Is it helpful to use an infrared sauna if you have Crohn’s disease or colitis? YES. The only caveat is that if you are malnourished/underweight you should only exercise for 5-10 minutes at a time as this may result in weight loss.
Most natural health practices have infrared saunas for a fee, but you can of course buy your own if you want. I bought my own a few years ago and my whole family loves it – it really helps us get through the winter. In any case, make sure that the sauna you use meets the following specifications:
- Ceramic heating element
- Glass windows – no plastic
- Solid wood only – there is some debate as to whether cedar wood is a good idea or not as it releases terpenes (volatile oils) when heated. Some say this is harmful to the lungs, others say it is beneficial.
- Low EMF/EMR radiation levels
If you’re sensitive to microwave radiation, you can’t trust the manufacturer’s claims – you’ll actually have to put your radiation meter in the sauna while it’s running and see what reading you get.
If you’re very cold or cold in the winter, an infrared sauna can warm you from the inside out – and the extra warmth lasts a long time. If you’ve been injured while playing sports or in an accident, an infrared sauna can help you heal in literally half the time.
I think it is most useful for people with IBD (Crohn’s disease, colitis, diverticulitis) as a therapy that promotes health and detoxification at a cellular level. But again, make sure you go slow and gentle to avoid detoxifying too quickly and causing a flare-up.
Infrared Sauna Detox for IBD
Try having three sessions per week in an infrared sauna to promote cleansing and flushing out toxins and drug residue stored in both fat and blood. Use the first week to ramp up:
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- Session one – 5 minutes
- Session two – 7 minutes
- Session three – 10 minutes
After that, do 10-20 minutes per session, depending on how long it feels good for you. If it feels like too much, do less. You can also start with just one sauna per week for the first one or two months – even one session makes a big difference!
Shower after every sauna session (best if you have a chlorine filter on the shower head) and rub your skin all over with a loofah, body brush or washcloth – this will further stimulate your lymph, blood circulation and detoxification pathways.
You can experiment with the heat setting and see at what temperature your body starts sweating. This is to help you understand the difference between traditional saunas (outdoor heat) and infrared saunas (indoor heat): https://www.radianthealthsaunas.com/what-is-far-infrared-sauna/
Detox supplements
If you also tolerate an herbal liver cleanse, use the following supplements to rid your liver of toxins and medication residue. You can also reduce the dosage here and start very small, observe how your body behaves and gradually increase the dosage over time. It is always better to go slowly and take longer and avoid overwhelming the body (negative reaction).
Add some hot water or herbal tea in the morning:
In the afternoon or evening (or alternating days), add to either 8 ounces of filtered water or to one of your juice blends:
Chlorophyll has a blood purifying effect, but also helps if you suffer from anemia or are prone to anemia. It tastes quite nice/mild.
Daily raw juice
If you can tolerate raw juice in any amount (even just a shot glass), start drinking it daily or every other day. You can make a batch of juice and freeze it in ice cube trays. If you can only tolerate 1-2 cubes per day, that’s great!
If you don’t have a high-quality juicer that preserves the live enzymes in the juice, you’ll need to purchase one. Recommended juicers include Green Star and Omega. If you want to include the fiber, Magic Bullet and Vitamix work great.
It’s great if you can get your whole family to drink these juice blends as they are only beneficial. If you’re squeamish about drinking vegetable juices, add a few extra apples and/or sweet oranges to any mix as this will make it fruitier and tastier.
Shopping list: Carrots, kale, spinach, apples, oranges, beets, celery, parsley and fennel (all certified organic). These recipes are surprisingly delicious, even my kids like them.
Juice Blend #1 – Go Green:
A handful of parsley
2 kale leaves
A handful of spinach
2 apples (cut into wedges)
Juice Blend #2 – Liver Tonic:
2 kale leaves
1 stick of celery
1 turnip
2 carrots
2 apples
Juice Mixture No. 3 – Hormone Helper:
1 small fennel
2 stalks of celery
1 orange (peeled and seeded)
2 apples (cut into wedges)
Juicing Guidelines: Wash all ingredients before juicing. Put the leaves in first, roll or bundle them, then press them through with a wedge of carrot or apple. Always save something hard (carrots, apples, beets) for the last pieces to be juiced, as this ensures that everything that comes before has been thoroughly juiced. Of course, if you’re using a Vitamix, just throw everything in and blend!
Remember that with any intestinal disorder, the key is to avoid a flare-up. So really listen to your body and go as slowly as you need. You are also welcome to only use certain parts of the detox methods listed here. It’s all good! Your body knows exactly what it needs and what it can handle – listen to your gut feeling.
Jini Patel Thompson is an internationally recognized expert in natural healing for digestive diseases. She healed herself from widespread Crohn’s disease and has been medication and surgery free for over 25 years. Jini has appeared on numerous podcasts, TV and radio shows in the US, UK, Canada and Australia, giving people hope and vision on how to heal their colitis, Crohn’s disease, diverticulitis and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) using all-natural methods. Her books on natural healing of digestive diseases have been sold in over 80 countries worldwide. Jini is married and has three children, nine sheep, 11 horses, a cat and three dogs.
