8 Health Technology Gadgets Every Wellness Guru Needs

In the last few years, we have seen a large uptick in the “trend” to live a healthy lifestyle. With this comes new innovation in the wellness and health technology industries. From free meditation apps to sleep monitoring systems, we now have the power to monitor and improve our health more than ever before.

Below are 8 natural and digital health and wellness products that are sure to improve your quality of life while making you the ultimate health guru!

Health Gadgets

Smart Water Bottles

There is no doubt that drinking water is absolutely necessary for a range of health benefits. Unfortunately, the seemingly simple task of drinking the recommended daily amount of water (about half your body weight in ounces) can be quite arduous. Luckily, staying hydrated is made easier by the invention of smart water bottles! These smart bottles help reduce the amount of effort needed to remember to drink and track intake throughout the day. The Hidrate Spark 2.0 glows to remind you when the drink, whereas the Geniway CloudCUP has a digital display to show water temperature and how much has been consumed, along with an app to track your progress.

Fitness Trackers

One of the most popular health gadget trends is wearable technology. Fitness trackers are made for everyone, from avid athletes who want to track training progress to the average person who would like to increase their daily steps. Classic wearable fitness brands include FitBit and Garmin, but even fashion designers and companies like Apple have been getting in on the trend. As the technology advances, these fitness trackers provide more robust insights into your health and a plethora of features to help you stay on track. Set reminders to get up and move, track exercise times, monitor heart rate, record GPS route and distance, and more with just a simple wristwatch and app.

Sleep Sensors

Getting a lot of sleep but not feeling well-rested? Curious to know what type of sleeper you are? Wondering what might be keeping you up at night? Using a sleep sensor may be the answer to all those questions. The ResMed S+ is a comprehensive sleep sensor and monitor that can help you identify problem areas in your sleep – whether that be light, temperature, sound, or movement. The app tracks your progress, which is a wonderful tool to see which changes impact your quality of sleep. With sleep being such an important part of our health, understanding our sleep cycles and finding solutions to issues will ultimately lead to better health all-around.

Person Using Wearable Fitness and Wellness Tracker

TENS Units

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, or TENS, units are the perfect health gadget for the wellness guru who suffers from stiff or sore muscles. These devices were typically used medically in the past, but are now making headway into the comfort of our own homes. TENS units use electrical pulses to stimulate muscles. This process helps soothe achy muscles after a workout when foam rolling just isn’t doing the trick, or if you are feeling stiff from sitting down all day at work or while traveling. Usually fairly small (smaller than your phone), it’s a wonderful health gadget to have while on the go or stored in a drawer in your room or bathroom.

Wellness Products

Meditation Apps

Breathe in… breathe out… who knew something so simple could be so powerful? In a world where things are constantly on the go, it’s easy to get sucked into the constant cycle of media, to-do lists, and keeping up with friends and family. But what if we used the power of technology to soothe instead of stimulate? Many meditation apps exist today, geared toward giving you those 15 minutes of calm. These mindful apps cover a range of meditation options, from guided imagery to sound therapy to simple deep breathing exercises. You can tailor the experience even further and find practices targeted toward stress, insomnia, depression, and more.

Himalayan Salt Lamps

This wellness product is more natural than it is technical, but it is a must-have in any health guru’s home. The technology in this gadget is the light bulb that is placed inside of a large piece of pink Himalayan salt. The salt is believed to be millions of years old, and the minerals that give the salt a pink hue are natural ionizers. This means that they change the electrical charge of the surrounding air with the ions they produce when heated by the light bulb. Himalayan salt lamps have been thought to help improve air quality, boost mood, and aid in better sleep.

Halotherapy, or the practice of salt therapy, has been a holistic treatment used as far back as ancient Roman and Grecian times. To take this treatment a step further, try combining the practice with other therapies. If you have an infrared sauna, incorporating the Microsalt Halotherapy Generator with the healing effects of infrared therapy will leave you feeling more refreshed than ever before.

Home Assistants

Creating a calm and comfortable space is important for maintaining a sense of wellness at home. There are a few ways to accomplish this, from clearing out clutter to redecorating to indulging in fancy bath products. With today’s technology, you can take your home sanctuary a step further. Examples of technology that can make your home smarter and more comfortable include home assistants, like Amazon Echo, that can help take care of simple tasks and smart thermostats, like Nest, that allow you to program the perfect temperature from anywhere in your home. The Netatmo Weather Station is a “home coach” that monitors four elements of your home’s environment, including air quality, humidity, nose level, and temperature.

While home tech gadgets might not immediately seem like wellness products, they help give you peace of mind while giving you more time in your day to focus on you.

Chromotherapy Devices

Color light therapy, or chromotherapy, is the practice of using colors to correct imbalances in the body. Each color aids in healing a different physical, emotional, or mental aspect of your life. This practice is typically seen in spas, but can easily be incorporated into your everyday life with light therapy gadgets. Turn your shower into a relaxing chromotherapy oasis with a color light therapy shower head, or improve your skin care regimen with a rejuvenating chromotherapy face mask that can help target specific skin issues on your face.

Similarly to halotherapy, chromotherapy is a wonderful addition to infrared heat therapy in a sauna and can help boost the sauna health benefits even further.

