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A search for sauna information in Yahoo!'s directory led us to listings in the non-commercial Saunas category and a separate sub-category dedicated specifically to Finnish Saunas. We browsed through diverse web sites selected by Yahoo! surfers and found a fascinating site called Sweat, containing text and photos excerpted from Mikkel Aaland's out-of-print 1978 book of the same name. It includes a section titled Sauna
& Health. Here we learned buckets about the physiology of perspiration: how sweating helps rid the body of wastes, regulates body temperature, and invigorates our largest organ, the skin. We read about the metabolic effects of sauna and sweat baths, the positive influence of negative ions released by steam, and the more subtle spiritual and social benefits of the sauna experience. There's even a page addressing Special Sauna Concerns for Women. We continued our browsing. At an informative site called simply The Finnish Sauna we found a page titled Sauna and
Your Health, which emphasizes that individual sauna reactions and experiences vary, as do temperature settings, length of stay, and frequency preferences. A column by holistic practitioner Dr. Andrew Weil confirms the benefits of sauna, but also offers some cautionary advice. Pregnant women, as well as bathers with high or low blood pressure, heart disease, or other special conditions, are advised to consult a physician before breaking a sweat. Saunas are also hazardous to individuals under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The president of the Finnish Sauna Society suggests that, "The idea is not to have the best sauna on the block, but to get the entire block in the sauna." Frankly, we're
not too sure if this will catch on in your part of the world.
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