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How To Try And Understand The Cause Of Excessive Head Sweating And Your Thyroid

Friday, August 13, 2010

Sweating problems can tend to be a very common occurrence, although, excessive head sweating does not appear to be so common. It is just as serious as any other form of sweating, and should be treated as such. The people who suffer with excessive head sweating will normally be just as embarrassed and/or depressed as the people who also suffer from the other forms of excessive sweating.

Therefore it is vitally important to understand and acknowledge the range of causes for excessive head sweating, and for you to know about the various forms of treatment that are available to combat or control it.

Unbelievably though, one of the more unusual reasons for head sweating could be your thyroid. Your thyroid gland produces a range of various hormones that are used by the body. Therefore, thyroid disorders are able to cause very serious symptoms. When you have too little secretion from your thyroid, the condition is known as having 'hyperthyroidism'. People with this disorder can suffer from -

  • extreme sluggishness;
  • dry skin;
  • scanty hair growth;
  • and excessive sweating.

You will be considered as having 'hyperthyroidism' if you have an overactive thyroid gland, and the people who suffer this condition do tend to experience -

  • some weight gain;
  • excessive body warmth;
  • excessive sweating;
  • noticeably trembling hands;
  • pounding of the heart;
  • and in other circumstances, bulging eyes.

When it has been determined what has caused the excessive head sweating in your case, you should be able to determine the appropriate method of treatment for you. But remember, depending on what the specific cause of your excessive head sweating is, the treatment required for you will vary.

Medication is the most commonly diagnosed treatment, as it can be most effective in either slowing down, or speeding up your thyroid gland, depending on what treatment it is that you may need. However, because any improvement through medication may only be temporary, your physician must help you decide on what would be a more permanent measure. These permanent measures can include -

  • eradicating it with radioactive iodine;
  • and less often, the surgical removal of the entire thyroid tissue.

But, as soon as you begin experiencing what you may believe are signs of an overactive, or under-active, thyroid gland, one sign of which includes excessive sweating, you need to make sure that you get to see a medical professional as-soon-as-possible, then the doctor can assess your condition, and then hopefully you may be correctly diagnosed, and then have the recommended treatment.

As always, you will need to be diagnosed by your doctor, who will measure the blood levels of hormones that are secreted by your thyroid gland, and the pituitary gland which controls it. Be prepared to give them any information about the history of your symptoms, as these will be necessary for a correct assessment to be made of your condition by your doctor, or other medical professional.

About Your Profuse Sweating - The Good, The Bad And The Downright Ugly

There are a few good reasons why some people suffer from excessive or profuse sweating. If you too suffer from excessive sweating, or profuse sweating, then you suffer from a condition known as hyperhidrosis. And this condition can be either - good, bad, or just downright ugly. The worst part of this condition is that you probably can't help having hyperhidrosis, but you can do something to alleviate it.

The Good - Sweating, profuse or not, should be used as a positive. If you don't sweat then you could already be dead. No, seriously though, you sweat so that your body doesn't overheat. It is a normal, spontaneous function of your body. Your profuse sweating could be a reaction to something as simple as wearing too many clothes for the local environment you are in, or more seriously, it could be hereditary.

You have to realize that some people do, and will, always sweat more than others do. By doing either physical labor or just some strenuous exercise, your profuse sweating is produced so that your body has the opportunity to cool down. To assist in this process, you do need to make sure that your hydration level is maintained properly, that is, drink lots of fluids, and you should be okay. And, as a bonus, any toxins excreted in your sweat will only help to increase the overall condition of your physical health.

The Bad - Your condition of profuse sweating, or excessive sweating, could be brought on by something more serious like an infection. These could range anywhere from -

  • pneumonia; through to
  • endocarditis.

These conditions are quite serious and you will require immediate medical attention. Other instances of your profuse sweating condition could be symptons of perhaps a stroke or even a heart attack. You should never ignore these warnings if you feel you suffer from these symptoms. See your doctor pronto.

(( Pneumonia - is a inflammatory condition of the lung. Pneumonia is a common illness which occurs in all age groups, and is a leading cause of death among the elderly and people who are chronically and terminally ill. Additionally, it is the leading cause of death in children under five years old worldwide.

Endocarditis is an inflammation of the inner layer of the heart, the endocardium. It usually involves the heart valves (native or prosthetic valves).- thanks Wikipedia ))

There can also be other diseases, some of them life-threatening, such as -

* hypoglycemia ( or hypoglycæmia is the medical term for a state produced by a lower than normal level of blood glucose. The term literally means "under-sweet blood" ) - Wikipedia;

* autoimmune malfunctions or disorders - ( autoimmunity is the failure of an organism to recognize its own constituent parts as self, which allows an immune response against its own cells and tissues. Any disease that results from such an aberrant immune response is termed an autoimmune disease. Prominent examples include - Coeliac disease, diabetes mellitus type 1 , systemic lupus erythematosus , Sjögren's syndrome, Churg-Strauss Syndrome, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, Graves' disease, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, and rheumatoid arthritis too) - Wikipedia;

* some cancers - (( medical term: malignant neoplasm) is a class of diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled growth (division beyond the normal limits), invasion (intrusion on and destruction of adjacent tissues), and sometimes metastasis (spread to other locations in the body via lymph or blood )) - Wikipedia;

and these diseases all have profuse sweating as a possible symptom. As I said above, if you have concerns about your profuse sweating, see your medical professional.

