According to the AARDA (American Autoimmune Related Disease Association), over 50 million Americans suffer from autoimmune diseases. Fortunately, infrared sauna therapy has proved to be beneficial in helping to reduce the symptoms of these autoimmune diseases like lupus, etc.
What Is Lupus?
The basic function of the immune system is to protect our body from bacteria, viral and other attacks by producing antibodies and lymphocytes. Sometimes, the immune cells attack the cells of the body that they are supposed to protect and lead to several autoimmune diseases such as lupus.
Lupus or SLE (systemic lupus erythematosus) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease, which can affect any system or organ of the body including the central nervous system, skin, blood vessels, joints, muscles, lungs, heart, digestive tract and kidneys causing inflammation and pain. There are many different symptoms of lupus, but the most common symptoms include swelling and pain in joints, low fever, headaches, swelling around the eyes, in the hands or feet and chronic fatigue.
Although lupus is medically incurable, its symptoms can be relieved and managed by using various treatments such as corticosteroids and anti-inflammatory medications, a healthy diet, meditation and yoga and complementary therapies such as infrared therapy that can help to reduce stress and offer relief.
How Does Infrared Sauna Help Lupus?
Infrared saunas essentially work by penetrating the muscles, tissues and joints and help to increase circulation and boost oxygen flow. The infrared heat raises the core body temperature, which not only warms the body, but it also helps to reduce soreness on the nerve endings and calms the nerves, thereby lessening muscle spasms and relieving pain. The soothing and relaxing warmth of the infrared sauna helps to release muscle tension and stress, which can especially be extremely appealing if you’re suffering from an autoimmune condition like lupus.
Helps to Reduce Stress
An article published by Harvard Medical School reveals that there is a link between autoimmune diseases and stress. The article quotes a study, which revealed that people suffering from stress-related disorders are quite likely to be diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. In fact, they are more likely to suffer from multiple autoimmune diseases.
Stress can be a trigger for autoimmune diseases and using infrared sauna therapy regularly not only helps to relieve stress, in turn, it can also help to reduce autoimmune diseases and the associated symptoms.
Another study revealed that when infrared sauna therapy was used for a period of 3 months by patients suffering from diabetes, they reported significant improvement in their levels of fatigue and stress.
According to a study that was published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, sauna therapy can promote relaxation, feelings of well being and mental health. Infrared sauna therapy can be linked to the boost in the production of hormones like endorphins. The study also reported that sauna therapy offers beneficial changes, which are similar to those produced during exercise or physical activity.
Helps in General Pain Relief
One of the common symptoms of autoimmune diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. is stiff and painful. A study showed that patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis reported significant improvements in stiffness and pain, which decreased clinically when they used infrared sauna therapy and there were statistically significant improvements.
Apart from offering pain relief in the case of arthritis, it has been seen that infrared sauna therapy provides relief from chronic pain in patients suffering from various health conditions including lupus.
Helps in Detoxification
It is a known fact that infrared sauna therapy makes you sweat. However, what is not common knowledge is that sweating can help to treat autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune diseases are on the rise and researchers believe that environmental factors such as exposure to chemicals, heavy metals, solvents, toxins, etc. can be harmful and increase the risk of autoimmune diseases.
You can get rid of these harmful chemicals and toxins from your body by sweating them out in an infrared sauna. A study revealed that sweating can help to remove toxic elements from your body and detoxify. And this, in turn, can help to reduce the risk of autoimmune diseases like lupus, etc.
Lupus is an autoimmune disease that affects millions of people across the world. There is no known cure for the disease; however, there are several methods and alternative therapies that can help to reduce the symptoms and impact of the disease, both physically, as well as psychologically. Infrared sauna therapy also makes it possible to manage the symptoms of lupus, so that you can live a significantly healthy and active life.
