Far Infrared and Cancer

FIR (Far Infrared) has been in use since at least 1990 in Japan as a very successful form of cancer treatment. In investigating this we came upon a website from a Japanese clinic which uses FIR as the treatment mode for cancer. Included on this webpage was a history of the clinic, how its forms of cancer treatment progressed into using FIR, and how it works. What follows is a brief summary of their scientific rationale for FIR as a safe and effective cancer treatment.

The clinic had initially used more conventional forms of cancer treatment surgery, chemo, and radiation, but the doctors realized that these treatments were not particularly effective and were quite crude, with devastating impacts on the patients. From there, they started to search for alternative treatments of cancer. In the process, they found a body of research that pointed to an inherent weakness in cancer cells. It had been discovered that due to the prolific nature of cancer cells, the capillaries in these cells were not fully developed, and lacked the ability to dilate to the degree or efficiency of a normal, healthy cell. It had been realized that if cancer cells could be heated past a 41-degree Celsius threshold, the blood flow would be insufficient to allow for the proper elimination of wastes (namely lactic acid) from the cell, and for the proper oxygenation of the cell, due to the inability of the cancer cell's capillaries to dilate effectively at this higher temperature. Thus, the cancer cell would become oxygen-deprived and lactic acid would build up. With the build up of lactic acid, the pH of the cell would steadily drop, becoming very acidic and the cell would die of its own acidity. Healthy cells have no problem regulating themselves at the same temperature (+41 degrees C), however, because their capillaries dilate sufficiently to allow for the normal elimination of wastes and oxygenation of the cell. It was thus realized that here was a potential cancer treatment without the damaging side effects to healthy cells.

At the time of this realization however, they did not know how this heat could be achieved internally (the body cannot simply be heated externally to achieve an internal heat past 41 degrees!). They were initially working with a type of treatment wherein blood was removed from the patient, heated past the threshold, and returned to the body. This procedure, however, was hard on the blood and patient, and was also quite expensive. When Far Infrared technology became more advanced in 1990, the doctors realized that it provided the answer. Far Infrared allows for the internal heating of the body past that 41-degree threshold (the HotHouse brings a localized internal temperature up to 43 degrees - giving a nice warm sensation), but is completely benign to healthy cells.

The FIR wavelength is the same wavelength of energy that all humans give off as body heat, and hence the reason for its compatibility. It had been known for quite a long time that FIR is beneficial to our bodies, but it was not understood exactly why, until more recently. In short, it has been found that it acts as a trigger to stimulate macrophage activity and response, which is crucial in our body's fight against cancer. So it would seem that FIR's success with cancer is due to at least two aspects of its effects on our bodies:

1) As described first, it takes localized internal areas* of our bodies past that crucial 41-degree C threshold. 

2) It stimulates a regenerative immune response in our bodies. It was also noted on the Japanese clinic's website that while the penetration depth of FIR is limited to about 4 5cm, our cells act as conductors for this frequency, delivering it much further into our bodies. Indeed, there is evidence that may suggest it conducts it throughout our entire bodies.

The above information was gleaned from a Japanese website for a cancer clinic which utilizes the described therapy. The above information is not to be taken as medical fact with all its details, nor as a substitution for other medical advisement. Please consult your health care practitioner.

Return to Far Infrared Therapy