What is Far Infrared Therapy and How Does It Work
Some of you reading this may have heard the term “far-infrared therapy” before, but there are likely many of you that haven’t. Even if you have heard of it, you’re probably wondering, “What is far-infrared therapy and how does far-infrared therapy work?” Don’t worry; you’re not alone. These are common questions. And we have the answers.
In this blog post, both of these questions and hopefully any other ones you have will be answered! So, let’s start with the basics.
What is Far Infrared Therapy?
Before we address the question “what is far-infrared therapy?” we should first go over what infrared radiation is in general. Infrared radiation is the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that has a greater wavelength than visible light (it lies right above the wavelength of red light) but has a weaker wavelength than microwaves. It is often called infrared light, but don’t be fooled—it cannot be seen by the naked eye. In fact, infrared light can only be felt as heat!
Infrared radiation has a wavelength of 15 micrometers to 1 millimeter (or 1,000 micrometers). This obviously covers a wide range. The subset of infrared that we will be focusing our attention on is far-infrared light. There are also near and mid-infrared, but these forms of infrared radiation don’t offer as many health benefits as far-infrared.
Infrared light was discovered in the year 1800 by British scientist William Herschel when he conducted an experiment to measure the temperature of different wavelengths of visible light. He placed thermometers to each color of visible light that shined through a prism and also placed two thermometers past each end of the light spectrum. Oddly enough, he found that the thermometer placed beyond red light had the highest temperature. He had discovered infrared light.
Scientists later discovered that infrared light, specifically far-infrared light, has great potential as a form of therapy to alleviate discomfort in the body. Today, far-infrared therapy is a common treatment for a variety of ailments and conditions as far-infrared is believed to offer the most amount of wellness advantages when compared to other wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum.
How Far Infrared Therapy Works
Do you remember in your elementary school science class when your teacher taught you that the mitochondria were the powerhouse of your cells? Well, most people commonly think that only food and nutrients can provide energy to mitochondria. But, as it turns out, far-infrared can do this too since mitochondria have photoreceptors that can convert this heat into energy.
Think about it this way; the same way that plants convert sunlight into energy through photosynthesis, mitochondria can do the same with far-infrared light. The difference lies in the fact that plants rely on sunlight to survive, while human cells mostly rely on energy from food. Regardless, far-infrared therapy can give our cells and, in turn, our body the extra energy it needs to function at its best!
What Are Far Infrared’s Wellness Benefits?
So, what are the health benefits you can receive from far-infrared therapy? Well, there are actually quite a few. But the main ones we will cover are:
- Alleviation of pain and inflammation
- Back neck pain relief
- Arthritis and joint relief
- Detoxification and improved circulation
- Reduction of chronic fatigue symptoms
- Allergy relief
Let’s take a closer look at each of these benefits in a little more detail.
Alleviation of Pain and Inflammation
Far-infrared therapy is capable of temporarily reducing pain and inflammation in our muscles and tissues. Because it is technically heated, far-infrared light can raise the temperature of the body. This helps relax muscles and allows higher amounts of oxygen to be absorbed, resulting in relief from pain.
Regarding inflammation, one research study that was conducted found that far-infrared treatment reduces and inhibits the presence of IL-6 and TNF-α in rats, both of which are chemicals that are related to inflammation. All of this information goes to show that far-infrared therapy is more effective than regular heating pads at not only relaxing the body but reducing pain and inflammation.
Lower Back Relief
Pain and stiffness in the lower back is not an uncommon health issue. And the worst part about lower back pain is that it tends to cause pain elsewhere in the body, such as in your upper back, shoulders, and neck. Luckily enough, far-infrared therapy is a great way to loosen tension and provide relief for your back.
A study into office workers with lower back pain found that far-infrared therapy that was specifically applied to their back showed significant clinical improvements. The study also found that workplace productivity in these workers was increased by reducing the limitation of lower back pain.
