Increasing the body’s temperature helps the body’s immune system to fight infection.
For over two thousand years, the idea of increasing the body’s temperature has been associated with healing, preventative, and cleansing properties.
Fever is the body’s natural defence system that raises its temperature above normal in an attempt to destroy invading organisms and sweat impurities out of the system. For centuries, sauna has been used to create the same effect. Sauna is also used to boost metabolism, as when pulse rates increase, blood vessels become much more flexible, extremities benefit from increased circulation and toxins are excreted through sweat and on the breath.
Increasing the body’s temperature helps the body’s immune system to fight infection. It is well known that in a number of infectious illnesses the body temperature rises. This is partly because substances called pyrogens, released from the tissues, alter the temperature control mechanisms of the body and set the thermostats at a higher level. This automatic control of body temperature can be overridden by using external heat supplies to increase the body temperature. Whenever the temperature of the body is caused to rise, then metabolism and secretion are accelerated.
IRATHERM1000®
Breakspear Medical is the first facility in the United Kingdom to offer this method of treatment.
View Dr Alexander von Ardenne’s lecture: “Whole-body hyperthermia with water filtered infrared-A radiation – basics & indications” on our YouTube Channel.
The IRATHERM® whole-body hyperthermia bed not only raises body surface temperature, as does a sauna, but also raises body core temperature, which can have a major therapeutic effect.
Using the hyperthermia infrared-A bed, we have a means by which the whole body can be heated, which can cause the core temperature of the body to be raised by several degrees centigrade. Most other forms of heat therapy raise the core temperature by only tenths of a degree. It is clear that using infrared-A as a source of heat is much more effective than conventional means.
The IRATHERM® was developed by the German-based Von Ardenne Institute of Applied Medical Research. For over 40 years, Von Ardenne has been undertaking research, development and application of systems for warming up the whole body.
Find out more
You may wish to request a printed version of the Whole-body hyperthermia treatment info sheet by email: info@breakspearmedical.com
How it can help
Mild and moderate whole-body hyperthermia, to which the body has a high tolerance, is able to increase micro-circulation, speeding up the metabolism in a similar way to natural pyrexia (fever).
Because heating is encouraged, there is a wide spectrum of treatment indications:
- huge increase in metabolic rate
- fat mobilisation
- stimulation of the hormone system
- stimulation of the immune system
- enhancement of the body’s natural detoxification pathways such as respiratory, renal (kidneys), gastrointestinal and cutaneous (via the skin)
- reduction of chronic inflammation
- acceleration of nerve conduction
- increased perfusion in organs and tissues
- increased supply of oxygen and nutrients to cells
- elimination of end-products of metabolism
IRATHERM® can help:
- arterial hypertension
- allergy
- rheumatic diseases
- muscle tension
- multiple chemical sensitivity
- chronic back pain
- eczema
- fibromyalgia syndrome
- neuralgia
- migraine
- effects of ageing
- chronic rhinitis
- bronchial asthma
- excess body weight
- seasonal affective disorder (a depressive disorder, which can occur in the winter)
- sports injuries
- illnesses caused by exposure to pollutants such as pesticides
- chronic viral illnesses
- muscle spasm
