Why are steam and sauna baths popular among weight reducers?

To a good many obese people, life is a constant battle of the bulge. Obese people are easy prey to all sorts of fads, gimmicks and gadgets. Most obese persons out of consideration for their health and their families would rather not weigh too much, and with all the best intentions they become victims of miracle cures and "health culture" business which thrives on calisthenics, dancercises, exercises and massage. The steam sauna baths are particularly popular, because they promise to melt fat away, catering to the wishful thinking on the part of the obese person.

Is it not true then that the steam and sauna baths ‘melt’ unwanted fat away?

The answer is an emphatic No. Fat in the body is present in the form of an oily liquid. How then can anybody in his wise senses ever think of melting body fat away which is already in a liquid state?

Consider the steam cabinet. You sit in a small cubicle that encloses you to the neck and steam plays on your naked body. The steam bath where you enter a room filled with steam ( moist heat). The sauna bath where you sit in a wood panelled room with a moist towel around your head and your naked body exposed to dry heat.

You emerge from the cabinet, steam or sauna bath, and depending on how long you have stayed inside, when you weigh yourself , you discover you are several kilos lighter than you were.

What has happened? Has the fat melted away, like sunshine melts snow? No. Then what have you lost? Water and nothing else. The steam and sauna have not melted your fat away. It has made you perspire and the perspiration loss brings down your weight. This weight loss lasts until you have drunk a few glasses of water.

My friends say that the steam and sauna baths help them to relax, so much so that they say that they are addicted to it. Is this true?

Yes. The steam and sauna baths for some people can prove addicting. The alternate hot and cold jets aid physical and mental relaxation and that is why one gets addicted to steam and sauna baths. Well this may be true but once you understand the scientific basis of this pleasant and relaxed feeling, don’t be surprised if you are shocked out of your dangerous addiction to steam and sauna baths.

When the body is subjected to the heat of the steam or sauna bath, the blood vessels of the body surface dilate (expand diametrically) and the flow of blood to these ‘peripheral’ blood vessels rapidly increases. The blood flow to the brain consequently decreases. The decrease in blood flood to the brain, in turn, leads to a decrease in the ‘thought’ or ‘thinking’ process. A somewhat transquilizing effect sets in. One experiences relief from tension and anxiety and feels relaxed and light-headed. No wonder then that a person enjoying a steam or sauna bath gets addicted to it. Unfortunately getting addicted to the steam and sauna baths is medically harmful and sometimes dangerous.

So what is the harm in getting addicted to steam and sauna bath?

Even though you enjoy taking steam and sauna bath think before indulging yourself. The enjoyment could prove risky and endanger your health and well-being.

What are the health risks of steam and sauna baths?

Steam and sauna baths lead to dehydration. The heat makes you sweat a lot and in the process important salts are lost. Sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, zinc and iron are literally sweated out.

People believe that drinking water before and after entering a sauna bath prevents dehydration. The truth is that no amount of plain water intake can replace loss of vital body salts and the danger of dehydration due to this ignorant belief persists. The medical fact is that only water containing electrolytes ( i.e. sodium, potassium etc.) and not plain water can prevent dehydration.

Another notion is that steam and sauna cleanse the body of waste materials. This is false. There is no evidence to suggest that sweat contains toxins.

Proponents claim that the steam and sauna baths help to increase the metabolic rate in a person, which in turn reduces excess fat. No doubt, the profuse sweating raises the metabolic rate of the body. But this rise in the metabolic rate is far too less to cause any significant fat loss in an obese person. The important question is "whether it is wise and justified to subject your body to serious consequences on health for such a meagre and insignificant gain?"

The more serious and direct consequence is that sweating causes the blood volume to decrease, blood pressure to fall and circulation of body tissues to decline. The blood circulation is impaired and consequently oxygen supply to vital body tissues also reduces. Dizziness, nausea and weakness are common symptoms.

The very art of removing water from the body is medically wrong. It is highly risky and damages the body as large proportions of water lost through sweating comes from the blood. Circulatory capacity is adversely affected, as sweat loss progresses and is manifested by a decrease in circulating blood volume, compensatory increase in heart rate and decrease cardiac output.

