
8 Tips to Choosing the Best Infrared Sauna
Breast implants expose us to dozens of heavy metals and endocrine disrupting chemicals, most of which get stored in our fat cells, bone, and brain. Because the skin is our largest detox organ, sweating is one of the body’s most natural ways of eliminating toxins making it a crucial part of any detoxification program. When compared to traditional saunas, infrared saunas allow you to eliminate about seven times more toxins. Infrared sauna therapy also naturally has inflammation lowering and anti-oxidant effects.
Unlike other types of saunas, infrared saunas work by using invisible infrared wavelengths of light to penetrate the skin and heat the body from the inside out rather than heating the space around it. This causes a rise in core body temperature, resulting in a deep, detoxifying sweat at the cellular level where toxins reside.
A systematic review in 2012 found that toxic heavy metals like arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury are found in the sweat of people who are exposed to these harmful metals. In a case report, they found that mercury levels normalized with repeated sauna treatments.
A study published in 2011 in the Archives of Environmental and Contamination Toxicology also reveals that sweat actually facilitates the elimination of stored heavy metals and chemicals in the body, indicating that sweating isn’t just the body’s way of cooling off. In this study it was found that some toxic elements were often found in sweat that were not found in blood, indicating that sweating is a good method for removing many toxins from the body. Research also shows that saunas greatly assist in this process of eliminating accumulated toxins through sweat.
Dr. John Cline of Cline Medical Center in Canada reports that “heat causes toxins to be released from cells. The toxic molecules will then reside transiently in the lymph fluid. Since sweat is manufactured from the lymph fluid, toxins present in the lymph fluid will exit the body through the sweat.”
In addition to detox, saunas have many other benefits including lowering blood pressure, decreasing chronic pain, boosting metabolism, increasing circulation, decreasing muscle soreness, strengthening the body’s immune system, improving digestion and absorption of nutrients, and improving quality of life and overall well-being. It is considered safe, effective, and applicable as part of a holistic program for detoxing and healing many different condition.
While I don’t recommend using an infrared sauna as a stand-alone option, when combined with a cellular detoxification program, it can be quite successful at removing heavy metals and other toxins from the body.
The best infrared sauna that I’ve found
Radiant Health Saunas® is by far the best FIR sauna I have come across and they have an excellent price point. Their Elite Series has been specially crafted to maximize safety and efficiency based on continuous testing and feedback from practitioners and customers who use it. This is the infrared sauna I recommend and i’ll be discussing why. You’ll also find an offer for my followers at the end of this post.
There are several things you want to look for when purchasing an infrared sauna for your home.
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Near, Far, or Full Spectrum Wavelengths
Infrared saunas can offer a few different levels of infrared wavelengths:
-Near infrared wavelengths are best for wound healing and increased immune function.
-Mid infrared wavelengths are ideal for increasing circulation and promoting muscle relaxation.
-Far infrared wavelengths are best for detoxification.
The only studies done on near infrared light for wound healing and immune function were done using LED lights or lasers and the further the subjects were away from the light source, the less effective it was. Just sitting next to it was not enough. Effectiveness also relied on a very specific frequency.
According to clinical research studies, far infrared light is the most beneficial for improving rheumatoid arthritis, vascular flow, skin circulation, wound healing, nitric oxide production, chronic fatigue, cardiovascular disease, heart failure, peripheral artery disease, and detoxification, among others.
The bottom line here is that there really isn’t much research on near infrared light and even less on mid. Full spectrum saunas can be great, but if you’re like me and your primary purpose for owning a sauna is detoxification, then far infrared is what you want. Radiant Health Saunas makes their saunas using the far infrared wavelength at 8.4 – 9.4 microns, which is within the ideal 7-14 range.
