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NATURAL HEART DOCTOR PODCAST

Weight Loss, Lower Blood Pressure, And More With Sunlighten Sauna’s Connie Zack

[post-views]

Infrared healing is a type of therapy that uses light from the sun without the damaging ultraviolet rays. This type of healing can help people detoxify things like mercury and other harmful chemicals. Connie Zack and her husband now share this type of light therapy through their company, SunlightenJoin Dr. Lauren Lattanza as she talks to Connie Zack about how the healing process of infrared works and what are some best practices for using saunas.

Watch the episode here

Listen to the podcast here

 

Weight Loss, Lower Blood Pressure, And More With Sunlighten Sauna’s Connie Zack

We are so excited to bring you another excellent guest to our show. We’re always looking for different perspectives to bring you all kinds of ways to bring you optimal wellness, getting you to your 100-year heart. In this episode, we bring you, Connie Zack. Connie is the Co-owner and Chief Sales Officer of Sunlighten saunas, the global leader in infrared light therapy and infrared sauna manufacturing. After seeing how spending time in an infrared sauna transformed her brother’s traumatic health issues, Connie and her husband committed everything that they had to help others through the benefits of nature’s healing infrared light.

They’ve spent many years bringing light, hope and happiness to people around the world. They have locations in thirteen countries, a massive headquarters in the UK, as well as the US. They have an award-winning day spa with headquarters in Kansas City. They’ve received recognition through The Oprah Winfrey Show. A huge recognition all around the world for decades. Sunlighten delivers its promise to help people feel better so that they can do more of what they love and live fully through a caring approach that drives innovation and investment and relationships. Thank you so much for being here, Connie. Welcome to our show.

Thank you so much.

If you would, tell us a little bit more of the background of the Sunlighten story.

It started a long time ago. It’s amazing how fast time passes. It doesn’t seem like that long ago but it was several years ago. My brother was chronically ill. He searched to try and find a solution and there was nothing that helped him until his dentist realized that maybe he had mercury poisoning. That may be the mercury was leaking from the fillings in his mouth and that was causing him to be fatigued and have vertigo and have fibromyalgia and all these horrible conditions at such a young age.

His dentist said, “I’ve read some articles from Asia about a technology called infrared. The way it enters your body, there’s an opportunity to detox the body and potentially that you could get rid of this mercury.” My brother first started with an infrared blanket that provided a tad bit of difference. Eventually, he realized that he needed to sweat versus having a little bit of infrared. He started using an infrared sauna and it changed his life.

I was in St. Louis at the time. He was also in St. Louis. I literally saw with my own eyes he transformed from being not able to get out of bed and not doing anything to being able to go for walks, then eventually runs and being a healthy, thriving individual. At the time, I was working for Procter & Gamble in the pharmaceutical side of the business. I only mentioned that because I was extremely passionate about making a difference and leaving this world a healthier place as a result of my work and my contributions to society.

I felt like I was doing that through working in the pharmaceuticals and helping. When I saw this natural way that he did it safely without side effects changed his life, I thought, “Maybe this is supposed to be my path where I can bring a technology forth to people and help people change their lives.” I left my safe job. It’s still scary to talk about.

I jumped off a cliff without a parachute. At the time, the wonderful man that I was dating did the same thing. He was working at P&G with me. He’s now my husband. We have a beautiful family and business together and doing what we love to do, which is making a difference and having people be healthier and being able to do more of what they love to do with people they love to do it with.

That’s amazing. I can only imagine watching from your own brother, who was essentially disabled, and fortunately, had a dentist that had the wherewithal to be like, “This is basically killing you. We have to get this out.” Coming from a dentist himself, maybe somebody in their office was still using mercury. We have to mitigate the risks and, fortunately enough for him, he found somebody that was able to highlight that and say, “We can do better,” and get pointed in the right direction. It’s about looking in the literature. It wasn’t mainstream medicine. It wasn’t something he learned in dental school. I’m looking at this Japanese literature that’s saying, “Let’s at least try this.”

Infrared is the healing light of the sun without harmful rays like ultraviolet. It’s like photosynthesis for humans.