Whether you’re just getting into the wellness and health technology space or are trying to find new ways to improve your health game, these eight health gadgets can get you on the right track. Health technology continues to grow and make our lives easier by allowing us to monitor our health and wellness at our fingertips. Treat yourself to some new health gadgets and wellness products to continue living a happy and healthy life!

How to Survive a Sugar Cleanse and Slay Your Sweet Tooth

Sugar is one of the most habit-forming substances we consume in our everyday lives. In fact, research shows that our sugar cravings stem from sugar convincing our brains we want more and more. Today, added sugar isn’t just in desserts and sugary drinks. It can be found in every meal, from the vinaigrette in your seemingly healthy salad to Greek yogurts to, yes, even foods claiming to have “no sugar added”.

Feeling sluggish? Is your skin not as radiant as before? Trying to lose those extra five pounds? A sugar cleanse might be just what you need to hit restart and slay that sweet tooth! Learn why quitting sugar is good for your overall health, the symptoms of sugar withdrawal, and how to stop your sugar cravings below!

Benefits of Cutting Out Sugar

Easier Weight Loss

One of the benefits of cutting sugar is that less-sugary food tends to be lower in calories. In addition, less sugar means decreased insulin levels. Increased insulin causes your body to store calories with extra fat cells. By decreasing your intake of refined carbs and added sugar, and increasing healthy fats, insulin becomes stable and fat stores decrease.

Lowered Bad Cholesterol

Those who consume a large amount of sugar are more likely to have higher levels of LDL, or bad cholesterol, and blood fats called triglycerides. Additionally, they have lower levels of HDL – the good cholesterol that helps carry LDL cholesterol back to the liver where it’s broken down. By normalizing your cholesterol levels, you improve your heart health.

Decreased Heart Disease Risk

Many studies show that the risk of suffering from heart disease is increased with the consumption of sugar. Added sugars high in fructose are the enemies here, as they create dysfunction in metabolic performance, which increases blood pressure, heart rate, and inflammation. Even by cutting out sodas, you are much less likely to suffer from heart disease.

Improved Brain Function

Research shows that added sugar in your diet can impair your cognitive function. Additionally, excessive sugar can lead to a reduction in the proteins necessary for responsiveness and memory. By reducing the amount of sugar in your diet, less sugar is metabolized, meaning more energy, better memory, and increased responsiveness.

Rejuvenated Skin

Glycation happens when sugar in your bloodstream forms advanced glycation end products, or AGEs, when it attaches to proteins. This process damages the collagen and elastin that are responsible for firm, healthy skin, and can also make you more susceptible to sun damage. By cutting out sugar, your skin can become clearer, firmer, and brighter.

Lowered Risk of Diabetes

Drinking one to two sugary drinks a day increases the risk of type 2 diabetes by 26 percent, according to research done in 2010. Excess sugar in your diet can lead to high insulin resistance, leaving sugars in the bloodstream instead of being absorbed into cells. Pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes can be avoided with better management of sugar intake.

Better Breath

The bacteria in your mouth that causes bad breath thrives on sugar, so reducing your sugar intake can prevent the bacteria from feeding and growing, thus improving your breath. Your mouth also sees improvements in overall health, as sugary foods make your teeth more susceptible to cavities and enamel erosion.

Sugar Withdrawal Symptoms

Studies show that sugar can be addictive, especially when consumed in large quantities. Because of this, some may start to feel symptoms of sugar withdrawal. While studies have primarily been done on rodents, the symptoms don’t seem far fetched from how humans may react: tremors, aggression, and headaches. However, there isn’t enough human evidence to prove true symptoms from sugar withdrawal.

Many complain about headaches when cutting sugar from their diets, but those can be caused by a number of factors. For example, if your morning coffee typically contained flavored creamer prior to your sugar detox and you don’t enjoy black coffee, headaches may be caused by a lack of caffeine. Similarly, if your normal food intake has decreased during a sugar cleanse, lightheadedness and headaches may arise in the absence of your regular nutrition.

How to Stop Sugar Cravings Naturally

Go Cold Turkey

One of the simplest ways to go about cutting sugar is quitting cold turkey. While this might be the simplest way, however, it is not the easiest way to stop sugar cravings naturally. In quitting cold turkey, the first 2-3 days can be filled with the sugar withdrawal symptoms above, along with difficulty ignoring cravings. If this route does not sound like it will fit your lifestyle, there are plenty of other ways to slay your sweet tooth.

Moderate & Substitute

Many will find it easier to gradually decrease sugar intake to the point of not craving it anymore. Through this, you can still allow yourself a treat here and there, but in moderation. Kerry Neville, MS, RD, a registered dietitian and ADA spokeswoman, suggests combining healthy foods with sugary ones. For example, if chocolate sounds too good to ignore, have a few chocolate chips mixed with nuts. If you can, try substituting added sugars with natural ones. Put honey in your tea instead of sweetener, or grab a banana instead of a candy bar. Nature has plenty of delicious snacks that are naturally better for your diet!

Distract Yourself

Another tactic is to distract. Distract yourself from sugar cravings by drinking water when the craving hits, taking a walk around the block, or chewing gum. These all distract you in different ways, including refocusing your energy on a healthier action, filling your stomach with something other than sugar, distracting your body with physical activity, or giving your mouth an action that only requires chewing.

