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How to Detox properly through Steam Therapy

Nowadays so many people reach out to me because they want to “Detox”. It’s a pretty popular term and a quick search on Google with the term pulls up 78 million results. A variety of folks know that as the body sits in hot steam the pores open up and the body starts to sweat and increase in circulation occurs. Under most circumstances with shorter steam sessions (40min or less) the body mainly releases 99% water and salt/electrolytes out of the cells and body tissues. The goal of detoxing is to release more than this however.

We live in very different environments today than the Native American Indians lived in a 200+ years ago. Even just 60 years ago the environmental pollutants that most people faced was a fraction of what it is today. These accumulations also build up through generations in the family so that offspring are born with much of the toxins that the mother accumulated in her lifetime. The cord blood of the fetus for example has heavy metal levels in the blood that are 500-1000% higher than 50 years ago.

To be perfectly straight forward traditional in Indian sweat lodge tradition the proper way to really cleanse and detoxify the body usually incorporated fasting then going into many hours off and on of sweat lodge for a whole day. There is much preparation for the body to be ready to release on the physical level. In the tradition it is not just the physical poisons that are sweat out but the belief is that at the same time emotional and mental poisons are released.

So for the average person nowadays who is considering some version of sweat therapy in their own home some of these detox benefits can be achieved but require a little bit of preparation. I’ll share with everyone some of the tips and guidance that I provide to some of my clients. If anyone has any further questions about the guidelines simply reach out to me by phone or email after you complete the Quiz on my site and we can go over the right steam generator and other techniques and additional equipment that can work synergistically to reach your health goals.

Warning: One last thing what is vitally important to do if the goal is to cleanse and detox is to minimize toxins getting into the body first. So this means get a shower filter and also an inline water filter that runs to the steam generator. Tap water is loaded with contaminants and breathing and showering in the water pulls in gallons of water through your body…Yes that’s right in one 10 minute session in a shower for example you absorb 10 times all the water you could possibly drink in 1 week! Steam into the lungs and through the pores goes straight into your blood stream. It’s almost silly to spend money on drinking pure water if you are bathing daily in unfiltered water by comparison.

1. Consider incorporating Hydrotherapy principles of alternating Hot and Cold. What is interesting is that in different cultures around the world even going back a couple thousand years on record, general healing practices had the basic knowledge and understanding that we can move the fluids of the body around by utilizing heat and cold. So what is better than just sitting in the shower and turning on the steamer then getting out? Using the steamer then standing under the shower head with it on cold for 2-5 minutes. Then sitting in the steam for another 10 minutes. Alternations of at least 3 cycles is ideal. Hydrotherapy has incorporated these principles for a long time to treat and almost any condition. Being able to act on the lymphatic system and circulatory is what makes it so effective.

a2. Raise the body’s core temperature before doing the steam therapy. Try exercising beforehand until you feel like you might break a sweat. Ideally the best way to raise core temperature is through Infrared therapy. The Infrared will stimulate the tissues directly including the fat cells (where most major fat soluble toxins are held) along with effect the cells and mitochondria directly getting them ready to release. Read up on Infrared therapy to see the many benefits. Once the body is saturated by the infrared for at least 20 minutes then do steam therapy. Even if you wait several hours until you do the steam therapy it can still be effective as much of what the infrared stimulated will still be in the body ready to be released through the pores in the steam room. If you plan on steaming several hours later after the infrared therapy then consider doing a longer infrared session. I find using a Biomat most convenient (most affordable option for folks) and an Infrared sauna second in terms of time or logistical efficiency. I have spent the last 10 years reviewing infrared therapy products if anyone needs any advice on this type of equipment.

3.The least effective way to get steam therapy benefits is to just go in after sitting to sit some more then sit or sleep afterwards. In fact this type of routine could be more problematic than helpful (I put together the quiz on my website to identify potential health issues so please take that before I consult with you). The best way to prepare the body is by stimulating the lymphatic system (which is only able to function properly through movement of the body) by doing some sort of exercise or movement.

The very best and most convenient routine is to use a Rebounder for 15 minutes then do Dry Skin Brushing afterwards for 2 minutes (or as long as it takes to brush the whole body) then use the steamer. I even take it a step further and prepare a caffeine free herbal tea with ¼ tsp of organic cayenne pepper and drink that before the rebounding or at least 30 minutes before doing a steam session. If you are on any sort of blood thinning or blood pressure medication just be careful with the cayenne and it would be better to avoid it. Also talk to your doctor about doing steam therapy if you are on these medications…you might be a better candidate for Infrared therapy.

