Why The Heat?
I’m fascinated by the capacity of the human body to heal and repair dysfunction and dis-ease far greater than others have sometimes led us to believe. I’m equally intrigued by the effects of our lifestyle on this capacity. Stress is the biggest road block to optimum human function. Stress can manifest in the human body in many ways from physical, chemical and emotional stresses. Inflammation is the product of this assault. The body’s inability to process and detox the harsh environmental pollutants, heavy metals and toxins generated from stress create the dysfunction and dis-ease that we experience as symptoms.
Have you heard the term “biohacking”? To me, biohacking is using the body’s natural systems and capacities to fight the stress of our mind, body and environment. And, to do it efficiently and safely. Dave Asprey, founder of BulletProof, a biohacking movement, said, “If we want better outputs—to have more energy and focus, to be free of disease, to have a better memory, to perform optimally in business and athletics—then let’s tweak the things we put into our body and mind to stack the deck in our favor.”
I am passionate about finding the best and most natural modalities available to “biohack” our way to health. I am excited to introduce our latest tool, the Infrared Sauna, available in our Haverford location now and in our soon to be expanded space at the Restore Health Center in Wayne in January 2018.
So why heat?
Well, one reason is not everyone likes the cold. The infrared sauna is the perfect complement to the Whole Body and Local Cryotherapy that we offer and it has tremendous health benefits as a stand alone treatment as well. The most beneficial result of the infrared is, in my opinion, detoxification. Additional benefits include cell health and immunity,wound healing, skin purification, weight loss, pain relief, improved circulation, blood pressure reduction and relaxation.
There are many studies that demonstrate improvements in athletic performance such as increased endurance, the ability to create muscle mass and increased capacity for stress tolerance (meaning more miles more easily). This is terrific for runners, triathletes and other endurance junkies.
Rhonda Patrick, Phd., has a tremendous review of the benefits of heat stress. Check out her guest post on the Tim Ferris blog here. In her thorough review of the modality, she referenced a study that demonstrated that a 30-minute sauna session two times a week for three weeks POST-workout increased the time that it took for study participants to run until exhaustion by 32% compared to baseline.
What’s even more exciting for those of us that seem pressed for “self care” time is that you can take your phone or computer in and get some work done or go in with a friend and catch up while you are experiencing the benefits of the infrared.
We provide towels for you. You may want to bring a sports bra and shorts or a bathing suit. The more exposure that you have to the infrared rays, the better. The room is kept private, so you are more than welcome to just use the towels. We also offer bamboo carbon towels for rent or purchase, electrolyte water and a Pure Sweat lotion that accelerates your sweat. You can ask any of our staff about these products when you arrive. You can book your first session here. We suggest you do a couple of 20 minute sessions as you are starting to acclimate your body to the sauna. Once you have acclimated, you can increase your sauna time to 40-60 minutes.
The infrared sauna is the perfect complement to the cryotherapy treatments that we also offer at Restore. The cryo reboots the body (and all of its systems) and eliminates the inflammation. The body has to be able to detoxify to effectively remove the inflammation and the infrared does just that through the largest organ we have—our skin. Plus, as we move into the winter months, it’s a great way to warm up after your cryo treatments!
In the next several posts, we will explore these health benefits in more detail.
Questions? Dr. Gray is here to answer them! You can call her at 610-341-9300 or email her at drgray@restorecryosauna.com any time.
