When Heat Is the Medicine
By Dr. Zachary LaVigne, B.S., D.C
You feel that heat rising under your skin and immediately panic. The thermometer flashes 101, and before you even put it down, you are reaching for Tylenol. Fever has become something we fight without question. Yet that warmth, that uncomfortable flush, is one of the oldest healing strategies the body has. It is not a malfunction. It is a biological defense system that evolved to keep us alive.
When an infection begins, your immune system signals the hypothalamus in your brain to raise your body temperature. This small shift makes you less hospitable to invaders. Most bacteria and viruses thrive at normal body temperature. When your internal thermostat climbs, their reproduction slows. At the same time, your white blood cells move faster and attack with greater efficiency. Fever speeds up the immune response while slowing down the enemy.
Heat also changes your body chemistry in useful ways. Immune signaling molecules, called cytokines, work more effectively in a warmer environment. Metabolism increases, blood flow improves, and your cells communicate more efficiently. That familiar ache you feel during a fever is not just discomfort; it is the body redirecting its energy to healing.
Suppressing every fever interrupts that natural rhythm. For most healthy adults, a mild to moderate fever, under 103 degrees, is safe to let run its course. It is uncomfortable, but discomfort is not danger. Rest, hydrate, and monitor how you feel. Unless you have a specific medical condition or are caring for a
child or older adult, the best thing to do is often nothing at all.
There is also a detox element at work. Fever dilates blood vessels, improving circulation and helping the lymphatic system carry waste out of tissues. Sweating, another hallmark of fever, assists in removing those waste products through the skin. Cultures across history recognized this connection between heat and healing. Sweat lodges, saunas, and hot baths were early ways of imitating fever to cleanse the body. Modern research now supports what our ancestors already knew: mild heat stress activates the body’s repair systems.
That does not mean every fever is harmless. Very high or prolonged fevers can be serious and should always be evaluated by a medical professional. But for the everyday viral illness, that spike in temperature is not your body losing control. It is your immune system doing its job.
The next time you find yourself sweating through the sheets, try to see it differently. Fever is a signal that your body is actively working to restore balance. It is the original detox, a fullbody recalibration written deep into your biology. Instead of fighting it, consider trusting it. Our bodies have been doing this long before you were born.
Dr. Zachary LaVigne, B.S., D.C
The Heat of Connection Sauna
Edited by Mikkel Hyldebrandt
Photos: Christian Geisnæs, Nicolai Lok
In the steamy haze of Sauna, debut director Mathias Broe delivers one of the year’s most quietly revolutionary queer films—a tender, deeply human love story between two men navigating identity, intimacy, and belonging within Copenhagen’s vibrant LGBTQ+ community. Releasing worldwide on November 18, Sauna makes history as the first Danish feature to cast a transgender actor in a leading trans role.
Based on the acclaimed novel by writer and activist Mads Ananda Lodahl, Sauna reimagines Romeo and Juliet through a contemporary queer lens. At its center are Johan, a gay man yearning for connection, and William, a trans man stepping into his transition. Their story begins with a Grindr hookup that evolves into something far deeper—an emotionally charged relationship that blooms and fractures within the confined, symbolic walls of a gay sauna.
“I had never seen a love story between a trans gay man and a cis gay man before,” says Broe. “I wanted to bring
that dynamic to queer cinema because it reflects questions so many of us face around love, identity, and acceptance.”
Broe’s vision draws from both Lodahl’s narrative and his own life. “I’ve been wanting to make a film about my queer community in Copenhagen for years,” he explains. “When I read about William and Johan’s relationship, I knew it was the perfect story to tell. It’s also deeply personal—my own partner started transitioning while we were making Sauna.”
Casting authenticity was key. After an open call, the role of William went to Nina Rask, who imbues the character with warmth and subtle humor. Opposite her, Magnus Juhl Andersen brings emotional intensity to Johan. “When Magnus walked into the room, there was instant chemistry,” recalls Broe. “It was sexy, raw, and real.”
The sauna itself becomes both a sanctuary and battleground. “It’s the heart of the film,” says Broe.
“For Johan, it’s home. For William,
it’s a place of rejection—marked by conservative ideas about gender and transphobia. The sauna brings them together, but it also tears them apart.”
Despite its distinctly queer framework, Sauna reaches for something universal.
the intimacy and grit of grassroots filmmaking. Its soundtrack pulses with music from Denmark’s underground scene, featuring artists like Anton Falck (First Hate), Debbie Sings, Asbjørn, and Raymonde Gaunoux all lending a distinctly queer sonic identity to the film’s emotional landscape.
For Broe, Sauna is more than a film—it’s a statement. “We owe it to each other to listen and understand,” he says. “Queer lives deserve to be portrayed with the same complexity as any others.”
“It’s about two people having a beautifully flawed human experience of love,” Broe reflects. “By being honest about imperfection, we can connect queer stories to the broader human experience.”
The film also holds up a mirror to the LGBTQ+ community itself. “We’re not always one big happy family,” Broe notes. “There’s prejudice within our own spaces. I hope Sauna challenges those internal biases and opens conversations about how we treat one another.”
Shot over six weeks with a small, mostly queer crew, Sauna captures
Sauna will be available to rent or purchase on all major digital platforms beginning November 18. Don’t miss this bold and intimate new voice in queer cinema—a love story that proves vulnerability can be the most radical act of all.