It was so incredibly progressive. This was in the ‘90s. I remember having conversations with people. A lot of people knew conceptually what sauna-ing was. It was like a Finnish tradition but nobody had heard of infrared and the concept of sweating something out of your body. It was so foreign. I still applaud that doctor and the way he cared for my brother and brought this technology that would been wildly used over in different countries but not heard of in the United States at that time.

Could you elaborate for us on what infrared is?

It comes from the sun. If you look at the sun’s spectrum, there’s a lot of spectrum of light. There’s one category that is called infrared. There are three different parts of infrared that come from the sun, far, near and mid-infra, which we can talk about later. The general category infrared is the healing part of the healing light of the sun without the ultraviolet and any harmful rays. It’s what’s used when you walk outside and you feel that warm infrared, that black called infrared. It’s like the warm blanket that you feel from the sun where you feel like, “Oh.” That’s infrared. That’s that healing energy that you are getting into your body without the harmful rays.

The best analogy is that it’s like photosynthesis to plants. It’s something that is needed in order to grow and to thrive. It’s also the same light, heat source that is used in hospitals when a baby is born. They’re put it on a little like area under the light. That infrared is used because it’s safe. It provides that warmth, that womb feeling again.

In the saunas, is the infrared more of heightened, or is it the same amplitude as that from the sun?

When we first started Sunlighten, we didn’t know what we didn’t know. The only extensive research that was available was about far infrared. When we started, we did all of our research on how can we deliver the highest amount, the highest quantity of far infrared, into the body? It took my brother a long time to heal himself. My thought process was, coming from pharmaceuticals, “There has to be a better way. There has to be a more efficient way. Let’s figure this thing out because it shouldn’t take that long.”

The end story is phenomenal but, “Is there a way to scientifically make this better and then educate people and get it out?” For half of our years, we’ve focused on far-infrared, which is the one part from the sun. Years ago, we started doing research on the other two parts of the spectrum, mid-infrared and near-infrared and brought those to market as well. To answer your question, now, we can say Sunlighten and we’re the only company that can bring the entire infrared spectrum to two people. They can experience and enjoy each wavelength. Each wavelength works with the body differently and provides the body with different benefits.

Does it maybe about the depth that it goes into the body depending on the far, mid or near?

Without getting too scientific, each wavelength penetrates the body differently at different levels. As a result, it’s affecting the cells in a different way. Near is the shortest, so it doesn’t go very deep. Mid goes a little bit deeper into the joints and tissues. Far goes the deepest, that’s the way we studied as far as increasing your core temperature and helping to detoxify and pull out all the bad stuff that’s in your body and remove that. There are benefits. All are good.

People ask me that all the time, like, “If I can only do one.” It depends on what you’re looking for. Each one has benefits to the body in different ways. All of them are fantastic. If you can have the opportunity to do all three, great. For some people, it can be expensive. Some people, I understand they don’t have access to that. One is good. Two is better. Three is great.

HHS 36 | Infrared Sauna
Infrared Sauna: Each wavelength penetrates the body at different levels, which affect the cells differently. Near doesn’t go very deep, mid goes a little bit deeper, then far goes the deepest.

I get them all. Why choose? People like options. What makes the Sunlighten products different than other models of saunas             available on the market?

A lot of different things. One, while we’re talking about the three wavelengths, that’s one of the unique aspects of Sunlighten. When we brought it to market years ago, we patented being able to deliver two or more wavelengths into a sauna. We had the patent on two or more. We have the only product on the market that delivers the entire infrared spectrum separately and independently.

That’s one of the factors. The other, while we’re talking about patents, we can deliver the highest concentration. Back when we started, we wanted it to be effective and efficient. We deliver the most amount of infrared into the body on the market. Every minute you’re in there, you’re spending the highest quality of your time because you’re getting the highest quantity of product.

That’s important to me. I’m a big-time girl. I’m intentional about how I spend my time. If I’m going to be in there, I want it to be effective. That’s something that’s unique. We have filtered out all of what I call convectional heat so that the concentration is just the healing. That’s different than other products. A lot of products that you’ve looked at, like infrared saunas on the market, they do have infrared because any heater has infrared, but any heater is not going to help your heart and detoxify and help your skin and all that.

