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Irish Examiner
02-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Some like it hot — the benefits of sauna and steam
Bara Bada Bastu (Let's Just Sauna) is the Swedish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest this year and, according to the odds, it's the 'hot' favourite. Saunas originated in Finland more than 2,000 years ago and were used for bathing, healing and socialising, among other benefits. Using heated hot stones to produce dry heat, they became a central part of Nordic culture. Steam bathing, by contrast, dates back to the Roman Empire, when Romans used public baths daily while conducting business in a relaxed environment. Bathhouses or thermae were open to all and included steam rooms, changing areas, exercise rooms, swimming pools, cooling rooms, and massage spaces. The main differences between saunas and steam rooms are the temperature and humidity levels. A traditional Finnish sauna is heated to a temperature between 40°C and 90°C with a humidity of around 10%. The temperature in a steam room is usually between 45°C and 50°C with 100% humidity. Both saunas and steam rooms expose the body to hot air, but saunas stimulate sweating in an attempt to lower body temperature, whereas steam rooms reduce the body's ability to sweat. You may feel like you're sweating more in a steam room, but the droplets on your body are more likely to be condensed water from the humid air than perspiration. It is difficult to say which is better for your health. There is more research on saunas than steam rooms, and not enough high-quality evidence directly comparing the two types to make any meaningful statements about health differences yet. However, research groups are studying this topic, so we should keep an eye on this space. In the meantime, here's what we do know: Congestion A comprehensive review in the Cochrane Library (2017) found mixed results regarding the improvement of congestion associated with the use of steam rooms. Some participants had reduced symptoms of congestion, and others experienced discomfort while inhaling steam. Steam was found to improve the headaches associated with sinus symptoms but not other symptoms of chronic sinusitis. Inflammation The evidence for reducing inflammation is stronger for sauna bathing than steam bathing. The evidence for reducing inflammation is stronger for sauna bathing than steam bathing. A study in the Annals of Medicine (2018) suggested that reduced markers for inflammation in regular sauna bathers could explain why sauna bathing is linked to lower levels of chronic disease, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, strokes and cancer. Stress Sitting in a steam room can help you relax, but the science behind this is unclear. Some researchers suggest that heat helps release endorphins, the feel-good hormones that reduce stress and anxiety. Others suggest that steam room sessions help to reduce cortisol — the stress hormone. Sitting in a steam room can help you relax, but the science behind this is unclear. Some researchers suggest that heat helps release endorphins, the feel-good hormones that reduce stress and anxiety. Others suggest that steam room sessions help to reduce cortisol — the stress hormone. Skin health Environmental exposure can predispose you to various toxins being trapped beneath your skin. Steam baths help to open pores and cleanse the skin. The warm condensation rinses away dirt and dead skin that can block pores and lead to breakouts, making skin clearer and improving the evenness of skin tone. Research from the Arthritis Foundation indicates that heat can be beneficial in easing stiff joints and alleviating muscle pain in individuals with arthritis. The heat in saunas and steam rooms causes blood vessels to expand, allowing more oxygen and nutrients to flow to inflamed tissues. This can promote relaxation in both muscles and joints. Cardiovascular health Saunas originated in Finland more than 2,000 years ago and were used for bathing, healing and socialising, among other benefits. Using heated hot stones to produce dry heat, they became a central part of Nordic culture. A recent study from Japan, published in Heart (2020), that followed more than 30,000 people over 20 years found that those who took hot baths nearly every day reduced their risk of cardiovascular disease by more than a quarter (28%) compared to those who took hot baths less than twice a week. Similarly, the risk of stroke was reduced by 26%. In 2018, a review in Mayo Clinical Proceedings linked frequent sauna bathing (four to seven times a week) to lower blood pressure and decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, including sudden cardiac death and stroke. Both steam rooms and saunas offer potential health benefits, but there are a few things to consider. Staying in a steam room for more than 15 minutes can lead to dehydration and fainting is not uncommon in saunas. Experts advise sipping water while in a sauna or immediately afterwards. A steam room can be a host to other people's germs, so avoid it if you are pregnant, immunocompromised or recovering from surgery. I enjoy taking saunas with a view of the Atlantic Ocean. However, the cost and Irish weather preclude me from doing this several times a week year-round, as is the case in Nordic countries. I often use the sauna for 15 to 20 minutes after a swim. In the summer, I enjoy using an outdoor sauna for an hour, interspersed with two or three dips in the ocean. The available evidence suggests that it is beneficial for my cardiovascular health and reduces the risk of chronic disease. My experience is that it leads to an immediate sense of wellbeing, banishes anxieties, eases aches and pains in muscles and joints and sets me up for a long and uninterrupted sleep at the end of the day. For me, saunas are definitely a 'hot' favourite. Dr Catherine Conlon is a public health doctor Read More How to strengthen your heart with a brisk walking routine
New York Times
24-02-2025
- Health
- New York Times
Can Supplements Actually Boost Your Immune System?
