I have been doing sort of OK with my Parkinson’s except that
excessive sweating is driving me crazy. I sweat five or six times
a day – then sweat all night and wake up every morning soaking
from head to toe. I’ve done some research but cannot find
anything but talk about surgery.
Do you know of any nutritional or herbal treatment. Even if it is
not a cure but offers some relief?
I would appreciate some suggestions.
Thank you Robert
ML
Thanks so much for sending in your question.
Here is my spin on sweating from working with
individuals with the symptoms of Parkinsons
who have this problem. Rest assured you are not
alone in being driven crazy by this symptom.
Here is what I see is happening with excessive sweating.
Your body is sending you a strong signal. What is
the message? I sense the message is that your lymph
system is clogged and not functioning at present.
Why is it clogged? You have an overabundance of toxins.
(Please do not be offended. First, my guess may be
wrong. Second, everyone has this problem who lives
in a toxic world today and that is everyone!).
When the body is attempting to do its work of eliminating toxins
(which is one of its jobs) and there are too many toxins
for the body to eliminate in a normal fashion (through kidneys, liver, etc)
the body will use whatever means available to release
the toxins. If the lymph system is clogged, the sweat glands are
a good alternative outlet. Looked at from this perspective,
sweating may be critical for the organs in your body to
continue functioning. In other words, it is actually a good thing
to sweat though it is making you miserable.
What do you do about excessive sweating?
First, you can evaluate everything
you put on your body, everything you eat and everything you
touch. It is possible you are contaminating yourself in a most
innocent way (like the shaving lotion you use or the laundry
soap you use or …). It may be the furniture you sit on has toxins.
Consider all possibilities and eliminate any and all sources
of toxins. Make it a project for the month. The source of the problem
may lie in a most strange place, one that you never thought about
before.
Second, you can purchase a small trampoline and jump on it
for 4 or 5 minutes a day (unless balance is an issue for you).
Jumping on a trampoline every day helps to clear out the toxins
and clear your lymph system.
Third, you can contact a naturopath or MD type doctor who knows
how to help you detox gently (or go to your health food store and
discuss detox options with them). There are many other natural
options that can help you detox (infrared saunas, sweat lodges,
steam rooms, homeopathic treatments, etc.)
I frequently interview naturopaths on Parkinsons Recovery Radio who have great ideas
for detoxing. I recently interviewed Dr. Ivy Faber, ND, who does a test
that will tell you what toxins are problematic for you (or if the guess
is wrong about toxins, what might be the true source of your sweating
problem).
You also probably need to be especially careful to hydrate your body.
You may have the thought that you do not want to drink water because
it will make the sweating worse. Without adequate hydration, you
cannot detox your body and your lymph system will remain clogged.
There is a homeopathic treatment that is specifically designed to help
you hydrate your body. There is a marvelous therapy that
was designed to hydrate the body called the Aquas which is recommended
by Naturopath john Coleman,
Now – as you search around for herbal treatments, I recommend that
you consider the herbs that will help clear out your lymph system and
help you detox your body. I interviewed an amazing herbalist in
Pioneers of Recovery (http://pioneersofrecovery.com) Andrew Bentley.
He is the kind of person I would approach to get the best advice on
herbs to try.
The bottom line is I would direct your focus in consultations with
your doctors to detoxing your body of harmful substances. Once
the toxins are cleared to a manageable state, your lymph system
will begin to function normally and the symptom of sweating should
subside.
All the best,
Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Founder 2004
Parkinsons Recovery
www.parkinsonsrecovery.com