What makes the difference, which is the Sunlighten difference, is the concentration. It’s the highest quantity that’s available so that you’re filtering out the non-healing rays and you’re focusing on the therapeutic and healing base. Those are a couple. There are other issues as far as construction, high quality, safe, lowest EMF. We have an amazing quality control process where we test every single piece.

I was going to say if you could talk about some of the materials used so that we’re not trying to detoxify our bodies and then accumulating some other form of environmental toxins that are maybe part of the manufacturing process.

We learned that through hard knocks because, again, I didn’t go to school to own an infrared sauna company, so I had no idea. We found out through our customers. We would be making a product and they would call us, like, “I have itchy eyes.” I’m like, “Why do you have itchy eyes?” We learned over time that each bit that goes inside the building process, every material makes a difference, especially when you enter in heat in heating a material. If he says the oils, the wood, the wires, everything we do is designed to be safe, non-toxic and healthy.

We started that at the very beginning. We’re always making sure that we are providing the safest and healthiest product on the market. It’s important to us. It comes from the fact that we did this because of my brother. It’s a mission and a passion of love. It wasn’t something like, “I see this craze. I’m impressed on this. Let’s get on board.” There was no such thing.

What started out as a passion project has evolved into several years of trial and error into a truly optimal product. That speaks volumes. I love that you guys mentioned the idea of this passive cardio. Being that we are natural heart doctors, we often refer patients to saunas, frequently Sunlighten, which is why we have you here now but about the numerous cardiovascular benefits. The idea of passive cardio, if you could elaborate on that for us.

That is one of my favorite benefits. It’s probably one of the first benefits that I found myself in when I first started using our infrared sauna. Now, as I’ve studied it and validated everything that I knew intuitively, to me, it’s extremely fast. I could talk about it forever but essentially, passive cardiovascular conditioning is a result of 30 minutes to 40 minutes.

Being inside a Sunlighten sauna is like doing an exercise without doing anything.

When you’re inside the Sunlighten sauna, it is similar to exercise mimetics. It’s mimicking what you would be doing if you were active cardiovascular conditioning. If you were exercising or going for a run, you’re getting the very same experience but you get to do it while you’re sitting inside the sauna and you’re not doing anything.

It’s like this great little secret. It’s like I’m working out but you’re not actively working out, which is great for so many people. It’s great for muscle recovery. It’s great for people that physically can’t workout for whatever reason. It’s hard to convince somebody who can’t workout to workout because it’s either painful or they don’t have the energy or like my brother.

There’s no way you could’ve told my brother to exercise when he was sick because he felt horrible. Now that we have the Sunlighten technology, you can go in there and get those benefits for your heart. You can get the increased core temperature. You can increase your heart rate. You can get the blood flow and the oxygen, all the things that you feel when you exercise but you’re sitting there inside your Sunlighten sauna.

The other thing that is my newest favorite thing, I’ve been doing it for a long time but it feels like it’s this newest favorite thing, is the stacking. Going inside and either sweat stacking or doing other things that you love to do that feel good for your body while you’re in there. That’s the other great thing about it. If you’re running, you can run and you can listen to a podcast. You can listen to your show. You can do things but you’re limited. When you’re inside your Sunlighten sauna, you can sit there and you can meditate.

You can talk to friends, journal, or stretch. I was on spring break and that was one of the things I focused on. I’m like, “I can always do better stretching.” When you get into a good habit when you’re away, it’s easy to bring it back and keep doing it because it feels so good. That’s a great thing to do because your muscles feel loose anyway. It’s a great time to get into some good stretches, do yoga. There are lots of benefits to being inside there and lots of passive, specifically passive cardiovascular benefits.

I’m already doing this that I know that’s good for me for one aspect of. It’s not just for cardiovascular. There are multiple benefits from sitting in the sauna as it is. Add the infrared, some meditation or some breath work and you’re setting yourself up for total success, I would think.

Breathwork, that’s another one. I forgot. That’s something I’m always working on, that deep belly breathing. It’s such a great place to do it. You can feel your heart increasing. I always try and visualize what I want to accomplish. I visualize that blood flow and everything being opened and getting more oxygen to my brain. I feel like we’re filling our brains with so much stuff. It’s great to get clear so that you can think more clearly. It’s a wonderful experience. For people who are reading, if they haven’t tried it, check out someplace in your community if you can’t get one yourself because it can be transformative.

