Using A Sauna to Detoxify Your Body

Although most people really don’t like it, sweating is actually good for your body. But thanks to the ultra-convenient lifestyles of today, sweating isn’t something that a lot of people do on a regular basis.

We go from air conditioned homes to air conditioned vehicles to air conditioned offices and shopping places. But this lack of sweating can cause your body to keep toxins trapped inside, which is another cause for increased toxic load in modern society.

Sweating (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Toxins enter the body one of two ways - either through the mouth or through the skin. When you sweat, your body expels some of the toxins and can help prevent a build up. Sweating opens up your pores to let the body release toxins. Not only do you feel better and look better, but your skin will also look younger and healthier!

Using a sauna can be a good way to help increase sweating and eliminate toxins from your body, because a sauna causes you to sweat a lot more than you normally would.* If you could check what your sweat contains, you’d see that it probably contains a lot of toxins - including airborne ones like pesticides that are sprayed in homes and on plants.

In a sauna, your body also works to release toxins that have been stored in the tissues. It basically forces them loose and then eliminates them. Studies have shown that saunas are effective in detoxification based on the amount of sweat your body will produce at the higher temperature.

Your body will get rid of toxins like uric acid, which is a waste product - and a toxin. If uric acid builds up in the body, it can lead to things like kidney problems. Not only can saunas help your body detoxify itself of uric acid, but also from toxins from metals, chemicals, household cleaners, and from any medications that you take or put on your skin.

A modern infrared sauna. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When you use a sauna, your heart rate also increases - and this is a good thing.* A faster heart rate will increase blood flow. The increase in blood flow will help push toxins out of your body faster.

Not only that, but there’s a correlation between the temperature of the sauna and the benefit it gives your immune system. When you get a fever, it raises your body temperature to kill off whatever is making you sick.

In a sauna, the increased temperature helps your body fight things that can make you sick. It used to be that if you wanted the detoxification benefit from using a sauna, you had to leave your house to go to one.

But today, you can buy a sauna that you can use right in the comfort of your own home - and they’re affordable. You can find both steam and dry heat saunas for home use.


* Note: You should not use a sauna without consulting your physician first - especially if you have any type of disease or condition that affects your skin or cardiovascular system.

A Few Examples Of Personal Home Saunas:

   

7 Nutrition Tips To Reduce Your Toxic Load

You may have heard a lot about cleansing diets or fasts, but if you want to keep your system clean, it really very simply comes down to what you eat every day.  If you want to keep your body at its best, here are some tips toward maintaining optimal nutrition.

1. Eat Organic, Whole Foods

This is rather basic, but very important.  Whole foods are those that have undergone the least processing, but they do not have to be eaten exclusively raw. 

Examples include whole grains, fresh fruits, and vegetables, grass-fed and free-range meats that are not processed into preserved meat products, and natural sweeteners. 

Your system will not be clean if you continually pump it full of unhealthy foods.  This does not mean you can never indulge, but it does mean that your diet should consist of at least 80 percent whole, organic foods.  That way, when you do choose to indulge, your body can handle it and eliminate the toxins on its own.

Sucanat (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

2. Replace White with Brown

This is a basic nutritional rule of thumb for optimal nutrition.  Replace all refined or "white" foods with whole or "brown" foods.  It's not the color of the food (white popcorn, for example, can be very nutritious); it's the level of refinement.

For example:

* White flour/Whole wheat flour
* White sugar/Raw, unfiltered honey, blackstrap molasses, or Sucanat (natural sugarcane)
* White rice/Brown rice
* Pasta made from refined flour/Whole grain pasta

3. Add Probiotics

These friendly bacteria are important for helping the body keep itself cleansed, and keep intestinal flora in balance.  Sources include yogurt, miso (a fermented soybean paste), kefir, acidophilous milk, tempeh, kimchi (or naturally fermented sauerkraut), lactic-acid fermented pickles and other naturally fermented foods, and probiotic supplements. Many of these (like yogurt) are very easy to make at home - and contain more good bacteria than purchased sources.

4. Choose Nutrient-Dense Foods

These are foods that provide the most nutrient value for their caloric value.  In other words, they are the opposite of "empty calorie" foods like candy, pop, or fried potato chips that are full of calories but lacking nutrients.

Nutrient-dense foods are not necessarily low-calorie (although they can be) - avocados and nuts are examples - but for their calories they deliver large amounts of nutrients.

5. Get Enough Fiber

High-fiber diets are essential to keeping the intestinal system clean.  Fiber bulks up bowel movements, taking toxins along with it as it moves along the intestinal tract.

Healthy choices for high fiber are whole grains, including air-popped or stove-top popcorn (not microwave popcorn, as it may contain some dubious chemicals), fruits, fresh vegetables, beans, and legumes.


6. Don't Be Afraid to Supplement

The supplement debate is likely never to be resolved, but supplements are worth looking into in today's often nutrient-deficient culture.

If you are not getting enough vitamins, minerals, fiber, or probiotics from your diet - and such dietary goals can be difficult to reach - consider supplementing with a natural multivitamin, minerals, probiotics, or fiber sources (such as psyllium husks). Choose a good quality manufacturer such as Garden Of Life, or Standard Process, which are made here in the US and include organic and whole-food ingredients.

7. You Are What You Drink

Do not forget to drink plenty of water!  No other beverage is a good substitute for water. Regardless of what else you drink, you still need to drink plenty of water throughout the day. Add a few generous squeezes of lemon juice to your first glass of water in the morning for a liver-cleansing tonic.


Good Supplements Are Easy to Find Online: