Skin Activation

The Skin is the largest and major eliminative organ in the body. Sauna therapy brings large amounts of blood to the skin that rejuvenates and reactivates the skin as a major eliminative channel.

Sweating is a superb method of eliminating many types of toxins. It spares the liver and kidneys and, for this reason, is safer than many other methods. Most people, especially slow metabolizers and those who are older or have sedentary lifestyles, do not sweat easily. Lead, cadmium, mercury, radioactive particles, pesticides and many other organic chemicals can be eliminated through the skin.

Most substances eliminated through the kidneys can be eliminated by the skin. Sweating thus helps relieve the burden of toxin elimination that falls to the kidneys. This rests the kidneys and assists their regeneration and ability to detoxify.

Dr. Michael Lyon, MD, of the Cline Medical Center Hyperthermic Detoxification Program wrote:

“Since sweat is manufactured from lymph, toxins present in the lymph fluid will exit the body through the sweat. Because the liver and kidneys are not required for this process, these organs are largely unburdened by hyperthermic therapy and toxins are able to leave the body even when liver or kidney function is impaired.”

Note that sweating in the sauna is likely much more helpful for detoxification than sweating during exercise for two reasons:

● Saunas conserve the body’s energy by providing the heat externally. This frees energy for detoxification.
● Sweating with exercise powerfully activates the sympathetic nervous system. This reduces the activity of the eliminative organs – the liver, kidneys and colon.

Of course, exercise is still beneficial, especially for oxygenation of the tissues.

(Source: Lawrence Wilson “Sauna Therapy” pp. 42-44)