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Frequently Asked Questions | ||
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A: It uses ceramic heaters which naturally penetrate your body very efficiently. It penetrates the outer two inches only, and triggers your sweat glands to start functioning before your core body temperature goes up. That means you sweat profusely without feeling hot. Q: What is the Far Infrared part? A: Far Infrared is simply the band of the light spectrum where ceramic vibrates. Infrared means “Below Red” or just under the visible light part of the spectrum. Far means it’s at the far end of the infrared spectrum. It’s simply a technical name assigned to the function of the emitters. Basically the ceramic heaters operate the same as glass, or sand which has high silica content. These things reflect Far Infrared waves from the sun naturally, like heat coming through a window even though it’s freezing. Or the way the beach gets too hot to walk on with bare feet, but the grass next to it is cool. It’s a natural process. Water absorbs heat at the far infrared wavelength. If you were to place an ice cube on a ceramic plate, and another ice cube on a plastic plate, the one on the ceramic plate would melt in seconds, but the one on the plastic plate would take 20 minutes. It’s because water receives at the far infrared wavelength. So it’s absorbing room temperature very quickly on the F-I-R waves vibrating from the ceramic. Our bodies are mostly water, so we absorb on the far infrared wavelength too. When you heat the ceramic emitters, the room warms up and our bodies absorb that heat very qui ckly, and we sweat very efficiently. Q: How is it different from a “regular” sauna? A: Traditional Scandinavian style saunas use a high wattage heater, usually 7,000 – 10,000 watts, to heat the air in a small sauna room. (SaunaRay is less than 1,500 watts) When you breathe that air your lungs instantly heat up. Then your heart quickly starts pumping blood out to the extremities in order to trigger the sweat glands and cool down the core body temperature and protect the major organs. It’s a shock reaction. The fast heart rate is why heart patients can’t go into regular saunas. And that heat in the lungs is why asthmatics can’t go in. But they both go safely into a Far Infrared Sauna. A Far Infrared Sauna uses low-wattage heaters. Ideally 200 watts or less. (SaunaRay heaters are 160 watts each – the lower they are, the longer they stay in the critical range of 4-14 microns. A micron is tiny unit of measurement, in this case measuring the distance between the crest and the trough of a wave - or the “wavelength”.). The low wattage means the ceramic stays vibrating in the critical far infrared wavelength. The heat is absorbed by the outer two inches of your body. Your sweat glands are triggered to start working BEFORE THE CORE BODY TEMPERATURE GOES UP. This means you’re sweating before you feel hot. Q: Why is it better than a “regular” sauna? A: The high heat saunas shock the cardiovascular system. This was long thought to be good to strengthen the arteries (when used in conjunction with cold water at intervals). But that was really the only benefit. Most people can’t go in a high heat sauna for more than ten minutes. It’s not enough time to sweat significantly.In a high heat sauna the heart is shocked, the skin can go pink due to the fast circulation to the extremities, blood can pool in the ankles, and it is so hot in the lungs that many people complain of a “claustrophobic” feeling, or need to flee.The Far Infrared sauna is such low, soft and comfortable heat that virtually no one is sensitive to it. Even people traditionally advised to avoid sauna, ie. Heart patients, and asthmatics, have actually had their symptoms relieved in these saunas. You can set the temperature as low as 35 C, and leave the window open to ensure cool air in your lungs, but still get warm enough to break a sweat. Q: Why is all that sweating so good for you? A: Toxins we accumulate from everyday life are stored in our fat cells. Whatever your body can’t easily eliminate via the liver or the kidneys, it sends off to the fat cells for future elimination via sweat. But since we live sedentary lives and live in a cold climate and spend our summers in air conditioned rooms, we just don’t sweat enough. And since we live in a time of unprecedented chemical exposure, from air, water, and food, we need to assist our toxic elimination via sweating. It’s been proven in studies at the Mayo Clinic. SaunaRay has a doctor from Harvard Medical School working with it, as well as several doctors in the Toronto area who us it in their practices. The proof is with the hardest cases, like American soldiers exposed to Agent Orange who removed 97% of dioxins from their bodies by sweating for 6 weeks. That’s after carrying it for 20 years! A: Completely safe. It does not emit dangerous waves like Ultra Violet or Micro waves. Those are on the opposite side of the spectrum. Infra-Red simply means “Below Red” or “invisible” when practically applied to the description. When Campfire embers glow, they glow red, the rocks next to them are hot, but not red. Those are “Infra Red”. It’s a natural process, you’re just heating ceramic and letting the heat absorb into your skin.The heaters are protected by a ceramic coated caging that is child-safe to touch. Even when the heaters have been on for 12 hours! Q: Does it use a lot of electricity? A: No. Only about 8 cents an hour. It’s on a regular 110V household circuit and draws below 1500 Watts so it’s like a hair dryer, not like a regular sauna, or an air conditioner. A high heat sauna uses 7,000 – 10,000 watts and requires a 220V electrical outlet. SaunaRay plugs into any room of your home. A: No. You can feel the outer walls of a sauna that’s been on for two or three hours and see that it does not get warm on the outside. It’s safe to go onto any floor surface or against any wall. A: Cedar is associated with saunas because the high-heat saunas originated in Scandinavia where cedar was a plentiful wood. Also, it performs well in highly moist environments because it grows in swampy areas. But there is no moisture in these saunas so it’s not necessary. Also CEDAR IS NATURALLY TOXIC. It has a natural insecticide in it. It’s carried on that powerful cedar aroma. It is used for clothing chests and to line drawers and closets because it kills moths. That much neurotoxin volatilizing in a small room is not recommended. Also Cedar is now considered a Workplace Hazard by provincial workers compensation boards. It is not advised for this type of sauna. The oils can volatilize from the heaters and fill the room with cedar oils that are not good for you over long periods. A: Basswood. This is the least allergenic wood in North America. Nobone is allergic to Basswood. That’s one of the reasons doctors love our units. Also we use no plywood and no toxic glues of any sort. We finish it in Beeswax to ensure purity in the preservation process. Some cheaper imported units use Hemlock. This is a cheap wood that rots easily and is used for packing crates in Canada. Some higher end saunas charge a premium for Basswood, or for Poplar, which is also non-allergenic. But SaunaRay makes it standard for every unit at our standard low price. Q: What are the heaters made of? A: Pure ceramic. There is a hair-thin wire filament running through it. Our Pure ceramic heaters are made specifically for SaunaRay. They have a concave shape which allows the edges to fan-out the waves and the heat to cover a larger area. The Stainless steel reflectors are mirrored and made out of 100% surgical grade stainless steel. They reflect the far infrared heat even wider, ensuring a complete 360 degree coverage inside. You are surrounded by far infrared heat! Q: What type of ailments does it help?
A: SaunaRay Far Infrared Saunas are trusted by the top Medical Doctors and Naturopaths in Canada. They choose us over all the over types because of our attention to purity (No toxic materials used in construction) and our vast knowledge around how they are to be best utilized. Here is a partial list of our customers who are medical professionals.
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