ASK THE WELLNESS EXPERTS: DR. STEPHEN REISMAN, MIND-BODY MEDICAL CENTER
“OF THE VARIOUS TECHNOLOGIES THAT HAVE EMERGED IN RECENT DECADES, ONE THAT IS WORTH SERIOUS CONSIDERATION IS THE INFRARED SAUNA.”—DR. REISMAN
Dr. Reisman is the founder and sole physician of the Mind-Body Medical Center, an integrative, functional and holistic practice in Brentwood. As a member of Pure Sweat + Float Studio, Dr. Reisman shares with us about his distinguished practice of nearly 30 years, creating a healthful lifestyle, and how infrared saunas are a critical part of detoxification and immune health, especially now.
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After finishing conventional medical training, I noticed a tremendous gap in the community. While we have lots of conventional medical doctors and providers of other forms of health care, such as chiropractors and therapists of all sorts, there are almost no healthcare providers with a formal medical training background who are offering any options for approaching illness outside the mainstream. I specialize in ways to prevent, slow, arrest, or reverse the illness process.
The patients in my practice are in every medical category, except those needing emergency services. They want to avoid any unnecessarily invasive or toxic intervention. They want their health restored, not just their symptoms relieved. They want to be empowered by playing active roles in their care. They want to learn about the roots of their health conditions, not just have the end results of those conditions treated. They want to make changes in their lives in the direction of greater vitality, a stronger immune system, and a positive feeling of loving themselves through a lifestyle of self-care.
Now that our global family has been given a blaring wake-up call, it is upon us to learn and do what we can to empower our immune systems. In simplest words, the means of doing this on the physical level may be seen as nutrition and detoxification, or nourish and cleanse. Of the various technologies that have emerged in recent decades, one that is worth serious consideration is the infrared sauna.
While saunas have been around for a long time, there is an important distinction to note in this innovative variation on the theme. The typical sauna, whether the dry or the steam version, will draw only from the surface layer of the skin. This means that only water-soluble substances will be released. However, due to the penetration of infrared light into the layer of subcutaneous fat, the infrared sauna will release fat-soluble substances.The importance of this cannot be overstated. Perhaps as a protective mechanism to keep toxic substances away from vital organs, the body stores them in fat. These items include mold toxins and an extremely lengthy list of environmental pollutants. This fact sets the stage for the infrared sauna as a valuable part of a detoxifying lifestyle (the only kind that makes any sense in these times on this planet).
To wax personal, early in 2019 I began treating myself to this modality at Pure Sweat + Float Studios. My own lifestyle had been quite clean and steadily improving for decades. So I was pleasantly surprised when I felt a definite lift in mood and energy upon emerging from my first session. Since then, I have returned somewhere between fifty and one hundred times.
I have no idea what level of any kind of toxicity I may have in my bodily storage. Yet I do know two things. One, I continue to live in a world of air, water, and food that add up to an environment stunningly distinct from the one that encouraged the emergence and design of our species. Two, every time I leave the sauna, I have a clear sense of renewal and clarity. At this point for me, it’s as much about pleasure as it is about health.
I might add that amidst the many options for sound and light in the saunas at PS+FS, my own preference has always been to sit still, minding my breathing in absolute silence and darkness. This form of mindfulness meditation is something I practice at home as well, but there is an unmistakable difference I recognize after a session in the sauna. I may not know all the factors that come into play, but I know this: The true nature of the immune system is a synergy of mind and body elements, and I love the idea of simultaneously emptying unwanted contents from both of those divinely precious aspects of what I am.
Q: How do you bring balance into your life?
A: The issue of balance is essential in many ways. I practice some yoga and tai chi, and go on walks. I have a strong meditation background as well. So this is a balance of investing in both movement and stillness. I spend fair amounts of time alone, as well as in connection with others. I monitor the amount of sleep I get, watching the patterns of change, and I pay attention to my dream experiences. After decades of studying dietary practices, there is no doubt left in my mind that the single most empowering diet is that of unrefined plant foods with a specific emphasis on those high in fat. (In my medical practice I may advise variations on that theme to fit the particular situation of the patient.)
Q: Anything else you’d like to add?
A: Perhaps the most important factor for me is to understand lifestyle in a kind of religious or spiritual way. It’s not a pursuit of optimal health as much as a way of manifesting appreciation and gratitude for the miracles of the universe, life, and humanity. We express our orientation to this existence by how we live physically and socially, and how we interpret our experiences. In my life, there are no good or bad things; there is a balance of supportive things and challenging things. The latter seem to be more essential for living with a sense of meaningfulness through a direction of ongoing transformation.
Stephen L. Reisman, MD
Mind-Body Medical Center
555 Church St. E Suite 201 Brentwood, TN 37027
615-373-0555