You can sweat it out. Even your brother, it took him time. It’s something that we have to continually work on because even if maybe you’re not diagnosed, you just have this chronic pain or chronic fatigue or some cardiac issue, or maybe you know that you’ve been exposed to mold or any of the number of things that the sauna can help to alleviate, you know that you can work your way into something that’s beneficial for you every single day. I’d say start somewhere.

We talk about it from a cardiovascular standpoint being beneficial for the endothelium. We talk a lot about patients with high blood pressure or with AFib or plaque accumulation. You’re considering the inside lining of your blood vessels. With this passive cardio, you’re considering the dilation of the blood vessels, bringing down the blood pressure, helping to put yourself in this calming mindset. It’s incredibly beneficial for so many body functions.

Something that I should mention when you talk about science and heart and being healthy is in 2005. A long time ago, the University of Missouri-Kansas City, UMKC, did a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial with our product and another infrared sauna that looked exactly the same. As a result of that trial, we found that we statistically significantly lowered blood pressure. You have significant peace of mind, your time. You are doing something to help your heart. There is nothing more important than a healthy heart.

HHS 36 | Infrared Sauna
Infrared Sauna: The ideal length of a sauna used to be 30 minutes, but now we recommend 40. 

It was only 30 minutes at the time. The sauna that we used was our lay-down model because that was the one we could mimic the easiest as far as the trial. It didn’t even have the pad underneath. It only had five heaters. It was like a beta version of what we have now. I can only imagine how efficient our time is now with all the improvements and advancements we’ve made since 2005.

That’s huge. Whenever we recommend supplements or something like that, it’s hard to have the gold standard of a study done on your product. We can recommend all kinds of different things but it’s rare that we find a specific brand making a specific product that has this gold standard of literature research done on it. That’s amazing.

Thank you.

I’m glad that you shared that. The leaps and bounds that we’ve come technologically with the trial and error of the manufacturing, this and that. All of the things that have been benefited since 2005, I can only imagine.

I’m proud of that study. I like the peace of mind. I’m skeptical by nature. When I hear things that sound too good to be true, it’s like, “Where’s the catch?” I was committed, and so was Aaron, to putting some scientific meat on the bones for Sunlighten to say, “I feel different.” I noticed we were getting all these letters and phone calls from people that would buy our product way back then that were saying, “Connie, this is life-changing. I can now walk again. I can do this. I can do that.” It was crazy, the outpouring of emails and communication we received from people. A lot of mercury sufferers that didn’t know it was mercury, they didn’t realize this toxic burden that they were carrying around.

A lot of people deal with those types of things. They think this is the way it is. That’s one of my big messages. If you’re in pain, that’s your body saying something. You don’t have to accept those conditions. Do something to change it. If you feel great all the time, then do things that keep you feeling great all the time. Let’s bond together and live our fullest and healthiest and best lives. We can do that. We have enough knowledge to do that now.

I love that you say that. I say that to patients all the time and anybody that’s, “I am getting older.” Please do not accept that as normal. We can do better.

I said it to my mom all the time. She’s like, “Honey, you don’t understand that happens with age.” I’m like, “No, mom. We’re going to fix this because you shouldn’t have that pain.” She said, “You’ll get older.” I’m like, “No, I don’t accept that.”

I completely agree that we need to do better. We can feel good. We talk about the 100-year heart. You don’t want a 100-year heart with achy joints and fogged up brain. That’s not what the goal is. The goal is to have optimal health, holistic, a 100-year heart but also a 100-year body that you can choose to move and feel good the entire time. You had mentioned this a couple of times throughout this 30-minute session. What are some of the best sauna practices to obtain the maximum benefits?

If you want to talk about an ideal and needing to work backward, the ideal is 40 minutes, actually. I mentioned 30 because that was the length of the study because again, we didn’t know. We have learned since then because we opened a day spa that you mentioned in the intro, we opened Sunlighten Day Spa in 2008 to bring this technology to our local community. As a result of having that, we have four units downstairs. We started off doing 30 minutes because that’s what the trial was done. We learned from people. They were like, “You cut it off too short.”

