Dietrich Klinghardt, MD, PhD

Two of our Sunlighten team members – Liz and Joey – spent some time in New York City last weekend at the Biological Medicine 2012 Conference. The conference was presented by the Klinghardt Academy and focused on biological interventions, the latest testing for Lyme disease, autism, EMFs, and effective detoxification.

The Klinghardt Academy is run by Dietrich Klinghardt, MD, PhD. Dr. Klinghardt is the founder of the American Academy of Neural Therapy, Medical Director of the Institute of Neurobiology, and lead clinician at the Comprehensive Medical Centre, all located in Bellevue, Washington.

He is internationally known for his successful treatment of chronic pain and illness, combining non-surgical orthopaedic medicine with immunology, endocrinology, toxicology, neural therapy, hypnotherapy and energy psychology. Dr. Klinghardt’s approach recognizes that good health is dependent on a well-functioning nervous system, a healthy mind and balanced emotional state and a supportive network of family relationships.

After being raised and educated in Germany, Dr. Klinghardt immigrated to the United States. He spent three years as a full-time emergency physician before becoming Medical Director of the Santa Fe Pain Center. Increasingly aware of the limitations of conventional medicine when dealing with chronic conditions, he trained in Ericksonian hypnotherapy and began to include body-oriented psychotherapeutic and counselling approaches in his work, along with neural therapy, mesotherapy injection techniques and applied psychoneurobiology (psychokinesiology and mental field therapy).

Dr. Klinghardt is considered an authority on the subject of metal toxicity and its connection with chronic infections, illness and pain. He conducted a study to find just how dramatic the difference in detoxification is between conventional and infrared saunas. Lab results showed that the sweat of people using a conventional sauna was 95-97 percent water while the sweat of those using an infrared thermal system was 80-85 percent water, the non-water portion being cholesterol, fat-soluble toxins, toxic heavy metals, sulfuric acid, sodium, ammonia and uric acid.

There were a wide variety of topics covered at the Biological Medicine conference and our team had a terrific time meeting all of the attendees.

Sunlighten is very excited to offer a new product in our online store! Bamboo carbon towels, wraps and bath mats. These eco-friendly towels are the perfect accessory to our Sunlighten infrared saunas and luxurious for everyday bath use.

So, what the heck is Bamboo Carbon?

Bamboo Carbon fiber is made with selected four-year-old bamboo which is air dried, then charred at 800ºC. Ground into fine nano particles, it is added into extruded synthetic fibers to create yarn and then woven into fabric. Don’t worry about texture though! These are oh-so-soft and luxurious as well as highly absorbent.

Because of the structure and composition of bamboo, Bamboo Carbon has a high surface area and a variety of minerals that give the unique attributes of odor absorption, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, excellent absorbency and infrared emission.

Bamboo carbon actually has deodorizing properties as a result of an extremely porous structure and minerals which absorb moisture, prevent bacteria growth, reduce odor and disrupt the spread of germs and fungi.

The towels, wraps and mats come only in a single color. To keep its natural properties, all Bamboo Carbon products are the natural gray color of the fiber. No dyes or bleaches are used.

The Bamboo Carbon products are all machine washable, which will not diminish the effectiveness described above. During the manufacturing process, Bamboo Carbon nano particles are dispersed inside the fibers rather than on their surface. Just wash/dry separately from other items in cold water, using the delicate cycle. Hang to dry if possible (but not required).

To check out more photos and to order, check out the online Sunlighten store!

Although February is traditionally one of the coldest, snowiest months of the year here in the Midwest, it’s one of our favorites months here at Sunlighten! That’s because February is Heart Month. Sunlighten is a longtime supporter of the American Heart Association. We donate a portion of our sales each February to the AHA, we participate in a number of local AHA – Kansas City fundraisers each year and our owners Aaron and Connie Zack have served on the board of directors for our local AHA chapter.

Why are we at Sunlighten such big supporters of the American Heart Association? Because cardiovascular disease is our nation’s number one killer. In the U.S. alone, one in three adults suffers from heart disease, stroke or some other form of cardiovascular disease in their lifetime. And clinical studies show that our infrared saunas help in keeping your heart healthy.

High blood pressure increases your risk of getting heart disease, kidney disease or serious stroke. Only Sunlighten saunas are backed by clinical research that shows a reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

In a 2005 clinical study by the University of Missouri Kansas City, Sunlighten’s Solocarbon heaters were shown to lower blood pressure through a program of 30 minute infrared sauna session 3 times per week. The study concluded that Sunlighten infrared sauna therapy dilated blood vessels and reduced the volume of their inner lining, thus increasing circulation to promote healthy blood pressure.

Additional studies have regularly shown the positive impact that regular infrared sauna use has on hearth health. A study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology in 2001 showed that infrared saunas help improve the function of impaired vascular endothelial cells in patients who are at risk for coronary artery disease. The infrared heat of the sauna opens capillaries to improve blood flow. 15 minutes in an infrared sauna each day for 14 days improved the function of the endothelial cells lining the arteries by 40%.¹ The results of this study suggest a preventive role for infrared sauna use for arteriosclerosis.