Use a Sauna

An unexpected natural remedy for sugar cravings is sauna use. Inflammation and blood sugar imbalances are linked, and decreasing one can help decrease the other. Far infrared sauna use helps decrease inflammation, and therefore can aid in regulating insulin fluctuations. Doing a sugar and a sauna detox at the same time can help lower the effects of sugar withdrawal symptoms. Additionally, sauna use can help you sleep better. Better sleep means more energy throughout the day, which in turn cuts down on your sugar cravings.

Sugar Cleanse Food List

If you decide to go cold turkey, whether it’s forever or for a 21-day sugar cleanse, follow these general guidelines to help detox sugar from your diet:

Allowed	Not Allowed	Limited Quantities
All Meat & Seafood Whole Grains All Vegetables Low-Glycemic Fruits All Nuts & Seeds Legumes & Beans All Spices Tea, Coffee & Water Unsweetened Nut Milks Eggs & Butter	Any Sugars Refined Flours Condiments & Dressings Dried Fruits Alcohol Juice, Soda & Sugary Drinks Artificial Sweeteners	Green-Tipped Bananas Green Apples White Potatoes Stevia High-Glycemic Fruits Yogurt, Cheese & Milk

Your sweet tooth stands no chance with these sugar cleanse tips! Even taking simple steps to reduce your sugar intake will have wonderful impacts on your life, from helping you feel more confident in your skin to reducing your risk of various health conditions. A little sugar won’t hurt, but remember the key to living a happy and healthy life: moderation!

We ❤ Healthy Hearts: Everyday Healthy Heart Tips

Strokes kill more than 133,000 Americans annually. In fact, each year about as many Americans have a stroke as a heart attack. May was Stroke Awareness Month, where the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association teamed up to educate and spread awareness in hopes of decreasing the amount of strokes. Now that May is over, it is important to continue putting a focus on a heart healthy lifestyle for the rest of the year – and our lives.

Studies show that 80% of strokes are preventable and the majority are treatable with proper care. The most controllable risk factor is to properly manage your blood pressure. The best way to treat high blood pressure is to eat the right foods, exercise regularly, and manage your stress. Special medicines can aide you in lowering your blood pressure as well.

Learn more as we discuss everyday healthy heart tips to keep your most important organ in tip-top shape!

Heart Healthy Tips: Food

We’ve all heard the common phrase, “you are what you eat” because it’s no secret that maintaining healthy organs begins with a healthy diet. Enjoying a variety of nutritious foods can keep your heart functioning properly. A heart healthy diet can help you maintain a healthy weight as well as manage your blood pressure and cholesterol. Making specific changes to your diet can help prevent heart disease. We suggest these 6 heart-healthy eating tips:

Eat Less Salt

Reducing your salt intake is good for regulating your blood pressure. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2300 milligrams a day, but an ideal limit of 1500 milligrams a day for adults to maintain heart health.

Limit Alcohol Intake

Aim to have no more than one to two drinks a day. Light drinking may help protect some from heart disease, but drinking in excess is not advised for an overall healthy lifestyle. Especially be wary if you are taking certain medications.

Control Your Portion Size

How much you eat is just as important as what you eat. Eat larger portions of low-calorie, nutrient-rich foods, like fruits and vegetables, and smaller portions of high-calorie, high-sodium foods, like refined, processed or fast foods.

Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of the essential vitamins and minerals you need to keep a healthy heart. They are low in calories, rich in dietary fiber and, like other plant-based foods, contain nutrients that help prevent cardiovascular disease.

Opt for Whole Grains

Whole grains contain fiber and other nutrients that help regulate blood pressure and heart health. Increase the amount of whole grains for a heart-healthy diet by making simple substitutions for refined grain products which choices like whole-grain farro, quinoa or barley.

Limit Unhealthy Fats

Replacing saturated and trans fats with unsaturated fats can reduce your blood cholesterol and lower your risk of coronary artery disease. High blood cholesterol can lead to a buildup of plaques in your arteries, called atherosclerosis, which can increase your risk of heart attack and stroke.

Heart Healthy Tips: Lifestyle

Taking care of your body can be simple with making the right lifestyle choices. From sleeping to getting active to being mindful to spending time with loved ones, having a healthy lifestyle and positive outlook on life can help set you up for a healthy heart. These 8 lifestyle tips are easy to follow and will have lasting effects on your overall health:

Get Enough Sleep

Getting at least 7 hours of sleep each night is important to overall heart health. Studies show that young and middle-age adults who slept 7 hours a night had less calcium in their arteries (an early sign of heart disease) than those who slept 5 hours or less or those who slept 9 hours or more.

Don’t Smoke

One of the best ways to protect your heart is to be smoke free. Smoking damages the blood vessel walls that supply blood to your heart and other parts of your body. Smoking also increases the stiffness of the blood vessels, making it harder for them to expand and contract as needed. These changes to the arteries can cause a heart attack, stroke or angina. Smokers are 3 times more likely to have a stroke than nonsmokers.

Be Physically Active

Shoot for 30 minutes a day of moderate exercise, 5 days a week. It’s also important to sit less. Evidence shows that adults who sit less throughout the day have a lower risk of early death, particularly from heart disease. Sedentary behaviour is associated with an increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

Relax and be Mindful

Managing your stress in a healthy way through meditation, yoga, or exercise is incredibly important. Find a stress relief method that works for you and use it regularly to keep both your sanity and your health in check.

