Is infrared heat safe?

In response to an article published by a well-known yoga chain in southern California, we would like to share the truth, not our opinion, about the effects of heating with infrared. The short answer is yes: infrared heat is safe.

safe heat

Infrared encompasses a huge range of temperatures. Saying infrared is bad for your health is analogous to saying that noise is bad for your hearing, and presenting a study that correlates the noise level at a rock concert with damage to eardrums. It’s just not that simple.

Infrared is divided into three categories; short wave (near), medium wave, and long wave (far). The wavelength is directly relational to temperature with short being the hottest. Eg. the sun’s IR is short wave as the surface of the sun is ~10,000 degrees on the surface. All of our indoor heaters are far wave infrared (temp of <550), and all of our outdoor heaters are medium wave infrared.

Yoga Studio Heated with Infrared Panels

There is no empirical evidence from accredited sources which show that far infrared is bad for your health, aging, etc. On the contrary, there is evidence that it helps to increase flexibility, circulation, detoxification, and other health benefits. This is one of the main reasons it has become popular in the far IR sauna and IR yoga industries in particular, of which, our company has worked with over 1000 yoga studios worldwide, with none reporting negative health effects.

Virtually everything on earth gives off infrared radiation and that includes people and objects. It’s only the degree of intensity (temp) which varies. Infrared heating panels are simply a way to convert electricity into a very efficient way to produce heat in a room and have the sun-like warmth which emanates. An example of a non-electric version is a wood stove (or campfire) which is an excellent source of IR.

It is our experience that the overwhelming benefits of infrared (comfort, physiological effect, maintenance/noise free, takes up no usable space, etc.), far outweigh any negative effects. With 15 years of experience, we continue to stand behind the safety of our products.

For more information on this topic, please visit our Why Infrared? page.

We welcome your comments and appreciate any constructive dialogue you can share with us as well.
 
Jeff Caldwell – President and Founder

For more questions contact us.


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