Our friends at Cancer Defeated are dedicated to researching, investigating and reporting on alternative cancer treatments. They have grown to become the world’s number one source of information about this important subject – and we are very pleased that our saunas are featured regularly in their terrific e-newsletters.
In a recent article at Cancer Defeated, they noted that cancer clinics in Germany and Mexico routinely treat patients with hyperthermia, where the body is exposed to high temperatures. High temperatures can kill cancer cells, usually without damage to normal tissues.1 Often, these clinics are using infrared hyperthermia and infrared saunas for their patients.
In an article in the Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, Lawrence Wilson, MD wrote, “If I were to single out one method to combat cancer, it is the sauna. It assists removal of chemical toxins and heavy metals, increases oxygenation, enhances the immune system, and reduces the radiation burden in the body.”2
Dr. Wilson notes the following benefits of infrared sauna therapy in supporting a patient’s fight against cancer:
- Hyperthermia: Heating the body is a well-known and underused method of killing cancer cells, says Dr. Wilson.
- Eliminate Toxins: Saunas also help purge the body of toxins, such as heavy metals and chemicals.
- Improve circulation: Cancer often grows in tissues with poor circulation and thus poor nutrition and oxygenation. Infrared saunas boost overall circulation. This brings nutrients, hormones, oxygen and other substances to all body tissues.
Cancer Defeated reports that several clinical studies support Dr. Wilson’s position on the use of infrared heat as part of a cancer patient’s wellness regiment. They cite a clinical study published in the Journal of Cancer Science and Therapy in which scientists studied far infrared’s effects on human cancer cells in vitro and on cancer cells in mice. Far infrared therapy reduced tumor volumes 86% in 30 days. The tumor-suppressing effects were even seen without high temperatures, even as low as 77 degrees Fahrenheit.3
In another study cited by Cancer Defeated, researchers in Japan discovered that whole-body hyperthermia with far infrared strongly inhibited the growth of breast cancer tumors in mice without deleterious side effects. Researchers believe this therapy is promising for long-term studies of a noninvasive treatment of breast cancer.4
1 Van der Zee, J. “Heating the Patient: A Promising Approach?” Annals of Oncology, 2002; 13:1173-1184.
2 Wilson, L. “Saunas and Cancer,” Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, June 2004.
3 Tatsuo I, Ishibashi, J. et al. “Non-Thermal Effects of Far-Infrared Ray (FIR) on Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells HepG2 and their Tumors,” Journal of Cancer Science Therapy, Volume 1(2) : 078-082 (2009) – 078.
4 Udagawa Y, Nagasawa H, Kiyokawa S. “Inhibition by Whole-Body Hyperthermia (WBH) with Far-Infrared Rays of the Growth of Spontaneous Mammary Tumours in Mice.” Anticancer Research, 1999 Sep-Oct;19(5B):4125-30.