A serious and much more tragic consequence is the adverse effect of extreme heat on the sperm production by testes ( spematogenesis) in an obese male. The testes descend, at birth, from the abdominal cavity into the scrotal sac lying outside and below the abdominal cavity. This is the way nature has intended , as the temperature in the scrotal sacs is much lower compared to the higher temperature in the abdominal cavity. A higher temperature is not conducive to proper sperm production by the testes. Statistical studies have shown that , as it is, the sperm production is hampered in an obese male. An additional tax imposed on the testes in the form of extreme heat of the sauna, over a period of time can be detrimental and cause a severe decrease in sperm count ( Oligozoospermia) leading to infertility (inability to reproduce) in such an unfortunate male , who otherwise could have been a happy parent.

A common experience felt by persons especially the obese regularly visiting the steam and sauna bath is that they get relief from joint pains and arthritis. According to Dr. Nitin Gajjar, M.S. (Bom), qualified in Hand Surgery ( U.S.A.) and present attached to M. G.M. Hospital, Bombay, " the same relief can be obtained by simple hot fomentation of the painful joints using , a hot water bag or electrically heated commercially available pads. These simple household remedies are far cheaper and above all saves one from the dangerous consequences of steam and sauna baths."

Among other dangers of frequent steam and sauna baths is the thermal stimulation leading to excessive sweating. Experimentally, after such prolonged periods of secreting, the affected sweat glands fatigue. Ultimately this leads to development of ‘Milaria’, commonly called prickly heat.

Fungal infections of skin are also common after sauna bath, the commonest being Tenia Versicolor, which appears as white patches on the body. Sauna baths have a drying effect on the skin. The Subsequent increased friction and sweating in skin folds encourage bacterial and fungal infections.

Are there any dangers of Jacuzzis?/font>

Yes. Communal use of Jacuzzis may result in what is called Folliculitis i.e. inflammation of hair follicles, eight to forty-eight hours after exposure. The condition can be very painful in people with sensitive skin.

They why these clubs called ‘Health Clubs’?

A health club is so called because it involves activities towards gaining fitness and positive health such as a workout in a gymnasium, an occasional steam or sauna bath, scientific massage, etc.

The health club by no means is a resort of the obese person for shedding extra kilos of fat. In fact indulgence into the activities of the health club may prove unhealthy and dangerous to the obese person. For example, heavy exercise, weight lifting, strenuous workouts etc. at the health club gymnasium may overload and exert an already overburdened heart sometimes proving fatal ( see chap. on exercise).

Vigorous massages mechanical vibrators may lead to multiple hemorrhages (bleeding) in fatty tissue and damage to abdominal organs. Steam and sauna as explained do not melt the fat away.

The concept of "The Health Club’ is purely western particularly from countries having extremely cold climate, sometimes touching sub-zero temperatures.

In these countries a Health Club serves two basic functions :

One : The Health Club provides a healthy alternative for indoor physical activity as outdoor activities such as long and brisk walks recommended for the, healthy and the obese alike are severely restricted due to cold climatic conditions. In India no such harsh climatic conditions exist. Outdoor physical activities can be very easily undertaken. The fresh air and sunlight are an additional advantage.

Two : As a result of extreme cold climate, the surface area of skin is much reduced, the skin pores are tightly closed and vital skin functions such as flow from sweat glands and sebum (oil) from sebaceous glands is reduced. We all know that the skin is the largest organ of our body. All organs of the body should be scientifically made to function to their fullest physiological capacity to provide good health. For example, deep breathing is beneficial for lung function, mild to moderate exercise within individual physical capacity is beneficial for the heart function, drinking plenty of water helps to flush the kidneys etc.

Similarly it is important to ensure necessary functioning of the skin. As mentioned earlier in countries with cold climate sometimes touching sub zero temperatures, the pores of the skin require to be opened by subjecting the body to the occasional high temperature of a sauna bath ( upto 200 o F).The skin is thus scientifically assisted to pour out sweat and sebum (oil) as a healthy physiological activity and hence the name "Health Club."

Now in India, the skin is already functioning optimally in the majority of the population. The skin pores are sufficiently open to allow proper functioning of sweat and sebaceous glands. The extreme heat of the sauna bath would then forcefully overwork the skin functions and may even damage the delicate skin structures, dilating the skin pores beyond repair even if the body is subjected to chilled showers recommended to close the skin pores after a sauna bath.

The overall effect is that there could be premature ageing and sagging and undesired wrinkling of skin and damage to hair.

