Thousands of years of evolution has ensured that the modern human body is capable of growing and naturally healing itself - through its own efficient systems.

Everyday we take in dozens of types of toxins that occur in the air we breathe, in our food, in the household products that we use and even our furniture.

If the body did not have an efficient method of cleansing itself, then it would have been easily broken down due to large amounts of chemicals and heavy metals it is absorbing.  But no - the body has a way of protecting itself from irreparable damage.  It uses the liver, lymph nodes, kidneys and yes - the body’s numerous sweat glands.

The human skin is full of sweat glands.  These glands secrete water for homeostasis (or body regulation) and for natural detoxification. Whenever we sweat, toxins that have been trapped by the skin and nearby tissues are transported outward.  Sweating is such an essential function that our species wouldn’t have survived this long without this capability.

If we were to trace our evolutionary cousins, we would find that one particular species of hominid, the Goliath species was not able to survive natural selection because it was far too large and did not have any means of regulating its body temperature.

The Goliath hominid had to hunt and move from place to place, just like the other hominids.  But since its body did not sweat that much, this particular species simply disappeared.  That’s how lucky we are for our extra-efficient sweat glands.

Why sweating matters

Sweating is more than just temperature regulation for the body. Sweating allows oil soluble toxin-forms to be transformed to water-soluble toxin-forms, which allows the body to remove it more efficiently.  Regular sweating, whether aided by health saunas or not, provides the following benefits:

1. Regular sweating improves the circulatory function and the breathing rate.

2. Sweating through regular exercise can help rid your body of toxins and keep your weight down - a double advantage.

3. Sweating reduces the amount of trapped dirt and over-production of skin oils, which makes the skin suppler and more radiant.

4. Sweating requires energy - so when you’re sweating you’re burning off calories!

5. Sweating may also help people manage chronic pain.

6. Sweating it out improves cardiac function - so make sure you get enough exercise throughout the week.

7. Sweating allows the immune system to naturally bolster itself, thereby preparing your body for real illnesses.

8. As a natural detoxification method, sweating is capable of removing compounds like arsenic from the body.  Once you take a shower after profuse sweating, these toxic substances are washed away for good.

Sources:
archaeology.org
articles.latimes.com
infrared-sauna-reference.com