Optimal Health Uncovered

E4: Will using a sauna strengthen my immune system?

June 09, 2020 Performance
Optimal Health Uncovered
E4: Will using a sauna strengthen my immune system?
Show Notes Transcript

In this episode, Todd and Mike are joined by their first podcast guest - Zack Buechner. Zack is an athletic trainer certified and an expert in recovery, specifically in sauna heat therapies.  He joins the podcast to review the benefits of saunas and how they incorporate them into their practice.  Mike discusses types of heat therapy such as paraffin baths, infrared saunas, traditional saunas and steam saunas as well as their many benefits including lowering cholesterol, decreasing hypertension (high blood pressure), reducing risk of depression, combating disease and improving or enhancing immune function.  Zack and Mike discuss the variety of studies done on saunas and how they are being used in Finland as well as time and temperature recommendations.  Exercise and training inside saunas is also discussed. 

  • Intro (1:02) 
  • Guest: Zack Buechner (Athletic Trainer and Recovery Division Lead at Performance) 
  • Heat Therapy overview (1:45) 
    • Paraffin bath, infrared, traditional and steam saunas 
  • Sauna definition (2:15) 
    • Heat exposure (Finnish Wood) 
    • Benefits of sauna 
  • Types of Saunas (2:55) 
    • Traditional (Wet or Dry), Infrared, and Steam Saunas 
    • Temperatures between each type 
    • Near and Far Infrared Saunas 
    • Wet and Dry Saunas 
  • Which sauna type is best? (5:20) 
    • Time and temperature of each sauna 
    • More data with conventional sauna 
    • Electromagnetic frequency and infrared saunas 
  • Research and health benefits of Sauna (7:50) 
    • Finland study of ischemic heart disease (dose dependent) 
    • Use of sauna of 2-3 times per week had a 27% decrease in cardiovascular disease 
    • Individuals using saunas 4-7 times per week had a 50% decrease in cardiovascular disease 
    • Sauna use is associated with a decrease in all premature deaths 
  • Sauna use linked to decrease in respiratory disease and Pneumonia development (10:40)
  • Finland Stats (11:55) 
    • 3.2 million saunas, 2.6 million households in Finland 
    • Saunas in prisons 
    • Life expectancy in Finland is 81.5 years whereas the US life expectancy is about 78.4 years. 
  • Peripheral Artery disease (12:55) 
    • PAD patients have had success with sauna use 
    • Saunas help lower cholesterol and LDL levels 
  • Hypertension and sauna use (14:00) 
  • Inflammation (14:18)
  • Depression and cognitive function (14:35)
  • Ways to use sauna to combat disease (15:30) 
    • Coronavirus COVID-19 
    • Immune response and sauna use (16:00) 
  • Sauna time recommendations (17:25) 
    • 20 minutes is baseline 
    • Dose dependent upon temperature 
  • Infrared sauna time and temperature (18:20) 
    • 15-20 minutes to start and assess tolerance 
    • Higher temperatures may need less time 
    • Infrared can stimulate lymphatic and cardiovascular systems 
  • Why does sauna work? (19:40) 
    • Increase in core body temperature 
    • Heart rate will rise in sauna 
    • Heat shock proteins 
  • Alzheimers (20:55)
  • FOXO3 Protein & Interleukin-6 (21:07) 
    • DNA repair 
    • Healthy aging and longevity 
  • Human growth hormone (23:10)
  • Exercise inside saunas (24:00) 
    • Spin bike or kettlebell in sauna