Why Traditional Chinese Medicine Doesn’t Advocate “Sweating Profusely” – 4 Sweating Patterns That May Indicate Health Issues

As the weather gets warmer, many people find enjoyment in working up a sweat during physical activities. Some even believe that sweating helps eliminate toxins and that more sweat means more toxins are being expelled. However, both traditional Chinese medicine and modern medicine discourage the practice of excessive sweating.

Why Traditional Chinese Medicine Discourages Sweating Profusely

First and foremost, sweating does not equate to detoxification.

The majority of sweat composition is water, accounting for over 99%. Other components make up only 0.5% to 1%, including inorganic salts like sodium chloride and potassium, as well as lactic acid, urea, ammonia, amino acids, proteins, protein hydrolysates, histamine, and prostaglandins.

Therefore, regardless of how much one sweats, almost all of it is water. Normal metabolic waste is eliminated by the liver and kidneys, not through sweat on the skin’s surface.

From a traditional Chinese medicine perspective, sweat is the transformation of bodily fluids. These bodily fluids are transported to the body’s surface by yang qi (the warming aspect of qi) and then released from the skin and muscles as sweat. These bodily fluids are closely related to blood. Excessive sweating can lead to several harmful effects:

1. It damages bodily fluids, leading to symptoms like excessive thirst and difficulty urinating.

2. It weakens the body’s qi (energy), causing symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, and palpitations.

3. Sweating reduces blood volume, leading to symptoms like body aches, numbness, muscle spasms, palpitations, and dizziness.

4. It weakens yang qi, causing symptoms such as aversion to cold, cold hands and feet, and palpitations.

5. Excessive sweating can harm bodily fluids, blood, and yin essence, resulting in symptoms such as dizziness, back pain, weak knees, restlessness, and muscle spasms.

6. Sweating can make the body susceptible to external pathogenic factors, which can lead to diseases caused by these factors.

From a modern medicine perspective, excessive sweating leads to significant fluid loss, and the loss of ions like potassium, sodium, calcium, and magnesium can result in electrolyte imbalances. This, in turn, can cause symptoms such as palpitations, low blood pressure, dizziness, and headaches.

Excessive sweating in hot weather can also lead to dehydration, potentially resulting in heatstroke.

Additionally, excessive sweat can irritate the skin. Poorly breathable clothing combined with sweating may trigger conditions like fungal folliculitis and heat rash.

How to Determine If You Are Sweating Excessively

The amount of sweat a person can tolerate depends on their individual constitution, endurance, and feelings of discomfort.

For instance, people with a weak constitution may find that even a few beads of sweat on their forehead indicate excessive sweating, whereas healthy young adults may not necessarily feel tired despite heavy sweating.

If after sweating, you feel fatigued or drowsy, it is likely that you have sweated excessively. If you sweat without engaging in physical activity during the day, it may be due to qi deficiency or yang deficiency, and this should be addressed.

Unusual Sweating as an SOS from Your Organs

Sweating is a normal physiological process in humans, but certain types of sweating can be indicative of underlying health issues.

1. Spontaneous Sweating

Characteristics: During the day, sweat continuously drips down, or in similar circumstances, you sweat more than others.

Causes: Primarily due to deficiencies in lung, stomach, spleen, or kidney functions.

Population: Typically individuals with a tendency to be overweight, prone to colds, and with lower immunity.

2. Night Sweats

Characteristics: Excessive sweating during sleep.

Causes: Mainly due to deficiencies in kidney yin or liver and kidney yin.

Population: Generally individuals with a lean physique and associated symptoms such as dry mouth, thirst, dizziness, and aching lower back and knees.

Different body areas of excessive sweating can indicate concealed health issues:

• Sweating on the head or forehead may signal an internal damp-heat condition.
• Excessive sweating around the chest area is often associated with deficiencies in heart and spleen energy or imbalances between these organ systems.
• Sweating on only the upper or lower body is frequently seen in individuals with diabetes.
• Sweating on the palms and soles of the feet is also linked to yin deficiencies.

Additionally, there are cases where the color of sweat is problematic. Normally, sweat is colorless, leaving white stains on clothes. However, some individuals may have yellow sweat, which is referred to as “yellow sweat” in traditional Chinese medicine. This typically points to a damp-heat condition in the liver and gallbladder, manifesting as a slightly bitter taste in the mouth, thirst with an aversion to drinking, yellow urine, a greasy tongue coating, and irritability.

Do 3 things for a healthy sweat

Maintaining a balance when sweating by following these three practices is vital:

1. Avoid Excessive Exercise

Heart rate is a straightforward indicator of exercise intensity and duration, generally ranging from 60% to 80% of the maximum heart rate (220 minus your age).

For young individuals, if your heart rate during exercise reaches 160 to 180 beats per minute, indicating relatively intense exercise and heavy sweating, be cautious not to consume excessive amounts of water as it may strain your heart.

For older adults, it is recommended to control exercise heart rates within 120 to 140 beats per minute, with slight sweating being sufficient.

2. Opt for Slightly Sour Hydration

Drinking a moderately sour beverage like sour plum soup, which is made from smoked plums, can help reduce excessive sweating. It has the properties of lung consolidation, intestinal binding, and body fluid replenishment. In addition to sour plum soup, other suitable options include mung bean soup, honeysuckle tea, mint tea, or mint lemon tea, all known for their effective rehydration, fluid replenishment, and heat relief properties.

3. Choose Appropriate Bathing Temperatures After Sweating

Bathing water temperature should not be too low; it should be similar to or slightly higher than your body temperature. At this temperature, your body won’t experience significant temperature shock, and your pores will remain in a normal open state, aiding in expelling internal heat.