strict your diet or pure your lifestyle, there are still hundreds, or even thousands, of chemicals that make their way into your body; one of the ways to eliminate them is through sweating. Sweating enhances elimination, which is why you may have smelled alcohol on a heavy drinker even if they hadn’t been drinking that day – the buildup is literally pouring out of their skin.
It’s the same for other toxins, just not as obvious as their scent is not as strong. In one day, the average person puts out about a quart of sweat; spending time in a sauna, allows the body to release that much in just 15 minutes.
Heating the body’s tissues several inches deep, such as what happens in a sauna, enhances the metabolic process and increases cellular energy production to facilitate healing. As viruses and toxin-laden cells are weaker than normal cells, they don’t tolerate heat as well which can also help to heal an infection quicker.
Many people don’t sweat enough, so regular use of a sauna can help to restore skin elimination and allow toxic chemicals to be removed. In addition to detoxification, there are other benefits of a sauna, including cardiovascular benefits with the heat of the sauna dilating the capillaries and improving blood flow.
In a 2002 study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, researchers found that spending 15 minutes in a sauna daily for 14 days improved the function of the endothelial cells lining the arteries by 40 percent.
They also found that daily saunas for 4 weeks decreased blood pressure and improved oxygen uptake in patients with serious heart issues. Saunas are also known to help conditions like:
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Chronic fatigue
- Musculoskeletal pain
- Mild depression
- Seasonal affective disorder
- Asthma
- Safety precautions
While sitting in a sauna offers many benefits, if the sauna is emitting very high EMF levels, it could cancel these benefits out. Detoxing in a high EMF environment could cause more harm than good, so it’s important to evaluate the sauna you are using, or when purchasing a new one, to make sure it is a low-EMF version. It is generally accepted that exposure to EMF should not exceed 3 milligauss. 
In addition, you should follow these precautions:
- Avoid alcohol and medications that could impair sweating and produce overheating before and after you are in the sauna.
- Stay in the sauna for no more than 15 to 20 minutes.
- Cool down gradually afterward.
- Drink 2 to 4 glasses of cool water after your sauna.
- Do not go in the sauna when you are ill. If you begin to feel unwell while you’re in the sauna, end your session immediately.
Follow these precautions and enjoy the reinvigorated feeling of a sauna in which you’ll emerge relaxed, revived and ready for whatever your day might bring! –
The Alternative Daily
Sources: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/04/22/steve-benda-on-saunas-and-emf.aspx http://www.med.wisc.edu/news-events/sauna-induced-sweating-offers-many-health-benefits/30199
