Take-away points:
- Drink half of your body weight (pounds) in ounces of water.
- HOCATT ™ (Hyperthermic ozone carbonic acid transdermal technology) sessions last 30 minutes. These sessions can be very powerful to detoxify heavy metals and pesticides, energize, and kill off unwanted pathogens (mold/yeast, parasites, viruses, bacteria) in your body. It is very important that you come into your session very well hydrated and not on any recreational drugs or alcohol.
- We recommend that you prepare yourself for a possible detoxification reaction and support your body to easily release what is being mobilized.
Drink half of your body weight (pounds) in ounces of water the day prior to and the day of your session. Since you will likely sweat during the steam and hyperthermic times, you want to be extra hydrated to prevent from becoming whole-body water depleted. During the initial phase of the HOCATT ™ session, carbonic acid enters the chamber and causes dilation of the pores and vessels. This may lead to a mild drop of blood pressure which can worsen if you are dehydrated.
Consume a light meal or snack prior to your session. Do not eat a heavy meal within 2 hours of your session. Metabolic activity increases in the HOCATT ™ and you may lose up to 600 calories. Since you cannot exit the machine quickly or have access to food or water during the 30-minute session it is good to have a snack with a good quality fat, small amount of protein and a complex carbohydrate prior to your session. This will help maintain blood sugar. We do not advise eating large meals within 2 hours of treatment. While circulation to the extremities and the skin increases during a sauna session, the blood flow to the internal organs decreases. For this reason, a HOCATT ™ session can make it difficult for the body to digest a heavy meal properly, and may make you feel nauseous.
Do not do a HOCATT ™ session if you are actively bleeding. Since the HOCATT ™ increases circulation in the body, this may make bleeding worse. This includes wounds that may be bleeding, intestinal bleeding or menstrual bleeding.
Take adequate binders. I recommend people start binders 1-2 days prior to the HOCATT ™ session and continue them for 2-3 days after. This step is important to protect yourself from a potential herxheimer (die-off) or other type of detoxification reaction. Binders bind toxins in the gut, so they can be released from the body and not recirculated through the intestinal system. Binders include chlorella, zeolite clay, charcoal, biotoxin binder, bentonite clay, PC ecklonia cava, silica, and modified citrus pectin.
Consume extra minerals. When the body detoxifies heavy metals and pesticides, it leaves a “hole” where the toxin was located. It’s important to fill these holes with good minerals in order for the cell to function optimally, and so it doesn’t re-accumulate a new toxin. An easy way to help achieve this is to eat a bowl of miso soup with wakame seaweed and leafy greens. Taking extra magnesium, zinc and/or a mineral complex is also supportive.
For more information on the HOCATT ™ (Ozone Sauna) please read our other post: What is the HOCATT ™ (Ozone Sauna)?
