Why We Love Infrared (and you should, too!)

In the modern age we can learn a great deal from ancient techniques and infrared therapy has been studied and utilized for centuries. Historically, the Finns, Romans, Indians and Chinese used infrared for holistic purposes and some of the most well-known use comes from China. Some Chinese used the early technique of palm healing which utilize the therapeutic properties of infrared from the human body. In India, yogi’s have been known to use infrared palm healing, especially for eye strains. In the past decade holistic healthcare has become more readily available, talked about and utilized for a variety of illnesses and ailments. Just as some choose to avoid processed foods, engage in detox programs and partake in natural forms of pain relief, some choose to incorporate the use of infrared technology into their daily lives. Infrared equipment has gained traction because real people are seeing real results! Heat can work wonders on the body and you’ll know that this is true if you’ve used a hot compress on an injury or wrapped yourself up in a cozy blanket to take a nap! Because infrared is a naturally produced heat, our bodies respond well to it and exposing ourselves to infrared treatments can assist with SO many conditions and ailments. Sweating is a wonderful way to release toxins while burning calories, but infrared can assist with more than just detoxification and weight loss. We’ve listed a few different reasons why you’ll love what infrared can do, too!

Allergies

Can’t.Stop.Sneezing! If you don’t suffer from allergies or allergic rhinitis (AR) you most likely know someone who does. According to the Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, there is approximately $5.6 billion being spent annually for allergy sufferers. In their 2007 study, 31 people experiencing allergic rhinitis had a far-infrared emitter placed in front of their face/nasal region for a week at 40 minutes a day. The participants would then rate how their symptoms (eye itching, nasal itching, nasal stuffiness, rhinorrhea and sneezing) affected them throughout the day. Most of them noticed that all symptoms were improved and smell impairment started to improve during the last treatment. This led authors, Hu and Taoyuan to the conclusion that “far infrared therapy could improve the symptoms of AR and might serve as a novel treatment modality for AR.”

Pain Relief

Body pain is a common complaint for many. During exposure to infrared the infrared waves penetrate into the body and this can result in speedy healing benefits through increased blood flow and tissue oxygenation. This process can also provide the body more energy to heal. A study by Matsushita in 2008 found that chronic pain patients experienced nearly a 70% reduction in their pain after one infrared therapy session! Sometimes, pain can be related to or caused by ischemia which defined as inadequate blood supply to an organ or part of the body. During infrared sessions blood flow increases from 5-7 quarts up to 13 quarts a minute (Imamura, 2001, p. 1084) and this increase can contribute to healing and feelings of relief. We hear from consumers who have fibromyalgia, arthritis and chronic pain frequently and we love hearing them say that infrared sessions are part of their pain relief plan.

Weight Loss

Fad diets and weight loss pills are out! Take a holistic approach to shedding some pounds by choosing healthy foods, adequate exercise and the use of infrared. Sauna therapy has been studied by the Department of Cardiovascular, Respiratory and Metabolic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima 890-8520, Japan in 2003 and their findings were definitely something to talk about! They noticed a decrease in body weight and body fat after patients were repeatedly treated in infrared saunas for two weeks, the results they saw revealed “repeated sauna therapy is useful in the treatment of obesity” (Biro, 2003, p.1248). According to Dr. Flickstein, infrared body wraps are around 25% more effective than infrared saunas due to the proximity of the infrared to the body and the length of time a client can spend in a body wrap. Read more about the difference between infrared saunas and body wraps here!

Wound Healing

Your skin is the protector of your body! It covers your bones, muscles and internal organs from the external environment and protects you from infections, diseases, toxic chemicals, and viruses. When you are wounded and the skin becomes damaged, it can allow harmful compounds and infections to enter the body. According to Whelan and the American Institute of Physics (2001), human cell growth has been observed to increase from 155%-171% and wound size decreased by 36% after the application of infrared heat. So not only can infrared assist with soothing the body but it can actually promote healing as well!

Are these the only benefits that infrared heat can provide? NO WAY! These are only a few reasons to fall head over heels with infrared technology. If taking the most non-invasive approach to health is important to you keep following our blogs to find out more.

    Sources:

• H. Hu ; Chung-Yuan Christian Univ., Taoyuan ; W. T. Li (2007, Pages 1479 – 1482) Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 2007. EMBS 2007. 29th Annual International Conference of the IEEE
• Matsushita L., Masuda A., Tei C. (2008, Aug 15). The First Department of Internal Medicine, Kagoshima University Hospital, Kagoshima, Japan.
• Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2003 Nov;228(10):1245-9. Biro S, Masuda A, Kihara T, Tei C.
• Whelan, H.T., Buchmann, E.V., Whelan N.T., Turner S.G., Cevenini, V., Stinson H., Ignatius R., Martin T., Cwiklinski J., Meyer G.A., et al. (2001). NASA Light Emitting Diode Medical Applications From Deep Space to Deep Sea. CP552, Space Technology and Applications International Forum-2001, edited by M. S. El-Genk. American Institute of Physics 1-56396-980-7/0