Do What (and Be With People) You Love

Make it a point to do things that fill you with happiness and spend time with people you value. Talking, laughing, and spending time with loved ones is good for both your emotional health and your heart. Looking after your mental health is incredibly important because we know there can be a greater risk of heart disease for people who have depression, are socially isolated or do not have good social support. Having a good social life with family and friends can help.

Try Passive Heat Therapy

Considering high blood pressure is one of the leading causes of stroke, consistent infrared sauna use may be beneficial to your health by lowering your blood pressure. Clinical research has shown regular sauna sessions can help lower blood pressure, the chance of heart disease, and obesity.

Be Proactive in Disease Prevention

Millions of people don’t know that they are living with diabetes, which is incredibly risky because high blood sugar damages arteries over time, making heart disease more likely. It’s highly recommended to have your blood sugar tested by your doctor if you are 45 years old or older, pregnant, or overweight. If you have borderline high blood sugar, also known as prediabetes, take action now in order to turn things around.

Achieve and Maintain a Healthy Weight

Your body is primarily made up of water, protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, and minerals. If you have too much fat, especially in your midsection, you’re at a higher risk for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Waist circumference and body mass index (BMI) are the recommended ways to estimate body fat. A “high-risk” waistline is more than 35 inches for women, more than 40 inches for men, and a BMI of 25+.

Strokes can occur at any age and are the #3 cause of death in women and #4 cause in men. Adopting a heart healthy diet and lifestyle may not eliminate your risk of stroke but will play a substantial role in decreasing your risk.

Healing vs. Curing

What do you think makes someone a healthy person? Do you think of someone who isn’t plagued by a disease? Or do you think of someone who has their physical, emotional, and mental states aligned, and who practices a balanced lifestyle? While both of these could be examples of a healthy individual, they are viewed very differently. The first is the example we think of when we think of curing, while the latter is an example of healing.

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So what is the difference between curing and healing? While often used interchangeably, the two are actually very different. In our eBook, Total Wellness, we discuss this concept in more detail but we have outlined the basics below:

What is Curing?

Western medicine is very good at relieving symptoms and saving lives in an emergency room setting. We have a myriad of pills, injections, and other methods to stop the pain and get us back on our feet. But often times, these cures only address instantaneous issues; and in this case, health is viewed as the absence of disease. There is a time and place for Western medicine, but to address the whole of our health, we must also consider alternative healing options.

What is Healing?

Compared to curing, healing addresses the body from the inside out over time. Healing seeks to restore balance through lifestyle choices and natural means and can include a healthy diet, exercise, meditation, and other techniques. In terms of healing, a healthy individual addresses not only their physical condition but also their emotional and mental health.

Our bodies are complex, self-sustaining machines and when treated properly, they can self-heal and grow. Just consider the fact that the average adult’s heart beats more than 100,000 times a day while pumping about 2,000 gallons of blood through miles of arteries and veins. And we don’t even have to think about it! Health doesn’t come from a doctor’s office or magic pill, but instead from a whole, balanced lifestyle.

Which do You Choose?

There are many differences between healing and curing, but that’s not to say that you should turn to natural health or Western medicine exclusively. The two go hand-in-hand and it is because of the advances in technology that we have the luxury of choice. For example, in the case of an infection, antibiotics might be the go-to choice. But, most conditions aren’t so easily “cured” and it takes working from the inside out to build a wholly healthy lifestyle and see results.

Those that combine natural health techniques may find that they have a greater sense of peace and wellness. As Lissa Rankin, MD states in Psychology Today, “healing and curing are inherently different. Curing means ‘eliminating all evidence of disease,’ while healing means ‘becoming whole.’”

Good health is vibrant and starts from the inside out, and we all know a healthy person when we meet them. They radiate unmistakeable physical, emotional, and mental energy that draws us to them. Read more about healing vs curing in our new Total Wellness eBook!

Standard American Diet (SAD) Facts – The SAD Truth by the Numbers

Our bodies are finely-tuned machines and run off the food, exercise, and sleep we give them. Because of that, proper nutrition is the building block of our health and everything, from how we feel to how we look, is determined by our food choices. Unfortunately, many Americans prioritize convenience over health, which can lead to an unbalanced, unhealthy diet. The Standard American Diet infographic shows we consume more added sugar, saturated fats, and sodium than our bodies know what to do with.

Just take a look at the numbers from the National Cancer Institute:

3 out of 4 Americans don’t eat a single piece of fruit in a day
9 out of 10 don’t reach the minimum recommended intake of vegetables
96% don’t reach the minimum for greens in a week
We eat 610 calories a day of grain products, and only 206 calories a day of fruits and veggies

Standard American Diet Infographic

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It’s no wonder that the Standard American Diet is contributing to diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, heart disease, high cholesterol, and more. So how should we reshape our diets to give our bodies the fuel they need to thrive? See the Reshape Your Diet Tips below.

Improve Your Diet with Clean Food

The idiom “you are what you eat” holds true in many cases. If you feed your body strong, healthy food, you will be strong and healthy. Below are some guidelines of how to make clean, healthy food choices:

When Possible, Eat Organic

By eating organic produce, you limit your exposure to toxic chemicals. It’s much easier to avoid chemicals now than figure out how to get rid of them later.