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EMF Levels
Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs) have received a lot of attention in recent years for their harmful effects on a person’s health and wellbeing. They are a hidden health risk. EMFs have been known to affect us in multiple ways including:
-Creating excessive oxidative stress by free radical production
-Changes in structure of neurons, including cell death
-Anxiety, depression, autism, and Alzheimer’s from chronic exposure to the brain
-Cardiac arrhythmias, atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter, PACs and PVCs also known as heart palpitations, and tachycardia and bradycardia
-Even brain cancer
-Activating the Nrf2 pathway, which is a vitally important biological process that upregulates superoxide dismutase, catalase and all the other beneficial intracellular antioxidants, does reduce the EMF impact. Studies have shown that far infrared light reduces the impact of EMF on the body. BUT if your infrared sauna has high EMF output and you’re sitting inside it, well that just cancels out the benefit it has on reducing the effects of EMF exposure all together. Also noteworthy on the topic of Nrf2 activation is that it also has these added benefits:
-Lowers inflammation
-Improves mitochondrial function
-Stimulates mitochondrial biogenesis (formation of new mitochondria)
-Helps detoxify the body from xenobiotics, carbon-containing toxins and toxic metals
-Activates the transcription of over 500 genes in the human genome, most of which have cytoprotective functions. This includes three genes that encode enzymes required for synthesis of reduced glutathione, which is one of the most important antioxidants produced by your body.
So you can see that it’s not just about decreased EMF exposure. The low EMF output of the sauna you chose allows you to be exposed to all of these added benefits of activating the Nrf2 pathway. You want to make sure the sauna you purchase has been tested and has low EMF readings since you’ll be sitting within one or two inches of the heaters or you may be unknowingly exposing yourself to a very high EMF for an extended period of time. Many sauna manufacturers only test the heaters, which can mistakenly lead it’s user to believe the entire sauna is has a low EMF reading. This is not the case. There are many other electrical parts of the sauna that emit EMFs thus the entire sauna should be tested.
Radiant Health Saunas have been tested by government certified testing and shows the lowest EMF levels in the industry at 0.1 mG. For reference, many infrared saunas on the market measure in the 10-100 mG range.
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VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds)
Because the number one reason you are looking to use an infrared sauna after explant is to detoxify your body from heavy metals and toxins you were exposed to from your breast implants, it is important to make sure that the environment inside the sauna is completely non-toxic. This goes along with removing the source of toxicity. Not only do you want to remove your breast implants (the main source), but you also want to make sure you’re reducing exposures in other areas of your life. A sauna is no exception.
As you search for the best infrared sauna, it’s important to know that many of these sauna companies use plywood, particle board, or an engineered wood composite for framing materials because they are less expensive. You may not even be able to see this after construction and these materials can off-gass formaldehyde and other VOCs that can be detrimental to your health. The United States Environmental Protection Agency considers formaldehyde a Group B1 probable human carcinogen. Picture sitting in your sauna, thinking you’re getting rid of tons of heavy metals and toxins, but in reality you’re re-toxing as you sit there each time you use it. We don’t want that.
An infrared sauna company should be able to provide you with independent lab testing showing results for VOC levels during use so that you can rest assured you’re truly detoxing your body. Radiant Health Saunas have checked this box and their saunas have shown to have zero VOCs in testing.
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Ceramic Heaters vs. Carbon Fiber Heaters
Carbon Fiber heaters are composed of thin carbon plates and have an even heat distribution area, thereby eliminating hot spots that are typically experienced with ceramic heaters. The lower surface temperature of the carbon fiber is also more comfortable, allowing for longer detox sessions and has the added benefit of emitting rays that are closer to far infrared, which is the most beneficial for detoxing and healing. Carbon fiber heaters infrared heat also penetrates deeper into the skin tissue than ceramic heaters. Lastly, carbon heaters are more energy efficient. If you want the benefit of more infrared then carbon fiber is the best choice.
Radiant Health Saunas has used ceramic heaters in the past, but after receiving feedback from practitioners, upgraded their saunas years ago to high quality, carbon fiber heaters using Japanese technology. What this means to me is that they want to provide the highest quality product and they listen to their clients! Both are great qualities.
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The Warranty
A warranty on an infrared sauna can vary from 1 year to a full lifetime warranty. A full lifetime warranty doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best product and isn’t always desirable. A cheap brand costing $1000 and offering a lifetime warranty may only offer you very little if it goes out of business within 5 years. In that scenario you’ll be left with no recourse. On the other hand, if the company remains viable, the saunas are possibly only worth $500 and are overpriced in order to pay for the numerous saunas that will fail.
Instead, a couple of things need to be taken into consideration. First, the most important areas are the critical expensive parts of heaters, control panels/wiring and wood construction. The second consideration will be discussed next.
