The warm glow of the late afternoon sun soothes the soul and gently warms the body. The light eminence of the setting sun is characterized by reddish-orange, and sometimes pink hues. So beautifully and calming is the setting sun that real estate that faces this direction is typically much higher in price.
The evening sun does not damage the skin, nor does it shine so brightly as to feel oppressive, so what would it be like to capture the glow of the setting sun? As it turns out infrared light dominates the sun’s light frequency as it rises and sets each morning and evening. The infrared sauna in many ways is the artificial capturing of the specific wavelengths of light that make the setting sun so special.
In Japanese Waon means very simply warm and soothing. The Waon method distinguishes itself from other forms of passive thermal therapy, namely, traditional Finnish Saunas and has been studied extensively in Japan for its healing benefits for the past 40 years. (1)
Have you been looking for a gateway into robust research on infrared saunas, but instead keep finding results for Waon therapy? This is no coincidence since far infrared saunas were popularized in the modern era by the scientific and medical community in Japan.
The Waon method is a specific way to use infrared saunas to promote preeminent health results for its users. The next time you go to look for research on infrared saunas, consider using the term ‘Waon Method’ to find a greater sense of the wide body of research on infrared saunas that is sufficient to compete with its Finnish counterpart. (2)
Find out what the Waon method is, the research that has led to its vast health claims, its impact on the autonomic nervous system, and how you can use it at home. If you are living with ongoing toxic stress that is an avoidable portion of your lifestyle, then you are definitely going to want to know how to incorporate the Waon Method for your personal use to stave off potential disease, or as a portion of your treatment protocol for pre-existing stress related disorders.
The History and Practical Applications of the Waon Method Protocol
The Waon method was originally developed in 1989 in Japan and used a far infrared sauna set to 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius). Patients would lay in the sauna for 15 minutes at a time followed by 30 minutes of laying on their back while wrapped in blankets. (1) In 2007 the term Waon was introduced to distinguish this form of passive thermal therapy from the many other forms available.
Waon means soothing warmth in Japanese.
By drawing from the naturally occurring healing rays of sunlight that occur most strongly in the morning and evenings these infrared saunas provide just what their namesake suggests: Soothing Warmth.
This method ensures that there is no spike in cortisol or other stress hormones by wrapping individuals in blankets and having them lay down immediately afterward. This is in stark contrast to the use of a cold plunge or shower directly after a sauna which will generally speaking energize its users.
The Waon method is intended to soothe its users. This may seem deeply relaxing. There is a medical purpose for this gentle approach.
As traditional Finnish saunas depend on convection heat (warming up the atmosphere, room, or sauna chamber) they must reach high temperatures in order to heat the core temperature of the body. Often traditional saunas will only heat the surface level of skin unless its users are willing to sit through, the often uncomfortably, high heat of 170-200 degrees Fahrenheit to achieve the same internal temperatures of a far infrared sauna set to 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
So, why are the Japanese so concerned with ensuring that individuals are soothed by their infrared sauna experience?
The Waon Method and Its Health Claims
- Chronic Heart Failure
- Peripheral Arterial Disease
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- Fibromyalgia syndrome
- Chronic pain
- Mild depression
- Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) (3)
The Waon Method has been studied for over fifty years by Japanese scientists. The results suggest that when used daily or almost daily many ailments can find remission and ultimately extend healthspan.
Healthspan is categorized as the amount of time a person is able to live in a healthy body full of youthful vitality.
The list of health conditions that have been demonstrated to respond well to the Waon method are both plentiful and diverse. The research into each condition and its response to the Waon method is robust. To detail every study into the Waon therapy would amount to a large book and far longer than this article. For the purposes of this article we will examine just one example. Take a look at the study below that is outlined in the journal ‘Pleiotropic Effect of Waon Therapy’ from the Japanese Association of Medical Sciences:
“...in a prospective multicenter study, we confirmed that Waon therapy is safe, improves clinical symptoms and cardiac function, and decreases cardiac size in CHF patients. Recently, we assessed the impact of Waon therapy on the prognosis of 129 patients with CHF. Sixty-five and 64 patients without and with Waon therapy, respectively, were followed for 5 years.The patients in the Waon group continued this therapy at least twice weekly after discharge. Waon therapy significantly decreased the rate of death or hospitalization in patients with CHF in comparison to the non-Waon therapy group.” (1,3)
From this short excerpt from the study on Chronic Heart Failure, it is clear how detailed the studies on the Waon method have been over the course of the past 50 years. Interestingly many of the results overlap with those found from regular use of the Traditional Finnish Sauna.
To read more about the details from a variety of different studies and research on the Waon method please skip ahead to sources cited, item #3. This will lead you to many more studies using the Waon method.
For each disease listed above that plagues a large percentage of the western population there are equally in depth studies out of Japan that demonstrate the undeniable effectiveness of the Waon method. So, why is it that a very safe, and non-invasive protocol can be so effective in eliminating such a diverse field of diseases?
The specifically gentle approach of the Waon method points towards the value of putting the nervous system at the center of your health care regime.