Stay on the Outside of the Grocery Store

A good rule of thumb is to shop the perimeter of the grocery store, where most of the fresh food is found. Generally, the outside of grocery stores have all the fresh produce, dairy, and meat, while the aisles are stocked with processed picks.

Eat More Plant-Based Foods

Focus on eating fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, and other non-processed foods. These foods are full of healthy nutrients and can help prolong your life and guard you against disease.

Shopping for vegetables at a grocery store

Use Healthy Oils When Cooking

Not all oils are created equal. The World Health Organization recommends cooking with unsaturated fats, such as olive or coconut oil, rather than saturated or trans fats, such as hydrogenated oils. Also, make sure you don’t let the oil smoke while cooking. When oil starts to smoke, toxic fumes are released. This process produces free radicals, which can cause cancer and are generally harmful to our health.

Train Your Taste Buds

Did you know that you can actually train your taste buds to enjoy eating healthier? We crave the diet we are accustomed to, so teach your tongue and brain to love healthy choices. By exchanging one unhealthy meal for a healthy diet choice a day, you will be well on your way to conquering the detrimental health effects of the Standard American Diet.

Learn more about healthy eating and living a balanced life in our Total Wellness eBook.

How Infrared Saunas Boost Your Immune System

Unfortunately, getting sick is a normal part of life. Usually spread in highly populated settings like schools and offices, but sometimes even just by taking a trip to the grocery store, viruses can often be avoided by strengthening your immune system so that it can fight the illnesses with its full strength. There are endless home remedies and over-the-counter medications that you can take to strengthen your immune system during this vulnerable time of the year, but one method has proven especially effective: the use of an infrared sauna.

Before we dive into the multitude of benefits that come with using an infrared sauna to strengthen your immune system, let’s take a look at what exactly causes a weakened immune system. An immune system may not be working to its optimal capabilities if it is dealing with excess stress, little to no exercise, malnutrition, a lack of sleep, or a combination of any of these.

Unfortunately, some of these things may be unavoidable at times, and we may need some immune system support. While infrared sauna use directly benefits the immune system, it also provides you with health benefits when it comes to sleep, stress, and detoxification, giving you a well-rounded experience that positively impacts multiple aspects of your well-being. Benefits of an infrared sauna that specifically help to strengthen your immune system include:

1. Increased Production of White Blood Cells

The heat generated by an infrared sauna stimulates energy at a cellular level which, in turn, increases the body’s production of white blood cells. These cells form a component of your blood and act as your immune system’s first line of defense when infection strikes. When a harmful substance enters your body, white blood cells detect it and control the immune system’s response. Clearly, these small cells are critical when it comes to the functionality of our immune systems. An increased production of white blood cells, as stimulated by infrared sauna use, can help the body to more effectively fight off illnesses.

2. Triggered Immune System

Hippocrates famously said, “Give me a fever and I can cure any disease.” The idea that increased temperatures trigger the body’s immune system response is certainly not new. Fevers help your body to fight off infection by allowing certain immune cells to work more efficiently and effectively. According to the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, hyperthermia, or the exposure of the body to high temperatures, gives these cells the ability to destroy virus-infected cells and tumor cells.

3. Release Impurities

One major benefit of infrared sauna use is detoxification. When your body does not sweat enough, it holds onto potentially harmful toxins, chemicals, and impurities that were meant to be eliminated through sweat. These impurities may come from the food you eat, the air you breathe, the liquids you drink, and anything else you may consume. Ensuring that your body can eliminate these toxins efficiently is one of the best ways to stay healthy and support your immune system. A typical 20-minute session in an infrared sauna allows your body to flush out these impurities from the inside out so your immune system has less to fight off. You may even notice a slight glow in your skin after your sauna session. This is visible evidence that your body’s largest organ has been purified and detoxified.

4. Better Blood Circulation

The deeply penetrating heat of an infrared sauna promotes blood circulation throughout your entire body, providing oxygen-rich nutrients to your extremities. This means that any areas that were poorly circulated before your sauna session will be flushed out, and any harmful substances that were building up will be released through sweat. The increase in circulation pumps the blood towards the outside surface of your body, taking with it any bacteria or other illness-causing substances. Better circulation also benefits the heart, muscles, and arteries.

5. Increased Cellular Regeneration

Infrared sauna usage can also strengthen the immune system by stimulating cell regeneration. This kind of regeneration can help your body dispose of cells that might be old, damaged, or ineffective and replace them with new cells. Over time all cells are regenerated, but the heat from an infrared sauna catalyzes the regeneration process and ensures all bodily systems are running as smoothly as possible. This is especially beneficial during the cold and flu season when the body is being attacked more frequently.

6.Relaxation

Since high stress levels often result in a weakened immune system and, as a result, illness, reducing your stress levels is crucial when it comes to maintaining a healthy body. Excess levels of cortisol, the hormone that is released when the body is stressed, can weaken your immune system’s ability to fight off harmful bacteria and viruses. Regular use of an infrared sauna balances cortisol levels and relaxes the body and mind. This allows your immune system to work efficiently, without the hindrance of high cortisol levels.

Clearlight® Infrared Saunas

Clearlight® infrared saunas offer an experience that will aid your body with the immune-boosting benefits mentioned above and more. These spa-like, hand-crafted sanctuaries provide you with a luxurious retreat in your home. With an array of infrared sauna sizes and styles available, you are sure to find the perfect sauna to suit your home. Learn more and get yours in time for the cold and flu season.

