Do you feel dizzy easily, or perhaps find yourself tired for no apparent reason? This may be because you are among the 9 million Americans who have a form of anemia. Anemia can range from mild to severe, and is at times indicative of a more serious condition. (1)
Before diving into an at home sauna protocol to treat your anemia it is important to find out if you are anemic, and if so, why? If there is not an underlying serious condition causing your anemia you may want to consider incorporating sauna use into your overall anemia treatment plan.
It may be possible to increase your oxygen rich red blood cells with sauna use and finally say good-bye to dizzy spells and overall fatigue.
Heat stress as it is felt in the sauna induces many biological changes. Among these is the production of heat shock proteins. Among the thousands of different types of heat shock proteins (HSP), number 70 is very important. HSP 70 helps to make Erythropoietin protein (EPOs) available naturally in your body. Without EPOs your bone marrow cannot produce more red blood cells which carry hemoglobin. If you are someone with a mild case of anemia who would like to increase hemoglobin naturally, you may want to consider using a sauna, in addition to dietary changes.
Using a sauna to treat mild anemia requires a very specific protocol. Read on to find out the biomechanics behind sauna use and the amelioration of anemia and how you can use a sauna safely to improve the availability of red blood cells.
What is Anemia?
At its core anemia is an issue of not having enough healthy oxygen rich red blood cells within the physiological milieu. More specifically, it is a lack of the protein hemoglobin that is found in red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen to muscles and other tissues in the body. Low levels of blood plasma can lead to dizziness, tiredness, shortness of breath, and several other symptoms.
Anemia can present as very mild to very severe depending upon the root cause of its existence. Anemia ought to be taken seriously as it may be a sign of a more serious condition.
According to the Mayo Clinic here are the following types of Anemia.
- “Iron deficiency anemia. Too little iron in the body causes this most common type of anemia. Bone marrow needs iron to make hemoglobin. Without enough iron, the body can’t make enough hemoglobin for red blood cells.Pregnant people can get this type of anemia if they don’t take iron supplements. Blood loss also can cause it. Blood loss might be from heavy menstrual bleeding, an ulcer, cancer or regular use of some pain relievers, especially aspirin.
- Vitamin deficiency anemia. Besides iron, the body needs folate and vitamin B-12 to make enough healthy red blood cells. A diet that doesn’t have enough of these and other key nutrients can result in the body not making enough red blood cells.
Also, some people can’t absorb vitamin B-12. This can lead to vitamin deficiency anemia, also called pernicious anemia. - Anemia of inflammation. Diseases that cause ongoing inflammation can keep the body from making enough red blood cells. Examples are cancer, HIV/AIDS, rheumatoid arthritis, kidney disease and Crohn’s disease.
- Aplastic anemia. This rare, life-threatening anemia occurs when the body doesn’t make enough new blood cells. Causes of aplastic anemia include infections, certain medicines, autoimmune diseases and being in contact with toxic chemicals.
- Anemias linked to bone marrow disease. Diseases such as leukemia and myelofibrosis can affect how the bone marrow makes blood. The effects of these types of diseases range from mild to life-threatening.
- Hemolytic anemias. This group of anemias is from red blood cells being destroyed faster than bone marrow can replace them. Certain blood diseases increase how fast red blood cells are destroyed. Some types of hemolytic anemia can be passed through families, which is called inherited.
- Sickle cell anemia. This inherited and sometimes serious condition is a type of hemolytic anemia. An unusual hemoglobin forces red blood cells into an unusual crescent shape, called a sickle. These irregular blood cells die too soon. That causes an ongoing shortage of red blood cells.” (3)
This article does not aim to cure anemia that is caused by underlying conditions that require medical intervention, but rather will provide an alternative means to increase red blood cells by using a sauna for those with mild forms of anemia. If you and your medical provider decide that the type of anemia that you have does not stem from a serious underlying condition and you would like to treat it with a cocktail of lifestyle changes from diet, to dietary supplements, and possibly saunas then this article is definitely for you.
How Can Saunas Help Increase EPO and Therefore Red Blood Cells?
