Sauna Detox: The Toxin Connection to Autoimmunity

Avoiding toxin exposure is nearly impossible these days. They are virtually everywhere! Some are in food, others are environmental toxins. Even if you live a very “clean” lifestyle, you’re still exposed to thousands of toxins every day. The good news is there are ways to reduce toxin exposure. One of my favorite ways is by doing a sauna detox. 

You may have heard that saunas work well for detoxing. Traditional saunas have been around for centuries. Now, infrared saunas are becoming more popular. When it comes to infrared vs traditional saunas, which is best? Personally, I like to use my Sunlighten infrared sauna to flush toxins and rejuvenate the body. This type of sauna uses a different technology than traditional saunas. The result is a deeper, more effective detox. 

Toxins have a complex effect on our bodies. Even after all these years, we’re still understanding how thousands of chemicals work on the body. We’re also still learning how they work in conjunction with one another. One thing is certain, however. The heavier your toxic burden is, the more likely you are to develop an autoimmune disease. 

In this article, I will tell you how you can reduce your toxin exposure. In addition, you’ll learn why infrared sauna benefits are far superior to traditional saunas. Before we get into that, let’s go over the relationship between toxins and autoimmunity. 

Toxic Triggers for Autoimmunity

Taming the toxins is crucial for a healthy life. That’s why it’s the third pillar of The Myers Way®. Each toxin exposure adds to your body’s toxic burden. Think of your body like a cup and toxins like drops of water. If you have leaky gut, poor diet, gut infections, and stress, your cup is nearly full. This means any small, cumulative toxic exposures can cause that cup to overflow. In time, many of these cases turn into full-fledged autoimmune diseases. There are a few theories as to why this is: 

Certain toxins, especially heavy metals, can accumulate in your tissues. Your immune system then gets confused, and eventually ends up attacking healthy tissue. Damage caused by toxins signals an inflammatory response from the immune system. The constant assault of chronic exposure puts the immune system on high alert. Soon, it begins attacking everything–including your tissues.

Even if you don’t live in a polluted area or work in an industrial job, you are still exposed to toxins. It’s just a fact. Environmental toxins can come from the air, drinking water, and food. Even the clothing you wear, beauty products, cleaning products, and cookware can expose you. Just because our government approved these in “small amounts” as safe, these small amounts quickly add up.

As of right now, the US uses about 80,000 registered chemicals. Additionally, about 1,700 more are approved every year! Furthermore, they approved these new chemicals in less than a month and with little to no testing. Our government leaves it up to the company to do the testing and tell us it’s safe. 

And if a product contains five ingredients, they test each separately for safety–not all five. These chemicals wind up inside your body in a variety of ways:¹

We Breathe Them In

Americans spend approximately 90% of their time indoors. This is problematic, especially since indoor air can be up to five times more polluted than outdoor air! There’s pollution outside your home, too, and toxins can quickly build up in your body when you are constantly breathing them in.²

We Eat And Drink Them

The Standard American Diet (SAD) is terrible for many reasons. First of all, animals are raised with artificial growth hormones and antibiotics. Produce is also full of GMOs and contains pesticides. Studies suggest that dietary intake of pesticides accounts for most pesticide exposure, especially in infants and young children.³

More than half of your body is composed of water. This means your water quality is directly tied to your overall health. Chemicals from plastic, heavy metals, and other pollutants can get into your body through your drinking water. Toxins in plastic can also leach into the food and beverages you eat.

We Absorb Them Through Our Skin

Your skin does a great job protecting you from toxins. However, it also absorbs both beneficial and harmful substances. You can get toxin exposure through chemicals in cleaning products, soap, makeup, and lotions. You can also absorb pollutants and heavy metals when you shower or bathe.

We Wear Them

Manufacturers make clothing to stay drier and last longer. However, the trade-off of better-performing clothing is that it often comes with a chemical cocktail. That’s right, that wrinkle-free t-shirt of yours may very well be filled with toxins! These may include solvents, AZO dyes, and formaldehyde. Clothing also contains PFAS, phthalates, and ammonia. 

It may seem like a little bit of exposure here and there, yet each exposure contributes to your body’s toxic burden pushing you farther down the Autoimmune Spectrum®. 

What is the Solution?

How can you effectively reduce your toxin exposure? There are two main strategies. One is prevention and the other is detoxification. The first step is to prevent toxins from getting in your system in the first place. 

Prevention

You may not have control over everything, but you do have control over your home. I focus my efforts on keeping my home as toxin-free as possible. When cooking, I use non-toxic cookware. Also, I make sure to eat only organic food. Here are some practical ways you can reduce toxin exposure in your home:

• Lower environmental toxins by cleaning your air. I recommend getting a HEPA filter for your office and home. I use air filters from AIRDoctor®.
• Clean your water. I recommend installing water filters on your shower taps and sinks. I have a full-house filtration system. You’ll also want to avoid plastic water bottles — even BPA-free plastics.
• Buy clean food. Eat organic whenever possible. It can be costly, though. At the very least, opt for organic meats. I also recommend using glass food containers. Glass is generally toxin-free and doesn’t contain phthalates or BPA.
• Buy clean body products. These days, so many personal care products get manufactured with hormone-mimicking chemicals that get absorbed through your skin. 

Once you reduce the toxin exposure in your home, the next step is to remove them from your body. There are several ways to do this. One of my favorites includes a sauna detox with infrared light!