As they say on TV “but wait, there’s more!” The elevation in body temperature from regular Sunlighten infrared sauna use also produces an increase in blood flow that mirrors the benefits of a passive cardiovascular workout. Regular infrared sauna use – especially in the mid-infrared range available in Sunlighten’s mPulse custom spectrum sauna – has been shown to significantly stimulate blood flow, even after your sauna session is completed.

For more information on infrared sauna use and heart health, contact a Sunlighten representative.

¹Imamura, M, et al. Repeated thermal therapy improves impaired vascular endothelial function in patients with coronary risk factors. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2001, 38 (4): 1983-88.

About ten years ago, researchers and physicians from NASA and the Medical College of Wisconsin conducted research on the effects of near infrared (NIR) LED light on wound healing. The research team concluded that NIR LED light significantly promotes faster cell regeneration, wound healing and human tissue growth. Human cell growth increased by 155%-171% in some cases and wound size decreased by 36%. (fn. 1)

Introduced in 2010, Sunlighten’s advanced Solocarbon Custom Spectrum heater is the only heater on the market capable of producing near infrared (NIR) light using LED technology. This is the same technology used in the NASA/Medical College of Wisconsin research that concluded NIR therapy greatly enhances the wound healing process.

Our mPulse full custom spectrum infrared saunas employ the Solocarbon Custom Spectrum heaters, make them the only saunas available with the unique ability to heal wounds faster and minimize scarring through the use of near infrared LEDs.

While it wasn’t a scientific research project, one of our own associates tracked the healing process of two separate surgical wounds in an mPulse sauna about a year ago. The healing results of the mPulse’s NIR light were tangible. Check out photos of the process here: http://blog.sunlighten.com/2010/11/infrared-heat-wound-healing

(1) Whelan et al; Effect of NASA Light Emitting Diode Irradiation and Wound Healing. Journal of Clinical Laser Medicine & Surgery, Volume 19, Number 6, 2001, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc, pp. 305-314.

Sunlighten has many friends and clients in the health care field – physicians, chiropractors, nurses and more. We can’t think of any who are more passionate about anti-aging and alternative medicine than Dr. Al Sears in Royal Palm Beach, Florida. We are honored that Dr. Sears recommends Sunlighten infrared saunas to his patients.

Al Sears, M.D., is a practicing physician with extensive experience in the fields of complementary and natural healthcare. He currently owns and operates a successful integrative medicine and anti-aging clinic in Royal Palm Beach, Florida, with over 20,000 patients. His cutting-edge therapies and reputation for solving some of the most difficult-to-diagnose cases attract patients from around the world.

Dr. Sears was one of the first physicians to be board-certified in anti-aging medicine. He is the first doctor licensed in the U.S. to administer TA-65, a breakthrough in anti-aging medicine. Dr. Sears is board-certified as a clinical nutrition specialist and a member of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the American College for the Advancement in Medicine (ACAM), the American Medical Association (AMA), the Southern Medical Association (SMA), the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M), and the Herb Research Foundation, (HRF). Dr. Sears is also an ACE-certified fitness trainer.

As the founder and director of Wellness Research Foundation, a non-profit research organization, Dr. Sears travels the globe to bring back to his patients the latest breakthroughs in natural therapies. Recent trips to Peru, Brazil, India, and Jamaica have yielded important new discoveries in anti-aging and alternative medicine.

One of the natural, alternative therapies recommended by Dr. Sears is full spectrum infrared heat therapy – available only through Sunlighten’s Solocarbon Custom Spectrum infrared heaters (available in our mPulse sauna models) . If you take a look at Dr. Sears’ website, you’ll see that health topics like detoxification, heart health, weight loss and anti-aging are some of the major focuses of his practice and his writings. Because he finds those issues vital to healthy living, infrared sauna therapy makes a lot of sense.

According to Dr. Sears, “Full spectrum infrared therapy is a great way to take control of your health. I recommend Sunlighten infrared saunas because their heaters emit near, mid and far infrared heat providing a safe and natural aid for detoxification, weight loss, heart health and anti-aging.”

Dr. Sears currently writes and publishes the monthly e-Newsletter, Health Confidential, and daily email broadcast, Doctor’s House Call, and contributes to a host of other publications in the field. He has appeared on over 50 national radio programs, ABC News, CNN, and ESPN. Since 1999, Dr. Sears has published 14 books on health and wellness including The 21st Century Men’s Guide to Prostate Health, The T-Factor, King of Hormones, The Doctor’s Heart Cure, 12 Secrets to Virility, Your Best Health Under the Sun and High Speed Fat Loss in 7 Easy Steps.

His P.A.C.E. fitness program is a popular, effective alternative to traditional cardio – using calisthenics and body-weight exercises. His latest fitness book, P.A.C.E.: The 12-Minute Fitness Revolution, addresses all the myths and misconceptions about health, aging, and fitness. The program is designed to boost lung power, burn fat faster, build heart strength, pump up your immune system, build new muscle and add years of healthy living to your life! (There’s even a PACE Express, designed to give you maximum fat-loss results in only 12 minutes a day.)

We’re big fans of Dr. Sears (and appreciate his support of Sunlighten infrared saunas) and hope you will take a minute to check out his website to learn a bit more about his approach to health and wellness.