German research workers recently analyzed twenty two kindergarten children that took weekly sauna sessions and compared these with a control group which did not have any sauna sessions. The kids were followed for 1.5 years, and a very careful record was created of their occurrence of ear infections, common colds, as well as upper respiratory system problems. Young children who did not take the sauna treatments experienced twice the quantity of sick or ill days as the other group.
Some other results suggest that it could be more than simply the heat of your sauna which is so beneficial to human health and fitness. Studies have shown that the large quantity of negative ions we inhale and exhale is extremely advantageous, while deficiencies in ions or a greater ratio of beneficial to damaging ions may cause actual physical harm. Medical tests have suggested that the technique of splashing water on heated up rocks inside a conventional Finnish sauna generates a high volume of beneficial negative ions.