Claim sauna kills tumours slammed
Expert believes claim was ‘irresponsible’, business apologises for ‘misunderstanding’
An unproven claim by a Tauranga health and wellness centre that its “Infrared sauna” could “kill off tumours and mutated cells” has been slammed as “irresponsible”, “dangerous” and offering “false hope” by people who work with cancer patients.
A radiation therapy expert says she believes the claim does not stack up scientifically, while other organisations consider it was misleading to consumers and may breach advertising and fair-trading laws.
The claim was on the website of the business, Redefined, at least as recently as Thursday. The Bay of Plenty Times sought comment on Monday.
The claim has been removed from the website and Redefined has apologised for the “misunderstanding”, saying the marketing material was not meant to indicate the sauna could kill or have “any effect on cancer whatsoever”.
Redefined opened in Pa¯pa¯moa in September, pitching itself as about health, wellbeing and movement.
According to its website, company directors Benjamin Jackson and James August aimed to use “proven science, with a holistic purpose” to simplify often confusing messages about how wellbeing.
One of the “health services” advertised on its website is an “Infrared sauna”.
A page listed the health benefits supposedly associated with the “repair and detoxification” treatment.
Among the listed “benefits” was the claim the sauna could “kill off tumours and mutated cells”.
The company offered prices for individuals — $20 for 30 minutes — as well as group pricing and weekly membership options.
In an email response to questions from the Bay of Plenty Times about the tumour claim, the company said: “Our website was updated, and this was removed a while ago . . . may need to clear your cookies. to improve overall
“This was not meant to indicate that Infra-red sauna kills cancer, nor have any effect on cancer whatsoever.”
The company provided images of signs around the sauna and social media posts about the sauna, “none of which make any claims about any effect on cancer”.
“If any of our marketing claims came across this way or confused anyone we do apologise for any misunderstanding,” the company said.
Otago University Department of Radiation Therapy associate professor Patries Herst said the only thing infrared radiation achieved in a sauna was heating up the first two to three centimetres of the body.
“Infrared radiation used in saunas does not selectively kill tumour or mutated cells.”
She said she believed it would heat up all cells in exactly the same way — healthy cells, mutated cells, benign and malignant tumours — and increase blood supply and cells’ rate of metabolism.
She said there were scientific articles that mentioned infrared decreasing the growth of a select group of cancer types that have a specific mutation, however, to her knowledge this was only in culture flasks in the laboratory.
These articles mentioned nothing about how much infrared was on the cells and for how long, and there was no mention of it being tested on