By Laura Leonard Doctor of Chiropractic Los Alamos

Infrared (IR) light was discovered by William Herschel in 1800 when he was doing experiments on the various temperatures emitted from colors on the visible spectrum.

William discovered that the warmest temperature was invisible and being radiated just past red, the hottest color on the visible spectrum. IR is generated in large quantities by the sun and felt as a heat by the human body.

IR is classified into near, mid and far band with most IR saunas operating on the far end of the spectrum.

With a far IR sauna, approximately 20 percent of the waves heat the air and the rest goes directly into heating the core temperature of the body. This is the main difference between IR and traditional saunas. IR saunas feel comfortably warm when you sit in them and traditional saunas feel downright hot.

IR saunas are classified as a type of photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy. PBM is also known as ‘low level light therapy’ and includes the use of cold lasers or low-level light therapy (non-destructive to tissue/FDA approved for injuries), red light therapy (near infrared spectrum/skin and hair rejuvenation), blue light (used in dermatology for acne and pre-cancer) and IR saunas (far infrared spectrum).

Photobiomodulation works when photons from specific IR wavelengths, red or blue light stimulate our cell’s mitochondria.

Mitochondria, also known as the powerhouse of the cell, shows improved function with these treatments, which results in better circulation and decreased inflammation overall. A great analogy for this is photosynthesis in plants. We might not be so different from our plant friends after all!

As more research is completed on the benefits of PBM with targeted IR or light therapy these types of treatments will become more mainstream.

In the last 15 years, there have been hundreds of research papers published on the benefits of IR sauna therapy. A wide variety of benefits have been well documented such as wound healing, pain and stiffness reduction, fatigue in autoimmune patients, cognitive improvements, decreased blood pressure, recovery in athletes and cardiovascular disease. It is definitely worth looking at this technology if you are considering investing in a hot tub or traditional sauna.

As far as what to look for, there are a lot of options out there ranging from $1,500 to $10,000. Indoor versions are less expensive than the outdoor versions, ceramic heaters are less expensive than carbon and far IR less expensive than full IR.

After doing research into the available technology, I personally would purchase an outdoor far IR sauna with carbon heaters. Why? We don’t have the indoor or garage space available for the sauna and space is the only consideration here.

Carbon heaters last 20,000 hours and ceramic only 5000 hours, carbon heaters also use less power.

It’s absolutely worth paying more for the sauna if its life is 4x longer and it costs less to run.

Finally, far IR penetrates deeper into your tissues, creates more heat and gives you more of a sweat. Full spectrum IR saunas emit near and far IR, but the beneficial effects of near IR are limited and may not be worth the extra cost.

Near IR requires being 2 inches from the panels and only provides some superficial benefits to the skin.

If money is no option, go for full spectrum and throw in the optional red-light panels as well. There are plenty of manufacturer reviews on YouTube and online.

Some sponsored and some unbiased but I think no matter what your budget is, it’s important to sift through the pros and cons with skepticism before investing in any big-ticket health item.

Biological effects and medical applications of infrared radiation. J of Photochem Photobiol B. 2017 May; 170:197-207. Shang-Ru Tsai et al.

Dr. Leonard’s practice focuses on posture and performance using a combination of soft tissue release, adjustments and exercise recommendations. She also coaches patients on nutrition, self-care and body awareness so they can manage themselves in between visits. Los Alamos Chiropractic Center is in the Mary Deal building on Trinity Drive.

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