At-Home Hyperthermia Treatments
Hyperthermia involves artificially creating fever in the body for the purpose of boosting immune function. Hyperthermia can be a highly effective method of eliminating toxins and heavy metals, as well as infectious bacteria and viruses that cannot survive in elevated body temperatures. Additionally, sweating is very cleansing for the body’s largest eliminative organ, the skin. Because of its power to detoxify, some holistic practitioners, especially Naturopathic Doctors, make hyperthermia a central feature of their treatment protocol. Hyperthermia can be done occasionally as an immune boosting home treatment, or in conjunction with a specific cleanse. It is also possible to combine hyperthermia with long periods of bed rest as part of a deeper detoxifying protocol.
What follows are several at-home hyperthermia treatments. Please seek the advice of your alternative health care practitioner before undergoing these sweat-inducing procedures to make sure they are appropriate for you.
One effective at-home hyperthermia treatment involves soaking in a hot bath. Heat the water to the highest temperature you can tolerate, without scalding your skin. Soak in the bath for twenty minutes while sipping warm water, to which 2,000 mg of vitamin C has been added. As soon as you get out of the bath, dry off quickly, then get into bed and cover yourself with blankets. Women should place a hot water bottle below their breasts, while men should place it over the liver, which is on the right side of the body, just below the rib cage. Remain under the covers for 20 to 30 minutes. Repeat this procedure up to three times daily in extreme cases, drinking plenty of pure water between baths. This treatment causes a natural fever response and profuse sweating that helps to eliminate toxins and destroy harmful microorganisms.
It is also possible to produce a mild fever with a hot bath and dry blankets afterward. Allow several hours to perspire heavily. Follow with a cool shower. Drink plenty of purified, tepid water during and after the bath.
A slightly faster method for inducting artificial body fever is a wet sheet pack. There is no tub to clean, nor is there a need to further purify water if you already have a quality shower filter installed. After a ten minute hot shower or bath, wrap yourself in a very cold, wet sheet, then cover up with several blankets. Like the dry pack, it could take up to several hours to produce a fever. Used for quick stimulation of the immune system, wet sheet pack is a popular protocol used in Naturopathic medicine.
One of the most effective and recent methods of hyperthermia are saunas that use far-infrared (FIR) energy. Infrared saunas elevate the body’s temperature while directing far-infrared energies three inches deep inside the body. This not only helps to destroy harmful microorganisms, but it also helps fatty tissues to release stored toxins, making far-infrared treatments one of the most effective methods of detoxification for heavy metals, pesticides, and other chemicals. Among FIR’s many benefits is pain relief because it causes temporary inflammation, which, unlike chronic inflammation, is actually beneficial for pain relief, especially in cases of injury, such as muscle strain. FIR has also been shown to improve oxygen and nutrient delivery to the body’s soft tissues, and to improve the overall function of the lymphatic system. A daily 20-30 minute session inside a FIR sauna can produce dramatic improvements in overall health, including pain symptoms, over time.
Other more “high-tech” methods of hyperthermia are also available, such as short-wave or microwave diathermy (the use of high frequency current to generate heat in a part of the body), ultrasound, radiant heating, and extra-corporeal heating (heat administered from a source outside the body). Although effective, these methods are only available from a certified health care professional in a medical or hospital setting.