Fall brings with it many things. Illness does not have to be one of them. With proper care and preparation, your immune system can stand up to the cold and flu viruses that seem to be waiting until the cooler months to attack. The use of an infrared sauna strengthens your immune system by increasing white blood cell production, triggering the immune system, releasing impurities, improving blood circulation, regenerating cells, and promoting relaxation. With a strong defense system, you are free to enjoy life in full health.

Relaxation Techniques for Parental Stress Management

It’s Monday morning, and you are late taking the kids to school. You can’t find your keys under the stack of unread mail on the dining room table, and you have yet to prepare for the conference call you have at 10:00 AM. Juggling between work, family, and other personal obligations, parents deal with a lot of stress every day. The never ending, to-do list of dishes, laundry, carpool, work and dinner can feel impossible and overwhelming at times, leading to parental stress. If you feel constantly pulled in a million different directions, here are a few relaxation methods to help busy parents relax and manage stress better.

Get Up Early

Whether it is getting up an hour earlier or just five minutes, set some time aside for yourself before the day begins. Before making breakfast, waking the kids up for school, and feeding the dog, take a deep breath and enjoy a few extra minutes to yourself. Pour a nice warm cup of coffee or tea and gather your thoughts. When you allow yourself a little extra time in the morning, it can make a huge impact on how the rest of your day is going to pan out. Deliberately allocating time for yourself is one of the best ways to relax your mind and body to alleviate some parental stress.

Exercise

Exercise is not everyone’s favorite activity to relax, but it’s a beneficial one. There is growing research that exercise can reduce stress, even if it is just a 10-minute workout routine at home. Getting your heart pumping and blood flowing can do wonders for a heightened stress level. And you can even find ways to incorporate your family into your exercise routine. Find the time for you and your partner to hit the gym or take the kids for a walk around the block. Whatever it is, any sort of physical activity can produce endorphins that act as natural painkillers in the brain. This can help improve your mood and ability to sleep, making you feel relaxed even the next day. Exercising can also make you feel better about yourself, boosting your confidence and ability to tackle the day.

Take a Deep Breath

As simple as this may sound, taking one to three deep breaths when you feel like you are about to explode allows parents a chance to regroup before they become too overwhelmed. Breathing is one thing that you can control in your busy day, so take advantage of it. Use slow deep breaths to release any tension you may be feeling. Dr. Andrew Weil believes “practicing regular, mindful breathing can be calming and energizing and can even help with stress-related health problems ranging from panic attacks to digestive disorders.” He recommends three breathing techniques to help reduce stress and anxiety levels: The Stimulating Breath, the 4-7-8 exercise, and breath counting. So, next time you are late to pick the kids up from practice or forget to put dinner in the oven, take a few minutes to try one of these exercises and see how you feel.

Write it Down

As a busy parent, you likely often wake up with an abundance of things to do and a million things on your mind. One way to cope with this chaos and parental stress is to make a list. Writing down all the things you need to do that day allows the opportunity to feel more organized in a way that can help you prioritize visually. It also feels great to check things off that list making you feel more accomplished as the day goes on. Writing down the instances throughout the day that stresses you out can also help alleviate anxiety. Dr. Sarah Edelman, a clinical psychologist and author of Change Your Thinking (ABC Books), believes writing down your worries and saying you will come back to them at another time is a simple psychological trick that will help you forget about them for the time being. Commit to things that you know you can handle now and come back to the rest at another time.

Set Smaller Goals

It’s easy for parents to get caught up in being the best. And the truth is, it is impossible to be perfect. Instead of stressing yourself out by being head of the PTA or soccer coach for your child’s team, start first by making smaller goals for yourself. If you are stressed out about making breakfast again, set a new goal: “I will go in the kitchen and start a pot of coffee.” Mary LoVerde, a work-life balance expert, says taking “microactions” like these can help us more calmly approach overwhelming tasks. As small as these goals may seem, they can be influential in helping you get through the task at hand. Taking smaller steps can make it easier for one to reach their overall goal.

Head to the Sauna

Don’t have enough time to enjoy a day at the spa? Head to the sauna. Not only do saunas reduce stress, but they also cleanse skin, induce a deeper sleep and help relax muscles soothing any aches/pains. And these are only a few of the many health benefits of sweating it out. We suggest at least 20 minutes in the sauna daily to help alleviate stress and tension. Infrared saunas use less steam and fewer intense heat settings than a traditional sauna, helping to create a more comfortable experience. The infrared sauna also detoxifies your body much more efficiently than traditional saunas. A few minutes of your day is all you need to leave your body feeling revived and relaxed.

Take a Day Off

You deserve it. Grab lunch with friends or plan a night out on the town. Either way, some time off from the kids and spouse can distance you from the daily routine and allow your mind time to unwind. Getting out of the house will help you relax and think about other things than those dirty dishes in the sink. Finding time to take off may be hard, but it is well worth it. So, get out that calendar and start planning. Your way toward less parental stress.

The Importance of Kidney Health

Approximately 26 million Americans have kidney disease, and most don’t even realize they have it! The reason is because many people aren’t aware they are ill until the symptoms have progressed significantly. Unfortunately, kidney disease is one of those silent ailments which can wreak havoc on your body unbeknownst to you.

