Passive Heating – for People – not just Places

A post for April 15^th (tax day) has to have some reward attached.  This one is special, containing an idea with both pleasure and benefit.  Before moving to Oregon we had a spa (hot tub).  It was relaxing and very little trouble – mainly because we didn’t own it and it wasn’t our responsibility.  Along with the pool, it was the duty of the neighborhood community.   We all paid a part for its upkeep, repairs and twice weekly maintenance.   It was four houses down from ours and an easy few steps at noon or midnight.  Lovely.

When we moved to Oregon this house had a high-end Jacuzzi with covering cabana and a well-build sturdy deck surrounding it.  When I asked my husband Michael if he really liked Jacuzzis he said ‘sure do.’  And when I asked if we should keep it he said ‘absolutely.’   Then he quietly smiled and wryly said ‘as long as YOU are the one to maintain it.’   Hmmmm.  That seemed fair.  But my mind started to calculate: chemicals – yuck,  dirty water – yuck,  bugs – triple yuck.   Well, I am no fool.  So I replied ‘how about a sauna instead?’

Typical of us, we figured it would be a ‘fun’ DIY (do-it-yourself) project.  We are picky and like to change our minds about designs up until the last minute.   This time we decided to build the shell first and draw up plans to complete the actual interior of the sauna at a later time.   So far I just want to say – NOT FUN.  Nevertheless, our self-prescribed task is worth the effort due to the anticipated gains of Passive Heating that I will describe below.

Sauna Sauna everywhere, and not a drop to spare.

Okay, so by paraphrasing the ‘water water everywhere’ quotation I miss the point that a sauna is dry, right?  But my brain is really concentrating on the ‘not a drop to spare’ phrase – and here I mean time.  It does seem like it is ‘sauna sauna everywhere.’   Almost every free hour of the past three weeks has been spent planning, purchasing and starting this new home project.  And like ALL DIY ventures, it is a waaaaayyyyyy bigger job than it seems, especially for two people and particularly when one is less-than brawny (and I do refer to myself).    Now before you think ‘they are nuts,’ realize that one of my husband’s hobbies is wood-working.  OUR tools and HIS talents are numerous.  Additionally, as you strive to Age with Pizzazz, it is always nice to know you ‘still have it’ no matter whether it is a DIY venture or in any other context.   Perhaps we were a little more sore than we would have been 30 years ago – but not too much more.

The Rewards of Passive Heating

Back to the issue of benefit.  Passive Heating is not just accomplished by a sauna, and is available to all of us in one form or another.  This concept is old.  How old?  Who knows?  The Greeks promoted ‘hydrotherapy,’ pampering themselves with hot baths, more than 2,500 years ago.  While the Russians claim their “banya” or hot vapor bath competes with the beginning of the Finnish sauna; the former is probably about 1,000 years old while the Finnish ‘dry’ sauna (vs. steam) as we know it today is closer to 2,000 years old.  And then we have the ancient Native American sweat lodges (low domes with fire-heated stones in the middle and sometimes smoky due to spiritual rituals using tobacco).  It is hard to know the origins of the sweat lodge in reference to time.  No matter which people developed it first, they all existed because pleasure and benefit were derived from the heating.  But look up ‘passive heating’ on Google or Bing and you will probably have to flip through several pages of search results to find any reference that relates to humans (other than what humans have to pay for installing passive heating energy systems).

“Give me the power to create a fever, and I shall cure any disease.”
— Hippocrates
(he does mean ‘artificial’ fever here, mimicked by sweating)

I would guess that most people instinctively feel that warm water is (as Martha Stewart would put it) a ‘good thing.’   But is it?  Well, in a word, yes.  There are some warnings (see below) but for most of us it is one of a handful of things in life that is BOTH filled with pleasure and benefit.  So, like what?

Whether it be a sauna, steam room, Jacuzzi or just a hot bath it qualifies as passive heating and helps to unwind tense muscles, relieve stress and reduce pain.

