posted
Man! I went to the steam room at my health club yesterday for the first time and holy crap it was hot! I know that's the idea but I mean it was so hot it hurt to breath and I felt like I was going to pass out.
My girlfriend and I were looking at each other waiting for the other to pass out. The temp said 112 degrees and I live in Texas and I eat 112 degrees for lunch everyday of the summer. I walked 18 holes of golf in 115 degrees one summer and it was nothing compared to this sucker. I think the thermometer was broken.
We stayed about 2 minutes and got out. I went in the dry sauna and it wasn't so bad. So, I'll try that next time.
Anyway, my question is how often do you guys go for a steam? Just when you feel bad and need to detox? Once, twice a week? I would think too much could be bad for you.?
ArtistDi
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 2297
posted
Lenny, Hi, I do dry sauna treatments about five times a week, anywhere between 15 and 25 minutes. One thing that helps is to stay hydrated, and I bring water in with me. I also put a cold washcloth on my head or back of my neck.
You need to make sure you are balancing your electrolytes after doing sauna--salt, etc.
Also, before you go in, you could use a dry brush on your skin to stimulate your lymph glands.
Posts: 1572 | From Hatfield, MA, USA | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
ArtistDi Thanks for the advice. I'm gonna start the dry sauna this weekend. Dry brush? What kind of a brush? Is there a special kind? Do I do it all over or just body?
Posts: 635 | From Texas | Registered: Mar 2004
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I hear ya, Lenny! I'm from Texas and well remember the oppressive heat. [I was born and raised in the steam capital of the world....Houston!]
I haven't had access to a steam room or sauna since finding out I have Lyme, but I always hated those places, because I'd feel like passing out, etc like you said.
I think the far infrared sauna is supposed to help with detoxing, but doesn't use high heat????
cathy....saunas will help kill keets because they hate heat.....and it helps you detox. When you're killing keets with abx, they throw off toxins. So you gotta keep getting rid of the toxins. {and of course, we all have toxins just from free radicals, etc}
posted
When I was a kid I visited Texas. Yes it was sucky hot. Beaumont, I think it was. I would also strongly advocate the sauna over the steam room. Drink lots of pure water before you go in. Toxins will come out with the sweat, so shower well afterwards. The hotter it is the less time you should stay in. The temp is usually controlled by the humidity-- to get it hotter pour a small amount of water on the rocks. If its really hot take a wet wash cloth in to breathe through. 150-160 seems like a good temp. (the temp readings are completely different for the sauna and the high-humidity "steam room") After showering (I would recommend avoiding too much of the traditional cold water afterwards thing, to maximize therapeutic effect) you can go do some light therapeutic exzercise-- when I was really bad this meant just moving the joints that had been giving the most triouble. I found the sauna truly did wonders and accelerated my recovery greatly. I would sometimes try to go when the abx blood levels were highest, thinking that would help their action against the keets. I do not know for sure if that really was the case, but, again. my "progress chart" would indicate something was going on.
Posts: 4567 | From ithaca, NY, usa | Registered: Nov 2000
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You might want to take a loud timer in with you (if you're going in by yourself). If you're on pain killers, falling asleep in the sauna is a real possibility. I dozed off once (I'm on Vicodin, for pain, which makes me sleepy if I'm not mentally engaged.) Thank God someone came in to use the sauna and woke me up, or I would not be writing this. This was a day when no one else was in the pool/Jacuzzi/sauna area, so this, I think, was a real miracle that she materialized seemingly out of nowhere.
Posts: 95 | From Oakland, NJ, USA | Registered: Jun 2001
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Yeah, I just got back in town last night from CA. 72 degrees, no humidity, cool breeze and then I land here in Dallas! 85 but it feels like 100 because the humidity is so crazy! It's only June. I can' wait till August. Texas is a nice place about 8 months out of the year.
Posts: 635 | From Texas | Registered: Mar 2004
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Aniek
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5374
posted
I have slight asthma, and can not handle a sauna. I tried at my gym once, and couldn't breathe in before the door closed.
If you've ever had lung problems, I would recommend not going into a sauna alone. Make sure you have somebody with you, in case you stop breathing.
Many saunas will use scented oils as well, and that just makes the breathing more difficult for me.
Posts: 4711 | From Washington, DC | Registered: Mar 2004
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hey zippysmom..thanks for the tip..i finally went on sunday..no one uses the sauna where i live..so i told my friend that if i didn't come out in 30 minutes, she should come in and check on me. wow, did the sauna feel good..i hope i can sweat LD right out of me.. Hi Aniek..thanks for posting your cautionary statement..i don't really have any health problems other than LD right now! and that is enough for me!
Posts: 44 | Registered: May 2004
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oops! 
Texas is a nice place about 8 months out of the year.
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