Some symptoms of kidney disease include the following:

nausea
vomiting
decreased appetite
weakness and fatigue
changes in urination
swelling of feet and ankles
high blood pressure
muscle twitching
trouble sleeping
shortness of breath (if fluid builds around the lining of the heart)
chest pain

There are certain things which can exasperate the symptoms and increase your chances of kidney disease including smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and/or obesity. Luckily, there are several things you can do to start taking care of your kidneys now.

The National Kidney Foundation is the leading organization in the U.S. dedicated to the awareness, prevention and treatment of kidney disease for tens of millions of Americans at risk, and March is national kidney month! It is important to take care of your body, and your kidneys are no exception. Your kidneys are pretty powerful if you think about it – they work 24 hours a day, seven days a week and never get a break!

Interesting Facts About Your Kidneys:

They filter approximately 200 liters of blood a day.
They direct red blood cell production.
They help regulate blood pressure.
They are responsible for filtering waste from your blood.
They balance your body’s fluids.
They produce an active form of Vitamin D which promotes strong, healthy bones.
They regulate the body’s salt, potassium and acid content.
People often don’t realize they have kidney disease until the symptoms and disease has progressed.

Preventing Kidney Disease and Promoting Kidney Health

As the nation’s 9th most deadly killer, kidney disease can be prevented by educating yourself and by taking easy, daily steps that promote kidney health.

The risk for this disease can be reduced by controlling blood pressure and blood sugar, maintaining proper weight, stopping smoking, exercising regularly and avoiding excessive use of medications that can harm the kidneys, such as ibuprofen and naproxen.

One interesting fact is the skin and the kidneys both help detox the body. Traditional Chinese medicine often refers to the skin as the third kidney. Modern research is discovering new insights into the value of skin detoxification for those with kidney disease. Dr. Jenna Henderson writes about one German study evaluated the benefit of sweating for Stage 4 chronic kidney disease patients. Patients sweated into towels, and the towels were then chemically analyzed for content of uremic waste (this waste can build up in the blood and can cause kidney damage). Not only were uremic waste products found, but the researchers noted that the more often the patients experienced these sweating sessions, the more uremia came out in each session. The body learns to push this pathway through repeated stimulation.

This is where we mention our favorite topic: the benefits of sweating via infrared saunas! However, it is also important you talk to your doctor should you have kidney disease before partaking several sweating sessions in one of our Clearlight saunas.

Foods Which Keep Your Kidneys Happy & Healthy

In addition to using infrared saunas for happy and healthy kidneys, and to support them in their never-ending job of filtering waste out of the blood, there are other things you can do to support kidney health. Naturally, exercise and a good diet are a couple of those things, but there are foods which also support your kidneys. They are as follows:

Grapes
Cranberries
Blueberries
Fennel
Onions
Celery
Beets
Spinach
Asparagus
String beans
Apples
Eggplants
Rice
Pears
Peas
Peppers
Zucchini to name a few.

All in all, kidney disease is a silent killer which doesn’t make itself known until it has developed into advanced stages. Our recommendation is to make a healthy lifestyle a habit NOW so it doesn’t afflict you later on.

Relaxation Techniques That Can Improve Your Health

It is 7:00 AM and the kids aren’t up yet. The dog must be let out. Your work clothes somehow never made it back from the dry cleaner, and you have a conference call you need to prepare for in less than an hour. Oh, and it’s your day for carpool. Have you ever had a day start out like this?

By 9:00 AM, you’re on your third cup of coffee and all you can think about is that beach vacation that is only…what, seven months away? In the meantime, life seems to only get busier with each passing day. Most of us live a quite stressful existence with little time to decompress before we’re thrown back into the high-octane world we live in. Living a stressful life like this for too long can contribute to chronic fatigue, debilitating stress, and even the early onset of disease. Finding a way to relax and manage stress is not only important – it can be a lifesaver. Here are seven relaxation techniques that can add years to your life:

Relaxation Technique 1: Visualization Therapy

Find quiet and visualize taking a journey to a calm, peaceful location. Try to imagine what it smells like there, what objects feel like, and what you may expect to hear. A serene day at the beach is a simple idea – as the sounds of crashing waves and squawking seagulls, the sensation of the sun’s rays, and the feel of the sand under your feet can be readily imagined. Whatever your “peaceful” place is, think of it for three to four minutes, close your eyes, and enjoy the mental vacation. Do this once or twice a day to calm your mind and reduce stress.

Relaxation Technique 2: Yoga

There is a reason yoga has been around for thousands of years – it truly works! Work with an instructor to create a series of relaxing yoga poses, as not all moves are designed equally. Some can actually create stress, and may not be ideally suited to your ultimate goal of better stress management. The Three-Part Breath, Reclined Bound Angle Pose, Knees-to-Chest Pose, Legs-up-on-a-Wall Pose, and Supported Corpse are five uniquely relaxing yoga poses.

Relaxation Technique 3: Tai Chi

Practicing Tai Chi, or the ancient Chinese tradition of graceful exercise, forces the participant to focus intensely on body movements and deep breathing. This system of exercise is a meditative form of movement that is low impact, basically no-cost, and non-competitive. The gentle physical exercise and positive mental health benefits of Tai Chi are perfectly suited to those who are simply stressed out and need a mental break.

