—A Special Report from Victor Marchione, MD
Diabetes stretches far and wide, so why shouldn’t the treatments used to combat it?
Let’s look at one that may slip under the radar, so to speak. It is called “thermal therapy,” with the use of far-infrared sauna treatments. While it won’t fix diabetes, a problem with blood glucose and insulin, it can increase quality of life, according to a new study. And decreased quality of life in diabetes is associated with worse health outcomes. Thus, in that way, it isn’t just about making you feel better each day, but perhaps making the outcome of treatment that much better.
Far-infrared sauna treatments have been found to improve the quality of life for those with chronic pain, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, and congestive heart failure. This new study wanted to determine whether far-infrared saunas have a beneficial effect on quality of life in those with type II diabetes.
The setting was Fraser Lake, a rural village in central British Columbia, Canada. All patients of the Fraser Lake Community Health Center with type II diabetes were invited to participate in this study.
That study consisted of 20-minute, infrared sauna sessions, three times a week for three months. Researchers used special questionnaires to determine what difference it might have on quality of life.
They discovered that physical health, general health, and social functioning improved. Other measurements showed that stress and fatigue decreased in patients using far-infrared saunas. This led the researchers to conclude that thermal therapy may indeed improve the quality of type 2 diabetics, and may be one of the best lifestyle interventions around to help.
Far infrared saunas are used primarily to reduce stress, promote relaxation and obtain all-around better health. What happens is that the sauna uses infrared heaters to release radiant heat which your body absorbs directly. This differs from typical saunas, where the body takes in the heat indirectly via steam or air.
If you are searching for answers to troubling diabetic implications for your life, it may be worth looking into.