Sweat Lodge Health Benefits

With the recent deaths in a tragic sweat lodge incident, the safety practices and health benefits of the places have been called into question. Although we have this new lens from which to look at sweat lodges, it’s also good to examine the supposed advantages of them. Since ancient times, people have entered sweat lodges to endure high heat, but only recently did researchers find that this might be one effective technique to improve health and mental well-being. The skin is the largest detoxification organ in the human body, since about 30 percent of a person’s toxic waste is excreted through the skin. A sweat lodge accelerates and increases this process to rid the body of chemicals and pollutants. According to one measure, healthy kidneys would take an entire day to get rid of the same heavy metals that one sweat lodge can do in a much shorter period of time. Some other scientists say that heat stress detoxification is the only way to successfully remove fat-stored toxins from the body. It can also get rid of chemicals like DDE and dioxins from fat cells as well. Psychologically, one researcher found that people in sweat lodges reported more relaxation and stress relief after a sweat lodge experience.