Rebounding is so effective because it forces the lymph valves to open and close due to creating 3-5 times the forces of gravity on the cells. NASA originally studied it for the astronauts to help them with keeping up bone density in space. They found in their studies a few decades ago that it was also 2-4 times more efficient in terms of its health benefits than running!

Extra Tips After your Routine

So at the end of this routine your digestive organs like liver and kidneys and colon are going to have a lot of work to do to process all the toxin rich lymph fluid. The blood will be more greatly cleansed as well and you want to be sure that all that junk gets out of your system and isn't reabsorbed. Be sure to take something that will absorb and bind to those toxins and be released in the colon permanently. I recommend Activated Charcoal or Sacred Clay. Also taking a supplement that supports the Liver is especially helpful and I have a couple favorites I rotate through.

Also it is the good bacterial flora in the gut that handles much of the cleansing and processing work so taking a robust Probiotic is a supplement that helps bolster the flora. It is essential.

Custom building your Steam Shower Spa for maximizing health benefits

Because I had my whole shower setup custom built by my Uncle who is a carpenter, I was able to incorporate a couple powerful healing enhancers related to Infrared. I had him install Jade tiles to the walls and floor. Jade releases Infrared when it heats up and it’s also pretty cheap and easy to purchase. I didn’t just stop there, I also had some Nano Carbon 360 Infrared emitting panels installed behind the walls ( I know a couple companies that sell these components). This is actually how these panels are used overseas to heat floors. This is the same technology those Korean Day Spas across the country use to heat their thousands of square feet jade flooring and walls. So as I am leaning up against the wall I get infrared therapy at the same time!

I also do cold showers intermittently during my sessions and have a custom shower filter. I also of course have an inline water filter that runs to the steamer so that all the steam I’m breathing is also purified of tap water contaminants (most city water supplies contain 100+ pharmaceutical drug residues, chloramines and chloramides).

Also read my Salt steam room page to learn more about why I hang Himalayan salt rocks in my steam shower.

Which steam generator best serves You? I compile useful information to help you make a decision.

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What exactly does it mean to “detox”?

There is so much confusion about this process and it is one of the top three reasons a person chooses to get a steam room setup or a sauna. Let me explain how I understand detoxification through years of working with clients. Once you understand this then you will know how to get the best health results possible with your steam therapy shower.

The body engages a process called detoxification to transform or get rid of unwanted materials or toxins along with neutralizing them. This is actually an essential or primary function of the body’s processes where it is constantly working. So the body strives to optimize and improve the function of your body’s own detoxification systems. The way we can support this process is by first decreasing the amount of toxins we put into our bodies and at the same time supporting detoxification mechanisms throughout our elimination systems (lymphatic, liver, kidneys, digestive tract, skin, lungs) with the nutrients it needs to accomplish these goals. This way toxins can be metabolized and excreted that have been stored away for years.

With the immune system less burdened by all these toxins it can better work on balancing out the whole body and optimizing longevity and preventing diseases. One of the very direct ways of stimulating detoxification throughout the eliminations systems and cells is through steam therapy. Choosing the right steam bath generator to aid in detoxification depends on several factors about user as well as the performance capabilities of the steam generator.

User:

Does the person have any current health conditions that a doctor would recommend avoiding a hot steam room?

What is the current condition of the person’s immune system along with efficiency of the primary elimination systems (liver, colon, kidneys, lymphatic system)

How hydrated are they? (Are they more hydrophobic or hydrophilic?)

Do they have any past experience doing cleanses or detoxification practices?

Do they have any digestive conditions or symptoms?

What kinds of lymphatic exercises will be performed before the steam sessions?

Will they be standing or sitting during the sessions?

What will be the main hydrating liquid before during and after the sessions?

What is their BMI? (body mass index)

What is their average resting heart rate as well as blood pressure? (Note: I am not a Doctor)

Steam Generating Equipment:

What is the max temperature range possible?

How many sessions will be done per week and for how long?

What is the average dryness fraction the generator is capable of producing?

Will an inline water filter be used or a gravity bucket with pure water?

It is not surprised to find specific brands of steam generators that can increase one’s core temperature in half the time as other brands. In fact I have spent a few years rating and analyzing various steam generators by their efficiency when it comes to supporting these body processes.