If you are looking to increase the availability of red blood cells and oxygen in your body by using a sauna you will want to understand the connection between Erythropoietin (EPO) and the production of red blood cells in the bone marrow. Red blood cells are responsible for transporting oxygen to tissues and muscles as well as transporting certain waste products out through the lungs on an exhale. (2)
A single sauna session is enough to induce adequate heat stress on the body to stimulate the production of EPOs in the kidneys that will then trigger production of red blood cells in the bone marrow. (2)
How does all of this work?
The hormetic effect is used throughout medicine and it is the act of placing any type of stress on the body for a prescribed period of time, dosage, or quantity. Heat stress is one form of hormesis. Heat stress can be a powerful medicine as it places the body under enough stress to begin the production of heat shock proteins (HSPs) and it initiates the production of EPOs naturally. (2)
Yes, you may be able to put your synthetic EPO pills aside and begin producing more EPOs naturally with even one sauna session. According to the peer reviewed publication from the National Library of Medicine entitled: “Interaction of erythropoietin RNA binding protein with erythropoietin RNA requires an association with heat shock protein 70” (3) there is a direct link between the production of HSP 70 and the increased availability of EPOs. This same journal article writes the following.
“Taken together, these findings suggest involvement of hsp70 in ERBP-Epo mRNA complex formation, and our model suggests a novel role for hsps in the regulation of EPO mRNA stability.” (3)
The involvement of HSP 70 and EPO production is further supported by studies aimed toward elite level athletes that included sauna use in their training to increase oxygen availability in their muscles to improve maximal oxygen availability (𝑉O2max). (5)
By capitalizing on heat stress to induce HSP production it is possible to improve the availability of EPOs naturally, which invariably increases the production of red blood cells. When higher volumes of red blood cells are available the protein hemoglobin is also present. Can saunas help to increase red blood cells? Yes, absolutely. Does the use of saunas on their own solve minor or acute cases of anemia? Probably not.
If you are planning to treat your anemia naturally consider using a sauna as one of many portions to your treatment plan. Just because you take a sauna does not mean that it is safe to stop taking your synthetic EPO.
If you are planning to use a sauna to aid in the treatment of mild anemia please follow the protocol suggested below.
What Sauna Protocol To Use if You are Attempting to Increase Red Blood Cells?
If you are living with mild anemia and would like to try to use a sauna to increase the supply of red blood cells, be aware that you will also need to make other lifestyle changes. For example, you will need to increase your iron via food, or supplements, and additionally you will need to ensure that you are taking more B12 vitamins as well. (3) Furthermore, as you sweat in the sauna you will lose significant fluids and other minerals so please be aware to maintain excellent hydration and be sure that you are eating an iron and vitamin B rich diet.
Secondly, the data suggests that red blood cell counts go up fastest in the first 3 weeks of sauna use. This may be a result of simply leveling up your red blood cell count to a normal level, or it may be that saunas do not work as well at improving the quantity of red blood cells after a certain period of time. While it is not known exactly why saunas are most effective in improving EPO production in the first 3 weeks, it is best to use your sauna 3-4 times a week for 20 minutes for a period of 3 weeks, then take a week off. (5)
If you are a menstruating woman, a sauna schedule that could work for you is to sauna for the three weeks before menstruation, then take time off while you menstruate, then resume sauna use when menstruation is complete.
For men who are looking to start a family they could take time off of the sauna during a 65 day spermicidal cycle, and then resume for 3 weeks on and one week off. Men can also follow a similar routine as women and take a week off of sauna use every 3 weeks.
To be clear, this protocol is not advised if you are looking to improve other aspects of health with the sauna. For instance, if you are looking to improve Human Growth Hormone then you will use a very different method of sauna protocol. If you are looking to improve insulin sensitivity, lose weight, or simply improve healthspan then your sauna protocol will look very different as well.
Anemia can be a sign of a very serious condition and should not be taken lightly. Please consult a medical professional if you are anemic, and find out if sauna use is for you. None of the information in this article is a substitute for professional medical diagnosis nor prescription.
Stay well hydrated at all times while you sauna.
Sources Cited:
- https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/anemia.htm
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9027743/
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anemia/symptoms-causes/syc-20351360
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1440244006001393#:
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7862510/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/hemodilution
- https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/anemia