Far infrared saunas are a great addition to your practice – and add value
Incorporating Far Infrared Heat Therapy into your practice is an effective way to add value, generate referrals, and grow your bottom line.
Natural and Alternative Wellness Practitioners, Chiropractors, and Health Coaches are as much small business owners as they are healers. They want to offer their clients solutions that work, but will also give them the opportunity for additional income through effective product sales. By integrating far infrared heat therapy modalities into a practice is not only an effective means of healing, but also a great opportunity to generate additional income from the sale of infrared products for at-home use.
All of these specialty practices see hundreds of clients with illnesses ranging from fibromyalgia, to back pain, to sleeping disorders, muscle spasms, sports injuries, blood disorders, and even diabetes. Practitioners that are equipped with the right knowledge and solutions for these ailments are paramount to their success in treatment. With the integration of far infrared heat, patients are feeling the benefits through a safe, all natural treatment. Infrared sauna therapy has been so successful in treating these athletes that many of them integrate sauna usage post-workout to aid with recovery and stress reduction. Companies like Therasage Premier Infrared Healing Products have many different products like Personal Portable Saunas and heating pads that can be bought in inventory, or simply drop shipped to your client (after you get a cut).
Increasing circulation and inhibiting the sympathetic nervous system can have significant healing benefits, which is why infrared (IR) therapy can be integrated effectively into any treatment protocol. By suppressing the sympathetic nervous system, the body suppresses the cytokine TGF-beta-1, which has been proven to be the most consistent stimulant of myofibroblast production.
Additional clinical benefits of IR therapy include lowering blood pressure; stimulating subcutaneous wound healing; increasing circulation due to the release of nitric oxide, thus inducing vasodilatation; and reducing pain.
Far-Infrared or radiant heat (FIR) is part of the natural light spectrum of sunlight and a safe form of energy that heats objects by a process Called direct light conversion. Radiant heat warms the objects around it without affecting the temperature of the surrounding free air. All warm-blooded animals that far infrared/radiant heat, a beneficial and essential form of energy that has the ability to penetrate, refract, radiate and reflect.
If you currently employ lipolaser technology without IR therapy, you’re missing the boat. Not only can saunas be esthetically appealing, uniquely compact, and equipped with the finest in audio/video systems, but some use hypoallergenic wood that is safe to use in the clinical setting even with the most sensitive patients.
An article published on ChiroEco.com by J. Matthew Burnett, DC gave these recommendations for ailment-specific application:
Performance-care protocol: The sauna should be used three times per week for four to six weeks. This is the recovery and performance enhancing protocol to aid those patients who are attempting to increase their metabolism, strength, post-workout recovery, energy levels, and muscular endurance.
IR therapy has demonstrated the ability to excite the mitochondria of the cell, thus producing an increase in ATP (energy), which aids in increased metabolic function. As the body’s core temperature elevates, the heat elicits the release of growth hormone, which in turn increases muscle hypertrophy, lipolysis, and calcium retention.
Increases have also been seen in integrins, gap junction proteins, and other regenerating genes with exposure to IR therapy, suggesting that it accelerates tissue recovery. Heating pads can be used as often as the consumer chooses, and have no documented contraindications. Typically, heating pads are used for pain relief, and improved circulation. With any IR heat application, water intake should increase, however, to help remove toxins broken up and released.
Blood-pressure protocol: The sauna should be used two to three times per week for four weeks.
When attempting to promote a healthier circulatory system, it is important to understand that the deep heat of IR therapy causes a hypothalamic-induced elevation in both heart rate and cardiac output. It is believed that this additional stress placed on the heart leads to conditioning of the myocardium, which eventually lowers blood pressure. Also, the release of nitric oxide promotes vasodilation of the circulatory system and enhances blood flow to the periphery.
Weight-loss protocol: In this instance, the sauna should be used three times per week for eight weeks.
Studies have shown that a 30-minute sauna session can burn between 400 and 600 calories. Hit it hard and be consistent; isn’t that the key with any weight-loss program? Couple that with good nutrition and exercise and it’s a win-win situation for everyone.
Pain-and-inflammation protocol: For this, use the sauna two times per week for six weeks.
IR therapy provides a deep penetrating heat that helps reduce pain and promotes increased circulation to areas of discomfort. IR therapy may also reduce and prevent the formation of scar tissue and myofascial adhesions.
Good To Know
- IR has the ability to affect the immune system if body temperature rises even 1 to 3 degrees during a session, inducing a controlled fever.
- Fever is said to promote the production of white blood cells within the bone marrow and killer T cells by way of the thymus. Could this be occurring every time we engage the body in this type of treatment?
- Research indicates that saunas enable the body to heal faster and function better. And there is still a lot to be discovered about this new and effective tool.
- Educate patients on the safety and effectiveness of IR therapy and monitor first-time users closely. Your staff must also be educated and aware of dehydration issues with all patients using the sauna.
- Full-spectrum IR saunas are a modality that can address a wide array of symptoms and conditions by biostimulating tissue in a safe and controlled environment.
We are all looking to increase revenue, and help people suffering with moderate to severe illness. When there is a natural way to accomplish both, professionals and consumers need to know. From a business perspective, saunas can be of tremendous benefit to your practice and your clients, and add significant value to you treatments. For additional information on some of the above mentioned products, visit http://www.therasage.com and contact them directly.
References and Notation
J. Matthew Burnett, DC Integrating Infrared. ChiroEco.com. 2012. http://www.chiroeco.com/chiropractic/news/13006/1759/integrating-infrared
Nurmikko T, Hietaharju A. Effect of exposure to sauna heat on neuropathic and rheumatoid pain. Pain.1992;49(1):43–51.
Scoon GSM, Hopkins WG, Mayhew S, Cotter JD. Effect of post-exercise sauna bathing on the endurance performance of competitive male runners. J Sci Med Sport. 2007; 10(4): 259-262.
Far Infrared Heat & Your Health 