Does a sauna do anything beneficial when you're sick?

Is your sore throat from allergies or illness? If you have strep you need to go to the Dr. Left untreated, strep can turn into Scarlett Fever and it can damage your heart. If it is just a cold my Dr. swears by the sauna to raise your core body temp and help kill of virus and bacteria. I have never tried it but loke I said he swears it will help. Hope you feel better :0)

Thanks, def not strep, just a sore throat from stress and being tired.

Can I ask how old you are, my next reply is age sensitive!

The sauna feels great on a sore throat! The steam nourishes the pathway for me, so from experience I highly recommend it.

Another obvious effect of the sauna is the cleansing of skin, which is like a mini detox, and helps your skin breath, and your immune system spend less energy attacking foreign particles in your skin.

I used to write copy for a sauna manufacturer and after having had to make 7 pages of medical facts “user friendly” I can say with 100% certainty that saunas definitely have soothing capabilities that will increase recovery speed. Here is some of that copy in fact: www.saunatec.com/Lifestyle/HealthWellness.htm

Because I have asthma I can’t use the sauna. However, I have discovered that if I have a cold, immersing myself neck deep in the hot tub will raise my body temperature enough to give the cold virus a good kick in the pants. I feel better and I get well sooner.

I know from my past, though, that a sauna is very relaxing so it should at least help the stress part.

I would say the answer is both yes and no. It depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Saunas can absolutely rid you of toxins. That is always a bonus. The steam is also good for many types of illnesses. And saunas have been used traditionally in many cultures for a very long time.

What you want to be aware of however is how long you are in a sauna and how it makes you react specifically. What I would watch out for is it making you too tired. You don’t want to overtax your system. If it causes you to be too tired to fight off your illness that is not a bonus.

@mamabeverley—I am 28. Thanks for all the answers. This makes me want to use the sauna more often!

i am running a low grade fever. will sauna be any benefit to me or is it not a good idea to go in with a temp?

Very confusing. This thread says completely opposite.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090318093149AAtYFvX

@chandank This questions asks about a sore throat, while the one you linked to asks about the flu. It’s no surprise, then, that they received different answers.