According to Dr. Sanjeev Mulekar, M.D., D.V.D. (Bom.) practicing Skin specialist, "Obese persons are more susceptible to these particular dangers of steam and sauna baths as their skin pores even under normal circumstances are likely to be dilated more than persons of normal weight : (i) in order to maintain body temperature, through excessive sweating and (ii) due to over stretching of skin caused by excessive fatty tissue present underneath it."

Are there any precautions to be observed on entering the sauna bath?

If you decide on taking a sauna bath then it would be advisable to strictly understand certain precautions on entering the sauna bath. This little understanding may prevent the possibility of an uncalled-for situation.

ENTER THE SAUNA BATH WITH YOUR HEAD COVERED WITH A MOIST TOWEL.
The extreme heat, approx. 200o F of the sauna bath ( Human Body temperature average being 98.4o F ), acting directly on the head may upset the delicate temperature regulating centre situated in the hypothalamic region of the brain. This may lead to ‘Heat Stroke ‘ in a susceptible person whose head is not protected with a moist towel and the person may collapse.

NEVER BE ALONE IN A SAUNA BATH.
In a very susceptible person, there is an extreme chance that a heat stroke may occur even after covering the head with a moist towel. Sometimes somebody may collapse due to sudden lowering of blood pressure brought in by excessive sweating and loss of precious salts from the body. In case of such an eventuality, the other people present in the sauna bath at that time could easily come to the rescue of such an unfortunate individual.

NEVER LIE DOWN WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED IN A SAUNA BATH.
If a person is lying down with his eyes closed in a sauna bath and if he happens to suffer a eat stroke or feel weak and giddy due to sudden lowering of blood pressure brought on by excessive sweating and loss of precious salts, then his condition would go unnoticed to the other people present in the sauna bath at that time. But if the victim were to be sitting or standing at the time when he felt giddy or when he suffered heat stroke, then his unsure and unstable movements or sudden collapse , as the case may be, would act as a warning to others present in the sauna bath who could come to his rescue at once.

Will not massage squeeze away fat?

Massage by hand, using oil or powder or by devices such as vibrator belts and rollers have no role in the removal of unwanted fat. There is no evidence or scientific proof whatsoever that massage of any type, can be effective as a reducing measure.

It will not reduce fat. It will not increase muscular strength. It will not cause significant change, in basal metabolic rate. Neither does a massage squeeze away fat deposits nor does it make fat to migrate. In fact vigorous massage leads to multiple hemorrhages (bleeding ) in fatty tissue.

Occasionally in an inactive, sedentary, grossly obese person the muscle of the abdomen may deteriorate and greatly increase the chances of developing a serious condition called ‘ptosis’. In ptosis, the abdominal wall collapses, leaving unsupported such vital organs as the kidneys and the intestines. If you embark on to the vibrator belts or rollers and, unhappily are unaware of your condition called ptosis, it is conceivable that you might end up causing serious damage to your abdominal organs.

This is of course, an extreme possibility, but even then the possibility does exist and cannot be simply dismissed.

Massage has real important values but not for reducing. After much fat has been lost from the entire body, then gentle manual massage may aid in restoring elasticity to sagging skin.

What is your opinion about Health Farms and Nature Cure Centres ?

If you have a serious and chronic weight problem, or for that matter, any other chronic disease you are suffering from and wish to seek the help of a Health Farm or a Nature Cure Centre, then you must keep the following things in mind :

1. Understand the science and the principles involved in the working of these centres towards affecting a relief or cure for your ailment.
2. Give these centres ample time, patience and co- operation to treat you, especially so , since your problem is a chronic one.
3. Once treated stand committed to rigidly follow on a life-long basis,the suggestions such as appropriate change in life style, modification in eating and drinking habits, exercises etc. as expected by these institutions. These suggestions help you to maintain positive health once you are back home.

Remember if your problem is a chronic one and if you are under the impression that a stay of a week or two at such a centre will once and for all, rid you of your disease - then you are under a wrong impression because a week or two is too short a time to set right the fault inner mechanisms of your body to give a life time free of any chronic disease.

Even if you do succeed in finding relief from your problem and yet back home fail to adhere to the suggestions of these institutions then the disease will gradually grip you again.

It is small wonder then that the majority of people attending , these institutions without genuine commitment, find themselves back to square one with a self opined judgement and a sigh of despair, "Nothing works for me !"