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It aids in the reduction of neurotoxicity, according to Allan Lieberman, MD (Psychology Today) who when speaking about the mind (perception, mood and behavior) submits that opening up the pores detoxifies not only the body but the mind as well.  Thus whether we are longing for more mental clarity, well-being or emotional strength, passive heating may be restorative.

As heat both relaxes muscles and increases circulation, reducing small spasms near joints, it can ease arthritis pain.  According to Dr. William Arnold, a rheumatologist, this can be a beneficial relaxer, and an alternative therapy to stronger approaches. [i]

I saved my favorite for last.  It helps Sleep.   [And I  LOVE sleep – that wonderful rejuvenator.]   Cynthia Dorsey (psychologist) and associates have researched the effects of passive heating and sleep especially with older individuals at McLean Hospital in Belmont Massachusetts.   She advises that a hot bath may produce more deep sleep.  Most complaints of ‘lighter’ disturbed sleep seem to be triggered by the combination of both fractured sleep cycles and a decrease in SWS (slow-wave sleep).  Passive heating reduces these triggers.  Dr. Dorsey reports that the beneficial results of their study were found only with hot baths (approximately 105^◦  F) for about 30 minutes, up to an hour and half before sleep. The results were NOT found with lukewarm baths.  The key is to raise your temperature.   Dorsey has postulated that this elevation of core temperature may actually (although most likely temporarily) reset the 24-hour circadian sleep-wake rhythms.

It is hard to say (or at least I don’t know) if all passive heating has the same effect.  While a shower may not be quite as relaxing it will raise your temperature some if another source is not available to you.  [Exercise should not be the method of choice to raise your temperature at bedtime, as it is not passive and can stimulate your body and mind as well.]  Passive heating has even surpassed (or done comparably well to) over-the-counter sleep aids and questionable hormones like human growth hormone (HGH) sometimes touted for sleep disorders.   Another possible alternative (although not researched and hopefully not producing a surrounding environment hot enough to fall into the study category) is a gas fireplace.  At least you could give it a try if other options aren’t available. Sitting or standing close by for 30 minutes will increase your own temperature more than it does in the room around you.  And if you truly have no other way to accomplish an increase in core temperature you might try a moist heating pad.  I repeat that there is no research on this and I am extrapolating the idea, but used as directed it shouldn’t hurt.  You might consult with your healthcare-professional about pad placement, avoiding any kind of ulcerations or other personal internal/external conditions which could be exacerbated by or react poorly to heat.

Here is the Obligatory Caution.

Passive Heating (in the form of a sauna, hot tub or steam room) is not for everyone.  Sharp temperature rises can cause cardiac arrhythmia, so those with heart conditions are often warned against the benefits of passive heating since keeping cool is vital for them.  Other traditional warnings are for women who are pregnant and people struggling with diabetes or high blood pressure.   Folks in any of these groups might ask their physician before writing off the pleasures entirely.  Cutting hot passive heating in half, accompanied by drinking water during the heating phase and immediately cooling down in a quiet atmosphere before any activity or upright movement might satisfy your needs and concerns of your doctor.

Final Thoughts

One plug for a sauna’s dry heat is that paradoxically it doesn’t cause the skin to dry out like hot water does sometimes.  Although if you find your skin dries from hot water you can simply apply a moisturizing cream.  A second plug is for your own bath tub over a public or community hot tub — it can be more sanitary which is extra pleasing (and relaxing) to some bathers.  All forms have some advantage.

The bottom line is that Passive Heating is a wonderful elixir.   It is readily available, convenient and generally inexpensive.  Thus I look forward to my sauna (OOPS, well, they aren’t all inexpensive.)

I will give you some updates as it goes along.   Luckily we had the deck and the electric already in place since remember it had been a Jacuzzi spa area.  We have used T1-11 which is neat external siding that is heavy-duty with a nice texture and easy to finish with stain (or not).  Of course the project takes so much lumber that upon delivery it took hours just to re-stack it into a ‘holding’ pattern.  So the new muscle groups began their work.  I think they need some passive heating!

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Endnotes
[i] Arthritis Foundation’s Guide to Alternative Therapies, Longstreet Press 1999.

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