Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating)

Comment by Chad J. Dupuis, L.Ac.

I've answered this question a few times already on the site - this post has some of the answers and within that post there is a link to a previous one...

Comment by Archived User

Day time sweating is Qi deficincy, night time sweating is yin deficincy, for hyperhidrosis use acupuncture points: Si3, Ht6, Li4, Kd7, Sp6. For Qi deficincy use herb formula: Yu Ping Feng San, for Yin deficincy use herb formula: Liu Wei Di Huang Wan.

Comment by Archived User

Hello Chad,

Thank you for your reply. I had read the previous forum and was hoping for some more information or experiences from practitioners, however your comments were useful especially regarding the use of hua tao points which I hadn&#39t considered. It maybe particularily interesting to see what those points would do as his surgery was around T4/5.

Best Wishes

Heidi Forrester

Comment by Archived User

Hello Feng Mai,

Thanks for the information. He sweats at any time of the day and night although we have got the night sweats under control now. I shall look at the use of this combination though, I am currently working on Qi Xue basis also nourishing yin through the conception channel (when needed). He holds a lot of emotional repression regarding his childhood which I feel may be the root of the problem affecting both PC and HT, I was treating his Earth as it was the most distressed but I am now treating Fire (outer). Have you had much experience of FIve Phase acupuncture??

Best Wishes

Heidi Forrester

Comment by Chad J. Dupuis, L.Ac.

If you want more specific advice it may help to ask very specific questions. For example, below is response to Feng you say you are "treating earth" - how exactly are you doing that? By seeing what you are doing in very exact terms (what points, how long, what other techniques, etc.) it helps us to offer different approaches. Otherwise there are thousands of things we could say but you may not need to hear all of those :)

Comment by Archived User

Hi Chad,

Well to start with I treated ID&#39s then an AE drain as possession was evident. I then worked on improving the functionality of the Earth pairing by using points: ST40 Abundant Splendor, SP4 Grandfathers grandson, the source points of earth ST42 and SP3, ST36 leg three miles, SP8 earth motivator, BL20 SP back shu, BL21 ST back Shu, SP1 retired white. His Earth pulse position was hard and tense with no give to it at all, felt on the superficial level - weak volume - all others were low volume, indicating yin deficiency. I have never experienced pulses like his before on the right hand side which I can only presume is due to yin not rooting yang?? Or could it be more like the distress of his Earth officials showing through them? His tongue was red indictaing heat with some excessive moisture.

Treatment 4 he had a 8/9 block (liv/lu) which was cleared successfully. At treatment 6 I then started to treat his distressed outer fire officials by doing the Junctions and source points of PC/TH.

His progress has been steady, using the Five Element approach has been beneficial to the patient ot just on a physical level but also mind and spirit. My intention of keeping the treatments simple was so that I could see what level he needed treating, which in turn would benefit his entire energetic bringing the elements into balance.

Do you think that I could have choosen better points???

Thanks Chad, Heidi

Comment by Archived User

For day time sweating I most use experienced points: Li4 and Kd7. If he has emotional problem just add Lv3. For Yin deficicency sweating or night time sweating I most use experienced points: Si3 and Ht6. So for sweating I more like use experienced points than 5 elements needle techneque.

Comment by Archived User

Remember that sweat is the fluid of the heart. I have found Pc6 and Ht7 to be an excellent combination for different types of sweating. Ht7 I have found to be particularly effective for axillary sweating. But I completely agree that appropriate differential diagnosis is also of the utmost importance.

Comment by Archived User

Dear Heidi

I am a CTA trained 5 element practitioner, so I can make total sense of your treatment and plan! You have to remember this man has been sabotaged to a certain extent, and it may well be inevitable that he retains a certain amount of excessive sweating.

CF treatment, as a constitutional approach, can and does make a huge difference but it may take some time to get optimal results. If he has been suffering with his condition for a while you both may need to be patient and let it do the job! It is tempting to want to force the pace but, it happens in it&#39s own time in many cases.

I agree that heart should be treated but do Sp 6 and 9, with St 40, to resolve damp. Also consider some Lung work, as it controls sweating.

How is he drowning? Earth needs nourishing, so he may well be resisting some kind of offer by someone or something; he may be drowning or suffocating which may antagonise water (fear). Earth is controlled by Wood on the Ke cycle so perhaps some anger emotion testing is called for?

5 element practice is mysterious as well as pragmatic - I have been doing it 11 years and am still surprised by what I find. My husband is 25 years into it (a JR student) and he says the same. Holding faith in your practice lets your patient hold faith in himself; between you, you will find a balance that gives you both some satisfaction.

6 treatments is nothing. You have achieved remarkable results in that short space of time. You most certainly have done more than those highly-trained (and highly-paid) doctors have!! Keep to the 5 element protocol, be mindful of other techniques, and you won&#39t go wrong.

Good luck!

Comment by Chad J. Dupuis, L.Ac.

No, I think what you are doing is fine. That&#39s why I usually ask for clarification of why people are writing in. It&#39s one thing to simply check what you are doing and/or look for some possible options because you are not getting results and entirely another thing if you are. From what you&#39ve described, and from a five element approach, what you are doing seems completely fine and entirely on track. From my personal perspective, I would needle, massage, ... around the huatuo area of T4 and T5 - but that&#39s just what we do (in addition to other points for their overall diagnosis)... The other kd, ht, pc points that people listed are all good from a TCM perspective and you could fall back on more TCM approaches if you are not getting the results you expect (and, assuming of course, that you are not a five element zealot :)

Generally I would say conditions such as this would require somewhere between 2-5 months to significantly change - so it seems you still very well on track.

Comment by Archived User

Hello There,

I would just like to thank you for your post, I agree 6 treatments is nothing seeing as he has had this condiotion for years now. I shall try some emotion testing within wood and see how it unfolds. I do love this style of acupuncture and have faith in its healing abilities, but as a newly qualified practitioner I do get a little over come by the sheer posibilities within a treatment and need to remind myself occassionally that it will work very well when the right opints are choosen!

Thanks again and I will keep you posted on his progress.

Best Wishes, Heidi Forrester

Comment by Archived User

Hi. I have a patient with Gynaecology problem. She has a stabbing pain 1 week after the period cycle and it comes on and off until start of period. The first time happened , she felt as if a knife has entered her body. This happens every time on her left side only. I have tonify blood ( she is anemic) moved blood , treat her elements ( water element), extra channel and all other treatment, nothing helps. She was told she possibly bursting cyst in her ovary. Being only unilateral pain I treated the GB channel a lot. Any help? And why is always on one side as each ovary take turn during cycle to release an egg? Many thanks