Photo: Ethan in the traditional Finnish sauna that he built with his dad in his family's backyard.

Ethan Abramovitz is a student at Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees, New Jersey. Through the intersection of a strong interest in the science, volunteer work at a local assisted living facility, and the experience of building a traditional Finnish sauna in his family’s backyard, Ethan became interested in the emerging scientific and medical research indicating the potential benefits of heat therapy for preventing neurodegenerative diseases as well as other medical conditions.

With two great-grandparents who suffered from dementia and as a volunteer at a local assisted living facility in Voorhees, New Jersey, Ethan has seen firsthand the burden of neurodegenerative diseases on older adults and their families as well as the extremely high cost of ongoing care. 

While traditional medical therapies for neurodegenerative disease continue to advance rapidly, current treatments are not yet as effective as they need to be for all patients, creating the opportunity for integrating complementary treatments like heat therapy.

However, wellness practices like sauna, which have been utilized for their various health benefits in Nordic countries for centuries, are not well known in the U.S. In addition, access to heat therapy is limited for senior citizens in the Philadelphia area. 

Increasing access to heat therapy for senior citizens in the Philadelphia area, as a complement to other wellness and medical interventions, represents a potential opportunity to improve health outcomes at low cost and with a high return on investment.