Critique of Traditional and Infrared Sauna Detoxification

This critique evaluates the credibility and relevance of an online source about traditional and infrared sauna detoxification. It discusses the author's purpose, the accuracy of the information, and the intended audience. The critique concludes with a recommendation based on the evaluation.

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Part I: Re-critique
Traditional and Infrared Sauna detoxification is the title of the article that I will be
critiquing. I retrieved the article from this website: www.the-infrared-sauna-effect.com. More
than one person conducted the study, but no specific writers or their histories have been
mentioned. The thesis of this paper is to determine whether the information from the online
source is credible and relevant using the credibility indicators from the analysis guides. It is also
to apply the concepts and strategies to the process of critical reading and writing that I have
learned throughout the course. The purpose of this paper is to provide “food for thought” for a
general audience to support their critical reading when they interact with the source.
It is hard to evaluate the author’s credibility since the article has not indicated any
of the writers. The website also does not provide any information about the publisher or any
medical endorsements, making its credibility worrying. I, therefore, went ahead to evaluate the
author’s purpose. They aim to educate their audience by sharing what they have learned from
medical research, users’ stories and testimonials, technical information, and their own
experiences. The author intends to persuade its audience by mentioning that saunas have
powerful effects of cleansing the body and relaxing the mind from the everyday stress of life.
Is the information provided fact, opinion or propaganda? The article indicates that
they have included both facts and their personal experiences. They have conducted in-depth
research and have also heavily used the sauna themselves. I also evaluated the accuracy of the
information on the website, by checking the reliability truthfulness and correctness of the
content. It is not clear where the data comes from, but they have mentioned organizations such as
The World Health Organization, and Mayo Clinic Researchers that have researched and
endorsed the effects of IR Saunas. I have not found any content by WHO regarding the benefits

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of IR; this eliminates their claims. On the contrary, there is proof of a medical journal written by
the physicians of Mayo Clinic about the health benefits of sauna bathing which can be accessed
through this link: https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(18)30275-1/
fulltext. The journal written by Mayo clinic physicians proves that their article is accurate. I am
indecisive whether I should render this source credible or not because even though the
information provided is accurate, they have not indicated any references to show their sources of
research. The tone seems biased since they mention severally about their usage of saunas.
I researched to see whether the information on the website is truthful. According to Sara
Linberg, retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/infrared-sauna-benefits#3, the
benefits of infrared sauna include detoxification, relaxation, better sleep, improved circulation,
clear and tighter skin, weight loss, relief from sore muscles, relief from joint pains such as
arthritis, improved circulation, and helps people suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome. The
author has written the same benefits, proving the credibility of the source.
It is clear that the intended audience of this source is anyone who has never used a sauna
before and would like to know the benefits and the disadvantages before purchasing one, and
those who have already own one and have the desire to know the types of detoxification they can
try. Regarding authority, it is not clear who the author or publisher is. The publisher’s affiliations
and contact information are not given. Furthermore, we do not know the author’s qualifications
to judge whether they qualify to write about the subject or not.
Even though there are no authors and references, the article passes all the other aspects of
an evaluation test. The report is relevant, accurate and has a purpose. Importantly, the
information provided is truthful when compared to other sources of information. My decision
whether to recommend it or not is factious. I would not recommend it because it has no authority

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and it is not current. On the other hand, I would recommend it since it provides credible
information about the health benefits of using saunas.
Part II: Self Critique
The original critique focused majorly on two elements: the main argument of the article
and its authority. The second critique digs deeper, analyzing the relevance, purpose, intended
audience, accuracy, and quality of the information. Through the new evaluation, I was able to
apply the fact-checking technique to determine whether the article was subjective, objective or
biased. The online source was biased since the authors used their personal experiences with
saunas as a motivation to write the article. I was also able to exercise the application of source
investigation by checking whether the information on the website is factual or incorrect by
critically reading a related article.
This exercise enabled me to understand the term “truthiness” further. I had to find
evidence to prove the authors’ viewpoints since they did not support their perspectives with any
evidence. Anyone can post an article online nowadays since there are no strict rules to post so
people might be biased to influence others with their strong-instilled beliefs. The new critique
also demonstrates “Reciprocity,” the authors use organizations such as The World Health
Organization, Mayo Clinic Researchers, and many prominent people and organizations in the
hopes of convincing their targeted audience to try the detoxification tactic.
My mindset about online content has changed significantly after this course. Before
taking the course, I used to believe that online sources were credible, but now I have a different
view. I never used to check the credibility of the authors, their backgrounds, whether they were
qualified to write about the subject matter or endorsed by a professional, and whether the

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publishers of the sources were academic, commercial or political. After this course, I now know
that checking for authority is vital to proving the credibility of the information provided.
It is crucial to be a critical consumer of online content so as not to fall prey to false
information. Due to open access the internet offers, anyone can write about anything, and it is
essential to determine whether the writer has the authority to speak about the topic at hand and
whether the information is credible. It is also vital to be able to refute misleading content and
explain why it is not trustworthy so that other readers do not become victims of false information
that might harm them in any way.