Posts Tagged ‘Eccrine Glands’
Hyperhidrosis Acupuncture
Sweating is a natural and healthy occurrence; however, excessive perspiration can occur and affects around three percent of the population. Some consider the life with Hyperhidrosis a nightmare and can cause considerable distress personally and socially. Acupuncture may offer an option to those suffering from excessive perspiration or what is medically known as Hyperhidrosis .
Hyperhidrosis is defined as sweating beyond normal limits needed to keep the body cool. The most commonly affected areas include the hands, the soles of the feet, and the armpits (axilla). It has two forms namely, primary and secondary Hyperhidrosis . It is not known what the exact etiology of primary Hyperhidrosis is – however, the excessive sweating has something to do with the sweat glands of the body overreacting to either the body’s temperature or emotional stress, or even both. Another explanation is that it is a result of an excessive cholinergic stimulation of the eccrine glands. It usually starts during adolescence or even before, and seems to be an inherited as an autosomal dominant genetic trait. In contrast to the primary Hyperhidrosis , the cause of secondary Hyperhidrosis can be attributed to several medical conditions such as Panic Attacks, Anxiety Disorders, Hyperthyroidism, Hypothyroidism, Cancer and Tumors, Menopause and Obesity.
Treatment options are available and abundant; though some are a bit extreme such as surgery; other treatment regimens are natural, such as acupuncture. The use of acupuncture to treat Hyperhidrosis has been said to be successful. Sweat is considered a key factor in identifying disharmony in the body and is identified as a fundamental substance in Chinese medical text. Chinese medicine is often overlooked by western medicine; however, it is interesting to note that there is an alternative aside from radical surgery and drugs.
Acupuncture is considered to be one of the oldest and most commonly used procedures in the world. It is thought to be more than 2,000 years old. It is a family of techniques of inserting and manipulating filiform needles into specific points on the body. It involves penetrating the skin with thin, solid, metallic needles that are manipulated by the hands or by electrical stimulation. It became popular in the United States in 1971, when James Reston, a New York Times Reporter, wrote about how doctors in China used needles to ease his pain after surgery. It is thought that around this time Hyperhidrosis Acupuncture was also introduced to western society. It stimulates points in the body thought to be directly related to excessive sweating. The American practice of acupuncture incorporates several medical traditions which include those of China, Japan, and, Korea.
Is it painful? Questions on pain are legitimate questions especially when it deals with needles. People can experience hyperhidrosis acupuncture differently. There are those that go through Hyperhidrosis acupuncture with little or no pain at all for long as the treatment is going on. Some even report to be more energized because of the treatment, while others feel relaxed. Problems can occur though and may be due to a variety of reasons. Improper needle placement, excessive movement of the patient, or defects in the needle can cause soreness and pain during the treatment. This is the very reason why it’s important to seek treatment from a qualified hyperhidrosis acupuncture practitioner or a certified practitioner from a qualified body. For instance, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved hyperhidrosis acupuncture needles for use by licensed practitioners since 1996. Aside from approving qualified personnel, the FDA requires the use of sterile, nontoxic needles and that they are labeled for single use only. The dangers of ill-trained practitioners or unlicensed ones include infections, bleeding, and puncturing organs. Complications can also result from inadequate sterilization and improper delivery of treatment.
Excessive Underarm Sweating
Excessive underarm sweating, or known in medical literature as primary axillary hyperhidrosis is one of the most common types of hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating).
Sweating is a natural response of the body to regulate its internal temperature. Sweating happens when the body is exposed to a warm environment, when one is engaged in physical activity, and when anxious or stressed. But excessive sweating for no apparent reason can be embarrassing. In the case of axillary hyperhidrosis, underarm sweat leaves a visible stain on clothes, and often, the underarms are damp and sticky.
There are two types of glands found in the armpit area – the apocrine and eccrine glands. Of the two, the eccrine glands are the ones mostly responsible for producing underarm sweat. Numerous eccrine glands are also found in the entire body, which likewise cause perspiration when the glands are stimulated. Whenever the eccrine glands are stimulated to produce sweat, body cells secrete a fluid that travels the coiled portion of the gland up through the straight duct before it breaks out onto the skin surface.
If you suffer from excessive underarm sweating, a dermatologist can best diagnose the severity of your condition. Be ready to discuss with your dermatologist your medical background, your family’s medical history, and when you first experienced severe underarm sweating. Don’t hesitate to tell your dermatologist how your condition affects you. The extent to which severe hyperhidrosis is affecting your normal day-to-day activities can be measured through a self-assessment questionnaire called Hyperhidrosis Disease Severity Scale (HDSS). Your honest self-assessment report should help your doctor determine the best options available for you.
In most cases, excessive underarm sweating can be effectively managed by using topical agents such as deodorants and antiperspirants. Deodorants act to control bad odor, while antiperspirants slow down the production of sweat by the glands in the armpit area.
The most common active ingredient in anti-perspirants (and deodorants) is aluminum chloride. According to Dr. Eric Hanson of the University of North Carolina’s Department of Dermatology, the aluminum ions (from antiperspirants) are absorbed by the cell linings of the eccrine gland ducts found at the opening of the top skin layer (epidermis). These ions are drawn into the cell along with water until it swells, squeezing the ducts closed such that sweat can’t pass out. A cell can only absorb so much fluid, or until it reaches its equilibrium. At this time, the water will have to revert back out of the cell through a process called osmosis, and swelling will subside. When this happens, anti-perspirants may be re-applied.
As a point of reference, over-the-counter antiperspirants usually have 10 to 25% concentration of the active ingredient (aluminum chloride). While the FDA requires no more than 15 to 25% of the active ingredient in antiperspirants, it should decrease sweating by at least 20%. Obviously, no prescription topical agents or antiperspirants are available in the market that has a higher percentage of concentration of the active ingredient than that allowed by the FDA. It is still best to discuss other alternative treatments available with your doctor if over-the-counter antiperspirants prove ineffective for you.
Some people who excessively sweat may need higher concentrations of aluminum chloride to prolong the swelling of the cells and eventually shrink the sweat glands so that they don’t produce sweat than is really necessary.


