While saying infrared saunas have many health benefits is great, it means nothing if you can’t back up these claims with proof. Here are the current medical studies that have been done on infrared saunas to backup the health claims.
Detoxification
- Components of Practical Clinical Detox Programs – Sauna as a Therapeutic Tool
- Indianapolis Fire Department Uses Saunas to Detox from Potential Carcinogen
- Firefighters explore benefits from sauna therapy (Clearlight Sanctuary Y Sauna)
- Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, and Mercury in Sweat: A Systematic Review
- Blood, Urine, and Sweat (BUS) Study: Monitoring and Elimination of Bioaccumulated Toxic Elements
- Atomic Absorption Spectrometry of Nickel, Copper, Zinc, and Lead in Sweat Collected from Healthy Subjects during Sauna Bathing
- Components of practical clinical detox programs – sauna as a therapeutic tool
- Health Benefits of a Sauna
- Military using low temperature saunas (infrared) to detox Gulf War Veterans
- Meth Exposure and Chronic Illness
- Sweating Helps to Detox Body of Heavy Metals
- Sweating Increases Excretion of Toxic Metals
- Whole Body Detox
- Bastyr University – Sauna Detoxification Study
- Detoxification Through The Skin.
- Blood, urine, and sweat (BUS) study: monitoring and elimination of bioaccumulated toxic elements
- Human excretion of bisphenol A: blood, urine, and sweat (BUS) study.
- Human Elimination of Organochlorine Pesticides: Blood, Urine, and Sweat Study.
- Biomonitoring and Elimination of Perfluorinated Compounds and Polychlorinated Biphenyls through Perspiration: Blood, Urine, and Sweat Study
- Is Your Family Toxic?
Cardiovascular
- Sauna bathing reduces the risk of stroke in Finnish men and women
- Chronic Heart Failure
- Waon (Infrared) therapy improves the prognosis of patients with chronic heart failure
- Waon (Infrared) therapy mobilizes CD34+ cells and improves peripheral arterial disease
- Beneficial effects of sauna bathing for heart failure patients
- Far-infrared therapy for cardiovascular, autoimmune, and other chronic health problems: A systematic review
- Preliminary Clinical Experience with Waon (Infrared) Therapy in Korea: Safety and Effect
- Leg Heating Using Far Infra-red Radiation in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure Acutely Improves the Hemodynamics, Vascular Endothelial Function, and Oxidative Stress
- Effects of Repeated Sauna Treatment on Ventricular Arrhythmias in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure
- Safety and efficacy of repeated sauna bathing in patients with chronic systolic heart failure: a preliminary report.
- Repeated sauna treatment improves vascular endothelial and cardiac function in patients with chronic heart failure.
- Efficacy and safety of thermal vasodilation therapy by sauna in infants with severe congestive heart failure secondary to ventricular septal defect.
- Waon therapy improves the prognosis of patients with chronic heart failure.
- Beneficial effects of Waon (Infrared) therapy on patients with chronic heart failure: results of a prospective multicenter study.
- Repeated sauna therapy increases arterial endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression and nitric oxide production in cardiomyopathic hamsters
- Journal Of The American College Of Cardiology Study On Repeated Far Infrared Sauna Treatments.
- Circulation Journal – December 2004 study on infrared sauna use in patients with chronic heart failure.
- Saunas Improve Results For Heart Patients.
- Repeated Thermal Therapy Improves Impaired Vascular Endothelial Function In Patients With Coronary Risk FactoRepeated Sauna Therapy Reduces Urinary 8-Epi-Prostaglandin F(2alpha).
- Far Infrared Sauna for the Treatment of Congestive Heart failure
- Beneficial effects of sauna bathing for heart failure patients
- Repeated sauna treatment improves vascular endothelial and cardiac function in patients with chronic heart failure.
- Safety and efficacy of repeated sauna bathing in patients with chronic systolic heart failure: a preliminary report.
- The effect of sauna bathing on lipid profile in young, physically active, male subjects.
- Changes in the lipid profile of blood serum in women taking sauna baths of various duration.
- Waon (Infrared) therapy mobilizes CD34+ cells and improves peripheral arterial disease
- Post-angioplasty Far Infrared Radiation Therapy Improves 1-Year Angioplasty-Free Hemodialysis Access Patency of Recurrent Obstructive Lesions
- Infrared Therapy (Waon) Therapy Improves Quality of Life as Well as Cardiac Function and Exercise Capacity in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure
- Far-infrared saunas for treatment of cardiovascular risk factors
- American Journal of Hypertension, Sauna Bathing and Incident Hypertension: A Prospective Cohort Study
- Sauna bathing: a warm heart proves beneficial
- Far Infrared Therapy Inhibits Vascular Endothelial Inflammation via the Induction of Heme Oxygenase-1
- Passive heat therapy improves cutaneous microvascular function in sedentary humans via improved nitric oxide-dependent dilation
- Waon Therapy for Cardiovascular Disease: Innovative Therapy for the 21st Century
Hyperthermia
Pain Relief
- Infrared therapy for chronic low back pain: A randomized, controlled trial
- Clinical utility of far-infrared therapy for improvement of vascular access blood flow and pain control in hemodialysis patients
- The effects of repeated thermal therapy for patients with chronic pain.
