Sauna

HEY EVEYONE.

 

Just wondering what effect a good sweat in the sauna might have with taper and W/Ds. I have a fitness center and spa where I live and am thinking about the sauna to sweat out toxins. 

 

Karl

Well,

 

I'm, for one, am very skeptical about the whole notion of sweating out 'toxins', or any other popular treatments for ridding ourselves of 'toxins'. I am not saying that saunas can't be relaxing or enjoyable (so theraputic), so I'm not against them. At the same time I'm unsure how we might react at the individual level. Many report problems with exercise during withdrawal, so I think there is the potential for problems for those using saunas - for some! You might like and benefit from it though. If I thought for a moment that that saunas really did rid our systems of 'toxins' (and I assume you mean benzos by that remark), then I'd strongly advise against it, as we are trying for a slow decline of benzo levels - not an abrupt withdrawal! In short, I don't agree with the basic premise, and I cannot say of how you might react. I would wait to see if others have been for a sauna and see how they reacted. At the end of that day, you will have to try it yourself to know how you will react.

Like Colin said, this would be an individual thing, like a person's reaction to exercise.

 

Our skin can serve as a "third kidney," and I know from experience that toxins can leave the body that way, though I've never gone to a sauna and can't attest to the effectiveness of them. However, during w/d, we generally do NOT want to detox. That will normally end up removing the benzo along with the other toxins (the benzo is a toxin itself), making your w/d worse. In fact, Jana found that some foods--such as broccoli and cauliflower--that make your liver work a little bit better (i.e., help your body detox) can actually cause huge problems for some people in w/d.

 

You might be okay going to the sauna, and you might not. There's really no way to tell other than trying it.

 

Hey guys!

 

I dont think I'm gonna jump in there anytime soon just wonderin how you felt about it. I had the same feelings that although it may be tempting and relaxing that the detoxing effect could be a problem. Thanks again for your input.

 

Karl

Hey Karl, I do the sauna thing about 3 times a week for 30 minutes and to be honest I haven't noticed a difference good or bad. I have never had a bad reaction to it and it is hard to say if it really does help or not. Everyone is different in withdrawal so it's worth a try. I HAVE tried just about everything that you can imagine. :)lovetiff

 

Karl,

 

I'm one of those people Colin spoke of when he mentioned exercise, for the first 6 months post taper whenever I tried to do any kind of physical activity I'd pay for it the next day, 8 months out I'm running and can do much more now than I ever thought possible. As far as using a sauna I'm not sure if thats a good idea, if you do decide to try it only do it for a short period of time and gradually increase your time, moderations the key.

 

Dave

Thanks Dave and Tiffany!

 

I'm just three days into this. I will probably wait until the switchover is complete to tinker with this idea. I must say that day three has been pretty nice to me though.

 

Karl

Thanks Dave and Tiffany!

 

I'm just three days into this. I will probably wait until the switchover is complete to tinker with this idea. I must say that day three has been pretty nice to me though.

 

Karl

 

Hi Karl,

 

sorry for my late answere. I went to sauna once or twice a week during my taper. I also did a lot of exercises  up to 10 mile runs and other sports.

For me it was very helpful in my taper process, but many buddies here say that they feel worse after sauna or exercises.

You have to listen to your body.

I have a sauna in my apartment. Every now and then I used to switch it on, no matter what time. Sauna is the best "medication" especially for akin bones and tight muscles. You can actually feel the relaxing effect coming down.Very effective! Now when the summer's here I haven't been so keen on sauna. In a fact cold shover is better now. But, when having tight muscles and aking bones - do the sauna.