Salt Sauna sessions

Salt Sauna sessions

Today I started Valentino on salt sauna sessions. He has had a runny nose for two days and is sneezing up bright green phlem after his vest sessions. He was wheezing a tiny bit this morning so I figured it is time to start a sauna program in addition to his airway clearance vest and nebulizer treatments.

We began with a short 20 minute session in a sauna temperature of 120 degrees. Valentino was sweating a little bit by the end of our session.

At La Casa spa in NY, they run a salt sauna similar to the programs we run at HBC and have a great description of the many benefits of salt sauna sessions.

http://www.lacasaspa.com/spa-services/salt-sauna-3/

Today, Val and I brought a bag full of toys, a mini trampoline and plenty of water to keep us entertained and hydrated.

While I know that this therapy might be met with skepticism from the Western medical world, as long as Val stays hydrated I feel that salt sauna will greatly benefit his lungs over time. Regular sauna use has been proven to benefit the body and is commonly used, in particular, in Finland and Sweden. Because one of the complications with CF is that CFers lose lots of salt in their sweat, I need to make sure that Valentino stays very hydrated during his sessions in the sauna.

Exposure to salt has been proven to be extremely helpful to CFers so I am hopeful that the salt sauna sessions successfully help clean his lungs and keep him bacteria and infection free for as long as possible.

Many families have a rec room in their basement, a tv, video games, or lots of storage. We have chosen to build a sauna in ours and fill it with salt rocks.

The following is a quote about saunas taken from the book “In the North: Autobiographical Fragments of Norway, Sweden, Finland: 1936-1946.

“The sauna… Is an apotheosis of all experience: Purgatory and paradise; earth and fire; fire and water; sin and forgiveness. It is lyrical ecstasy. It is resurrection from the dead. It is eternal new birth… You are healed, you are made new.”

4 Comments

  1. Saunas 13 years ago

    Saunas are great at providing a myriad of health benefits, and it’s very smart for you to make sure both of you stay well hydrated. Just watch Valentino, and yourself for that matter, for any signs of overheating or dehydration, and good luck! Hope it helps!

    • tiffany 13 years ago

      Thanks! So far we’ve been doing a little lemon water or electrolyte packets to sip and Valentino mainly stays on the lower bench or just wanders around so he doesn’t sweat much yet. By the way–your saunas are beautiful!

  2. Saunas 13 years ago

    Hi Tiffany! Thanks so much for the compliment. I hope the saunas are still helping. If it ever ends up being in your budget, and of course if the saunas are indeed helping, a home sauna might be something you’d like to look into. If/when that time comes, please feel free to draw on our nearly 30 years of experience to help you construct the perfect sauna for your needs.

    • tiffany 13 years ago

      Do you know how to add salt panels to a sauna? I am interested in adding the salt therapy element and saw pictures of a sauna with salt panels but haven’t found anywhere to buy or install the salt panels?

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