Summer can get pretty hot, but thermotherapy (also known as heat therapy) can get even hotter. While sweating even more than usual in the summer heat may not sound very appealing, heat therapy can be a great tool in managing certain pain and offering relaxation. Read on to learn more about heat therapy, its benefits, and which devices you can use to try it out at home.

What is Heat Therapy?

Heat therapy, also known as thermotherapy, is the practice of applying heat to the body for therapeutic benefits. Heat therapy can be as simple as taking a warm bath, but can also be more intensive with practices such as infrared sauna use. Unlike cold therapy, heat can safely be applied for prolonged amounts of time to provide extended relief.

What Heat is For

Heat is primarily for non-inflammatory body pain, relaxation, comfort, and reassurance, and taking the edge off of several kinds of body pain. Thermotherapy helps with mostly duller and persistent pains associated with stiffness, cramping, and/or sensitivity, which can be loosely categorized:

• Acute soreness from over-exertion, or the pain you get after trying a new workout for the first time. Interestingly, not only is heat likely helpful for this kind of pain, it’s almost the only thing that is.
• Stiffness and pain in specific areas related to osteoarthritis, muscle “knots” or trigger points, and most kinds of cramping/spasm (menstrual, neuropathic, restless leg syndrome, for example, or even just stiffness from postural stress). But not, of course, cramps from heat exhaustion.
• “Hurts all over” pain and sensitivity. There are many kinds, but primarily: fibromyalgia, rheumatic diseases, drug side effects, vitamin D deficiency, and sleep deprivation.

What Heat is Not For

Heat will make some conditions much worse. Never apply heat to an infection or fresh injury where the superficial tissue is sensitive to the touch, the skin is hot and red, or if there is swelling. Or any other acute inflammation, like a flare-up of arthritis. That’s what ice is for: soothing inflamed tissue. If there’s no obvious/severe injury or infection, it’s okay to try a heat treatment.

Unfortunately, it can be difficult to tell if pain is due to an injury. This is the puzzle at the centre of many chronic pain problems: the distinction between feeling damaged and being damaged. Fortunately, if the pain is mild enough that you can’t tell if it’s a fresh injury, just try some heat and see what happens. But there are many situations where this kind of ambiguity is a challenge, like lower back pain.

Heat therapy should not be used if the afflicted area is bruised or swollen, and open wounds should be avoided. Those with conditions such as diabetes, vascular disease, multiple sclerosis, dermatitis, heart disease, and deep vein thrombosis are at higher risk of injury when using thermotherapy, so discuss with your doctor before attempting.

Heat Therapy Benefits

One of the most prominent benefits of heat therapy is the treatment of muscle tension. If you have ever suffered from a sore back or a pulled muscle, you know just how effective heat therapy for back pain is and how much relief can come from a hot pad or a soak in the tub. This is because the application of heat helps your muscles stretch by increasing tissue extensibility, causing any stiff or tense muscles to relax.

Heat also triggers the body’s response to heal by increasing blood flow to affected areas. This is helpful in speeding up the recovery time of an acute injury, decreasing the discomfort from migraines and headaches, and simply helping the body relax for general stress relief or help with sleep.

More intensive thermotherapy practices create a sudden increase in the body’s core temperature and trigger the production of heat shock proteins, or HSPs, to protect your body from perceived stress. As this happens, muscles reach proper function while the heat shock proteins begin to guard muscles from potential trauma. This helps your body repair and rebuild any damaged areas.

Heat shock proteins are especially helpful in reducing recovery time and enhancing muscle mass for those who are active. You can activate heat shock proteins by spending some time in an infrared sauna or going all-out at the gym.

Types of Heat Therapy

Direct Contact

Direct contact heat therapy, also known as localized heat therapy, is the easiest method to do at home. This method requires you to apply either moist or dry heat directly to the afflicted area to deeply heat the muscles in the area. Heating methods include heating pads, hot baths, and even warming topicals. While there is debate whether dry or moist heat is more effective, clinical studies have not noted a significant difference.

