Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => COVID-19 => Topic started by: melaniejs on 16/03/2020 17:27:08

Title: What would a sauna environment do to the coronavirus
Post by: melaniejs on 16/03/2020 17:27:08

Marius asks:

The coronavirus apparently does not like heat and humidity  (dies at about 56 degrees Celsius) and has a fatty layer around it: Sow hat will the effect  be on the virus if you breath in hot air like a Sauna and perhaps adding lemon oil to the water of the sauna to aid in disrupting the fatty protection layer of the virus?

What do you think?

Title: Re: What would a sauna environment do to the coronavirus
Post by: XDRAGON on 08/04/2020 21:13:20

Like many suggestions to stop the coronavirus, Sauna use often gets shouted down or laughed at because people suggest it as a direct cure, which it isn't. My understanding is that temperatures much higher than that, and much higher what are safe for humans, are needed to kill the virus.

However, thermal therapy and hot/cold therapy are believed to strengthen the immune system, including increasing the body's numbers of NK cells (natural killer cells).

Something doesn't have to be a 'cure' to play an important supporting role in helping someone fight off the virus.