The Downright Ugly - Do you enjoy having dark sweat stains showing under your arms? With it carries implications of either nervousness or even uncleanliness. It is not a nice look or something that is very endearing to your partner. If you do just happen to be unclean, try showering more than once a week! If you happen to be a nervous person then you probably will have excessive underarm sweating as a symptom of the condition that you suffer from.

If you do suffer from nervousness, then you may be suffering from a social disorder, or an anxiety disorder. These disorders could very well contribute to your profuse sweating, and you may need to seek professional assistance to work through your social anxieties. There is no shame in seeking assistance to cure yourself.

Always be aware that your profuse sweating or your excessive sweating could be the precursor to a condition more sinister than your sweating. Always let your doctor know what you are going to try when it comes to getting rid of your excessive sweating.

Know The Purpose of Sweating After Drinking Water

Sweating comes about from the body's production of fluids that are intended for evaporation from the skin to cool you down. What sweat consists of primarily is water, and included in your sweat, in this water, is a small quantity of sodium chloride, (( Sodium chloride, is also known as salt / common salt / table salt / or halite. It is an ionic compound with the formula NaCl. Sodium chloride is the salt most responsible for the salinity of the ocean and of the extracellular fluid of many multicellular organisms. As the major ingredient in edible salt, it is commonly used as a condiment and food preservative. - thank you Wikipedia )) and this substance is excreted by your skin's sweat glands by sweating after drinking water.

There are two unique types of sweat glands, these are the -

  • apocrine sweat glands - Apocrine glands are composed of a coiled secretory portion located at the junction of the dermis and subcutaneous fat, from which a straight portion inserts and secretes directly into the infundibular portion of the hair follicle; (Wikipedia)
  •  and eccrine sweat glands - Eccrine glands (or merocrine glands) is composed of an intreaepidermal spiral duct, the "acrosyringium," a straight dermal portion, and a coiled acinar portion in the dermis or hypoderman, and are found at virtually all sites on the human body. (Wikipedia)
Your apocrine sweat glands produce your body sweat that contains some of those nasty fatty materials, but these sweat glands are mainly sited in the your armpits and around your genital area. It is these sweat glands that happen to be the main reason for your body odor. Why do we have body odor? It is because bacteria break down any of the organic components in our sweat excreted by these strategically-positioned (?) apocrine sweat glands.

Meanwhile, your eccrine sweat glands, are distributed over your entire skin surface. These glands are incredibly abundant on the palms of your hands, on the soles of your feet, and on your forehead. That is why you have sweaty palms, sweaty feet and a sweaty head. These eccrine sweat glands work by the production of sweat made mainly from water and salts. The other main function of these glands is for your body's temperature regulating.

Why You Sweat After Drinking Some Water
Why you sweat after drinking water, comes down to a couple of things that you probably should know.

In terms of sweating after drinking water, it is incredibly important to make sure you are adequately hydrated, especially from drinking water, prior to doing your exercise. Although, you will still need to be sure that you do not overexercise.

The quantity of water that you will need to consume prior to, during, and especially after you exercise will need to be more than you would consume when not exercising. Simply put, the more you sweat, the more you will need to drink your water, so that you do not lose too much through your excessive perspiration or excessive sweating.

Because you should be putting more fluids into your system, sweating after drinking water is not normally a bad situation to be in, mainly due to you simply sweating out what water that you have consumed.

One thing to remember with when you are sweating after your drinking of water is that you must endeavor to keep the balance of water-in to water-out right, so should you even be tired from exercising, you will still be sweating and this is why you have to ensure you are still drinking your water. By doing this and keeping a watch over your drinking, you will ensure that whatever you loose in perspiration you will make up from drinking the right quantity of water.

Of course, if you are not drinking enough, certain signs of dehydration could show up that you will need to look out for. The symptoms of dehydration let you know if you are drinking enough water, or if you are not, and these symptoms include -
  • nausea, including after your exercise;
  • peeing dark yellow urine or;
  • no urine at all;
  • having a dry and sticky mouth;
  • and dry, hurting (stinging) eyes.
Not only will drinking water keep you healthy and hydrated, but it can also assist you to lose that extra weight as well. Water has long been utilized as an aide to extra weight-loss, think of it as a nice side-effect not a nasty.

Will Your Sweating Burn Calories?

Sweating is now such a common problem, that one of the most asked-about questions that involves sweating is, does your sweating burn calories? And guess what? Unfortunately, there is no 'one real' answer. But instead of a single response to that question on all of our lips, there are a couple of different things that should be taken into consideration though.

