Excessive Underarm Sweating

The sight of your shirt drenched in sweat and that too in the underarm area, is not something that is going to be appreciated by the people around you. And so you can expect some of them adjusting their nose or may be covering it briefly, while in a conversation with you. And it is completely normal. No one wishes to torture his sense of smell by being in proximity of someone who is profusely sweating. So it is you who has to take care of things, before you start realizing that not too many people want to interact with you. Perspiration is a normal process of the body. It is one of those mechanisms which help in cooling the body and for getting rid of the toxins from it. Usually, a couple of deodorants and a daily shower, are good enough to manage it. However, the problem becomes more concerning when there is this condition of sweating more than what is required to cool the body. Clinically, it is known as hyperhidrosis, and in this case of excessive underarm perspiration, the term used is known as axillary hyperhidrosis. The factor that is causing it might be more than hot weather or a heavy workout in the gym. There are many medical disorders which manifest themselves through such a condition.

What May Cause Someone to Perspire Heavily from the Armpit Region?
Apart from intense sessions of exercises, and warm or hot whether, other causes may include:

• Thyroid problems (hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism), hypoglycemia, hot flashes (menopause), and heart attack.
• Fever is a common cause of hyperhidrosis. Common ailments like cold and flu give rise to fever thus, causing the ailing person to perspire profusely.
• Eating certain types of foods may also cause the same condition. Common ones include those with high content of peppers, other spices, and even caffeine.
• Axillary hyperhidrosis could also occur as one of the side effects of certain types of medication. People using medications for thyroid disorders, analgesics or anti-psychotic drugs are more vulnerable to sweat excessively in their underarm area.
• Stress, anxiety or depression may also cause the same.

Treatment Options
As far as medications are concerned, people are recommended to use prescription antiperspirant, anticholinergic drugs, iontophoresis, and onabotulinumtoxina (botox). If conservative treatment methods do not respond, then surgery may be an option. Surgeons would simply remove the sweat glands from the underarm arm to deal with the condition. This is, however, a rare occurrence.

Natural Treatment Methods
The following remedies are inexpensive and with the least or no side effects. Many people have found the solution to their problem by using these remedies, which are as follows:

• One simple treatment measure is to drink plenty of water throughout the day. Water helps in flushing the toxins out from the body. This might not only help in reducing the sweating, but also cause the sweat secreted to contain less toxins thus, reducing body odor.
• Drinking tomato juice is also an effective solution to underarm sweating. It is required to be drunk daily for a week, and the person must look for any changes in the amount that he sweats.
• Make a mix of vinegar with honey (2 tsps each). Drink this potion about half an hour before your breakfast, lunch and dinner.
• Herbal teas have always provided great deal of benefits in treating various kinds of medical disorders. One of them is sage herbal tea. The active agents in the tea affects the sweat glands thus, reducing excessive perspiration.
• Apply potato juice to the underarm. It is known to reduce the activity of the sweat glands. No one knows how, but it does work!
• Shaving the area also helps. It may not reduce the sweating, but it does help reduce the odor.

How to Reduce Odor?
You can follow any of the tips mentioned below to manage your underarm sweating problem.

• Rub lemon slices to the area before bathing.
• Make a mix of tea tree oil (2 drops) with water (1 oz.). Fill it in a spray bottle and use it as a deodorant.
• Dip a cotton ball in apple cider vinegar and apply to the underarm area. Leave it for 5 - 10 minutes and take a cool shower.
• Mix a few drops of rosewater in your bathing tub and soak in for sometime.
• Apply baking soda to the area and bath after sometime.

Perspiring heavily from the armpit, as I have said, is bothersome and an annoying problem. However, it may signify that something is severely wrong in the body. So if you notice that you are sweating more than usual and almost everyday, then get yourself shown at the doctor's as soon as possible.