Hyperhydrosis (Hyperhidrosis) - Chronic Sweating - Written by Dr. Sherry Chen, Naturopath - Toronto, Canada

Sweating (diaphoresis) is a natural physiologic response when the body needs to cool down (physical activity or from fever) but it can also occur in emotional situations, high environmental temperatures or even in some disease states such as an overactive thyroid to an underlying malignancy. Therefore, in any case of excessive sweating it is necessary to find the root cause of the sweating.

The cases we have seen at Journey To Cure Toronto Naturopathic Clinic are mainly due to overactive eccrine sweat glands and is associated with an emotional stimuli causing armpit (axillary) or hands/feet/facial (volar) sweating. The medical name for this is Hyperhydrosis (also spelled as hyperhidrosis).

At Journey To Cure Toronto Naturopathic Clinic we address the root cause of the sweating by:

Identifying the situations or stimuli that causes the profuse sweating.
Develop an individualized herbal formula
Acupuncture treatments (10 sessions or more if sweating is very chronic)
Develop an individualized dietary regiment that is supportive of the individuals body type.

The herbal formula that we give is to address any imbalances in the body and the cause of the hyperhydrosis (hyperhidrosis). Acupuncture is used in conjunction because it is an effective method in influencing the nervous and endocrine systems which play a role in hyperhydrosis (hyperhidrosis) patients. Dietary recommendations are also given because we all know that diet can play a role in our health and influence many aspects of our body. For instance, we may be eating foods that induce a lot of sweating, or we may be doing the opposite and that is, we may have a nutritional deficiency from what we are not eating.

Treatment results vary from person to person based on how long they have had the hyperhydrosis (hyperhidrosis). We have seen many good results here (results seen with 6 treatments of acupuncture alone for excessive armpit (axillary) sweating) at the clinic from cases of armpit sweating, to hands, feet and trunk of the body, cases where the beads of sweat can be seen by the naked eye, to facial sweating and chronic night sweats.

Additional information-- allopathic treatments

Allopathic treatments include some of the following:
Focal Injections: Injection of Botulinum toxin Type A to prevent nerve signals to the sweat glands. Sweating will recur and possible side effects include sweating in other areas and pain at injection site.
Topical Treatments: application of an antiperspirant containing aluminum chloride hexahydrate. The outcome of treatment is highly variable and the duration of effect is short. One concern of using topical treatments the link between aluminum toxicity with alzheimer’s disease and breast cancer. The studies are still inconclusive but why take the chance when there are other options.
Iontophoresis: application of low-intensity electric current to affected areas (used for hands and feet sweating only) but is limited by the duration of the effect –lasting only a few weeks and the time need for the initial treatments are long (30 minutes per area).
Surgery: this is usually the last option that most people consider for the treatment for hyperhydrosis. The nerves stimulating the sweat glands are severed. This is a very invasive treatment and only manages the sweating for several years and is not a cure.

If you are looking for an alternative and a solution to your chronic sweating please contact us:

Tel: 647 435 2517
1370 Don Mills Road, Suite 206
Toronto ON M3B 3N7
Journey To Cure Toronto Naturopathic Clinic