I have a friend who has a very bad back. For years she has suffered with on and off again pain. Currently, even her job aggravates her, giving her discomfort as it requires she lift and transport heavy bundles of clothing. She has tried many ways to alleviate this pain with massage, acupressure, and chiropractic, but has had no success.
That is until I convinced her to try the consistent use of a far infrared sauna. At first, she was a total disbeliever. However, eventually, she came around. Just last week she mentioned how good her back was feeling. She was actually feeling relief from years of pain!
I have determined one of the best reasons to purchase and implement the use of a far infrared sauna is to utilize how it provides effective and thorough pain relief. Far infrared heat is not difficult to understand. Pretty simply it is heat from infrared light that enters joints, muscles, and tissues, even organs. Infrared heat assists in the blood’s circulation by boosting oxygen flow. These light rays cannot be seen by our eyes yet are able to fully reach deep into the body to elicit an effective and healing sweat.
Infrared is an extremely safe heat which occurs innately in sunlight. This is the identical heat used for babies in their first incubator; keeping them warm. Far infrared sauna therapy has been utilized for decades. It provides a great deal of relief even as it alleviates many symptoms. It is particularly targeted when specific pain is an issue.
I have spoken with many people over the years who all agree on one thing – consistent use of a far infrared sauna greatly increases a full spectrum of pain relief. As the infrared heat gently penetrates your body the healing warmth infiltrates your skin, tissues, muscles, joints, and organs. I have done some research on this subject with positive results.
There was a double-blind and placebo-controlled study from 2006 that proved far infrared heat reduced, by 50%, chronic back pain. This took place over a period of seven weeks. Presented by the Journal of Pain Research and Management they also concurred there was no evidence of any side effects. Patients were advised to assess their pain levels both prior to and following the therapy. Overall pain levels dropped by half. Continuing with the far infrared therapy demonstrated persisting in therapy pain control would only keep improving over time.
There are a couple of other studies I read that support even further proof of pain reduction. The first, from the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, found in 1992, 85% of people from 75-79 who used far infrared therapy were able to be medication free, due to pain relief, for between two to twelve months. Also, this study sites information on degenerative osteoarthritis (DOA) of the knee after infrared therapy. The results were promising as DOA is the most common form of arthritis.
The next study from 2002, from the Spine Journal, found that far infrared heat was more effective than medication. Pain relief was greater in the far infrared heat group commencing on the first day. Typically the effects of this infrared lasted for more than 48 hours.
Pain reduction is definitely one of the most effective by-products of consistent use of the warm, healing heat generated from a far infrared sauna. Endorphins are readily released even as stress, along with all its negative consequences, is decreased. Far infrared heat reduces the plasma ACTH levels as the B-endorphin levels rise.
Endorphins increase positive mood which assists the body in the management of negatives such as stress, aids in better sleep patterns, and especially decreases back pain. As the gentle heat rolls over the back, it deeply penetrates tissues, joints, and muscles which increases circulation and oxygenation. When this occurs nerve endings are healed; decreasing muscle spasms and even more pain.
Muscle spasms are not only painful but annoying. Allowing the back to relax eliminates these spasms and calms nerve endings. This is where you want to be in terms of actually healing the cause of the back pain. The body can relax and begin to naturally heal itself. As my friend did, give far infrared sauna therapy a chance to heal your back pain naturally. It is most effective and the disbelief you may feel will be changed to relief from pain.