Infrared Heat

Infrared heat therapy penetrates deeper into the body than direct contact application. Infrared heat is capable of reaching below the surface of the skin through near infrared, to the body’s soft tissue through mid infrared, and finally into fat cells through far infrared wavelengths. Using an infrared sauna is a great way to incorporate infrared heat into your thermotherapy application, as the temperature inside an infrared sauna is adjustable and averages a comfortable 100°F to 130 °F – which allows you to tolerate a longer heat therapy session for more therapeutic benefit.

Systemic Heat

Systemic heating means raising the entire body temperature with a bath or hot tub, steam bath, or hot shower – basically creating an artificial fever. Infrared heat mentioned above can also be classified as systemic heat, as it heats the body through. This application is often a helpful factor with conditions where emotional stress, knots in your muscles, or a significant complicating factor such as lower back pain is an issue.

Heat therapy can be a great tool for pain management and relaxation as long as it is applied correctly and safely. If you have any questions regarding thermotherapy, reach out to your doctor to ensure heat therapy benefits apply to you and can be done safely for your health.

Menopause is an experience nearly 50% of the world needs to face. Mood swings, weight gain, hot flashes, and cramps are only a few examples of symptoms. Going through menopause can become more tolerable with the right tools and techniques to help lessen menopause symptoms. Read below to learn how to find natural menopause relief with these tips you can try at home.

What is Menopause?

Menopause is the time that marks the end of your menstrual cycles. It’s diagnosed after you’ve gone 12 months without a menstrual period. Menopause can happen in your 40s or 50s, but the average age is 51 in the United States.

Menopause is a natural biological process. But the physical symptoms, such as hot flashes, and emotional symptoms of menopause may disrupt your sleep, lower your energy or affect emotional health. There are many effective treatments available, from lifestyle adjustments to hormone therapy.

Menopause Symptoms

In the months or years leading up to menopause (perimenopause), you might experience these signs and symptoms:

• Irregular periods
• Vaginal dryness
• Hot flashes
• Chills
• Night sweats
• Sleep problems
• Mood changes
• Weight gain and slowed metabolism
• Thinning hair and dry skin
• Loss of breast fullness

Symptoms, including changes in menstruation, are different for every woman. Most likely, you’ll experience some irregularity in your periods before they end. If you feel you are experiencing the symptoms of menopause, make an appointment with your doctor to discuss any questions or concerns about this next phase in your life.

Natural Remedies for Menopause Symptoms

Infrared Sauna

It may sound counter-intuitive to recommend a sauna for someone who is already too hot, but it’s an amazing tool for women suffering with symptoms of menopause. Regular infrared sauna use provides many health benefits for those seeking natural menopause relief, including symptoms affecting your mood, weight, and immune system.

Sleeping through the night is a struggle many suffer through during menopause, which is difficult as sleep is beneficial for your mental and physical health during this time. Infrared saunas improve sleep before bed by putting the body in a parasympathetic state. Saunas also help decrease stress levels, which in turn decreases the frequency and intensity of hot flashes and night sweats. Additionally, reduced stress helps improve mental clarity and lift your mood throughout the day.

For your physical health, sauna health benefits include weight loss and an improved immune system. Infrared sauna heaters raise your core body temperature, which temporarily induces an artificial fever and helps boost your immune system. This, combined with improved elimination of toxins and wastes via intense sweating, can increase your overall health and resistance to disease. As your body increases sweat production to cool itself, your heart works harder to pump blood at a greater rate to boost circulation. This increase in your metabolism will burn calories and lose weight.

Vitamins

Hormonal changes during menopause can cause bones to weaken, increasing the risk of osteoporosis. Calcium and vitamin D are linked to good bone health, so it’s important to get enough of these nutrients in your diet. A diet rich in calcium and vitamin D is important to prevent the bone loss that can occur during menopause.