If you’re in pain, you don’t have to accept those conditions. Do something to change it.

We learned through trial and error that those extra ten minutes, my analogy is when you’re cycling or you’re running or you’re doing something exercise-wise, you can almost feel your body get into a zone. You get into the place where like, “I could keep doing this. I’ve hit the tipping point. It’s not hard anymore. I feel the benefit.” You start to get that somewhere in the minute twenty-ish. This is not science. It’s different for everybody but it’s important to keep going in the next ten minutes because you start to sweat. You feel exponentially better if you can go 40 versus 30. My recommendation is 40 minutes.

A lot of people can’t, I get it, but let’s talk ideal. If you can do it every day, do it every day. There is no downside to doing it every day. Unless you are hardcore like you’re exercising, and you’re doing gazillion other things that are active cardiovascular and all of a sudden, you feel like lightheaded or you feel like, “I’m doing too much.” Listen to your body and make an adjustment. If you can do it every day, another best sauna practice is making sure you’re properly hydrated. Again, you’re exercising while you’re sitting there. You need to make sure you need to hydrate ideally before, during and after.

I’ve started doing other ways since you’re going to detox, sitting in your sunlight. If you have other things that you do in your life to detox, you can do those as well in the sauna. Some people have certain drinks and certain binders that they take. You probably have certain supplements that you recommend for detox. It’s perfectly fine to do those before your sauna or during your sauna as well.

Talk to me about temperature. In that 40-minute session, where are we at with that?

The temperature is the external measurement. That’s the air temperature. What is the difference between infrared and convectional heat. If you think of infrared as a healing category and conventional being hot air, you want to focus on infrared, which is the wavelength going into your body and getting your body hot. Another study we did was measuring the body’s core temperature with our specific product. We showed an increase in core temperature, which leads to all other benefits, which we can talk about in another show. There’s some great science there too.

My point is it’s not about the air temperature. We can talk about that, and I’ll answer your question but sometimes people get in there and they get focused on that number. That number measures the temperature and the air. It’s not measuring how your body is feeling and absorbing it. That’s what Sunlighten does. We measure absorption, the quantity that you’re getting, what you’re receiving, the absorption that increases your core temperature and the result. That’s our job. Your job is to enjoy.

As far as the temperature, it’s going to range depending on which wavelengths you have. We also have a product that has programs. The programs have different air temperatures. It’ll range between 110 and 140-ish, somewhere in that range. What we want to notice is how you’re feeling while you’re in there. Don’t get so fixated on the air temperature.

You don’t need to go in and cook yourself at 190 degrees because you have the benefit of the infrared getting deeper into your body and raising your core temperature.

A lot of studies at higher temperatures noticed that people would get out, especially on the cardiovascular side. You can’t stay in a heated environment at that temperature level for extended periods of time. The benefits come from being there for extended periods of time. You’re not providing the optimal environment for yourself if you are going into 190 degrees and staying in there 10 minutes or 15 minutes and you’re done. It’s still good. Any sweat is good. All heat is good. That’s good but if you want optimal, you need to provide your body with an environment where you can absorb the highest concentration of infrared, then stay in there for at least 30 minutes, ideally 40.

It’s something sustainable and not shocking.

HHS 36 | Infrared Sauna
Infrared Sauna: A lot of sauna goers think it’s all about the air temperature; it’s not. It’s about measuring how your body is feeling. That’s what Sunlighten does; they measure the absorption.

Correct.

If you’re afraid to go out and exercise, how are you going to feel confident going into something where you can only sit in there comfortably for five minutes before you’re running out and gasping for air?

You bring up an important point. Something that is said when we talk about a lot is that your experience inside of Sunlighten is to be enjoyed, not endured. That’s our mission in life. We want to provide a product, a company, an environment where you enjoy coming to work here. Enjoy doing the work that you do. It’s an enjoyable experience. A lot of times, if you’re in that heated environment for too long, it’s like being outside in the hot sun for too long. In the end, you’re like, “I’m exhausted.” That’s not our goal. We want you to be energized and rejuvenated and leave your experience feeling, “Game on. Let’s go conquer the world.”

I feel better than I did before I walked into the sauna.

That’s our brand promise. We want you to feel better.

