Slowly but surely, toxins are taking little snippets of our lifespan away every single moment of every day. Our longevity as well as quality of life is under a relentless assault. Periodic detoxification is an absolute necessity in a world filled with contaminates, pollutants and poisons that envelpe us. Harmful toxins and poisons unfortunately exist in the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe and even exist on the clothes on our backs.

All environmental toxins are suspected of playing a major role in a plethora of diseases. Toxins have been linked to diseases and conditions such as cancer, arthritis, immune system disorder, autism, fibromyalgia, cardiovascular diseases, bronchitis and Alzheimer's disease to name a few. Toxins that have invaded our bodies come from a variety of sources, including industrial pollutants, pesticide residue, food additives and heavy metals. The absolute need to cleanse our systems of these unwanted and harmful invaders is critical to our overall health and well being.

The debate on what is the best method of detoxification has raged for many years and will continue to do so well after this article is written. A popular detoxification method is known as chelation therapy wherein enzyme preparations are injected into the bloodstream in order to bind with toxins and eliminate them.

Fasting is another very popular method of detoxification, either alone or in combination with herbal therapies and mineral preparations. Detoxification through fasting allows the digestive and excretion system to relax and slowly eliminate toxins that have built up over years of abuse. Many people on a fasting detox are amazed at an increase in energy levels due to the easing of stress on the digestive process. You may only be required to fast and undergo body cleansing for a few days because anything longer may cause health problems.

The sauna is an effective and popular method of detoxification that works by cleansing the body through the production of heat and sweat. The use of a sauna is by far the most pleasant method used to eliminate toxins from your system. Imagine yourself immersed in an invigorating blanket of warmth, gently sweating away toxins and poisons.

A wide-range of health benefits are realized from the use of a sauna, which provides detoxification through both wet and dry heat sessions of treatment. The history of the first saunas can be traced back to the creation of the Finnish variety, which is still a popular blueprint for the construction and use of some of the saunas of today. The tradition of the sauna goes back at least as far as ancient Rome, with the famous Roman baths, and includes such popular and well-known institutions as the Sweat Lodge of the Native Americans, the Russian Banya and the Hammam of Morocco. History tells us that people have been enjoying the detoxifying effects of the sauna for many years.

There are a great many choices when it comes to saunas, steam treatments and detoxifying programs. From the exotic and somewhat expensive built-in home saunas to simple and less expensive portable units, there are choices to fit almost any budget. Saunas use a variety of heat sources from the traditional steam method to the use of heated rocks to the use of modern and efficient infrared heaters. The effectiveness of any sauna detoxification program will depend in large measure on the type of heat that is used and the regimen of the sauna session that is employed.

A traditional hot rocks sauna is still a quite popular choice today, but it has begun to lose popularity compared to the modern infrared saunas, which are able to provide benefits like energy efficiency, increased comfort, deeper heat penetration, and more efficient detoxification. Infrared saunas induce the human body to produce sweat that contains more harmful toxins and organic compounds. As much as 15% of the sweat produced in a typical infrared sauna is composed of dissolved fats, toxins and other materials. In the traditional hot rock sauna only about 5%-6% of sweat contains these materials, with the remaining 94-95% being composed only of water.

Regardless of which type of sauna you choose, there is absolutely no doubt that sauna treatments can be good for the body as well as spirit. The benefits associated with sauna detoxification make it an exceptional choice in a world filled with unwanted and potentially hazardous toxins and poisons. To your good health!