Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a long-term illness with a wide range of symptoms, the most common being extreme tiredness. Research now shows that sauna bathing can both effectively reduce the symptoms, and improve the overall wellbeing of those affected.
The illness can affect anyone, including children, but is more common in women. Symptoms tend to develop between your mid-20s and mid-40s. The main symptom of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is feeling very tired and generally unwell. There are also a few other symptoms that are experienced by those affected by the syndrome, such as:
- sleep problems
- muscle or joint pain
- headaches
- a sore throat or sore glands that aren't swollen
- problems thinking, remembering or concentrating
- flu-like symptoms
- feeling dizzy or sick
- fast or irregular heartbeats
The condition is considered chronic, and treatment is therefore focused on reducing the symptoms. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and medication can often have a positive effect, but in some cases these treatments are not sufficient. Now researchers have found that thermal therapy and sauna bathing can effectively reduce the symptoms and improve the overall wellbeing of patients. In a study performed at the Kagoshima Respiratory and Stress Care Center in Japan, researchers found great improvement in patients treated with thermal therapy. In their abstract it is stated that “symptoms such as fatigue, pain, sleep disturbance, and low-grade fever were dramatically improved after 15 to 25 sessions of thermal therapy“ and that “these results suggest that repeated thermal therapy might be a promising method for the treatment of CFS.”
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15992574/
