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Writer's pictureancienteirewellness
Feb 137 min read

From Ancient Sweat Houses to modern-day Saunas, Brief history, research & benefits

Updated: May 11

Maíre Ní Dubhshlánne 13/2/2024


(Photo: Bosca Solás - Máire Ní Dubhshláine)


BRIEF HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF SWEATHOUSES:


Our Ancient Ancestors placed emphasis & value on the health and well-being of the individual across their life span continuum, within and alongside their community, Ancestral timelines, environments, and worlds (both physical & spiritual. This they kept alive through word, artifacts, craft, ritual, ceremony and practice.


The Sauna in some form or another played a valuable role in these activities, across many Ancestral communities around the world. Variations of the sauna - heat bathing - prevailed & evolved across these communities, changing through the ages, giving us our modern-day sauna constructions.


(Video: Ancient Éire Wellness Life Rites @ Bosca Solás - Máire Ní Dubhsláine) 



Ancient Sweat houses


Archeologist and Artist Arith Härger, tells us the very first saunas were made of stone, by the Finns and involved smoke - savusauna. Although I have followed my interest in Druidry, and Ancient Irish Traditions since childhood, I have only embarked on my Sauna research Journey 3 years ago, using, investing and learning about this magical box of warmth and light.


I have come to realize it still has a strong association with spa days, and relaxation, however, the humble sauna really does have much more to offer and holds an Ancient wellness that is resurging in our lifetime.


Clare Dowdy, in a 2023 BBC Culture Article, "The 10,000-year-old origins of the sauna - and why it's still going strong", refers to the Early Bronze Age Ancient Sweat houses that have been discovered across Ireland and the UK, and the Mexican and North American Sweat lodges that existed.


Harvard University's pluralist project study cites the use of Sweat lodges in indigenous Native American Tradition.


(Photo: Ancient Éire Wellness Life Rites at Bosca Solás - Máire Ní Dubhsláine)


Emma O Kelly's book "The power of Deep heat", sheds light on the natural caves used in Japan as sweat baths, something outlined in depth by Mikkel Aaland who cites:



(Photo: Ancient Éire Wellness at Bosca Solás - Máire Ní Dubhsláine)


Published by Katie Kearns (UCD) & Timo Ylimaunu (University of Oulu), their 2021 academic paper, THE SWEATHOUSES OF IRELAND THE DISAPPEARED FOLK TRADITION OF SWEAT BATHING., Identifies the cultural & spiritual significance of Irish sweathouses alongside holy wells.


Both sacred sweathouse & holy well provided a 'public forum' for 'individuals' to demonstrate and acknowledge their cultural and religious beliefs.



(Photo - Máire Ní Dubhsláine)


Irish Archology Blog provides us evidence of this marriage of sacred heat and holy water, citing some well-known sweat houses and holy wells that scatter our Irish landscape, one duo residing in Creevaghbaun, County Galway.


Here both Sweathouse and Brighid's Holy Well live side by side, Fire and Water, on the land under the sun, moon and stars.


There are many more sweathouses scattered across Ireland, with possibly some yet to be discovered, by seekers who want to know more, fascinated with this ancient tradition and the mysterious, elusive ancestral magic that circles around it.




MORE RECENT SWEAT HOUSE STRUCTURES IN iRELAND:


(Credit photo - Holmes Garden Photos/Almay - Co, Leitrim)


A podcast on the Pat Kenny show (Newstalk) Link and image below will bring you to a discussion on more recent sweat house structures discovered across Ireland dating back to the 19th Century with Archaeologist Aidan Harte - in particular the Leitrim Sweat house project.


More info: National Monuments Service - Sweathouses/locations around Ireland - Published by: Department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage



More info: Records in the National Monuments Service - Sweathouses can be located on the National Monuments Service web page - Historic Environment Viewer - link to access below



THE BENEFITS OF SAUNAS:


(Photo: Bosca Solás - Máire Ní Dubhsláine)


SAUNA STUDIES:


Dr. Jack Tsonis's 2016 Academic paper, titled  'Sauna Studies as an Academic Field...'  (pdf. below), highlights the community element of Sauna's, their ability to bring people together, and make a person feel 'healthy, happy and whole'..  


Jack points to the capitalistic nature of our world and lives, referring to the neoliberal/market-oriented context we find ourselves living in, and its resulting impact on our health & wellbeing.


Jump ahead 8 years and in 2024, as Jack predicted in his paper, our lives, communications and jobs are just as fast-paced as in 2016, if not more so, social media dominates and connects but in some ways disassociates and dims our connections to reality, real-time living experiences, ourselves, and others.




PRESENT DAY HEALTH ISSUES:


Fast forward to the present day, people are living longer, the world is a different place to that of our ancestors.



Aware's National Survey, (Online Research) conducted by Amárach, with a national representation of 1,200 adults - from April 28th to May 4th, 2023 - revealed high rates of depression and anxiety in Ireland. 60% of those surveyed experienced depression and 80% anxiety. Can the resurgence of ancient Irelands sweat houses in modern day sauna style, go some way to reducing these numbers...