Adequate vitamin D intake in postmenopausal women is also associated with a lower risk of hip fractures due to weak bones. Many foods are calcium-rich, including dairy products like yogurt, milk and cheese. Green, leafy vegetables such as kale, collard greens and spinach have lots of calcium too. It’s also plentiful in tofu, beans, sardines and other foods. Additionally, calcium-fortified foods are also good sources, including certain cereals, fruit juice or milk alternatives.

Sunlight is your main source of vitamin D, since your skin produces it when exposed to the sun. However, as you get older, your skin becomes less efficient at making it. Taking a supplement or increasing food sources of vitamin D may be important to help reach adequate vitamin levels. Rich dietary sources include oily fish, eggs, cod liver oil, and foods fortified with vitamin D.

Healthy Weight

Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight may help alleviate menopause symptoms and help prevent disease. It’s common to gain weight during menopause, which can be due to a combination of changing hormones, aging, lifestyle and genetics.

Gaining excess body fat, especially around the waist, increases your risk of developing diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. In addition, your body weight may affect your menopause symptoms. One study of 17,473 postmenopausal women found that those who lost at least 10 lbs (4.5 kg) of weight or 10% of their body weight over a year were more likely to eliminate hot flashes and night sweats.

Exercise

Regular exercise can help alleviate menopause symptoms such as poor sleep, anxiety, mood, and fatigue. It can also protect against weight gain and various health conditions. While there is currently not enough evidence to confirm whether exercise is effective for hot flashes and night sweats, there is evidence to support other benefits of regular exercise. These include improved energy and metabolism, healthier joints and bones, decreased stress and better sleep.

For example, one study found that exercising three hours per week for one year improved physical and mental health and overall quality of life in a group of menopausal women. Regular exercise is also associated with better health and protection against diseases and conditions including cancer, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis.

Phytoestrogens

Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring plant compounds that can mimic the effects of estrogen in the body. Therefore, they may help balance hormones. Foods rich in phytoestrogens include soybeans and soy products, tofu, tempeh, flaxseeds, linseeds, sesame seeds and beans. However, the phytoestrogen content in foods varies depending on processing methods.

One study found that diets high in soy were associated with reduced cholesterol levels, blood pressure and reduced severity of hot flashes and night sweats among women who were starting to enter menopause. However, the debate continues over whether soy products are good or bad for you. Evidence suggests that real food sources of phytoestrogens are better than supplements or processed foods with added soy protein.

Water

During menopause, women often experience dryness. This is likely caused by the decrease in estrogen levels. Drinking 8–12 glasses of water a day can help with these symptoms. Drinking water can also reduce bloating that occurs with hormonal changes. In addition, water can help prevent weight gain and aid in weight loss by helping you feel full and increasing metabolism.

Diet

A diet rich in fruit and vegetables may help keep bones healthy, and can help prevent weight gain and certain diseases, and can help prevent a number of menopause symptoms.

Fruits and veggies are low in calories and can help you feel full, so they’re great for weight loss and weight maintenance. They may also help prevent a number of diseases, including heart disease. This is important, as heart disease risk tends to increase after menopause. This could be due to factors such as age, weight gain or possibly reduced estrogen levels. Finally, fruits and vegetables may also help prevent bone loss. One observational study of 3,236 women aged 50–59 found that diets high in fruit and vegetables may lead to less bone breakdown.

On the other hand, avoid trigger food. Certain foods may trigger hot flashes, night sweats and mood swings. They may be even more likely to trigger you when you eat them at night. Common triggers include caffeine, alcohol and foods that are sugary or spicy. Keep a symptom diary. If you feel that particular foods trigger your menopause symptoms, try to reduce your consumption or avoid them completely.

A diet high in refined carbs and sugar can cause sharp rises and dips in blood sugar, making you feel tired and irritable. In fact, one study found that diets high in refined carbs may increase the risk of depression in postmenopausal women. Additionally, a large observational study found that among women aged 50–59 years, diets high in processed and snack foods were associated with poor bone quality.

Going through menopause can be quite the experience for anyone who goes through it, but the side effects of menopause can be lessened when using the right tools and techniques. Use these natural menopause relief tips to make this chapter in your life a little more enjoyable!