A study conducted by Hiroshi Kikuchi and colleagues aimed to assess the effects of repeated Waon therapy, a form of infrared sauna treatment, as an adjunct to conventional therapy for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The trial included 20 COPD patients who were divided into two groups: one receiving both Waon therapy and conventional treatment, and the other receiving only conventional treatment. Waon therapy consisted of sitting in a 60°C sauna for 15 minutes, followed by 30 minutes of blanket warming, five days a week, for a total of 20 sessions. The researchers measured pulmonary function and performed a 6-minute walk test before and after the treatment period to evaluate improvements.
The results showed that the Waon therapy group had larger improvements in vital capacity and peak expiratory flow compared to the control group, although the changes were not statistically significant. More notably, the Waon group demonstrated a significant improvement in forced expiratory flow after 50% of expired forced vital capacity. While there were no significant differences in the 6-minute walk test, the findings suggest that Waon therapy may have a positive adjuvant effect on pulmonary function in COPD patients. This study provides preliminary evidence supporting the potential benefits of infrared sauna therapy as a complementary treatment for improving respiratory function in COPD, although further research is needed to confirm its efficacy.