Further research has been conducted into those suffering from chronic back pain for over six years. The results of this study found that after seven weeks of far-infrared treatment, participants showed on average a 50% decrease in pain levels for their chronic back pain. These studies, among many others, validate the effectiveness of far-infrared therapy for lower back pain.
Arthritis and Joint Relief
There are many forms of arthritis and practically every single one of them can limit your daily life. Whether you have arthritis in your hands, back, legs, arms, or wherever—far-infrared therapy has been a proven tool for relief.
One study conducted with 18 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 18 patients with ankylosing spondylitis (a rare form of spinal arthritis) found that their symptoms of pain and stiffness were immediately and significantly reduced. They also reported reduced symptoms of fatigue following treatment. This is just another incredible health benefit that is provided by far-infrared therapy!
Detoxification and Improved Circulation
Using far-infrared therapy is an effective, natural way to cleanse your blood and detoxify your body. This has powerful benefits for overall wellness such as energy levels, mood, and mental clarity. Furthermore, far-infrared heat is capable of temporarily enhancing the circulatory system.
A study into foot circulation in diabetic patients found that the application of far-infrared light resulted in positive effects on temperature, pulse, and blood flow in arteries of the foot. This study finds that far-infrared therapy not only offers benefits for circulation but also shows that it can reduce symptoms of diabetes as well.
Reduction of Chronic Fatigue Symptoms
Chronic fatigue syndrome can feel like a weight on your mind and body that’s constantly pulling you down. Those who suffer from it typically feel lethargic and tired, experience sore throats and headaches, and can even have problems with memory and coordination.
Far-infrared therapy can help reduce these awful symptoms and bring energy into fatigued patients’ lives. A 2-person study found that far-infrared heat therapy dramatically reduced fatigue, pain, sleep problems after only 15 to 25 sessions. Even though the study was only conducted with 2 participants, it still shows a promising sign that far-infrared therapy can be an effective treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome.
Allergy relief
Seasonal allergies may not be the most dangerous health condition you can experience, but it can certainly be an uncomfortable and unpleasant one. It can cause inflammation, headaches, a runny nose, and more.
There are many OTC medications you can take to reduce seasonal allergies, but utilizing far-infrared therapy is a completely natural form of treatment. A study into far-infrared therapy and seasonal allergies found that treating patients suffering allergy symptoms experienced improvements with eye itching, nasal itching and stuffiness, and sneezing; highlighting just another way that far-infrared therapy is a powerful health and wellness solution!
What is the Best Way to Receive Far Infrared Therapy?
There are dozens of products on the market that can provide far-infrared therapy. Some may be more convenient than others, while others may be more expensive. Some far-infrared products may even be dangerous! That is why HealthyLine has always been committed to making the safest and most effective far-infrared mats at a practical price.
HealthyLine far-infrared heated mats come in all sizes, but our full-body sizes provide the most benefits. This is because every inch of your body can absorb the refreshing benefits of far-infrared rays. The far-infrared heat is naturally emitted by natural gemstones that release negative ions as well.
Negative ions provide even more health and wellness benefits, such as increased serotonin levels and improvement to lung function. Some of our mats also feature PEMF therapy, an advanced magnetic therapy that amplifies the effects of far-infrared heat, among other things.
There are certainly other far-infrared mats out there, so why is HealthyLine the best? Many of those other mats use cheap materials and can be dangerous to your health. For example, a lot of other brands’ heated wiring releases harmful EMFs. EMFs, or electromagnetic fields, can damage your body and could potentially lead to health concerns. At HealthyLine, we take the precautions to prevent that by using protective copper wiring that stops EMFs from being released into your body.
So, if you’re going to get a far-infrared mat, there’s no better choice than HealthyLine!
Concluding Far Infrared Therapy
After reading this blog post, I hope it has become clear that far-infrared therapy is a powerful, versatile, and effective therapeutic solution that can be used for a variety of ailments you may be experiencing. The questions of “what is far-infrared therapy and how does far-infrared therapy work?” can be pretty confusing at first, but I’m sure this blog post has given you some great information.
So, introduce far-infrared therapy into your life with HealthyLine!
