Date Posted: 9/29/2012 6:30:09 AM
Posted By: juddyadhis Membership Level: Bronze Total Points: 45
Loss of moisture through the skin is a normal, vital function that helps the body to regulate its temperature. Although it can be troublesome, it seldom indicates a medical problem. Moderately active adults are advised to make up the lost fluid by drinking 1.7 liters of water a day. Athletes and very active people need to drink more – an extra liter per hour of activity, while patients with fever should drink as much as they can, within reason, even if they do not feel thirsty.Very heavy sweating can lead to excessive salt loss, which is usually accompanied by dehydration. Because consuming salty foods can exacerbate dehydration, it is best to re-hydrate by drinking water together with food.Doctors do not know why some people sweat more than others, but they believe that the condition can be inherited. Excessive sweating can occasionally be a sign of illness. It is one of the symptoms of an overactive thyroid gland, which increases the body’s metabolic rate – the speed at which food and oxygen are burned to provide energy. Other symptoms include a rapid pulse, weight loss, irritability and an increased appetite. Sweating is also obviously exacerbated by heat, but ANXIETY and OBESITY can also accentuate the problem.Some herbalists believe that the unpleasant body odor that accompanies heavy sweating may be due to a deficiency of zinc, which can lead to kidney complaints and excess urea being excreted through the skin. Once the deficiency is corrected, the odor may disappear. Lean meat, nuts and shellfish are all good sources of zinc. Many practitioners of natural medicine also believe that sweating helps in the removal of toxins from the body and that while attention to personal hygiene is desirable, it should not involve the complete suppression of sweating with antiperspirants.
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