As I write this blog article, the entire planet seems to be over reacting to fear of the Coronavirus. I get it. The media needs to sell tickets and the Coronavirus is the show. I am not trying to make light of the situation, but common sense needs to prevail. (On a positive side note, right now is probably one of the best times to invest in the stock market!)
Nevertheless, what can we do to be a part of the Coronavirus solution and not just another knee-jerk reaction to hysteria created by the media hype?
Listen to voices of reason.
In the words of New York Governor Cuomo in a CNN interview regarding the Coronavirus, “Anxiety has outpaced reality”. The reality is that more than 80% of those who are infected will have a mild case and the symptoms will go away on their own.
What we can do is take a couple of simple steps as individuals and participate in the solution rather than become victims to the overblown punditry. After wading through all of the BS, it becomes clear that there are two things that we can easily control.
We all should (1) increase our level of hygiene and (2) incorporate immunity building practices into our daily routines. Elevating cleanliness by increased hand washing and by doing everything else we can to sanitize is a very important first step. Improving our ability to ward off disease through building up our immune system is the all important step two.
The use of infrared heat can help with step two.
Heat has been used for therapy since ancient times and the benefits of heat has been known for centuries back to the dawn of recorded history. The ancient Greek philosopher and father of metaphysics, Parmenides is credited with the following quote in the 6th century B. C. : “Give me the power to produce fever, and I'll cure all disease.”
Heat is not a cure for everything, but incorporating infrared sauna heat with exercise certainly helps to strengthen your immune system. Infrared sauna use by itself can benefit immune systems, but adding exercise to an infrared sauna session can take it to another level. Personally, I have noticed that when I am working out 4 to 5 times per week in the HOTWORX sauna, I am way less susceptible to catching colds. While others are coughing all around me, I am able to power through it with a better than average immune system.
When the body heats up during an infrared sauna session, the heart rate increases causing a relaxing of muscle cells to accelerate blood flow and cellular oxygenation. This promotes more white blood cell production which improves immune functions and can work to fight off a virus. Studies have shown that exercise may improve white blood cell production as well.
According to one Finnish study of single session sauna use: “sauna bathing stimulated the immune system to a higher degree in the group of athletes compared to the untrained subjects.”¹ This would suggest that people who are more fit tend to benefit even more from sauna use.
Everyone should remain diligent, but know that cool heads will prevail as we move through this health crisis. Take on the common sense, two step prevention strategy as a response to the Coronavirus:
Fight back with (1) more cleanliness and a (2) boosted immune system! 💪🏽🔥
