Excessive Sweating (Hyperhidrosis)

Why do I sweat excessively? 

Excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis) means that you sweat much more than normal. Even when you are not hot, anxious, or exercising, you produce a lot of sweat. 

Primary hyperhidrosis means that excessive sweating occurs in one or more of the following focal places: 

• palms of the hands
• soles of the feet
• armpits and/or chest
• groin
• face or scalp

The exact cause is not known and it is not associated with any other conditions, it just seems that the sweat glands in these areas are overactive or more sensitive than normal. In some people, it may run in the family so some genetic factors may be involved.

Generalised hyperhidrosis means that you sweat more than normal all over. This is less common than primary hyperhidrosis and it is usually caused by an underlying medical condition including anxiety disorders, heart problems, thyroid imbalances, infections and certain cancers, as well as side-effects to certain medications.

How is Excessive Sweating or Hyperhidrosis treated?

In general, the conventional medical view on hyperhidrosis is that there is no known cause or cure. However, because excessive sweating can be distressing and embarrassing, doctors sometimes perform surgery to cut the nerves that supply the sweat glands – an approach that can have negative side effects since the nerves that supply our sweat glands also control a number of other mechanisms in our body.

How does healthy nutrition help treat excessive sweating naturally? 

Sweating is a physiological mechanism that helps us cool off. Without the ability to sweat, you would suffer from serious health challenges from not being able to regulate your body temperature. However, while there’s no doubt that excessive sweating can be caused by stress or emotional anxiety, it can also be caused by imbalances in your hormonal and nervous systems. 

How does food intolerance cause sweating?

If you tend to sweat excessively, your sympathetic nervous system can be over-active even when you are physically at rest. One often-overlooked cause for this over activity is eating foods that your body cannot tolerate. 

For instance, if your body cannot tolerate dairy products, every time you eat them your immune system must work hard to protect your tissues from the harmful effects of whichever components of dairy don’t agree with you. If your immune system is constantly at work dealing with food intolerances, your sympathetic nervous system detects this as stress, and activates the mechanisms that are in place to help you during stressful situations…including the production of sweat.

So what’s the nutritionists’ answer?

A nutritional approach towards managing excessive sweating focuses on:

• Eating a healthy, balanced diet
• Identifying food intolerances
• Correcting nutritional deficiencies
• Staying hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids 
• Improving digestion…

… as well as the appropriate use of natural supplements and home remedies.

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