Incorporating infrared sauna technology into your practice is an effective way to add value, generate referrals, and grow your bottom line. - By J. Matthew Burnett, DC

As a chiropractor, you are likely both a clinical professional and a small business owner. This means that the tools you use in practice have to be effective in healing and be economically sound. The integration of infrared sauna technology into your practice is a possible way to accomplish both objectives... Read more >

Hyperthermia and Electrotherapy

Janice wasn't flattered when the German shopkeeper congratulated her on the baby she looked about to deliver. For despite her severely swollen abdomen, Janice was not pregnant. She had advanced, multidrug resistant peritoneal cancer with an accumulation of fluid in her abdominal cavity. Janice had been told she was in the end stages of an eight-year battle that had started with ovarian cancer and metastasized into liver, colon and bladder cancer... Read more > 

Far infrared radiation (FIR): its biological effects and medical applications.

Far infrared (FIR) radiation (λ= 3–100μm) is a subdivision of the electromagnetic spectrum that has been investigated for biological effects. The goal of this review is to cover the use of a further sub-division (3– 12μm) of this waveband, that has been observed in both in vitro and in vivo studies, to stimulate cells and tissue, and is considered a promising treatment modality for certain medical conditions. Technological advances have provided new techniques for delivering FIR radiation to the human body. Specialty lamps and saunas, delivering pure FIR radiation(eliminating completely the near and mid infrared bands), have became safe, effective, and widely used sources to generate therapeutic effects. Fibers impregnated with FIR emitting ceramic nanoparticles and woven into fabrics, are being used as garments and wraps to generate FIR radiation, and attain health benefits from its effects...Read more >

Infrared Radiation Affects the Mitochondrial Pathway of Apoptosis in Human Fibroblasts

We have previously observed that near-infrared (IR) pre-irradiation protects normal human dermal fibroblasts from ultraviolet (UV) cytotoxicity in vitro. Here, we show that IR pre-irradiation of human fibroblasts inhibited UVB activation of caspase-9 and -3, leading us to study early events in the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway after IR irradiation. IR irradiation led to a partial release of cytochrome c and Smac/Diablo but not apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF). This was accompanied by a slight but transient decrease in the mitochondrial membrane potential (m) and by the insertion of Bax into mitochondrial membrane. Early apoptotic events in the mitochondrial pathway thus occurred after IR irradiation despite a lack of caspase- and -3 activation. This could be explained by the induction by IR of the expression of heat shock protein Hsp27, which is known to prevent apoptosome assembly... Read more >

Natural Immune Responses Enhanced with Infrared

For more than a century, scientists from different points of the globe have studied the positive influences of the Sun’s energy on a llliving things on Earth. Recently, medical research has been focusing on cellular health and the mechanisms within the body that protect and provide all the components to extend the health of the human cell. One aspect that has presented itself is the body’s own natural defenses against invaders (bacteria, microphages, parasites, pathogens etc.) and the immunological response of T-cells. Heat Shock Proteins (here in after referred to as “HSP”) play an integral part in initiating and directing the body’s natural immune response. The recent discovery that Heat Shock Proteins can be produced by exposure to infrared thermal frequencies has launched a new campaign to define how these chaperones of the immune system serve and protect the integrity of cellular health....Read more >

Effects of far-infrared sauna bathing on recovery from strength and endurance training sessions

Sauna bathing (Finnish sauna bathing) has been extensively studied. It is a type of heat exposure, which induces haemo dynamic and endocrinological changes in some ways similar to those evoked by physical exercise (e.g. Hannuksela and Ellahham2001; Kukkonen-Harjula and Kauppinen2006). In traditional saunas there are either wood stoves or electric heaters to heat the air to approximately 70–100°C, optimally between 80 and 90°C at the face level of the bathers (Kukkonen-Harjula and Kaup-pinen2006). The air typically has a relative humidity of10–20% (Leppäluoto1988; Kauppinen1997). The sauna bath consists of repeated cycles of exposure to heat. The length of stay in the sauna depends on each bather’s own sensations of comfort, but the duration usually ranges from 5 to 20 min. This is followed by a cooling-off period (shower, sw im, or a period at room temperature), the length of which also depends on personal preference...Read more >

Sauna as a Valuable Clinical Tool for Cardiovascular, Autoimmune, Toxicant-induced and other Chronic Health Problems

Sauna therapy has been used for hundreds of years in the Scandinavian region as a standard health activity. Studies document the effectiveness of sauna therapy for persons with hypertension, congestive heart failure, and for post-myocardial infarction care. Some individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic fatigue, chronic pain, or addictions also find benefit. Existing evidence supports the use of saunas as a component of depuration (purification or cleansing) protocols for environmentally-induced illness. While far-infrared saunas have been used in many cardiovascular studies, all studies applying sauna for depuration have utilized saunas with radiant heating units. Overall, regular sauna therapy (either radiant heat or far-infrared units) appears to be safe and offers multiple health benefits to regular users. One potential area of concern is sauna use in early pregnancy because of evidence suggesting that hyperthermia might be teratogenic....Read more >

 Alternative Medicine, January 2001 by D.J. Fletcher

If you say they warm you up, you're on the right track. But if you know that all these objects and more are now being designed to radiate far-infrared light--an important energy force that promotes healing--you're among a growing number of people who are onto new techniques in energy medicine. Perhaps one should say old techniques but new technologies. After all, the body's use of infrared rays is literally as old as our species. Traditionally we've gotten our daily dose of infrared from sunlight, which is composed of all the energy wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum. Today we're seeing new technologies employing far-infrared energy in healthcare products and in clinical protocols such as hyperthermic therapies for detoxification and cancer treatment (see "Too Hot for Cancer")...Read more >

Using a Wearable Device to Mitigate the Health Impacts of Electromagnetic Radiation

The health risks from exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) are increasingly becoming recognized in public and scientific domains. It is estimated that a growing number of undiagnosed and unexplained illnesses may be attributable to EMF related causes. In the current clinical trial, a controlled exposure to an EMF-stressor measured a sharp decline in 11 health indices, including heart rate variability (HRV), stress resilience, energy reserves and aging. By activating a Harmoni Pendant, a nonelectronic wearable device, there was a significant improvement in 10 out of 11health indices measured. Following pendant activation, even in the presence of the EMF-stressor, the stress index declined by an average of 48% whereas the regulation of autonomic nervous function increased by 310% on average...Read more >