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
