Author: Clearlight Infrared Saunas

The Benefits of Dry Brushing

Your body’s largest organ, the skin, is responsible for about one fourth of the daily detoxification of your body. Dry brushing your skin is an ancient technique that can help to detoxify the body more effectively. It is also wonderful for rejuvenating your skin and keeping it looking young and healthy!

Not only does it improve the appearance of your skin by sloughing away dead cells, helping new skin to regenerate, but it also stimulates blood circulation, the lymphatic system, and greatly enhances toxin elimination.

Why is this important for great health? 

The Lymph System is made of white blood cells called lymphocytes and the interstitial fluid that bathe our cells, bringing our cells nutrients and removing their waste. The lymphatic system absorbs fats and fat-soluble vitamins from the digestive system and delivers these nutrients to the cells of the body. All detoxification occurs first and foremost through the lymph. The lymphatic system is responsible for removing and destroying waste, debris, pathogens, toxins, and cancer cells.

Dry brushing literally pumps the lymph system helping to move toxins that cannot be transported in any other way back into circulatory system for elimination. If these toxins stay in our systems outside the blood vessels, it attracts other fluid. The result is swollen joints, skin issues and cellulite, or worse: a weakened immune system that can contribute to many other illnesses. Since the body’s lymphatic system is stimulated through dry skin brushing, toxins are excreted more efficiently from the body through sweat, breath, urination and elimination. Since toxins are eliminated from the body quicker, dry brushing also strengthens the immune system. It may help keep you healthy through cold season and reduce the duration of an illness and accelerate healing by clearing toxins from the body.
How do you dry brush your skin?

 

Choose a brush with natural bristles—nylon and synthetic fiber brushes are too sharp and may damage skin. Yerba Prima makes one with a long detachable handle. This makes reaching your whole body much easier!

  • Dry brush your dry and naked body before you shower or bathe.
  • Start at your feet and sweep in an upward motion, always moving towards your heart. (See picture on the right.)
  • Sweep toward the inner thighs, where the lymph nodes are.
  • For arms, sweep toward the arm pits also where there is a cluster of lymph nodes.
  • Every morning is best, but do it any time before a bath or shower, at least a few times per week.

In addition, dry brushing your skin before getting into to an infrared sauna or warm bath will help your skin and your body to detoxify and stay younger and healthier over time. You can complete this simple and inexpensive home remedy with your favorite natural moisturizer. Coconut oil, almond oil or any other natural oil with a few drops of your favorite essential oils is also a great option.

The Benefits of Infrared Saunas for Olympic Athletes

One of the most interesting aspects of the Olympics, aside from the intense competition, is learning how some of the participating athletes reached world-class status. In the coming weeks, we’ll see countless athlete profiles and interviews describing punishing training regimens and practice schedules that would make mere mortals collapse. We might even hear about the role far infrared saunas have played in the athlete’s injury prevention and treatment program.

 

Sports medicine practitioners are well aware of the healing properties generated by a sauna equipped with infrared heaters, and many of them insist that athletes under their supervision sit through both pre- and post-workout sauna sessions to prevent injuries and speed recovery. By doing this, athletes can:

  • Loosen their muscles and joints before a workout to increase flexibility
  • Increase their tolerance for anaerobic activity
  • Eliminate harmful toxins that might hinder performance
  • Reduce lactic acid buildup in muscles, allowing them to loosen and relax
  • Boost their blood circulation to promote muscle repair
  • Ease muscle and joint pain stemming from overuse, strain, or repetitive motion
  • Feel refreshed and reinvigorated even after the toughest workouts
  • Burn extra calories and retain cardiovascular fitness while recovering from injuries that inhibit full workouts

Of course, you don’t have to be an elite Olympic athlete to enjoy the benefits listed here. A sauna with infrared heaters is also a wonderful workout supplement for weekend warriors in all sports, as well as dedicated runners, martial artists, yogis, and more.

To minimize time lost to sports injuries and accelerate recovery so you can get back to the action faster, check out our line of far infrared saunas today.