The Waon Method and the Autonomic Nervous System
Chronic and toxic stressful lifestyles lead to many different diseases and illnesses within the body. Each individual will respond to ongoing stresses in different ways, however the common denominator is that these illnesses will eventually degrade the health of the body.
The autonomic nervous system is responsible for engaging all activities of the body for which the individual has no voluntary control over, for example, the beating of the heart, brain activity, blood circulation etc. All of those automatic happenings in the body are in response to a perceived ‘safe’, or threatening external environment.
For example, if the external environment is perceived to be threatening then the heart rate will elevate, cortisol levels will rise, knees may become shaky, and many more internal reactions will occur. Conversely, if an individual deems that the external environment seems to be safe then the heart rate will slow down, the muscles will relax, and sleep may come easily.
As the body responds to a threat or safety, the autonomic nervous system engages sympathetic dominance for protection from external danger, or parasympathetic dominance if the landscape appears to be safe. This adaptation allows for the survival of the human race. Here is an excellent description of the two primary branches of the autonomic nervous system according to the National Library of Medicine’s article: ‘Anatomy, Autonomic Nervous System’:
“Activation of the SNS (Sympathetic Nervous System) leads to a state of overall elevated activity and attention: the “fight or flight” response. In this process, blood pressure and heart rate increase, glycogenolysis ensues, gastrointestinal peristalsis ceases, etc.The SNS innervates nearly every living tissue in the body. The PNS (Parasympathetic Nervous System) promotes the “rest and digest” processes; heart rate and blood pressure lower, gastrointestinal peristalsis/digestion restarts, etc.” (4)
While this evolutionary adaptation is ultimately necessary, the issue in modern times is that individuals tend to remain in sympathetic dominance to their own detriment. Remaining in states of fight or flight (freeze or fawn) for a significant period of time can lead to many ailments as the body is unable to enter into states of homeostasis. Parasympathetic dominance is necessary for the body to begin natural healing processes.
Ongoing toxic stress can lead to a range of illnesses from Chronic Heart Failure, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, certain types of depression, and so much more. Activities that specifically aim to relax the body on a daily basis and draw the nervous system out of states of stress response and back into relaxation are no longer a luxury, but a necessity.
The relaxation of the nervous system during the Waon Method is probably the reason why it has such a positive effect on a wide sweeping range of ailments.
The Waon Method has its users in the infrared sauna for only 15 minutes, and while the temperature is still high enough (140 degrees Fahrenheit) to induce positive physiological responses induced by heat, it is not so high as to cause significant stress on the body. Immediately after the sauna session patients are kept warm by being wrapped in blankets and laid down on a bed in a supine position for 30 minutes, which is twice the length of the sauna session.
The good news is that when you feel like you need your sauna to soothe you, then simply use the Waon Protocol at home, as often as you need to.
How You Can Use the Waon Method at Home
If you are living with a lot of stress in your life, and especially if this stress is unavoidable, perhaps a grueling commute, a strained relationship, work challenges, or just driving down a busy freeway every day, then the Waon method is for you. It cannot change your life circumstances, but it can change your body’s chemistry to promote states of relaxation more often.
You will need to have an infrared sauna in your home to use the Waon method. If you do not, then you can always substitute a hot bath, hot tub, and even a traditional sauna provided the temperature does not get too hot.
You will need to prepare blankets ahead of time, and spread them out on a comfortable surface so that when you come out of the sauna you can wrap yourself up in the blankets as if you were swaddling yourself.
Set the infrared sauna temperature to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the temperature has been reached, set the timer for 15 minutes. Be sure to lie down on your back if you are able, and if the bench is too short then simply place your legs up the wall while still remaining in a supine position.
After your sauna, if you feel too sweaty to lay down in the blankets you may take a short warm shower. Dry off and lay down in your blankets, swaddle yourself, listen to your favorite meditation, or soothing music and set your timer for 30 minutes.
According to the publication of the Japanese Association of Medical Sciences here are the exact steps to take to create the Waon Method:
“Waon therapy uses a far infrared ray dry sauna,
which is uniformly maintained at 60°C with an
absence of hydration pressure. Patients are placed
in a supine or sitting position in the 60°C sauna
for 15 min, and once removed, allowed to rest on
a bed in a supine position with a blanket to keep
them warm for an additional 30 min.” (1)
If you are living with ongoing stress in your life then the Waon method is definitely for you. Perhaps now is not the time in your life to engage in contrast therapy. Maybe you do not need to go from extreme heat to extreme cold, but rather you need the ‘soothing warmth’ of the Waon method.
Be sure to remain well hydrated if you are using the Waon method at home, and consult with a medical practitioner if you are unsure if this protocol is safe for you.
The Waon method will help to relax your whole body’s system and may just save your life!
Sources Cited:
- https://www.infraredsaunasscotland.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Japanese-association-of-medical-science-.pdf
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10989710/
- Kihara T, Miyata M, Fukudome T, et al. Waon therapy improvesthe prognosis of patients with chronic heart failure. J Cardiol.2009;53:214–218.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK539845/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25740582/