According to the Irish Heart Foundation, a Report published in February 2023, has identified that cardiovascular disease (CDV) kills nearly 9.000 people in Ireland every year despite 80% of cardiovascular disease being preventable and some academics are exploring the potential Sauna/Heat Bathing has in relation to reducing these figures.


Research & Potential Benefits of Sauna use:


Dr. Rhonda Patrick, a cell biologist with a Ph.D. in biomedical science from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is reviewing recent research, & exploring the potential health benefits this research is unlocking in relation to the wide reaching benefits of sauna use .....


Dr. Patrick is the Co-Founder of FoundMyFitness.com. Research Findings highlighted and discussed in the video below, by Dr. Rhonda Patrick, suggest people who use the Sauna 2-3 times a week have a 22% reduction in sudden cardiac death risk, and those who use it 4-7 times a week a 63% reduction.



(Image above: Screen grab from Video Below the image & time stamp list)


Dr. Rhonda Patrick goes on to discuss for example the potential health benefits being explored in relation to regular sauna use and its potentially positive links with physical fitness & endurance, release of Heat Shock proteins & Dementia, Depression/stress and anxiety, and inflammation & the immune system among other things.


FINAL WORDS.....


.....What emerges from this discussion and research, is that Sauna practice can play a healing or support role that moves beyond spa days and relaxation, which are in and of themselves a valuable activity for many who can afford or are able to access them.


The humble sauna would appear to offer much more. It could be argued the resurgence of the sauna, has the potential to not only unlock our bodies' healing mechanisms, but also, the gentle ancestral whisperings of those who have gone before us, swirling softly around this magical box of warmth, smoke and light, transformational, adding a sacred value & worth to those inside.


.....Something not always offered or attainable in our fast-paced, high-tech, consumer-driven world, where the value of the individual can become blurred and centered around their usefulness and functionality within the global marketplace & and economy.


 

(Photo: Ancient Éire Wellness Life Rites @ Bosca Solás - Máire Ní Dubhsláine)


See Full Dr. Rhonda Patrick Video below + Easy access time stamps underneath Video - will take you directly to the information that interests you

(Accessible on Dr. R. Patrick's YouTube channel)



Topics covered in Video:

00:00:00 - Intro to Saunas and Rhonda Patrick

00:01:04 - Summary of sauna health benefits (lowers dementia, cardiovascular, depression risk, etc.)

00:07:09 - A review article vs primary research and Dr. Jari Laukkanen

00:07:58 - More on cardiovascular benefits of sauna

00:10:48 - Does sauna use lower hypertension risk?

00:11:56 - Sauna use may improve fitness and endurance

00:14:48 - Can sauna use lower Alzheimers and dementia risk?

00:16:43 - What are heat shock proteins?

00:19:18 - Dr. Patrick's research on amyloid-beta 42 / heat shock proteins

00:20:30 - How Rhonda Patrick became interested in Saunas

00:22:20 - Endorphins, opiate receptors, depression, and sauna use

00:26:36 - Sauna associated with lower inflammatory markers

00:27:14 - Interleukin 6 (IL-6) and sauna use

00:29:20 - Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neuroplasticity

00:32:01 - More cellular repair mechanisms (NRF2) and hormesis

00:34:00 - Eustress and intermittent fasting

00:37:38 - Sauna and muscle atrophy

00:39:54 - Excretion of heavy metals and toxins through sweat

00:41:58 - Heart rate variability and sauna use

00:43:30 - Sauna mimics moderate-intensity exercise

00:47:32 - What Rhonda Patrick does in the sauna

00:49:22 - Countries/cultures utilizing hyperthermia

00:51:34 - Infrared sauna benefits vs. traditional Finnish sauna (and waon therapy)

00:55:39 - Details about Rhonda Patrick's sauna routine (temp., duration, dry vs. humid etc.)

01:01:43 - Utilizing sauna to extend a workout

01:02:33 - Can a long hot shower or bath mimic sauna benefits?

01:03:27 - Hydration before and after sauna bathing

01:04:36 - Cold exposure after sauna use?

01:06:24 - How to tell if in the sauna for too long?

01:08:10 - Contraindications/people who shouldn't use sauna

01:12:28 - Continuous glucose monitors and sauna

01:14:25 - Limitations of current sauna research

01:18:06 - More on Finland and saunas

01:18:50 - More on heat shock proteins

01:19:46 - Closing thoughts


FOLLOW DR. RHONDA PATRICK YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/FoundMyF... Twitter:   / foundmyfitness  


View Dr. Rhonda Patrick's recent review article on saunas in Experimental Gerontology - Sauna use as a lifestyle practice to extend health span here:

               


   

(Photo: Bosca Solás - Máire Ní Dubhsláine)


SELECTED LINKS: 




  (Photo: Bosca Solás - Máire Ní Dubhsláine)

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