Is It Harmful For A Person With A Pacemaker To Use An Infrared Sauna Regularly?

Posted on Mon, 25 Apr 2011

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 Answered on

Last reviewed on

Question : Will it be harmful for a person that has a heart pacemaker ues a sauna on a regular basis. Most doctors would not know what an infrared sauna is, so in asking a doctor you would not be certain as to just what a person should do.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Deepak S Anvekar (1 hour later)

Hi,

Thanks for your query,

From the history it seems that you are interested to know the effects of a infrared sauna.

Traditional saunas which heat the body indirectly via air or steam.
But a infrared sauna uses infrared heaters to emit infrared radiant heat which is absorbed directly into the human body.

While infrared sauna use is generally safe and does have health benefits, including detoxification and alternative pain management, certain contraindications do apply.

Infrared sauna use is inadvisable for people with any type of heart condition, including hypertension or hypotension, congestive heart failure and impaired coronary circulation.

If you have such a condition, exposing yourself to prolonged heat can be XXXXXXX as the heart rate can increase by up to 30 beats per minute for each degree of body-temperature increase.

This contraindication also applies to those taking blood-pressure medication and those with pacemakers; many infrared saunas contain magnets that may affect the way a pacemaker works.

I hope this helps.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar