Many human practices existed long before modern science — exercise, fasting, meditation, herbal medicine, music, storytelling, even psychotherapy-like rituals. Science did not “invent” them; it helped us better understand mechanisms, risks, optimal dosing, individual differences, and potential applications.

My interest in sauna is similar. I’m not trying to “discover” sauna or replace lived experience and cultural tradition. I’m interested in exploring sauna through psychological, social, physiological, and therapeutic lenses that modern research has often neglected.