- Monochromatic Infrared Photo Energy Versus Low Level Laser Therapy in Chronic Low Back Pain.
- Far-Infrared Therapy Promotes Nerve Repair following End-to-End Neurorrhaphy in Rat Models of Sciatic Nerve Injury
- Far Infrared Therapy Inhibits Vascular Endothelial Inflammation via the Induction of Heme Oxygenase-1
- Phantom limb pain treated by far infrared ray.
Weight Loss
- Influence of water-filtered infrared-A (wIRA) on reduction of local fat and body weight by physical exercise
- Cellulite treatment using a novel combination radio frequency, infrared light, and mechanical tissue manipulation device.
- The effectiveness and safety of topical PhotoActif phosphatidylcholine-based anti-cellulite gel and LED (red and near-infrared) light on Grade II-III thigh cellulite: a randomized, double-blinded study.
- Sauna-Induced Body Mass Loss in Young Sedentary Women and Men
- Clinical Implications of Thermal Therapy in Lifestyle-Related Diseases
- Read An Interview With Actor Jeremy Davies In The New York Times Describing How He Lost 33 Lbs For The Movie “Rescue Dawn” Using An Infrared Sauna.
LED Therapy
- A Controlled Trial to Determine the Efficacy of Red and Near-Infrared Light Treatment in Patient Satisfaction, Reduction of Fine Lines, Wrinkles, Skin Roughness, and Intradermal Collagen Density Increase
- Low-level laser (light) therapy (LLLT) in skin: stimulating, healing, restoring
- The effectiveness and safety of topical PhotoActif phosphatidylcholine-based anti-cellulite gel and LED (red and near-infrared) light on Grade II-III thigh cellulite: a randomized, double-blinded study.
- Mechanisms and applications of the anti-inflammatory effects of photobiomodulation.
- Effect of low-level phototherapy on delayed onset muscle soreness: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
- Effect of phototherapy (low-level laser therapy and light-emitting diode therapy) on exercise performance and markers of exercise recovery: a systematic review with meta-analysis
- Combination 830-nm and 633-nm light-emitting diode phototherapy shows promise in the treatment of recalcitrant psoriasis: preliminary findings.
- Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) and/or cryotherapy in skeletal muscle restitution, what is better? A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial.
Diabetes Research
- Far infra-red therapy promotes ischemia-induced angiogenesis in diabetic mice and restores high glucose-suppressed endothelial progenitor cell functions
- The restorative effects of pulsed infrared light therapy on significant loss of peripheral protective sensation in patients with long-term type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus
- Do Far-infrared Saunas Have Cardiovascular Benefits in People with Type 2 Diabetes?
- The effect of leg hyperthermia using far infrared rays in bedridden subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus
- Clinical Implications Of Thermal Therapy In Lifestyle-Related Diseases.
- Monitoring Glucose Via Sweat?
- Influences of Pinpoint Plantar Long-Wavelength Infrared Light Irradiation (Stress-Free Therapy) on Chorioretinal Hemodynamics, Atherosclerosis Factors, and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor
Wound Healing
- Analysis of the Systemic Effect of Red and Infrared Laser Therapy on Wound Repair
- Mitochondrial signal transduction in accelerated wound and retinal healing by near-infrared light therapy.
- Combined visible light and infrared light-emitting diode (LED) therapy enhances wound healing after laser ablative resurfacing of photodamaged facial skin
- Promotive Effects of Far-Infrared Ray on Full-Thickness Skin Wound Healing
- Biological effect of far-infrared therapy on increasing skin microcirculation
- Mitochondrial signal transduction in accelerated wound and retinal healing by near-infrared light therapy.
Skin Studies
- Effects of Infrared Radiation on Skin Photo-Aging and Pigmentation
- Far-infrared suppresses skin photoaging in ultraviolet B-exposed fibroblasts and hairless mice
- High-energy protocol improves photoaged facial skin
- Objective assessment of skin rejuvenation using near-infrared 1064-nm neodymium: YAG laser in Asians
- Radiant near infrared light emitting Diode exposure as skin preparation to enhance photodynamic therapy inflammatory type acne treatment outcome
Arthritis Research
- Infrared sauna in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. A pilot study showing good tolerance, short-term improvement of pain and stiffness, and a trend towards long-term beneficial effects.
