Development of Far Infrared Sauna
For thousands of years, cultures throughout the world have enjoyed the many therapeutic benefits of saunas from the elaborate bath complexes of the Romans to the simple but effective sweat lodges structures of the Scandinavians. It was the Finns who first popularized the use of the Sauna in Europe. Their ancient religious ceremonies used it for mental, spiritual, and physical cleansing. In Finland the sauna has been a tradition for over 1000 years. In a country of approximately five million people, there are an estimated 700,000 saunas, one for every seven people. In fact, the sauna is credited for much of the rugged vitality and endurance of the Finnish people!
Similarly, Native Americans have used sweat lodges for cleansing and purifying since prehistoric times, recognizing the health benefits as well.
Dr. Ishikawa, a member of the Research and Development Department of Fuji Medical, received a patent for the first ceramic Infrared Thermal heater used in the first healin Infrared Thermal Systems. At this time, medical practitioners in Japan were the only ones using Infrared Thermal Systems and did so for 14 years before they were finally released for public use in 1979. This technique has been further refined into Infrared Thermal Systems that have now been sold in the United States since 1981. One use of Infrared heat in the U.S. has been in the form of panels used in hospital nurseries to warm newborns.
Over the last 25 years, Japanese and Chinese researchers and clinicians have completed extensive research on Infrared treatments and report many provocative findings. In Japan, there is an “Infrared Society” composed of medical doctors and physical therapists dedicated to further Infrared research. Their findings support the health benefits of Infrared Therapy as a method of healing.
There have been over 700,000 Infrared Thermal Systems sold in the Orient for whole-body treatments. An additional 30 million people have received localized Infrared treatments in the Orient, Europe, Australia and the United States with Infrared lamps. In Germany, physicians have used an independently developed form of Infrared Therapy for over 80 years.
More recently, Infrared heat has been used in cancer therapy, which is showing great promise here in the United States as well as Japan.
