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Issels Medical Clinic
Cancer Therapy Center
Santa Barbara, CA

METHODS TO DETOXIFY

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Medical Applications of Infrared Heat Therapy

Passive Cardiovascular Conditioning Effect

LuxSauna's Infrared Thermal System makes it possible for people in wheelchairs, or those who are otherwise unable to exert themselves or who won't follow through on an exercising and conditioning program to achieve a cardiovascular training effect. This also allows for more variety in any ongoing program.

"Many of us whom run do so to place a demand on our cardiovascular systems, not to build big leg muscles. Regular use of a sauna may impart a similar stress on the cardiovascular systems, and its regular use may be as effective, as a means of cardiovascular conditioning and burning of calories and regular exercise."^*

^*As reported in the Journal of American Medical Association(JAMA), August 7, 1987.

Due to the deep penetration, over 1½" to 2" into the skin, of the infrared rays generated by these LuxSauna Thermal Systems, there is a heating effect deep in the muscular tissues and the internal organs. The body responds to this deep-heating effect via a hypothalamic-induced increase in both heart volume and rate. This beneficial heart stress leads to a sought-after cardiovascular training and conditioning effect.

Medical research confirms the use of sauna provides cardiovascular conditioning as the body works to cool itself and involves substantial increase in heart rate, cardiac output and metabolic rate. As a confirmation of the validity of this form of cardiovascular conditioning, extensive research by NASA in the early 1980's led to the conclusion that infrared stimulation of cardiovascular function would be the ideal way to maintain cardiovascular conditioning in American astronauts during long space flights. Blood flow during whole-body hypothermia is reported to rise from a normal 5-7 pints per minute to as much as 13 pints per minute.

The 1980's was the decade of high-impact aerobics classes and high mileage training. Yet there was something elitist about the way exercise was prescribed: only strenuous workout would do, you had to raise to between X and Y, the only way was to 'go for the burn'. And such strictures insured that most participants were relatively young and in good shape to begin with. Many, many Americans got caught up in the fitness boom, but probably just as many fell by the wayside. As we've reported, recent search research shows that you don't have to run marathons to become fit - that burning just 1,000 calories a week is enough. Anything goes, as long as it burns these calories. "Reported in the Wellness Letter, October 1990, from the university of California Berkeley.

Outstanding Caloric Consumption and Weight Control

In Guyton's Textbook of Medical Physiology, we find that producing one gram of sweat requires 0.586 kcal. The JAMA citation referred to above goes on to state that, "A moderately conditioned person can easily sweat off 500 grams in a sauna, consuming nearly 300 kcal - the equivalent of running 2-3 miles.

A heat-conditioned person can easily sweat off 600-800 kcal with no adverse effects. While the weight of the water loss can be regained by dehydration with water, the calories consumed will not be. " Since a LuxSauna Therapeutic System helps generate two to three times the sweat produced in a hot-air sauna, the implications for increased caloric consumption are quite impressive. Assuming "a Sauna," as mentioned in JAMA, to last for 30 minutes, some interesting comparisons may be drawn. Two of the highest calorie output forms of exercise are rowing and marathon running. Peak output on a rowing machine or during a marathon run burns about 600 calories in 30 minutes.

A LuxSauna Therapeutic System can, thus, play a pivotal role in both weight control and cardiovascular conditioning. This would be easily valuable for those who don't exercise and those who can't exercise yet want effective weight control and fitness maintenance program and the benefits that regular exercise can contribute to such a program.

Musculoskeletal Cases

"Medical practitioners make use of Infrared Radiant Heat to Treat Sprains, Bursitis, peripheral vascular diseases, arthritis, and muscle pain." According to the McGraw/Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology.

The following is summarized from Therapeutic Heat and Cold, 4th Edition, ED. Justus F. Lehmann M.D., Williams and Wilkins, Chapter 9 or concluded from data therein. Generally it is accepted that heat produces the following desirable therapeutic effects:

1) It increases the extendibility of collagen tissues

Tissues heated to 110°F and then stretched exhibit a non-elastic residual elongation of about 0.5 - 0.9% that persists after the stretch is removed which does not occur in these same tissues when stretched at normal tissue temperatures. Thus 20 stretching sessions can produce a 10 - 18% increase in length in tissues so heated and stretched.

This effect would be especially valuable in working with ligaments, joint capsules, tendons, fasciae, and synovium that have become scarred, thickened or contracted.

Such stretching at 110°F caused much less weakening in stretched tissues for a given elongation that a similar elongation produced at normal tissue temperatures.

The experiments cited clearly showed that low-force stretching can produce significant residual elongation when heat is applied together with stretching or range-of-motion exercises, which is also safer than stretching tissues at normal tissue temperatures.

This safer stretching effect is crucial in properly training competitive athletes so as minimize their "down" time from injuries.

2) It decreases joint stiffness directly

There was a 20% decrease in stiffness at 110°F as compared with 90°F in rheumatoid finger joints, which correlated perfectly to both subjective and objective observation of stiffness.

Any stiffened join and thickened connective tissues should respond in a similar fashion.

3) It relieves muscle spasms

Muscle spasms have long been observed to be reduced through the use of heat, be they secondary to underlying skeletal, joint, or neuropathological conditions.

This result is possibly produced by the combined effect of heat on both primary and secondary affects from spindle cells and from its effects on Golgi tendon organs. The effects produced by each mechanisms demonstrated their peak effect within the therapeutic temperature range obtainable with radiant heat.

4) It produced pain relief

Pain may be relieved via the reduction of attendant or secondary muscle spasms.

Pain is also at times related to ischemia due to tension or spasm which can be improved by the hyperemia that heat-induced vasodilatation produces, thus breaking the feedback loop, in which the ischemia leads to further spasm and then more pain.

Heat has been shown to reduce pain sensation by direct action on both free-nerve endings in tissues and on peripheral nerves. In one dental study, repeated heat applications led finally to abolishment of the whole nerve responsible for pain arising from dental pulp.

Heat may both lead to increased endorphin production and a shutting down the so-called "spinal gate" of Melzach and Wall, each of which can reduce pain.

5) It increase blood flow

Heating of one area of the body produces reflex-modulated vasodilations in distant-body areas, even in the absence of a change in core body temperature; i.e. heat one extremity also dilates; heat a forearm and both lower extremities; heat the front of the trunk and the hand dilates.

Heating of muscles produces an increased blood flow level similar to that seen during exercise.

Temperature elevation produces an increase in blood flow and dilation directly in capillaries, arterioles and venuies, probably through direct action on their smooth muscles. The release of bradykinin, released as a consequence of sweat-gland activity, also produces increased blood flow and vasodilatation.

Whole-body hypothemia, with a consequent core temperature elevation, further induces vasodilatation via a hypothalamic-induced decrease in sympathetic tone on the arteriovenous anastomoses. Vasodilatation is also produced by axonal reflexes and by reflexes that change vasomotor balance.

6) It assists in resolution of inflammatory infiltrates, edema and exudates

The increased peripheral circulation provides the transport needed to help evacuate the edema which can help end inflammation, decrease pain and help speed healing.

Blood Circulation

All of the following ailments may be associated to some degree with poor circulation and, thus, may respond well to the increased peripheral dilation associated with Infrared application:

Popular in parts of Asia and Europe for more than a decade, therapies and healthcare products based on far-infrared technologies are making their way into North America.