For some clients we would never put them in a steam room that is too efficient and powerful if they are not prepared to handle the resulting toxic flush that will occur. This can over stress the body’s already overtaxed organs and immune system processes. One of the common symptoms we would usually see was the person would get nauseous within a few minutes. If you experience any of these symptoms in your steam shower write down the settings you are using and contact us.

If you fall into the overweight category (With an BMI between 25-29.9) and are seeking to use a steam therapy for increasing fat shedding efficiency then click on my weight loss review page for more info. In terms of one’s effectiveness with detoxing if one is overweight this can really slow down the efficiency of releasing toxins through steam therapy. I talk all about this on the Weight loss page so go there if you are overweight and seeking to Detoxify your body.

How does diet play a role in how effective your steam shower is?

This is actually the most important variable the second would be the actual steam generator that is chosen. If a person is eating junk food or fast food or way too many grains, dairy, animal products, and not drinking enough non-tap water (along with drinking lots of soda, teas, and coffee) every week, then this can be a huge counterproductive factor that even the best steam generators around cannot overcome. I’ve seen people get amazing results with the worst generators by working really hard on improving their diet and lifestyle.

For all those thinking that they can use Steam Therapy to cheat and not modify or change their diet and choose a healthier lifestyle, then Steam Therapy can actually do more harm than good by just further over stressing a person’s body. A person may still notice some detoxification benefits for example, but there will be other unseen consequences to get those results.

So what kind of Steam Generator does a person need for detoxification?

Most important variable is what’s known as the Dryness Fraction. This lets you know how dry or wet your steam is that’s being produced. I talk about this in greater detail by the way on my Steam Types educational page. That particular specification is what I payed a steam analysis research firm $10,000 to analyze for me on all brands of steam generator.

To open the pores up most efficiently and raise the body’s core temperature fastest the latent heat potential of the steam needs to be high which requires dryer steam. Also, the generator must ideally produce vapor with smaller cluster size water which basically means that as the steam lands on your open pores the structure of the molecular bonds is ideally suited for rapid hydration.

Hydration is actually one of the major factors in assisting all detoxification pathways. Increasing circulation requires at the same time steam that is very hot. The problem with some generators that produce very hot steam is that it can be very hard to breath as it burns the nasal passages due to the water particle size being way to large or in other words the steam being too wet. If you have any respiratory health issues including allergies this can be especially important to pay attention to.

Keeping the steam room at a max temperature but without overloading the space with cycles of too much steam (pulse mode) the most comfortable setup is using a generator that has dual tanks so that the steam can be continuous. The problem with one tank steam generators that turn on and off in cycles is that they are not as efficient at stimulating the body in a shorter period of time because the space cools down when they are turned off and they again are uncomfortable to breathe when they are emptying their whole tank all at once after they turn back on.

Some Extra User Guidelines to Max Detox Potential

If you are really serious about results then I strongly recommend getting some Infrared exposure before the steam session ideally an hour beforehand. If you don’t have an Infrared Sauna then an affordable and convenient option is getting an infrared mat that you can lay on for 20-30 minutes. Infrared energy is ideal as it passes through the body and directly stimulates elimination organs to increase their efficiency while reducing any inflammation and increasing circulation. It also stimulates the immune system so the body isn’t as worn out through aggressive detoxification programs. The Infrared also opens up the fat cells so after getting in the steam shower a person can just sweat out what is released. There are 3,000 published peer reviewed studies on Infrared Therapy.

The other very important recommendation is doing exercises beforehand that stimulate the lymphatic system. Examples in order of effectiveness would be Whole Body Vibration Machine, Rebounding, Jump Rope, Jumping Jacks, Dry Skin Brushing, and Deep Breathing.

These are the recommended supplements

For detoxification, the protocols I have found that work best are fermented vitamins (they must be fermented) and a very aggressive probiotic along with metabolic enzymes and a hydrating antioxidant product. If a person is not making green juices or eating a lot of organic produce then taking a high quality green Superfood juice powder can provide essential cellular nutrition. For a more customized regimen just reach out to us.

Warning: Remember, when a sudden load of toxins are being released into the bloodstream from doing steam therapy, some good things can happen and some bad things as well and this can vary depending on your current state of health. If you are educated and not going into this blindly you should be ok. Talking to someone who has worked with steam therapy for detoxification purposes and who can answer very personalized questions for you will help so you do it right the first time and don’t have to learn the hard way by trial and error. Please note that 95% of steam generators are sold by a regular sales rep or customer service person who has no direct knowledge or experience when it comes to health or even with other brands of machines on the market.