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Friday 24 May 2013

Successful Ayurvedic Herbal Treatment of Hyperhidrosis (Excessive Sweating)


Hyperhidrosis is a medical condition in which individuals experience excessive sweating from specific areas of the body such as the armpits, palms and soles of feet.  In most individuals suffering from hyperhidrosis, the cause is usually unknown; however, sweating is aggravated due to stress, heat, and eating spicy food.  This idiopathic variety of the disease is usually bilateral.  Hyperhidrosis due to secondary causes is usually due to trauma, neurological disorders, or as a result of medications.  Hyperthyroidism can cause excessive, generalized sweating.

Conservative treatment for hyperhidrosis includes local application of antiperspirants; medications to treat the overactive sweat glands; Botulinum toxin injections; laser ablation; and surgery.  Most individuals do not get satisfactory results with these measures; surgery can bring about significant relief in sweating from the palms; however, it can itself create fresh problems for the affected individual.

Ayurvedic herbal treatment can be successfully utilized to treat the overactive sweat glands, reduce stress, and treat the overactive sympathetic nervous system.  A majority of individuals suffering from hyperhidrosis have also been found to be suffering from hyperacidity which needs to be treated separately.  Most individuals get relief from the first month of treatment, which is continued for another few months to establish a complete remission of symptoms.  The medicines are then gradually tapered over the next few months and stopped altogether.  Treatment is in the form of herbal medicines to be taken orally, and local applications are usually not required.  If medicines are tapered slowly, a recurrence of the problem is rarely seen.

Ayurvedic herbal treatment can thus be successfully utilised to treat hyperhidrosis, which can be socially distressing and embarrassing to affected individuals.

The writer, Dr. A. A. Mundewadi, is available as an online Ayurvedic Consultant at https://www.mundewadiayurvedicclinic.com and http://www.ayurvedaphysician.com