To be perfectly honest I've never really appreciated the potential therapeutic value that maintaining a good sweat can provide. Personally I've always associated a vigorous sweat as a reaction to intense exercise; simply a way to regulate the increase in body temperature caused by the heat generated expenditure of energy. Sure there would be some collateral toxic waste excretion through the skin but to what degree or how effective sweating truly was in the elimination of stored body toxins especially those contained in fat stores was anybody's guess. After doing some research and investigation I've come away with a new sense of understanding and value for what can be a very effective detoxifying tool.

Culturally and historically whether in a hot wet Roman bath or a dry heated environment like a Native American sweat lodge sweating has been known for many centuries for its social as well as its health benefits. Whether for spiritual communal or health reasons disparate cultures from across the planet from such distant places as India Siberia Finland and the American Southwest all have placed great value and importance on the act of sweating.

In New Guinea tribes believed that sweat carried the combined essences of spiritual and human powers. On Warrior Island in the Torres Straits men would drink the sweat of renowned warriors so that they too might become strong and fearless. Another example of sweat's mystical powers comes from Russia where peasants would concoct an aphrodisiac with vodka and sweat from the bride-to-be.

As appealing as a sweat infused vodka might sound right about now more to the point of this missive is to what degree does sweating contribute to or impact those wishing to participate in a detoxification protocol?

For instance take BPA or bisphenol A and its related chemical family the phthalates. Both BPA and the phthalates are well known (infamous) industrial chemicals that have been used to make certain plastics and resins since the 1960s. They are commonly found in polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins and used in containers that store food and beverages such as water bottles and other consumer goods. Some dental sealants and composites also may contain BPA in particular.

BPA and the phthalates are known endocrine disruptors and research has shown that it can seep into food or beverages from containers that are made with them. They have been associated with increased incidences of obesity and neurological dysfunction.  

In an interesting study researchers compared samples of blood urine and sweat to determine what may be the best way of accessing body levels of these harmful chemicals. The researchers found that sweat contained much higher levels of the chemicals than was found in the blood and urine suggesting that sweat was a more effective eliminator than was urine and a more accurate tool for accessing toxic load than the other bodily fluids.

In a related study similar findings were discovered when analyzing body stores of 120 potentially problematic toxins and chemicals. Sweat even contained chemicals that did not show up in the urine and blood at all further suggesting sweat promoted the release of toxins stored and sequestered in fatty deposits (BPA and phthalates are also stored in body fat).

Toxic heavy metal (primarily lead mercury arsenic and cadmium) accumulation and its potential chronic long term health implications such as neural tube defect in the developing fetus or cognitive deficits in children or its known increases in cancer risk for example is a blight that for many patients and clinicians is very difficult to address.

Again like the previous studies researchers found and suggested that sweating was a viable and effective vehicle for ridding the body of toxic heavy metals.

While there may be variations in sweat inducing methodologies ie. exercise vs. steam sauna vs sweat lodge regular sweating over the long term appears to be a productive and health enhancing tool to help rid the body of unwanted and health cnompromising toxic materials.

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