Anyone with some medical/physiological knowledge want to poke some holes in this one? My wife's aunt and uncle have purchased an infrared sauna for their basement (cool enough concept - use focused infrared to heat the body rather than just "hot air" of a typical sauna, allowing you to heat the body tissue in a 125 degree (F) room instead of 180+ degrees, which makes the sauna experience much more enjoyable).
My problem is with the (what seems to me and my wife to be) underlying quackery. Here's several questionable claims made during the tour:
1) Human fat tissue is a dumping ground for "toxins", e.g. mercury.
2) "Toxins" are a major culprit for cancers and other ailments in our society.
3) When the fat tissue is heated in the sauna, it reaches temps of 100 - 105 degrees F, and becomes water soluble.
4) Somehow, because the fat is water soluble, and the body is sweating profusely, the assumption is that the body is "flushing" the toxins out of the body at a rapid rate.
5) It is suggested that a shower be taken immediately afterward to rinse the flushed toxins off the body before reabsorbption can occur.
6) Anecdotal point was made that some dentist of 35 years somewhere "had mercury levels of over 300 units, compared to an average of 5 - 8 units in the rest of the population, but after a month of sauna / thermal treatment, had levels plummet all the way down to 3 units". No names/citations were used... I'm basically curious if this is even coherent, much less based on a known incident.
Edit for clarity: 7) Don't eat the fatty part along the spinal ridge of fish... because that's where the toxins are.
Edit - forgot one: 8) The average adult has over 1200 toxins in their body... analysis of placental blood shows upwards of 300 toxins already in a newborn baby.
Thanks in advance!
My problem is with the (what seems to me and my wife to be) underlying quackery. Here's several questionable claims made during the tour:
1) Human fat tissue is a dumping ground for "toxins", e.g. mercury.
2) "Toxins" are a major culprit for cancers and other ailments in our society.
3) When the fat tissue is heated in the sauna, it reaches temps of 100 - 105 degrees F, and becomes water soluble.
4) Somehow, because the fat is water soluble, and the body is sweating profusely, the assumption is that the body is "flushing" the toxins out of the body at a rapid rate.
5) It is suggested that a shower be taken immediately afterward to rinse the flushed toxins off the body before reabsorbption can occur.
6) Anecdotal point was made that some dentist of 35 years somewhere "had mercury levels of over 300 units, compared to an average of 5 - 8 units in the rest of the population, but after a month of sauna / thermal treatment, had levels plummet all the way down to 3 units". No names/citations were used... I'm basically curious if this is even coherent, much less based on a known incident.
Edit for clarity: 7) Don't eat the fatty part along the spinal ridge of fish... because that's where the toxins are.
Edit - forgot one: 8) The average adult has over 1200 toxins in their body... analysis of placental blood shows upwards of 300 toxins already in a newborn baby.
Thanks in advance!
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