Detoxification

Once you have toxins in your body, you must get them out. Your liver does a lot of the detoxing for you. Sometimes, however, it needs a little help. Liver Support combines milk thistle, selenium, and ALA to encourage healthy detoxification. Glutathione is another powerful detoxifier. However, constant toxin exposure easily depletes glutathione levels. To help combat this, add a Glutathione supplement. You can also add a N-Acetyl-Cysteine, or NAC supplement. These help support your body’s detoxification process. This is especially important if you are on the Autoimmune Spectrum®.

You’ll also want to drink plenty of water. Staying hydrated helps flush toxins out faster. Also, do something to make you sweat the toxins out. I love infrared saunas for detox. My go-to is to step into my Sunlighten infrared sauna.  

Benefits of a Sauna Detox

Choosing a sauna detox is a great way to enhance your health. In additiona, there are several infrared sauna benefits you can enjoy. Before I share them, though, let’s talk about the difference between infrared vs traditional saunas. Traditional saunas rely on humidity to heat the room around you. On the other hand, infrared saunas heat your body directly by emitting certain wavelengths that you immediately absorb. Localized heat sent to the source means tolerable temperatures and a quicker, deeper sweat. Let’s discuss a few benefits of a sauna detox with infrared light. 

Relaxation

Relaxation is more important to health than most people realize. While some stress is unavoidable, chronic stress can contribute to various health conditions. This includes leaky gut, adrenal fatigue, insomnia, and heart disease. Stress can even contribute to autoimmunity. Infrared sauna therapy promotes relaxation by helping to balance your body’s level of cortisol. Cortisol is your body’s primary stress hormone. The heat generated by the sauna helps relax muscles and relieve tension. In effect, this reduces stress throughout the body.

Pain Relief

The deep wavelengths penetration of infrared sauna detox may also alleviate pain. The heat generated goes deep into the tissue, which can help relieve pain associated with arthritis or fibromyalgia⁴
It may also help ease joint pain. 

Detoxification

Using an infrared sauna for detox is perhaps one of its most impressive features. Sweating is one of the best ways to detox your body. Every time you sweat, you flush out the toxic substances and heavy metals that we encounter in everyday life. One of the infrared sauna benefits includes mobilizing toxins deep in the tissue. This helps eradicate them from your system. 

Weight Loss

While sweating out calories might sound too good to be true, the heat generated by an infrared sauna causes your heart rate to increase. As your heart rate increases, so do the calories you burn. 

During a sauna detox session, your body’s temperature increases. The body has to work hard to cool itself, increasing the blood flow and heart rate. Much like moderate exercise, this helps your body burn calories and supports healthy weight loss. This can be a practical lifestyle choice for those who cannot participate in traditional exercise programs.

Skin Purification

The short wavelengths of near-infrared light (NIR) can reach more profound levels of your skin. Shorter wavelengths help remove toxins such as dead skin cells, oils, dirt, and bacteria. Additionally, increased circulation and oxygen delivery to injured or damaged areas helps with cell turnover. This means reducing the appearance of scars. 

Heating your body at its core also helps open up your pores. With each sweat, you’re detoxifying your body and promoting clear, soft, and healthy-looking skin. 

Improved Circulation

Another one of the many infrared sauna benefits is improved circulation. As the heat from the infrared sauna increases core body temperature, your blood vessels expand to allow for healthy blood flow. Consistent infrared sauna sessions cause your blood vessels to dilate. 

This reaction is similar to how your body responds to low or moderate exercise. Infrared saunas replicate a cardiovascular workout by raising your heart rate and increasing your circulation. Since your heart is a muscle, each activity strengthens and helps it deliver more oxygen to your body’s cells. 

Is a Sauna Detox Right for You?

A sauna detox is a great way to cleanse the body. To get all the infrared sauna benefits at home, I recommend using a Sunlighten infrared sauna. 

Sunlighten saunas utilize a patented Solocarbon® heating technology. They are the only infrared sauna on the market clinically shown to improve your health. That’s right, it can help lower blood pressure, raise core temperature, and even aid in weight loss!

Many amazing health benefits come with using an infrared sauna. The best news is that infrared saunas are safe for most people. That said, talk to your functional medicine physician if you have a medical condition, are on medications, or have or implanted devices. 

A review of infrared sauna detox therapy found some side effects. Although mild, the most common ones include heat discomfort, dehydration, low blood pressure, lightheadedness, and nausea.

I suggest starting with 10-15 minute sessions at 100-130 F. If you can tolerate that, gradually work up to a 40-minute session. If you only have access to a traditional sauna, you can still achieve some degree of detoxification. Aim for 10-20 minute sessions at 190-200 F.

The Final Word

Reducing your toxin exposure is vital in today’s world. In addition to eating organic and purifying your air, utilizing sauna detox can be highly beneficial. There are many infrared sauna benefits to enjoy, from healthier skin to less achy joints. It’s also more comfortable and can be done anytime!

You can also support your internal detox organs. Most of your internal detoxing takes place in your liver. Therefore, the goal is to support your liver during detoxifying. The best way is to use natural and effective means. Liver Support does an excellent job of gently supporting your liver’s detox pathways. You also need glutathione, which is your master antioxidant. I recommend supplementing with extra glutathione or N-Acetyl-Cysteine in addition to your sauna detox.

There has never been a more relaxing way to achieve optimal health than a sauna detox. With the help of infrared sauna therapy, all these health benefits and more are just a sweat away!