Summary
Dr. Mercola interviews Brian Richards, founder of Sauna Space, about near-infrared sauna therapy and why it differs fundamentally from far-infrared and traditional Finnish saunas. They trace the history of incandescent light bath therapy back to Dr. John Harvey Kellogg 130 years ago and explain how near-infrared light from incandescent heat lamp bulbs penetrates several inches into the body compared to just millimeters for far-infrared, enabling photobiomodulation benefits that far-infrared saunas cannot provide. The discussion covers how near-infrared light activates mitochondrial melatonin production, which accounts for 95% of the body's melatonin and acts as a powerful antioxidant. They explain that 40% of sunlight is near-infrared and 70% of solar photons per second are near-infrared, making it the dominant beneficial light frequency humans evolved with. Richards details his custom 250-watt thermal bulbs that produce approximately 40% near-infrared and 40% mid-infrared, and discusses practical sauna protocols including body rotation, temperature targets of 160 degrees, and achieving a 3-5 degree core body temperature increase in 15-28 minutes. EMF concerns with far-infrared saunas are addressed, along with the importance of mineral and electrolyte replacement during regular sauna use.
Key Points
- Near-infrared light penetrates several inches into the body versus only millimeters for far-infrared, enabling photobiomodulation that far-infrared saunas cannot provide
- 95% of the body's melatonin is produced in mitochondria, not the pineal gland, and near-infrared light stimulates this subcellular melatonin production
- The sun is about 40% near-infrared light, and 70% of solar photons per second are near-infrared, making it the dominant beneficial wavelength
- Sauna Space incandescent bulbs produce approximately 40% near-infrared and 40% mid-infrared with no blue or UV light
- Dr. John Harvey Kellogg invented the electric incandescent light bath over 130 years ago, documenting results from over 50,000 sessions
- Near-infrared saunas achieve effective sweating and 3-5 degree core temperature increase at lower ambient temperatures (around 160F) than Finnish saunas need
- Many far-infrared saunas marketed as low-EMF still have dangerously high electric fields despite reducing magnetic fields
- Regular sauna use requires mineral and electrolyte replacement, and sessions should be limited to 1-4 times per week to avoid depleting beneficial minerals
Key Moments
Near-infrared produces subcellular melatonin in mitochondria
95% of the body's melatonin is produced in mitochondria, not the pineal gland, and near-infrared light from the sun or incandescent bulbs stimulates this production, making it a critical antioxidant pathway.
"the benefit of that near-infrared is it increases melatonin in what's called subcellular melatonin. In the past, we thought almost all of it came from your pineal gland in response to bright light exposure in the daytime and no light exposure at night. But that's only 5%, 95% of it is in your mitochondria."
Near-infrared penetrates inches versus millimeters for far-infrared
Near-infrared light penetrates several inches into the body, reaching organs like the liver, while far-infrared only penetrates a fraction of an inch. One NASA study showed water-filtered near-infrared penetrating 20 cm.
"And so it absorbs this light in different ways. Near-infrared light tends to penetrate several inches into the body. There's actually one NASA study that showed that water-filtered near-infrared penetrated like a ridiculous amount, like 20 centimeters into the body, you know, five or six or seven inches. But on average, it's several inch penetration. Once you get out to this long wavelength."
Sauna Space bulb spectrum is 40% near-infrared
Brian Richards reveals the custom 250-watt thermal bulb produces approximately 40% near-infrared and 40% mid-infrared with no blue or UV light, closely matching the sun's near-infrared proportion.
"And this is on my website in our learn section. You can see the spectrum of our bulb and compare it to the sun spectrum. So, the sun, as I said before, is about 43% pure near-infrared. That's 700 to 1500 nanometer wavelengths. Okay."
Dr. Kellogg invented incandescent light bath 130 years ago
Brian Richards explains how Dr. John Harvey Kellogg invented the electric incandescent light bath over 130 years ago, using arrays of incandescent bulbs in a cabinet to radiantly heat the body, documenting over 50,000 sessions.
"John Harvey Kellogg invented what's called the electric incandescent light bath."
Personal sauna protocol with near-infrared bulbs
Brian Richards describes his personal near-infrared sauna routine: using four bulbs without preheating, losing one to two pounds of water in 25-28 minutes, and achieving a three degree core temperature increase in 15-18 minutes.
"And so for what it's worth, I think the near-infrared sauna provides a much more tolerable, accessible experience that still achieves what you want to achieve. And by that, I mean, do you sweat and do you elevate your core body temperature? Me personally, I get into my sauna cold. I don't preheat it. And I only use the four bulb Faraday sauna. So I have four bulbs and I usually lose one to two pounds of water in about 25 minutes. In 28 to 30 minutes, I lose two pounds of water."