A Dream of Mexico Comes Alive with LUZIA
Edited by Mikkel Hyldebrandt
Photos: Photos: Matt Beard & Anne Colliard
Step right under the Big Top at Atlantic Station in Atlanta this November and prepare for a spellbinding escape: Cirque du Soleil’s latest touring spectacle, LUZIA, opens its run on Friday, November 7 (with a preview from November 6) and is set to dazzle with 47 performances of “a waking dream of Mexico.” According to the production notes, “light (‘luz’) quenches the spirit and rain (‘lluvia’) soothes the soul.”
artists leap and twist, all under shimmering lights that evoke sunlight and rain in vivid contrast.
The theme of light and rain recurs throughout the spectacle: “luz” and “lluvia” anchor the show’s poetic vision and connect the emotional arc of the performance—from energy and vitality to calm and reflection.
From the moment you settle into your seat, LUZIA invites you into a rich tapestry of Mexico—but not as you know it. Instead, it’s a sumptuous, poetic re-imagining, an other-worldly blend of the traditional and the fantastical. Directed and written by Daniele Finzi Pasca (in association with Brigitte Poupart) the show carries you from old-movie sets to smoky dance halls, from desert scenes to ocean vistas. In one scene you may witness acrobats rolling through water, in another you’ll see soccer-freestyle
One of LUZIA’s most talked-about feats is its incorporation of actual water effects in a touring production—something rarely seen in a show of this scale. For example: a trapeze artist flies and twirls through a curtain of poured-rain and cyr wheel performers spin beneath sheets of falling water.
Beyond the water, expect jaw-dropping athleticism: contortionists twisting into unimaginable shapes, hoop divers racing
on massive treadmills, and acrobats who defy gravity in an experience that seamlessly marries circus tradition with modern spectacle – the universal trademarks of any Cirque du Soleil show.
All this is wrapped in vibrant design: bold costumes, rich colors, butterflies and nature imagery, evocative lighting — all of which combine to make LUZIA feel more like entering a dreamscape than attending a typical show.
For Atlanta audiences, this is more than just another stop on a tour—it’s a chance to immerse in a major, immersive production set beneath the iconic Big Top at Atlantic Station. Show dates run from early November through December (and possibly
beyond), giving plenty of opportunity to catch what promises to be one of the city’s standout entertainment experiences this fall.
Whether you’re a long-time Cirque fan or this will be your first foray into that world, LUZIA offers something for everyone: dazzling imagery, physical wonder, and a thematic richness grounded in culture and imagination. Tickets are available via the official site: cirquedusoleil.com/luzia — it’s wise to get in early, as demand is high and the production’s run is limited.
In a holiday season when Atlanta is looking for bold, transformative experiences, LUZIA delivers exactly that. Under the Big Top we aside the everyday and step into a world where light and rain dance, where tradition and modernity fuse, and where the human body performs the extraordinary. In short: arrive ready to dream—not just watch.
BARS & CLUBS MIDTOWN
BLAKE’S ON THE PARK blakesontheparkatlanta.com 227 10th St NE
BULLDOGS 893 Peachtree St NE
FRIENDS NEIGHBORHOOD BAR friendsonponce-atl. com
736 Ponce De Leon Ave NE
MY SISTER’S ROOM mysistersroom.com 66 12th St NE
X MIDTOWN xmidtown.com 990 Piedmont Ave NE
THE T modeltatlanta.com 465 Boulevard SE
CHESHIRE
HERETIC hereticatlanta.com 2069 Cheshire Bridge Road
BJ ROOSTERS bjroosters.com 2043 Cheshire Bridge Road NE
WESTSIDE
MARQUETTE 868 Joseph E. Boone Blvd NW
840ATL 840 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd
ATLANTA EAGLE 1492 Piedmont Ave NE
FELIX’S 1510 Piedmont Ave NE
MIXX mixxatlanta.com 1492 Piedmont Ave NE
OSCAR’S oscarsatlanta.com 1510 Piedmont Ave NE
WOOFS woofsatlanta.com 494 Plasters Ave NE
TRIPPS fb: tripps-bar 1931 Piedmont Cir NE
EAST ATLANTA, GRANT PARK & EDGEWOOD
MARY’S marysatlanta.com 1287 Glenwood Ave SE
SISTER LOUISA’S CHURCH sisterlouisaschurch. com 466 Edgewood Ave SE LORE ATLANTA loreatl.com 466 Edgewood Ave loreatl.com
DINING
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CASA ALMENARA 991 Piedmont Ave NE casa-almenara.com
OLIVE BISTRO olivebistro.com 1050 Juniper St NE #4
LA HACIENDA lahaciendamidtown. com
900 Monroe Dr NE
TUK TUK THAI FOOD LOFT TUKTUKATL.COM 1745 Peachtree Rd NW
DEKALB
LIPS ATLANTA atldragshow.com 3011 Buford Hwy NE
RETAIL
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BOY NEXT DOOR MENSWEAR boynextdoormenswear.com 1000 Piedmont Ave NE, Ste A
ANSLEY
BARKING LEATHER AFTER DARK barkingleather.com 1510 Piedmont Ave NE
GCB & PLEASURES brushstrokesatlanta. com
FITNESS
MIDTOWN
URBAN BODY FITNESS
urbanbody tness. com
500 Amsterdam Ave N
CHESHIRE
GRAVITY FITNESS
gravity tnessatl.com 2201 Faulkner Rd NE
SPAS/BATHS ADULT
FLEX SPA exspas.com 76 4th St NW
SOUTHERN NIGHTS VIDEO 2205 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE
ANSLEY
1510-D Piedmont Ave. NE
Photos by: Russ Youngblood
Photos by: Russ Youngblood
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