‘Detoxing’. It’s a bit of a buzz word these days – something loosely defined, but that is promised by many products and services, from food and drinks to fitness programs. It’s also a promise made by a number of spa pool brands, but can a backyard spa actually help to detox your body?
The short answer: by sending more oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood to organs, a soak in a spa pool may indeed assist your liver, kidneys and bowel with their important detoxification work.
The slightly longer answer: the term ‘detox’ is more a marketing gimmick than something based in scientific fact. As noted above, your body actually ‘detoxifies’ itself – key organs like your liver and kidneys are designed specifically to remove waste. That said, a soak in a spa pool can improve circulation, which sends more nutrient-rich blood to these all-important organs, helping them do their jobs.
In this article we’ll look a little closer at the detox craze, work to separate the fact from the fiction, and find out exactly what a Hot Spring spa pool can (and can’t) do for your health and wellbeing.
What is detoxing?
In recent years ‘detoxing’ has grown from an alternative health craze into a large, mainstream and almost standalone industry, offering products or treatments that promise to expel loosely defined ‘toxins’ from your body. We’ve all seen the ads: a herbal concoction that drives out the bad stuff, a spa treatment that releases contaminants through your pores, a diet that promises to fix problems that you didn’t even know you had.
But the concept of flushing your system, ridding it of impurities, and leaving your insides ready for action is, in short, a con. It’s simply not how your body works. The reason you don’t need a purpose-built detoxing product or treatment is because you have all the detoxing equipment you need already.
Our bodies have evolved over millions of years to become detoxification machines. The primary purpose of organs like the liver, kidneys and bowel is to rid your body of the stuff it doesn’t need. Other major organs, like the lungs and skin, also conduct detoxification in some form – in fact, they’re doing it right now.
The upshot is that the only truly effective detoxing methods are those that help your organs to function better. We’re very sorry to say it, but the ‘secrets’ to detoxing your body are a healthy, well-rounded diet and regular exercise.
Nevertheless, might a spa pool help your organs to do their job?
Can a spa pool help your body detox?
The Ancient Greeks and Romans knew it. The Māori knew it too. Soaking in warm water feels good and seems to have a healing effect. In more recent times modern science has backed up this intuition: the proven benefits of warm water immersion and hydrotherapy are many and varied.
But what about in terms of helping your body rid itself of the bad stuff? It turns out that there is indeed a way in which a soak in a spa pool can directly assist your organs with their important detoxification work.
Warm water immersion has a two-fold effect on blood flow: the warmth elevates cardiac output (a fancy way of saying your heart pumps more blood) and causes your blood vessels to dilate (widen and open up). More blood is circulated more easily around your body, which in turn delivers more oxygen and nutrients to the organs that need it.
With your liver, kidneys, bowel and other organs getting more fuel, they are able to do their jobs better. The physiological effects of soaking in a spa pool therefore have the potential to help your body detox itself.
What are the health benefits of soaking in a spa pool?
Often people who are looking to ‘detox’ are simply trying to get a bit healthier. A week on a diet of lemon juice, while being the exact opposite of good for you, is tempting because it seems like a quick and relatively simple way to ‘reset’. The real fix, a healthy diet and regular physical activity, is far less enticing.
But there are a few health solutions that can be both enjoyable and good for you… and a soak in a spa pool is one. Not only can regular spa pool use improve circulation and blood flow, it can also:
- Offer relief to sufferers of chronic pain, including people with arthritis, fibromyalgia, migraines, nerve pain and inflammation.
- Regulate blood pressure.
- Help people with limited mobility to be more active.
- Improve sleep.
- Reduce stress and anxiety.
This is why spa pools and swim spas have become so popular in New Zealand; they not only offer a place to relax, socialise and spend quality time with family, they also offer a range of proven health and wellness benefits.
The Hot Spring difference
The benefits above are particularly prevalent in Hot Spring models, which are packed with the latest technology to deliver the most luxurious, immersive and beneficial soak possible.
While detoxing is more clever marketing than it is science, a Hot Spring spa pool is a fantastic tool to get your body feeling its best. Not only can it help your organs rid your body of the things it doesn’t need, you’ll enjoy a wealth of other health and wellness benefits too.
Keen to feel the difference that a Hot Spring spa pool could make in your life? Good news: we offer you the opportunity to try before you buy! Your local Hot Spring dealer has a range of warm and bubbling models ready to go, so why not book in a test soak today?