So, Does Sweating Burn Calories?
When you ask that question of sweat burning calories, one of the more important issues to realize is that it all depends on the reason/s why you are sweating in the first place. Is it by doing active sweating or by passive sweating?

(( The calorie is a pre-SI metric unit of energy. Definitions vary but are all based on the specific heat capacity of water. The gram calorie, approximately 4.2 J, is based on one gram of water. The kilogram calorie, equal to one thousand gram calories, is based on one kilogram of water. In the context of your nutrition, and especially when food labeling, this larger unit is used and referred to interchangeably by the terms calorie (or Calorie) and kilocalorie. )) - thanks Wikipedia

For instance - when you sweat during physical exercise, it is your body's way of burning calories, mainly because you are involved in physical activity, and sweating off those calories that are stored in your body.

Though, should you be having night sweats, where while you are sleeping you are sweating, you will still be burning off those few calories, but nowhere near as many as you would while exercising. This will also be the circumstance if you find you are sweating profusely on a hot summer day without doing any form of physical activity.

Here's How it Works
When you work out aerobically, the groups of large muscles within your body demand more oxygen. This requirement places what is called an 'oxygen debt' on your body. Then when you breathe in large amounts of oxygen, heavy breathing or gasping, your body will then utilize that oxygen to produce heat, which results in you sweating. But the heat that you generate through exercise and sweating is the reason you burn those calories, to fuel the burn!

Therefore, to answer the question of does your sweating burn calories, you will need to understand that at those times when you sweat you are burning some calories, and this process is accelerated when you are being physically active to burn off the calories.

On the other side of the coin though, in regards to the question of does sweating burn calories, you also need to be aware that there will be instances in where you will be sweating but yet not burning any calories at all. Case-in-point for instance, is when you are relaxing or resting in a sauna. So remember that when you go into a sauna you will not be burning any calories, you will merely be sweating. Any weight loss you endure in the sauna, is likely to be only water loss from perspiration or sweating, but it will be replenished when you leave the sauna and begin to drink fluids again. The use of a sauna is a great way to remove the excess toxins and nasties in your body, it is such a quick-purge method of detoxification.

So remember, your sweating is primarily a way to cool down your body so that it doesn't overheat. Some people will prefer to workout or exercise in ways that will actually make them sweat, this way they feel like they have worked hard. Plus you will find an added bonus from exercise is the increase of the endorphins from your brain, where these endorphins will have the effect of making you feel good! But there are other people who enjoy sweating while they are working out as they feel themselves cleansing as the releasing of the toxins from their body improves their health and well-being.

Whichever way you look at it, if you are looking to burn of those calories you will definitely need to do some cardiovascular and strenuous activities, ones that are actually going to work you out and burn the calories, and not just to create sweat.

How to Move with Medical Supplies

There are people all over this country who receive some form of at home medical care. The extent of the medical care will vary from special medication requirements to elaborate in-home setups with hospital grade equipment. A family with special needs requirements should take the following advice to ensure their move goes as safely and comfortably as possible.

Get the Estimate:
In person estimates should always be used by individuals facing a move. On the day of the in person estimate, the potential client should explain to the moving representative the extent of the special considerations that will have to be made. Be sure that these considerations are included in the estimate.

Don’t Pack Until Necessary:
Packing necessary medication/equipment before the movers arrive could cause the movers to mistakenly place the items in hard-to-reach or places. This is especially true of medications, electronic monitoring devices, etc.

Save the Equipment for Last:
Packing up medical equipment and placing it on the moving truck last will ensure that it is the first set of items to be removed. This is good when comfort of the patient is an issue. Every effort should be made by the caretaker to establish the patient’s living area as quickly as possible.

Don’t Forget the Power:
Many medical supplies, like specially designed beds and monitoring devices, require a source of power and a working wall outlet. This means that the caretaker should ensure the power in the new home is up and running at least a day prior to the move. Most of the equipment used for in-home care can run off of internal or external battery supplies, but these are temporary solutions to the problem. Make sure that the power in the new home is up and running before transferring the patient.

Communicate with the Movers:
Some medical supplies should not be moved by non-qualified personnel. Place post-it notes or other identifying marks on items that should not be moved without the supervision of a caretaker, family member, or in-home nurse. This will greatly lower the risk of damage to the equipment.

In the Case of Medications:
Place medications together in a purse or backpack, and place the entire package into the trunk of the family car (if they will be driving their vehicle) or with carry-on luggage (if the patient will be flying to their destination). This will prevent the movers from accidentally picking up the medications and unknowingly placing them in a hard-to-reach location. If the patient is able to, a day’s worth of medication should be placed in small plastic baggies and carried with the patient on their person while the movers are doing their job.

Many families with special needs members are concerned as to how a moving crew will disrupt the comfort of the patient, but with enough planning, explanation, and consideration, the move for the medical patient does not have to bring with it any extra discomfort. The caretaker should do their best to explain the process to the patient before the move takes place so that he or she can mentally prepare and make any special requests ahead of time.