American doctors commonly recommend that elderly people and persons with heart problems should avoid sweat bathing. Finnish and German doctors feel otherwise. Perhaps this difference of opinion arises from the fact that the Germans and especially the Finns are more familiar with sweat bathing.

Benefits of Hyperthermia
The body protects itself from viruses, bacteria, and other harmful substances through the use of numerous defense systems. One of these is fever. Fever raises the body's temperature above normal in an attempt to destroy invading organisms and sweat impurities out of the system. Fever is a highly effective and natural process of curing disease and restoring health, and has been recognized as such for thousands of years. Hyperthermia deliberately creates fever in the patient in order to utilize this natural healing process.

The Finns also used the sauna as a place to cleanse the mind, rejuvenate and refresh the spirit, and prepare the dead for burial. The sauna was an important part of daily life, and families bathed together in the home sauna. Those of differing sexes generally do not mix in public saunas in the modern era, though groups of friend sometimes do. Indeed Sauna was originally place of mystical nature where gender/sex differences did not exist. Because the sauna was often the cleanest structure and had water readily available, Finnish women also gave birth in the sauna.

When the Finns migrated to other areas of the globe, they brought their sauna designs and traditions with them, introducing other cultures the enjoyment and health benefits of sauna. This led to further evolution of the sauna, including the electric sauna stove, which was invented and implemented in the 1950s and far infrared saunas, which have become popular in the last several decades.

Positive Effect of Ions in a Steam Sauna
Since the early 1950s scientists have suspected that ions play an important role in how the body functions and, consequently, in how we feel. Research has shown that an abundance of negative ions ln the air we breathe is highly beneficial, while a lack of ions or a higher ratio of positive to negative can cause physical harm. The role played by ions in everyday life has become intensely topical among researchers in the medical profession.

Finnish steam saunas also tend to be different from most US versions - unless these are run by Scandinavians. In Finland, saunas are usually heated by a wood stove. First there's a dry phase that can get hotter than 200° F. Then the participants splash water on the stove and spend some time in the steam. Many Canadian and US public saunas use electric units and they do not allow patrons to pour water on the heater. Some people find the dry hot air irritating while others are pleased with the conditions. This is one of the main reasons people like the convenience of a personal 'at home' sauna. You get to dictate the temperature and humidity levels whether it be dry or moist.

So what are you waiting for? Sauna has so many known benefits that can really enrich your life! For Sauna Detox information, visit http://www.saunadetox.info, and for a comprehensive guide to constructing your very own home sauna, visit http://HomeSauna.saunadetox.info.