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Question:
I have heard that taking regular saunas is a great way to help the body detoxify. Is this true?
Answer:
Yes. Your body removes many toxins by shipping them out through the pores in the skin. Exposure to heat causes your pores to open. Heat also makes you sweat, because your body sends moisture where it is needed to cool the skin. Since Phase II detoxification makes toxins water soluble, sweating can help purify your insides.
Saunas and hot water foot baths are healthy and pleasant ways to promote whole-body (systemic) detoxification. I think taking a prolonged sauna, in which you stay in the low-temperature sauna (less than 110 degrees F) for up to an hour once or twice a week is a great way to aid detoxification and will do you more good than a few minutes in a very hot sauna. Take the slow and steady approach. Pregnant women, children, and adults with heart disease or seizures should not take saunas. Nor should you sauna after intense exercise or after drinking alcohol. Check with your doctor before taking a prolonged sauna.
Since not everyone has access to a sauna, or the time for an hour-long session, let me give you an alternative. Soak your feet in about six inches of hot water, as hot as you can handle comfortably (it does not have to be too unbearable). Soak your feet for at least twenty minutes, adding hot water as necessary to keep the water hot. This technique should get your pores open and help you work up a light sweat. You can take a full bath or shower when you are finished. It is not as effective as the prolonged sauna, but you can do it two to four times a week to make up the difference.
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