Don’t sweat it: Acupuncture treats excessive perspiration

Whether it’s stifling, humid conditions, vigorous exercise or plain old stress that’s the trigger, trickles or torrents of sweat streaming from the body will undoubtedly follow.

From cool beads dribbling from foreheads to the damp trails on chests, backs and underarms, the outbreak of patches of perspiration in response to anxiety, warm weather or workouts is inevitable. Yet some people cope with even more extreme amounts of sweat.

(photo stopsweats.org)

Primary hyperhidrosis may have a genetic or hereditary link and is typically characterized by excessive sweating of various regions of the body, including feet, hands, under breasts, the groin and armpits. When the cause of excessive sweating is correlated to another disorder — such as hyperthyroidism or menopause — it’s known as secondary hyperhidrosis.

“Basically, if your sweating is enough that it interferes with your daily activities of your life, you probably have hyperhidrosis,” Dr. Nowell Solish, a Toronto-based cosmetic dermatologist and assistant professor at the University of Toronto.

“It’s not sweating when you exercise and work out — it’s sweating all the time. Even in the winter, even when you’re home watching TV.”

Those with hyperhidrosis may have to change shirts repeatedly within a day, avoid raising arms in public or steer clear of shaking people’s hands due to excessive sweating, Solish noted. He said the condition’s cause remains unknown.

“It’s probably something in the brain, we don’t know exactly for sure,” said Solish. “The glands are normal. It’s just they’re being signalled to sweat when they don’t need to be.

“We think it’s probably some signal from the brain coming down, or that the glands are too sensitive to the signal that they’re sweating more than they’re needed to maintain normal temperature and water control.”

One of the treatments for hyperhidrosis is Botox. When used for cosmetic or medical reasons — like smoothing fine lines in the face — Botox blocks the signal from the nerve to the muscle to move.

“If you put Botox around the sweat gland, even if the nerve is signalling it to sweat, the signal doesn’t reach the sweat gland, and you don’t sweat as much,” said Solish.

There are safer alternative treatments to address hyperhidrosis.

Many people come to Health On Point in search of a non-invasive treatment approach to not just address sweating, but its core cause. We find that emotional issues like stress or anxiety are common triggers — especially if it’s a secondary hyperhidrosis. Sometimes an autoimmune condition is to blame. All of these things acupuncture can help — not just the symptom of sweating, but addressing the root cause of the hyperhidrosis.

First, we encourage our patients to ensure hyperhidrosis is diagnosed with their doctor. We also recommend blood work and testing to rule out certain root causes, such as a thyroid hormone issue.

Acupuncture can be beneficial by helping to balance overstimulated nerves and prevent them from being overactive. That, in turn, helps to reduce sweating and aid the body to regulate temperature.

We typically recommend patients participate in eight to 10 acupuncture sessions that can be combined with herbs.

For those looking to keep bacteria and bad odors at bay, they may consider opting for an herbal astringent. We recommend placing a couple of drops of an essential oil into a spray bottle with filtered water. The concoction can be used as a body splash following a shower or bath or throughout the day as needed, she noted. Both rosemary and tea tree oils have antifungal and antibacterial properties, and are available in clinic (as well as directions and a home 'recipe' for this remedy).