Dr. Childs is making a specific argument here, and it's worth being precise about what it is. This isn't a general case for sauna — it's a targeted claim for a specific population. People with Hashimoto's thyroiditis face a particular obstacle: compromised sweating capability. When your thyroid is underperforming, one of the quiet downstream effects is that your body becomes less effective at thermoregulation. You sweat less. And sweating is one of your primary detoxification pathways.
The thesis is elegant: far infrared sauna bypasses that barrier. It forces the sweating response from the outside in, rather than waiting for your compromised endocrine system to initiate it. In the process, you're eliminating the heavy metals and endocrine disruptors — mercury, aluminum, cadmium, lead — that may be contributing to the autoimmune cascade in the first place.
Everything we know about heat shock proteins supports this framing. When your core temperature rises, these molecular chaperones activate. They refold misfolded proteins, tag damaged cells for clearance, and facilitate the elimination of accumulated toxins. Rhonda Patrick's work documents heat shock protein elevation of around 50 percent after a single sauna session at 163 degrees Fahrenheit — and those proteins stay elevated for roughly 48 hours. The Finnish population studies show dose-dependent cardiovascular and cognitive benefits from regular sauna use. The mechanisms are well-established.
What's less discussed — and where Dr. Childs adds genuine value — is the autoimmune angle. The cytokine modulation piece is particularly interesting. Infrared therapy appears to shift the inflammatory profile toward interleukin-10, which is anti-inflammatory, while modulating interleukin-6. For Hashimoto's patients, where the immune system is in a chronic state of mistaken aggression against thyroid tissue, anything that dials down that inflammatory signal matters.
Here's where I'd add some caution. The heavy metal detox claims around sauna are real but sometimes overstated. Sweat does contain measurable concentrations of heavy metals — that's documented. But the total volume eliminated per session is modest compared to kidney and liver pathways. Sauna supports detoxification; it doesn't replace it. If you're carrying a significant toxic load, sauna is one tool in a broader protocol, not the whole answer.
There's also the question of temperature tolerance for Hashimoto's patients. Some individuals with active autoimmune conditions find that intense heat initially worsens symptoms. Starting at lower temperatures — many far infrared saunas operate comfortably around 130 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit versus 180 to 200 for traditional Finnish saunas — gives your body time to adapt without overwhelming an already stressed system.
If you're managing Hashimoto's, start conservatively. Two to three sessions per week, 20 to 30 minutes, at a temperature that feels challenging but not punishing. Hydrate well before and after. Don't combine with other major stressors on the same day — heavy training, fasting, or significant caloric restriction. Let the body adapt over several weeks before pushing duration or frequency.
The parasympathetic activation piece is underappreciated. Chronic autoimmune conditions and chronic stress are deeply entangled — elevated cortisol suppresses thyroid conversion, worsens inflammation, and keeps the immune system in a state of dysregulation. The sauna experience itself — the forced stillness, the heat, the ritual — activates the parasympathetic nervous system. You're not just sweating out toxins. You're training your nervous system to downshift. That's not woo. That's the same mechanism that makes meditation, breathwork, and cold exposure effective. The modality differs; the signal to the autonomic nervous system is remarkably similar.
For Hashimoto's patients especially, that nervous system reset may be as therapeutically significant as the detoxification benefits. Stress management and thyroid health are not separate problems. They're the same problem approached from different angles.