We know of the long-term like we talked about. What are maybe some of the short-term that you could experience after the first handful of sessions that you use?

One of my favorite new scientific findings that have been studied is your mental state of health. There’s been a science showing. If you can increase your body’s core temperature, you can relieve depression symptoms. I’ve noticed that. It’s one of the first things I found aside from the cardiovascular aspects. When I started using this, you feel better, legit. You feel healthier and happier because you feel lighter and it was an enjoyable experience. That’s an immediate thing. Also, with the way our infrared is absorbed, it helps to reduce inflammation and pain.

If you have muscle aches, you may notice a difference in pain. You will notice an increase in caloric burn because you’re exercising medics. That comes with increased blood flow and oxygen. You feel like, “I worked out,” which is a great energizing feeling as well. Your skin looks great because you’re doing something good for the skin. You’re purifying the body from the inside out, so your skin is going to glow. That’s a great benefit as well.

That’s my personal favorite benefit of sauna in the short term. Maybe you’ve been traveling, out of your normal diet and everything, you feel like your skin is a little congested. It’s like you look more vibrant, feel more invited, feel more alert. I completely agree. I have noticed all of these things firsthand. I often get the question of, “What can I do for my skin? Should I put this on it?” It’s like, “Go sit in the sauna,” is my first suggestion.

When I get out, I feel like I’m glowing. When I see people downstairs at our day spa, I can tell the people that got out of the sauna because they were like, “You look so beautiful.” They look so radiant.

Sunlighten is to be enjoyed, not endured.

Detox it. Don’t slab or something else on it.

Correct.

Thank you so much. Is there anything else that you’d like our audience to learn about? I love this topic and what you’re doing for beyond saunas. With the addition of infrared, I love everything that you’re doing. Is there anything else that you’d like to add?

Two things. One is, I always like to say because this can be a confusing topic, especially when you have the internet and you google stuff. You can find anything out there. We’ve been doing this for several years now. If anybody has any questions, you are more than welcome to reach out to me directly at Sunlighten. I want to help and educate. That would be something I would want to make sure people know. If you’re confused, contact me. The other thing I think that’s interesting is that we have a technology that I love to talk about that we use with our infrared, which is a sound technology called acoustic resonance therapy.

It’s so incredible. It came from when we first were using the sauna. I would sit and I would like to bounce up and down. I’m counting down the minutes, thinking about all the different things I could do. We found that this technology where you put these transducers, these sound systems underneath the bench, then you listen to acoustic music, which is why it’s called acoustic resonance. Acoustic sound resonances are the vibration of the ways. You listen to it while you’re in there. The music that we work with is patternless, so your brain can’t track what you’re listening to. I’ve listened to the same music for years but it doesn’t matter because you don’t know like, “This song is coming up next.”

What that does when you turn that on with combination with the infrared wavelengths is it instantly drops my shoulders. It’s like this gentle hum that your body responds to. Now it’s the senses. It’s like you’re feeling the heat, this vibration. You’re hearing this pattern-less music. You’re taking in any type of fragrance. It completely opens the body up to what I think is receiving more of the healing energy because you’re impacting your body in different ways. I highly recommend that technology, if you can, in combination with the Sunlighten infrared technology, the acoustic resonance therapy. That would be something else. I love sound therapy.

Me too, it’s so multifactorial. Back to the study that was done in 2005, the metric was high blood pressure or monitoring blood pressure. Imagine now having these added layers of the therapy. If we could study all of the metrics about cognition and potentially even blood sugar and blood pressure and heart rate variability, the benefits are endless.

I’m appreciative that you are an advocate. You’re using it and you’re speaking about it and all the work that you folks are doing for heart health. It’s so important and wonderful to have. I feel like when we started, there were crickets. It’s so wonderful to have all these wonderful educators like yourself who are out there trying to help people live their best life as well. Thank you.

It’s my pleasure because we get to give these patients hope, like your brother that probably was laying there and it’s like, “Is this my life?” We get to provide that layer of hope and it’s like, “No, we will get you there. We will get you to where you need to be and where you should be.” It’s awesome that we have this. The research continues to pour out. It’s so multifactorial. If you look at acoustic healing, then infrared healing and hyperthermia, so getting your body warm. The research is there. It is science-backed. It may be several years ago sounded a little woo-woo but it doesn’t matter now.

