Overheating / Excessive Perspiration

[mantis]

Hey,

 

I'm curious what take you all have on this. I'm an average 21 year old male that has been hitting the gym for 4-5 years now, currently around 5'9-5'10 170lbs. One issue I've been having is excessive body heat in that I am hot nearly all the time and as a result sweat very easily. I didn't pay any mind to it at first (it's been going on for a long time) as I thought it was a normal reaction to sweat when it was hot until I noticed that I'm typically the only one dripping sweat.

 

I don't have medical insurance as my employer doesn't really offer any (they do, but it's purposely unaffordable, they're just bound by law to do so) so getting blood work is out of the question for now. I match quite a few of symptoms for hyperthyroidism but I'd prefer not to self-diagnose myself and get frantic about what could be nothing.

 

Basically want to get a TCM-ish perspective on what excessive heat/perspiration entails. Thanks in advance.

[dawei]

When do you feel hot? at rest? Or only when working out? What time do you work out?

 

What part of the country do you live? (influence of climate)

 

DO you follow an aerobic or anaerobic style of workout?

 

Also, what are your goals and expectations?

 

Did you know your mental and emotional well-being can overheat too?

 

What balance do you have to all this over-active workout.. do you meditate?

[Mal]

I match quite a few of symptoms for hyperthyroidism but I'd prefer not to self-diagnose myself and get frantic about what could be nothing.

 

Hyperthyroidism is what I though too, I'd pay to get the tests just to ease my mind.

 

"I'm typically the only one dripping sweat" me too, but I've always been like that.

 

"Did you know your mental and emotional well-being can overheat too" good point, stress makes me sweaty, qi gongs can too.

 

BTW - Nice to see you around again Mantis

[Maddie]

I'd say go see a TCM dr. because excessive sweating could be the symptoms of a few conditions, some of which could be kind of serious. Of course it would be really difficult to diagnose you via the internet though here are some guidelines. If this excessive sweating occurs mainly at night then its probably more of a yin deficiency issue, but not necessarily. If this happens during the day then it could be several things including qi deficiency, and or excess heat in one or more of the various organs. So a few questions...

 

On what part of your body does the sweating occur the most?

 

What type of sweat is it? oily or watery?

 

When is it most profuse? daytime or nighttime?

 

Does it have any color to it? such as yellow? or is it clear?

 

Do you have any other symptoms, no matter how unrelated they may seem?

[Harmonious Emptiness]

I highly suggest checking out the importance of the mineral Magnesium to body heat and sweating, it's pretty much the main influence in terms of nutritional requirements and effects. Magnesium can also helps the body to be calm, and to absorb calcium (calcium strenthens nerves and helps the body cope with stress). It is a very affordable supplement. I would give it a try, though I'm not health professional..

[Aetherous]

I think if you perspire easily, maybe it means your wei qi is strong. Not necessarily a bad thing. But yeah, getting tests if you want to be sure is a good idea.

[mantis]

When do you feel hot? at rest? Or only when working out? What time do you work out?

 

I feel hot pretty much any time I'm even marginally active, resting or not.

 

What part of the country do you live? (influence of climate)

 

Northeast (Massachusetts)

 

DO you follow an aerobic or anaerobic style of workout?

 

I do both, I lift weights first then do the elliptical after.

 

Also, what are your goals and expectations?

 

Dropping weight right now, was in the 190s.

 

Did you know your mental and emotional well-being can overheat too?

 

Not to sound like a pseudomacho but I'm not in touch with my emotions much, I'm typically either excited or not lol.

 

What balance do you have to all this over-active workout.. do you meditate?

 

Currently no, I do not meditate but when I did this problem wasn't any better.

 

Hyperthyroidism is what I though too, I'd pay to get the tests just to ease my mind.

 

"I'm typically the only one dripping sweat" me too, but I've always been like that.

 

"Did you know your mental and emotional well-being can overheat too" good point, stress makes me sweaty, qi gongs can too.

 

BTW - Nice to see you around again Mantis

 

Nice to see you too, Mal

 

I'd say go see a TCM dr. because excessive sweating could be the symptoms of a few conditions, some of which could be kind of serious. Of course it would be really difficult to diagnose you via the internet though here are some guidelines. If this excessive sweating occurs mainly at night then its probably more of a yin deficiency issue, but not necessarily. If this happens during the day then it could be several things including qi deficiency, and or excess heat in one or more of the various organs. So a few questions...

 

On what part of your body does the sweating occur the most?

 

Groin area.

 

What type of sweat is it? oily or watery?