Relaxation Technique 4: Sauna Time

One of the best ways to minimize stress, improve overall heart health, and detoxify the body is by spending time in a sauna. An infrared sauna is the best option for most users today, as reports indicate that not only are they generally more comfortable to use (less steam and far less intense heat settings), but they also detoxify the body much more effectively than traditional saunas. The stress reducing benefits are real, as saunas encourage deep breathing, better circulation, and can even encourage social connections if you have sauna sessions with others.

Relaxation Technique 5: Massage

This form of therapy is incredibly accessible today, as massage clubs seem to quickly spring up in strip malls across the nation daily. You no longer need to belong to a trendy club to access massage services, so work with your preferred masseuse to decide whether you could benefit from a Swedish massage, a deep tissue massage, a sports massage, or a trigger point massage that helps repair muscular injuries. Reducing stress and muscle pain are real-world benefits of this type of therapy.

Relaxation Technique 6: Mindfulness Exercises

Mindfulness refers to deliberately creating awareness of your immediate feelings and sensations throughout various moments of the day. The benefits are reduced anxiety, stress, and depression, less negative self-thought, and enhanced mood. Completing mindful activities is as simple as paying better attention to the people you interact with, looking at familiar situations and objects from a new angle, focusing on relaxed breathing techniques, and reawakening your senses to sights, sounds, and sensations that you’ve taken for granted over the years. Try to specifically focus on mindfulness exercises at least 15-20 minutes per day.

Relaxation Technique 7: Schedule “Blank Time”

We’re good at creating calendars full of important activities and reminders, but when is the last time you blocked out a chunk of time on a random day to set aside to do nothing? In other words, do you carve out time to sit on the couch for 20 minutes, and simply focus on your breathing? Or, do you allocate an hour to sitting on the back deck with a cup of tea – then just take in your surroundings? One of the best ways to minimize stress and relax your mind and body is by deliberately setting aside time for yourself.

Relaxation techniques can improve your physical, emotional, and mental health. By including stress management techniques into your daily routine, you’ll feel better, perform at a higher level, and even add years to your life.

Infrared Saunas and Allergies

The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS), consisting of the sympathetic and parasympathetic components, operates below consciousness to control these systems. The ANS controls heartbeat, digestive function, respiratory rate, salivation, stress and immune response, dilation of pupils, sexual arousal and adrenaline secretions of excitatory hormones. The sympathetic and parasympathetic systems balance out each other, working together or sometimes inhibiting specific responses. In allergy patients subpar or hypo-sympathetic inhibiting activity allows for the over response of the immune system. The ANS then over responds in a big way to supress this over response when it may not be necessary.

Allergies include stuffiness, itching and sneezing and can be caused by pollen, dust and animal dander. An inflammation of the nasal airways, allergic rhinitis is linked with a sensitized immune system that overreacts to what should be a benign stimulant. For example, cat hair should not be a cause for concern to your health, right?

Khon Kaen University, Thailand Study

Current medicinal therapeutic options include avoidance, drugs and immunotherapy, but recent investigations suggest that to eliminate allergies an infrared sauna may be used to modify the body’s ANS. The clinical findings from the School of Physical Therapy, Khon Kaen University, Thailand, were published in their June 2013 article in the Asian Pacific Journal of Allergy and Immunology.

The study looked at the impact of six weeks of sauna treatment on the ANS, peak nasal inspiratory flow and lung function in patients suffering allergies. They were looking to see if infrared sauna use shifts the body’s ANS and therefore impacts the underlying cause of the allergic reaction?

The 26 patients were diagnosed with allergic rhinitis. Some received health education and otherwise maintained a normal life. The sauna group received sauna treatment over a six-week period, three days per week, totaling 30 minutes. Heart rate variability (HRV) was measured to study the autonomic nervous response including the balance of sympathetic to parasympathetic activity; peak nasal inspiratory flow and lung function were measured at the beginning and after three and six weeks of sauna.

There were significant changes in HRV after six weeks of sauna indicating a favorable shift in ANS for treatment of allergic rhinitis. The high frequency or overactive component of the ANS was lower while the low frequency inhibiting component was higher in the sauna treatment group than the control patients. The peak nasal flow and the forced expiratory volume were “significantly higher” in sauna patients. The six weeks of repeated sauna treatment can increase sympathetic activity as well respiratory volume in patients with allergic rhinitis, the article says.

Journal Ter Arkh, Russia Study

In a Russian language journal doctors who used sauna therapy for children with atopic dermatitis, which can be allergy related, found it “improves the condition of their autonomic nervous system.” They noted the “marked clinical response” that could “necessitate long-term sauna treatment to cure this disease.”

In the journal Ter Arkh, the use of an infrared sauna as part of therapy of 107 patients with asthma and chronic bronchitis “resulted in a rapid time course of clinical symptoms of diseases, reduced the adaptation period at a health resort, produced a bronchodilatatory effect and helped to return cardiodynamics to normal…”

Each symptom of rhinitis was rated on a 4-point scale according to severity. During the period of far infrared therapy, the symptoms of eye and nasal itching, stuffiness, rhinorrhea and sneezing were all improved. Smell impairment was not improved until after the last treatment. No obvious adverse effect were observed in the patients during treatment and follow-up. The scientists concluded that FIR therapy “could improve the symptoms of AR” and “might serve as a novel treatment modality.”