2668: Steam Rooms and Chlorine Gas - Are Steam Saunas Healthy?

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[00:00:38] [SPEAKER_00]: It's another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily episode 2668, and I'm Dr. Neal Malik.

[00:00:45] [SPEAKER_00]: Hey there, happy Friday and welcome to another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily,

[00:00:49] [SPEAKER_00]: where I answer your health questions related to fitness, diet and nutrition, and more.

[00:00:54] [SPEAKER_00]: You send in the questions and I answer them for you. And with that, let's jump right in and

[00:01:00] [SPEAKER_00]: hear today's question as we optimize your life. Today's question came via email. Stand rights.

[00:01:10] [SPEAKER_00]: I know steam rooms are popular, but what about the chlorine gas? Thanks for the great podcast.

[00:01:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for taking the time to send in your questions, stand, and I'm so glad you enjoy the podcast.

[00:01:22] [SPEAKER_00]: First, I want to describe the difference between a steam room and a sauna since both are so similar.

[00:01:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Steam rooms are heated using boiling water, which of course, generate steam.

[00:01:33] [SPEAKER_00]: Sonna's instead often generate dry heat. That means heat is created from hot rocks or a

[00:01:40] [SPEAKER_00]: stove found in the room. But there is such a thing as a steam sauna, so let me go into some more

[00:01:46] [SPEAKER_00]: details about the different types of saunas and steam rooms before getting to the heart of your

[00:01:57] [SPEAKER_00]: in the English dictionary. Saunas are thought to have originated in Finland hundreds or possibly

[00:02:03] [SPEAKER_00]: thousands of years ago, as I mentioned, there are a variety of saunas and they differ somewhat

[00:02:08] [SPEAKER_00]: in the way they create heat. The types of saunas include the steam sauna, the dry heat version,

[00:02:15] [SPEAKER_00]: and the infrared version. Now when someone refers to a sauna and doesn't specify the type,

[00:02:21] [SPEAKER_00]: it's assumed they mean the steam sauna. Traditionally, these involve wood-paneled rooms that are

[00:02:27] [SPEAKER_00]: heated to a temperature of 158 to 212 degrees Fahrenheit or 70 to 100 degrees Celsius.

[00:02:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Steam is created by pouring water over heated rocks. The humidity in the room ends up somewhere between

[00:02:42] [SPEAKER_00]: 20 to 40%. So we could say a steam sauna is basically a steam room.

[00:02:49] [SPEAKER_00]: Now, using standard finished guidelines, you would spend between five and 20 minutes in this environment.

[00:02:56] [SPEAKER_00]: Then you would immerse yourself in cold water using a shower or a quick swim,

[00:03:01] [SPEAKER_00]: followed by spending some time at room temperature, which is about 70 degrees Fahrenheit

[00:03:06] [SPEAKER_00]: or about 21 degrees Celsius, and then you would repeat this procedure to three more times.

[00:03:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Now, the dry sauna is similar but water is not poured over rocks, as we would imagine,

[00:03:18] [SPEAKER_00]: in this case the humidity level in the room is much lower since we're not surrounded by steam.

[00:03:24] [SPEAKER_00]: And infrared sauna on the other hand doesn't actually heat the air in the room

[00:03:29] [SPEAKER_00]: but utilizes infrared technology to heat the body instead. So, do steam saunas or steam rooms

[00:03:36] [SPEAKER_00]: have any health benefits. According to the data, yes, steam saunas or steam rooms may

[00:03:42] [SPEAKER_00]: provide some health benefits. When we spend time in the environments I just described,

[00:03:47] [SPEAKER_00]: our bodies respond by dilating our blood vessels, which means the inner lining of our blood

[00:03:52] [SPEAKER_00]: vessels gets bigger. This increases blood circulation throughout the body. It's possible that this

[00:03:58] [SPEAKER_00]: increase in the diameter of the arteries helps make them more elastic, which is a very good thing.

[00:04:04] [SPEAKER_00]: It was initially thought that those with a history of heart disease should not spend time in

[00:04:09] [SPEAKER_00]: these steam rooms or saunas because it would put the heart under too much stress. However,

[00:04:15] [SPEAKER_00]: researchers are discovering that it may actually benefit people with heart conditions.

[00:04:20] [SPEAKER_00]: Using saunas may also help those suffering from asthma and chronic bronchitis.

[00:04:24] [SPEAKER_00]: Some researchers have found that regular use of saunas may decrease pain levels in those

[00:04:29] [SPEAKER_00]: experiencing chronic pain like arthritis. Some data have even found that infrared saunas

[00:04:34] [SPEAKER_00]: provide similar benefits, but there aren't many of these studies. So it does make it more difficult

[00:04:39] [SPEAKER_00]: to reach any real conclusions about infrared saunas. Okay, so what about any issues with chlorine

[00:04:45] [SPEAKER_00]: gas, especially in steam rooms or steam saunas? Cloring gas could become a problem with steam saunas

[00:04:53] [SPEAKER_00]: if a salt-based or chlorine-based product is used to clean the steam room or if the water being

[00:04:59] [SPEAKER_00]: boiled contains these chemicals. But I couldn't find a credible source on whether chlorine gas

[00:05:05] [SPEAKER_00]: was a concern or a health threat when using a steam room or steam saunas. If chlorine gas were to

[00:05:12] [SPEAKER_00]: start accumulating in a steam saunas or steam room, it would lead to symptoms like a burning

[00:05:17] [SPEAKER_00]: sensation in the eyes and in the chest and coughing. So if someone starts to experience these

[00:05:24] [SPEAKER_00]: symptoms while in a steam room or steam saunas, they should immediately leave the steam room

[00:05:28] [SPEAKER_00]: and report the issue to the facility's manager. Now the benefits I talked about doesn't

[00:05:34] [SPEAKER_00]: automatically mean that saunas or steam rooms are right for everybody. You always want to check

[00:05:39] [SPEAKER_00]: with your doctor to make sure it's right for you. And before using them, be sure you're adequately

[00:05:45] [SPEAKER_00]: hydrated. Also don't consume alcohol before using a sauna or steam room. Those that are pregnant

[00:05:51] [SPEAKER_00]: would want to avoid using them all together. Those that have had a recent heart attack

[00:05:55] [SPEAKER_00]: would want to wait before using a sauna or steam room. And those with a form of low blood pressure

[00:06:01] [SPEAKER_00]: called hypotension would want to be sure that their doctor clears them before using a sauna or

[00:06:07] [SPEAKER_00]: steam room. Finally, if you have a skin condition, definitely check with your doctor first too.

[00:06:13] [SPEAKER_00]: That's because some facilities may add essential oils to their steam rooms or saunas and that can

[00:06:19] [SPEAKER_00]: aggravate skin conditions in some individuals. But as far as chlorine gas is concerned,

[00:06:24] [SPEAKER_00]: it doesn't seem to be a real concern. All right. Thank you again for taking the time to send

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[00:07:16] [SPEAKER_00]: All right. That's another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily. Thank you so much for listening

[00:07:20] [SPEAKER_00]: every day and all the way through. I hope you have a great start to your weekend and I'll see you

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