Thank you so very much, Connie. This has been my pleasure. Everybody, you can go to NaturalHeartDoctor.com/sunlightensauna. It’ll take you directly to their site. Look at all of their different products. They’ve got different sizes for small spaces, larger, for multiple people to enjoy at once. Please check them out. Reach out to us with any questions and also reach out to Connie. She’s an excellent source of knowledge. We’re so fortunate to have you on this episode.

Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it.

Thanks for reading this episode. I hope that you share this with somebody that you know and love. We appreciate all of your feedback on the show. Thanks for being here.

About Connie Zack

HHS 36 | Infrared Sauna

Connie Zack is co-owner and Chief Sales Officer of Sunlighten™, the global leader in infrared light therapy and infrared sauna manufacturing. After seeing how spending time in an infrared sauna transformed her brother’s traumatic health issues, Connie and her husband committed everything they had to helping others through the benefits of nature’s healing infrared light.

They’ve now spent nearly 20 years bringing light, hope and happiness to people around the world with locations in 13 countries, as well as operating an award-winning day spa at its headquarters location in Kansas City. Sunlighten delivers its promise to help people feel better so they can do more of what they love and live fully through a caring approach that drives innovation, investment, and relationships. Connie lives in the flow of life, appreciating the sparkle that comes in the unplanned moments that often make life the most magical.

She takes each day as it comes, making decisions from a center of values she’s developed throughout her lifetime. She is committed to encouraging women and other entrepreneurs, to raising her two boys, and continuing to support the mission of Sunlighten as it continues to help people across the globe on their wellness journeys.

About Dr. Lauren Lattanza NMD, FACC

Dr. Lattanza Office Visit with Patient

As a Naturopathic Physician, I am trained to treat the whole person and get to the root cause of disease.

I went to Arizona State University where I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a depth in physiology and minor in Spanish. After my undergraduate degree I was working on prerequisite classes towards medical school, which is when I came to learn that my values identified best with the principles of naturopathic medicine. I knew that I wanted to help patients identify the causes of disease and be able to offer treatments which would improve their health rather than simply treating symptoms.

I dedicated the next 4 years to the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, Arizona where I attained my Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine. I served as Class President all 4 years, Board of Trustees – Student Trustee, spoke as the Club President for our branch of Toastmasters, and was voted by my peers and attending physicians to earn the Outstanding Leadership Award for the Class of 2020. Throughout medical school I took it upon myself to work alongside MDs, DOs, chiropractors, and functional medicine practitioners in addition to naturopathic physicians.

As a Spanish speaking student, I was able to volunteer with community clinics around Phoenix and provide free healthcare to low-income families. Due to this combined exposure, I came to find my passion in treating cardiometabolic and digestive disorders that are all too common, yet largely preventable. I took the opportunity to learn the broad spectrum of healthcare so I can ensure that I am able to provide my patients with the best options.

About Dr. Jack Wolfson DO, FACC

Dr. Wolfson Office Visit with Patient

Dr. Jack Wolfson is a board-certified cardiologist, Amazon best-selling author, husband, father, and the nation’s #1 Natural Heart Doctor.

For more than two decades, more than one million people have enjoyed the warmth, compassion, and transformational power of his natural heart health courses and events.

Dr. Wolfson is the founder of Natural Heart Doctor Scottsdale, his heart health practice in Arizona, and Natural Heart Doctor, an online resource center with natural health information. Doctors from across the globe reach out to Dr. Wolfson for training and education in holistic health practices.

He has been named one of America’s Top Functional Medicine Doctors and is a five-time winner of the Natural Choice Awards as a holistic M.D. Dr. Wolfson’s work has been covered by more than 100 media outlets, including NBC, CNN, and the Washington Post. His book “The Paleo Cardiologist: The Natural Way to Heart Health” was an Amazon #1 best-seller.

Dr. Wolfson and his wife Heather have four children and are committed to making the world a better place to live. They provide for those in need (including animals) and support natural health causes through their philanthropic efforts.

Chiropractic

Our chiropractor is an expert at adjustments and holistic chiropractic care and works closely in conjunction with the other health care experts at Natural Heart Doctor.

