This is another sequel essay about the question, what if? A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about seeing a joint and pain doctor. I had seen my primary care doctor about my inability to move around as gracefully as I had when I was younger. I have been in pretty good physical shape all my life. I had run cross-country in high school and college. I remained driven about exercise when I started to work after grad school. I had a stationary bike for years, and it was close to daily. Over the years, I moved to a treadmill and later a Nordic skier. I have now been using an elliptical trainer for over a dozen years. After 30 minutes, I do crunches and hardly miss a day.

Despite exercising, I still can’t maneuver as I once did. After complaining to my doctor, his retort was to go to a sauna. I took his suggestion and have been going to the Southlake YMCA. I would go several times a week and have worked myself up to 30 minutes in the sauna and 10 minutes in the whirlpool sauna. On days I don’t drive to the Y, I use an infrared blanket sauna for an hour at home.

Nonetheless, I still haven’t returned to the days of my youth. Therefore, I went to a joint and pain doctor. They took several MRIs of my knees. When the doctor and staff discussed the MRIs of my knees, he said that my knees were good for someone nearing 82. I restated that I exercise daily and do far more than nearly anyone in their 80s.

Finally, the doctor said, “What if you hadn’t exercised as much as you have all those decades?” He was telling me that exercising for all my adult life paid off. He showed me some stretching exercises to do that might help a little. However, had I not spent all that time exercising, I wouldn’t have been able to move around as well as I could.

While going to the sauna, I read about its other benefits in my heart. This was eye-opening to me. Research shows that dry saunas can reduce stress and muscular pain from rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and other joints, muscles, and tendons. Some studies indicate that saunas can lower one’s risk of dementia. During a sauna, nerve cells release neurotrophic factor proteins (BDNF), which can produce new neurons in the brain.

However, the benefits don’t end; they go on ad infinitum. You can lose a pint of sweat in a dry sauna. Saunas don’t burn fat, but after 30 minutes in a sauna, I don’t have any cravings for food. I do drink plenty of water.

Also, there is a great deal of research on detoxification in saunas. This is, among sauna worshippers, a highly debated issue. Some toxins in the body can be removed by merely sweating, like allergy relief. Results show that saunas can help with asthma by loosening phlegm to improve breathing.

Research indicates that saunas can trigger lipolysis. Lipolysis opens the body to tap into fat stored in the body. However, the faster the heart beats, the more lipolysis it produces, which breaks the fat tissues containing toxins and releases them into your bloodstream. Saunas parallel this, which opens up one’s pores in the skin. So, some toxins are sweated out through the pores along with sweat.

There is also lymphatic drainage. Several research essays suggest that saunas might also assist in that drainage process.

Saunas contribute to longevity by improving cardiovascular health by increasing blood flow and reducing inflammation. Interestingly, the sauna's heat causes the body to produce heat shock proteins, HSPs. Those proteins repair cells that have been damaged. Some researchers call this the hormetic effect of saunas.

Longevity can be enhanced through the use of saunas. The Harvard Medical School published the findings of researchers in Finland.

I have successfully danced with death twice: a subdural hematoma and prostate cancer that metastasized outside the prostate. It took me several years to fully grasp the meaning of both dances. After someone told me to watch Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture, I understood I had danced with death, making me more driven and involved in the world.

That is the backstory. For the past couple of weeks, I noticed that I was reliving that feeling due to doing the two dances years ago. I was wired. The other day, I was talking to my daughter, Michelle, when I realized all the pieces started falling together. Finally, I was able to process this third dance.

Finally, it dawned upon me. I could have been living my life without someone telling me about saunas. All the research on saunas indicates that saunas will add years to those who use saunas regularly. Potentially, I will add time to my life, and it will be a healthier time due to saunas.

Beyond being driven about my daily sauna worshipping at Southlake YMCA, I’m equally driven to accomplish big tasks and even unimportant ones. It is precisely how I felt years ago after dancing with death twice.

The only negative aspect is the haunting wish that someone had told me to go to a sauna daily 50 years ago. That ticks me off, but at least I got the message. I can’t guarantee I will get to 100 and outlive George Burns. He and I were both born on January 20. He was born in 1896, and I was born a half-century later, in 1943. Burns reached March 9 in his 100th year. That means I need to get to March 10, 2043. My chances are a hell of a lot better than if I hadn’t been told about the benefits of saunas. I added 30 minutes of being in the sauna at 180 degrees and 15 minutes in a whirlpool sauna at 110 degrees to my elliptical trainer workout for 30 minutes.