Regular Sauna Bathing and the Incidence of Common Colds
et al., Annals of Medicine, doi:10.3109/07853899009148930, Jan 1990
53rd treatment shown to reduce risk in
December 2023, now with p = 0.026 from 4 studies.
Lower risk for recovery.
No treatment is 100% effective. Protocols
combine treatments.
6,300+ studies for
210+ treatments. c19early.org
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Prospective study of regular sauna bathing, showing fewer common colds with treatment. Fifty volunteers were split into a treatment group that took weekly sauna baths and a control group that abstained. Over six months, the sauna group had significantly fewer common colds (33 vs 46) and fewer days with cold symptoms (221 vs 343) compared to controls. The difference was particularly pronounced in the last three months, when the sauna group had less than half as many colds. There were no significant differences between groups in duration or severity of colds.
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risk of case, 28.3% lower, RR 0.72, p = 0.05, treatment 25, control 25.
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| Effect extraction follows pre-specified rules prioritizing more serious outcomes. Submit updates |
Ernst et al., 31 Jan 1990, prospective, Austria, peer-reviewed, 4 authors.
Regular Sauna Bathing and the Common Colds
Incidence of
Saradet h2 The high morbidity of common colds means that their economic importance is considerable, with colds causing more loss of productivity than any other infection. As no effective prophylaxis is available, this trial was to test the hypothesis that sauna bathing can reduce the incidence of common colds. Twentyfive volunteers were submitted to sauna bathing, with 25 controls abstaining from this or comparable procedures. In both groups the frequency, duration and severity of common colds were recorded for six months. There were significantly fewer episodes of common cold in the sauna group. This was found particularly during the last three months of the study period when the incidence was roughly halved compared to controls. The mean duration and average severity of common colds did not differ significantly between the groups. It is concluded that regular sauna bathing probably reduces the incidence of common colds, but further studies are needed to prove this.
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