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Regular Sauna Users May Have Fewer Chronic Diseases (reuters.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: People who visit the sauna frequently may be less likely to develop heart and lung diseases or to get the flu than those who rarely go, a research review suggests. One study in the current analysis, for example, found that going to the sauna at least four times a week was associated with a roughly 50 percent lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease or coronary heart disease. This study included 2,315 people and also linked regular sauna use to a 40 percent lower risk of premature death from all causes. Another study in the analysis compared the effects of using the sauna for 19 minutes versus 11 minutes. In this study, longer sauna sessions were linked to a 17 percent lower risk of premature death from all causes, as well as a 36 percent lower chance of death from heart disease.
In a third study in the analysis, with 1,621 participants, using the sauna at least four times weekly was tied to a 47 percent lower risk of developing high blood pressure than going once weekly. Yet another study linked at least four weekly sauna visits with about 66 percent lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease than going just once a week. Two other studies found going to the sauna at least four times a week associated with a 41 percent lower risk of respiratory diseases and a 37 percent lower chance of pneumonia than going once weekly. The authors reported their findings in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
In a third study in the analysis, with 1,621 participants, using the sauna at least four times weekly was tied to a 47 percent lower risk of developing high blood pressure than going once weekly. Yet another study linked at least four weekly sauna visits with about 66 percent lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease than going just once a week. Two other studies found going to the sauna at least four times a week associated with a 41 percent lower risk of respiratory diseases and a 37 percent lower chance of pneumonia than going once weekly. The authors reported their findings in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
So many are wrongly commenting that this only proves that rich persons are healthier than poor. These studies were made in Finland. In Finland we have about 3 million saunas and a population of about 5 million. It means we have pretty much one sauna for each household. We in Finland are crazy about our saunas and both rich and poor go to sauna. You have to search for a very long time to find even one house without sauna or access to a sauna. All new houses do have saunas and the older houses often have a separate sauna building on the back yard.
In Finland we do not have much homeless people at all. Those very, very few we have are it by own choice because our social system makes sure everybody got a place to live. Finland it quite unique in this regard, even among the Nordic countries. If you have problems (drugs, alcohol, unemployment, depression, whatever) and you are not able to pay for own living, you get it for free. It is like the motto would be "first a place to live, then we try to fix your other problems".
In Finland sauna is nothing you happen to visit just after some exercise. Instead it is a way to relax and both fat and thin, young and old are going to sauna just because it feels so good.