Radiant health Saunas offers a lifetime warranty on heaters and wood and a 5 year warranty on electrical components. That is more than sufficient for me.
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The Sauna Company
How long has the company been in business? In this industry 40% of all sellers will be out of business 5 years from now, leaving you with no warranty recourse and limited available replacement parts. Longevity usually also provides deeper infrared knowledge and application. Look for companies like Radiant Health Saunas who have been in business for 20-35 years. Those are ideal situations. They will be here years from now to stand behind their warranty.
What quality of people are endorsing a particular company? An endorsement from a doctor that is top in his field is better than 5 people who blog about numerous health related issues. Radiant Health Saunas has many practitioner testimonials as well as a large list of customer testimonials.
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Wood Sauna Cabin
Thicker walls equals better insulation, lower operating costs, better warm-up times, and a sturdier unit. Usually this means easier assembly as well. One cheap brand has one-piece walls that flex and bend and are awkward to assemble. Radiant Health Saunas’ units are double-walled to address these issues.
What is the wood quality? Radiant Health Saunas’ construction is exceptional and the wood is gorgeous. This is due to the use of clear tongue-and-groove Canadian hemlock.
Radiant Health Saunas also prepares the wood by kiln-drying to eliminate warping and cracking with repeated use. Cheap names do not prepare the wood which will then begin to crack, split, and separate during use due to the numerous heating cycles. The more you will use your sauna and the longer you plan to own it, the more important this becomes.
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Price
There are significant variations in cost for infrared saunas on the market, but a well-constructed, high quality, low EMF, low or no VOC, far infrared sauna doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Infrared sauna prices can range from $1000 to $8000 for a one- person unit. This is a huge range! Trust me when I say you don’t want the cheapest option, but you don’t NEED the most expensive option either. Many times you’re paying for bells and whistles that you simple don’t need and don’t improve detoxification.
Radiant Health Saunas has an attainable price point, especially given the quality. I paid three times the cost for the sauna I own and if I had known about Radiant Health Saunas when I was in the market for a sauna, I would have purchased this one hands down. The quality is just as good, if not better than the one I paid a pretty penny for. If I ever purchase a different unit, this will be the one. I don’t think you can beat this sauna! Right now, they are offering an awesome deal to any of my followers who use my code: ExplantRHS44. So click on the banner below to check them out and if you order one, be sure and let me know how you like it!
Be sure to check out my next post: 9 Tips to Sauna Detox.
Apply for your BII Discovery Call with Sarah HERE.
Professional Bio
Founder of Reversing Breast Implant Illness. Sarah has a passion for restoring health that has taken her along a path from a practicing RN, to walking away from her conventional nursing career to become a certified Functional Diagnostic Nutrition® Practitioner, and Breast Implant Illness and Detox Expert. She believes the solution to Reversing Breast Implant illness is about more than just the explant and that we all need to take personal responsibility for restoring our health by addressing the root causes that contribute to chronic illness: toxicity, infections, trauma, and shame. Sarah’s “pain to purpose” is using her personal experience along with her understanding about the body to guide women through the sea of mis-information about Breast Implant Illness in hopes of finding their path to true and lasting healing.
Sarah was once quite happy and comfortable living the conventional life, but she began to look at things very differently when her body started failing her after getting breast implants. Within about six months of getting breast implants, Sarah began to see her once perfect health steadily decline. She began experiencing a myriad of symptoms which no doctor could explain. No one understood what Sarah was going through. She felt completely alone in this invisible illness because on the outside she looked fine. On the inside, the discomfort of living inside her own body was maddening.
Sarah soon realized she was looking in the wrong places, for the wrong things. If she wanted to fix her broken body, she had to stop looking to treat the symptoms; she had to start looking for a cause. It was time to take her health into her own hands and find real answers. She discovered that the root cause was literally inside of her.
Sarah believes there is always a greater purpose within our struggles, and she believes that purpose for her was to learn how to heal her own body so she could then help other women like her do the same. It is Sarah’s believe that the body has an innate desire to heal if given what it needs and she focuses on teaching natural healing principles. Sarah will teach you how to Reverse Breast Implant Illness, take back your health, and live vibrantly!
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