Call (480) 535-6844 for details and scheduling.

IV Therapy

We use specially formulated natural vitamins and minerals that are injected into a vein to prevent or treat dehydration. Ideal for people in Arizona.

Call (480) 535-6844 for details and scheduling.

Acupuncture

Stimulate your body’s natural healing abilities and promote physical and emotional well-being with acupuncture at Natural Heart Doctor.

Call (480) 535-6844 for details and scheduling.

Health Coaching

Our health coaches use evidence based skillful conversation, clinical interventions, and strategies to engage you actively and safely in health behavior changes.

Call (480) 535-6844 for details and scheduling.

Cardio Tests

We use the most advanced testing in the world to assess heart health and to identify the root cause of your health issues.

Call (480) 535-6844 for details and scheduling.

Office Visits

Schedule an office visit with one of our cardiologists, holistic physicians, chiropractor, or health coaches.

Call (480) 535-6844 for details and scheduling.

Frequently Asked Questions

I’d like to receive an online second opinion from Natural Heart Doctor. What do I do next?

You can initiate a second opinion online through our website at any time. To begin, select the team member you’d like to speak with and open an account.

Click here for cardiologist Dr. Jack Wolfson.

Naturopathic Medical Doctor Dr. Lauren Lattanza. Get details.

Naturopathic Medical Doctor Dr. Tonia Rainier. Get details.

Click here for  Natural Heart Doctor Health Coach.

Alternatively, you can email health@naturalheartdoctor.com. A member of our care team will help guide you through the process of starting a second opinion.

What is the cost of a Natural Heart Doctor Online Second Opinion?

The cost for most second opinions varies by team member. This fee includes information collection, a phone or video consultation, a second opinion from a Natural Heart Doctor specialist and guidance throughout the process from your personal Care Team at Natural Heart Doctor.

Cardiologist Dr. Jack Wolfson’s Second Opinion Fee is $1500.

Holistic Physician’s Dr. Lauren Lattanza’s Second Opinion Fee is $250.

Naturopathic Physician Dr. Tonia Rainier’s Second Opinion Fee is $250.

Note: We apply the Online Second Opinion Call fee as a credit to any future consultations with Natural Heart Doctor, should you choose them.

Will my insurance cover the cost of a Natural Heart Doctor Online Second Opinion?

Most likely, no. Most health plans do not cover online second opinions or consultations. You are responsible for the cost of our second opinion. Natural Heart Doctor cannot file a claim with your insurance carrier, nor can we provide a procedure (CPT) code for this service.

What is the timeline to receive an online second opinion?

We do our best to schedule your second opinion as quickly as possible. Typically, it takes 5 to 7 business days after your information has been collected to receive your phone or video online second opinion.

What information do you need in advance of our call?

Our office will send you a short questionnaire to complete and return. We DO NOT need your complete medical records.

How many questions can I ask the expert during our call?

You may ask a maximum of five questions. This is to ensure that the expert has sufficient time to devote to each question. All questions must be finalized before your online meeting.

What should I expect to receive once my second opinion is complete?

You will receive a summary of our discussion along with our second opinion. The second opinion will be in written form. After you have reviewed the second opinion, a Natural Heart Doctor clinician will follow up with you by phone to address general medical questions about the information provided in the second opinion.

What if I have follow-up questions for the expert after I have reviewed my second opinion?

If you have a clarifying question about an expert’s response to one of the questions in your second opinion, and the Natural Heart Doctor clinician is unable to address it, then you may request a follow up session for an additional fee. 

Is my medical and payment information secure?

Natural Heart Doctor is strongly committed to protecting the privacy and security of all our patients. Our website meets all federal requirements for protecting personal health information under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). All financial transactions are processed by Natural Heart Doctor securely using industry standard payment processing tools.

I would rather visit Natural Heart Doctor for an in-person appointment. What should I do next?

If you would prefer an in-person appointment at Natural Heart Doctor instead of an online second opinion, please call (480) 535-6844 for details and scheduling.

Can I schedule a follow up appointment with the specialist who provided my online second opinion?

Yes, we’re happy to help you on an extended basis. Our clinician can discuss options with you when presenting our second opinion summary.