While perusing the supplement aisle, you'll likely pass bottles of pills and gummies claiming to boost your immune system. And if you've ever felt tempted to try them, you're far from alone: Recent research suggests that millions of Americans have used dietary supplements for those supposed benefits. The new study was published last week in JAMA Network Open and included more than 15,000 participants. It found that about one in nine U.S. residents used supplements to enhance their immune systems between January 2017 and March 2020. 'It comes up all the time,' said Dr. Michael Ben-Aderet, the associate medical director of hospital epidemiology at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles who wasn't involved with the study. 'There's really this sense of people trying to optimize their health.' Many people also used the supplements without a doctor's recommendation, the researchers found. But infectious disease doctors, researchers, and supplement experts say there isn't much evidence that these products actually help. What does the science say? Supplements claiming to support immunity often contain vitamins and minerals necessary for the immune system. So it isn't unreasonable to believe that these products could help you sidestep common viral infections or lessen symptoms once you've become sick. In fact, some nutrients such as vitamins A, C, D and zinc are needed to protect against germs, and deficiencies in them raise your risk of becoming sick, said Dr. Mahtab Jafari, a professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of California, Irvine. However, most people in the United States get the vitamins and minerals they need through a balanced diet, said Dr. Ben-Aderet. For those people, there isn't compelling evidence that supplements are useful, he added. There are thousands of supplements claiming to help the immune system. Some contain just one vitamin or mineral, and others are packed with a hodgepodge of ingredients. Vitamin D, vitamin C and zinc are among the most studied and prevalent ingredients, experts said, and the benefits still aren't conclusive. Research suggesting that vitamin D supplements treat viral infections like the common cold or reduce the risk of them is inconsistent. A 2020 review found that the supplements didn't protect against viruses in people with normal or high levels of vitamin D. A 2021 review involving nearly 50,000 participants, however, found that vitamin D supplements slightly reduced the risk of acute respiratory infections. (But the review involved authors who have received funding from supplement companies.) The evidence is similarly unconvincing for vitamin C and zinc. A 2013 review from the Cochrane Library involving more than 11,000 participants found that vitamin C supplements failed to reduce the risk of catching a cold in the general population, though it sometimes shortened how long the illness lasted. And a 2024 Cochrane review involving more than 8,000 participants found that zinc supplements did next to nothing to prevent the common cold, though it may have reduced duration. Plants like elderberry and echinacea are also used in immune system supplements. But unlike vitamins and minerals, botanicals aren't essential for immune health, and there's even less reliable research on whether they help prevent or treat common viruses, said Dr. Jen Wall Forrester, senior medical director of infection prevention at UC Health in Cincinnati. 'I wish there was a magic bullet,' she said, but immunity is complex, and supplements are unlikely to single-handedly change how it works. Why don't we know if they help? It's hard to firmly state the benefits of immune system supplements because there are few high-quality randomized clinical trials, the gold standard of medical research, assessing their effectiveness, said Dr. Pieter Cohen, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School who studies dietary supplement safety. And dietary supplements aren't approved by the Food and Drug Administration before hitting the market. This means companies can sell products containing ingredients that haven't been rigorously tested to offer benefits, Dr. Cohen said, and they generally don't have to prove to the F.D.A. that their products contain what they claim. A 2022 study analyzing 30 supplements marketed to support the immune system found that more than half had inaccurate labels, 13 were misbranded and nine contained ingredients not listed on the label. What's the bottom line? 'You need to have a really healthy dose of skepticism when you're pulling something off the shelf,' Dr. Ben-Aderet said. But if you want to give supplements a try, check for high-quality third-party seals of approval from organizations such as U.S. Pharmacopeia or NSF, which test the quality of dietary supplements, Dr. Jafari said. Also scan the F.D.A.'s website to see if the agency has ever issued a warning letter to the supplement company for misleading claims or poor manufacturing, she added. And talk to a health care provider before taking supplements. They can test your blood for deficiencies, inform you of side effects and unsafe dosages, and let you know whether some supplements could dangerously interact with medications you take, Dr. Wall Forrester said. If your doctor says the supplement you want to try is generally safe, you 'could just try it out,' Dr. Wall Forrester said, 'but you might be wasting your money.'