- Can osteoarthritis be treated with light?
- No adverse physiological responses to infrared whole body hyperthermia in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis compared to healthy subjects.
COPD Research
Exercise
- Effect of post-exercise sauna bathing on the endurance performance of competitive male runners.
- Effects of far-infrared sauna bathing on recovery from strength and endurance training sessions in men.
- Do sauna therapy and exercise act by raising the availability of tetrahydrobiopterin?
- Effects of Far Infrared Heat on Recovery in Power Athletes
- The effect of a single Finnish sauna bath after aerobic exercise on the oxidative status in healthy men
- NASA-inspired infrared activewear from KYMIRA Sport says it can help with recovery
- Infrared LED irradiation applied during high-intensity treadmill training improves maximal exercise tolerance in postmenopausal women: a 6-month longitudinal study
- Rehabilitation training in artificially heated environment
- Effects of far-infrared sauna bathing on recovery from strength and endurance training sessions in men
Alzheimer's Research
- Sauna Benefits Could Include Reduced Risk Of Dementia
- Sauna bathing is inversely associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in middle-aged Finnish men
- Turning On Lights to Stop Neurodegeneration: The Potential of Near Infrared Light Therapy in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease.
- Multi-watt near-infrared light therapy as a neuroregenerative treatment for traumatic brain injury
Depression
- Repeated Thermal Therapy Diminishes Appetite Loss and Subjective Complaints in Mildly Depressed Patients
- Psychological benefits 2 and 4 weeks after a single treatment with near infrared light to the forehead: a pilot study of 10 patients with major depression and anxiety
- Effects of Far Infrared Acupoint Stimulation on Autonomic Activity and Quality of Life in Hemodialysis Patients
- Whole-Body Hyperthermia for the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
- The effect on serotonin and MDA levels in depressed patients with insomnia when far-infrared rays are applied to acupoints.
Fibromyalgia
Inflammation
Chromotherapy
Chronic Fatigue Research
- New Study Shows Infrared Sauna Benefits Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- A new treatment: thermal therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome.
- The effects of repeated thermal therapy for two patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.
- The effects of repeated thermal therapy for two patients with chronic fatigue syndrome
- Targeting mitochondrial dysfunction in the treatment of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) – a clinical audit
Dialysis
- Role of Far Infrared Therapy in Dialysis Arterio-Venous Fistula Maturation and Survival
- Thermal therapy in dialysis patients – a randomized trial.
- Clinical utility of far-infrared therapy for improvement of vascular access blood flow and pain control in hemodialysis patients
- Far-Infrared Therapy: A Novel Treatment to Improve Access Blood Flow and Unassisted Patency of Arteriovenous Fistula in Hemodialysis Patients
Miscellaneous
- Firefighters explore benefits from sauna therapy
- Far infrared radiation (FIR): its biological effects and medical applications
- 19 Incredible Science-Based Health Benefits of Regular Sauna Use
- Red Light and Near-Infrared Radiation: Powerful Healing Tools You’ve Never Heard of
- Turning On Lights to Stop Neurodegeneration: The Potential of Near Infrared Light Therapy in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease.
- Why Does The Near Infrared Lamp Sauna Have An Extremely Parasympathetic (Healing) Effect
- Can Far-Infrared-Sauna Therapy Benefit Individuals On The Autism Spectrum?
- Local thermal therapy effects on menopausal symptoms and bone mineral density.
- Far infrared radiation (FIR): its biological effects and medical applications
- Far Infrared Therapy Inhibits Vascular Endothelial Inflammation via the Induction of Heme Oxygenase-1
- Kaiser Permenante Article On The Health Benefits Of Saunas.
- The Pollution Within
- Benefits and risks of sauna bathing.
- Bringing Devon back
- Chemicals Within Us
- Effects of single low-temperature (Far Infrared) sauna bathing in patients with severe motor and intellectual disabilities (Cerebral Palsy)
- Effects of Waon Therapy on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Pilot Study
I am glad infrared saunas have developed the way they have, because I couldn’t imagine my life without the benefits they provide, like deep sleep, lower blood pressure, less joint pain, weight loss, and a boosted immune system. Here at SaunaCloud I sell saunas that are some of the best history has offered. My far infrared saunas use advanced ceramic-carbon combination heaters for an amazing sauna experience. For more information on how SaunaCloud’s infrared saunas work and how they can improve your health, download my book The Definitive Guide to Infrared Saunas. Just give us a call at SaunaCloud 1.800.370.0820.
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Christopher Kiggins | Sauna Enthusiast
I have been writing, learning, educating and generally pointing people in the right direction infrared sauna wise since 2012. Let me know how I can help: chris@saunacloud.com - (530) 417-1220