 

Watery.

 

When is it most profuse? daytime or nighttime?

 

I'm typically out and about the most during the day, so daytime.

 

Does it have any color to it? such as yellow? or is it clear?

 

No color.

 

Do you have any other symptoms, no matter how unrelated they may seem?

 

As in? I occasionally lose my vision if I get up to quickly (ie. everything goes to black and my head/eyes get really warm.

 

 

 

I highly suggest checking out the importance of the mineral Magnesium to body heat and sweating, it's pretty much the main influence in terms of nutritional requirements and effects. Magnesium can also helps the body to be calm, and to absorb calcium (calcium strenthens nerves and helps the body cope with stress). It is a very affordable supplement. I would give it a try, though I'm not health professional..

 

I take 800mg of Magnesium Citrate daily mixed with 1g of Calcium and 5,000iu's of Vitamin D. It's covered.

 

 

I think if you perspire easily, maybe it means your wei qi is strong. Not necessarily a bad thing. But yeah, getting tests if you want to be sure is a good idea.

 

Wei Qi?

Edited August 23, 2011 by mantis

[Maddie]

Just from what you have said it sounds most likely but not necessarily that you might be suffering from either Qi or Yang deficiency or both. More specifically deficiency of the Lungs and possibly also the Liver, but do keep in mind that with out a proper tounge and pulse diagonsis I can't say for sure, but I would recommend going to see a TCM Dr. about this.

Edited August 23, 2011 by dmattwads

[Aetherous]

There are many different layers of bodily qi which are referred to by the following terms:

 

Yuan Qi (original qi), also called jing qi (essence qi) or shenjian dong qi (qi that spirals out from between the kidneys). It is created by the interaction of the body's yuan yang (original yang) and yuan yin (original yin). It is considered to be the most fundamental qi of the human body, the root source of metabolism. The Qing dynasty medical scholar Xu Lingtai states in his influential treatise, Discussing the Origins and the Development of Medicine (Yixue Yuanliu Lun, 1757): "And where, then, is this so called original qi located? All five organ networks possess their own true jing which is their piece of the original qi. However, the true home of this substance is what the Daoist classics call the dantian, or what the Nanjing (Classic of Difficulties) calls mingmen (gate of life), and what the Neijing calls 'the little heart next to the seventh vertebrae.'"

 

Da Qi (great qi), also called tian qi (heavenly qi): the breath.

 

Gu Qi (grain qi), also called di qi (earthly qi): qi distilled from food.

 

Zhen Qi (true qi): the body's total energy, being the combination of prenatal original qi and postnatal air/food qi.

 

Zong Qi (ancestral qi): combination of the two aspects of postnatal qi, the breath, and distilled food essence. It gathers in the middle dantian that is located between the nipples, and surfaces in the throat to support the breath and the voice. It also enters the heart channel to promote circulation of qi and blood.

 

Ying Qi (nutritive qi): manufactured from the denser portion of food essence; circulates inside the blood vessels; can combine with fluids to produce blood; helps blood to circulate. Ying (nutritive qi) and xue (blood) can therefore be differentiated only theoretically-in physical form they are always one.

 

Wei Qi (protective qi): made from the more ethereal portion of food essence; circulates outside the vessels; warms the muscles, moistens the skin, is in charge of opening and closing the pores. This is why it can protect the body against the invasion of pernicious qi invading from the outside.

 

Zheng Qi (righteous qi), Xie Qi (pernicious qi): righteous qi can be understood as the traditional equivalent to the immune system, responding to the invasion of external pathogens. The scholar Xie Liheng once made the following remark about the origins of righteous qi: "zheng qi (righteous qi) is actually a manifestation of the power of yuan qi (original qi)." His colleague Li Zhongzhai elaborated on the meaning of its antagonist, pernicious qi: "xie qi (pernicious qi, evil qi) is nothing else but the six pathogenic influences of wind, cold, summer heat, dampness, dryness, and fire."

 

Zangfu Jingluo Zhi Qi (organ and channel network qi): organ qi (liver qi, spleen qi, etc.) refers to the respective functions of different organ networks. Channel network qi refers to the qi flowing through the meridians that produces the feeling of local distention during needling or acupressure.

 

Zhong Qi (central qi): qi of spleen and stomach. Mostly refers to the transporting function of the spleen, specifically referring to its rising action. When the central qi collapses, there will be signs of downward leakage such as diarrhea, profuse urination, prolapse of anus, etc.

 

- http://www.itmonline.org/5organs/lung.htm

[mantis]

Interesting, Scotty.