Low-temperature saunas or steambaths are useful to eliminate fatsoluble chemicals from our systems. They are commonly used to help detoxify those who have had high exposure to pesticides, solvents, pharmaceutical drugs, and petrochemicals.

Slow, steady sweat encourages the release of fat-soluble toxins through the skin from their storage sites in our tissues. Most saunas and steambaths are set at temperatures too high to accomplish this, so be sure the dry sauna is set between 110 and 120° Fahrenheit and the steambath is at 110° Fahrenheit so you can stay in for at least forty-five minutes without getting too hot or chilled.

It is best to spend thirty to sixty minutes in a sauna or steam at least three to five times a week. Releasing toxins cannot be accomplished with higher heat or shorter amounts of time. The object is to sweat slowly and steadily. After you are done sweating, you must shower immediately afterward using a glycerin-based soap such as Neutrogena.

It will wash away the toxins and keep you from reabsorbing them. If you have extreme toxicity from environmental chemicals, you’ll need to detox under the supervision of a physician. The temporary release of toxins into your circulation can be quite severe and debilitating.

Some clinics specialize in using saunas for medical detoxification. In her excellent book, Poisoning Our Children, Nancy Sokol Green describes her experience in a detox clinic in depth:

“On the fourteenth day of detox, I started experiencing allergic symptoms, such as eyelid swelling, while I was in the sauna! . . . I was actually beginning to reek of the pesticides that had been sprayed in my home. . . . Several of the patients at the clinic who were sensitive to pesticides had to stay away from me as I triggered adverse reactions in them.”