Here’s an obscure fact: Researchers1 say that up to 20% of people are averse to even the word “moist.” So, what would be worse than shaking hands with someone whose hand is sweaty and moist?
Easy. It’s actually being the person whose hand feels sweaty and moist.
Imagine how difficult it must be to offer one’s hand in friendship, only to realize that it might be considered off-putting.
Sweaty hands are a form of hyperhidrosis, defined as excessive perspiration that is not necessarily tied to thermoregulation (heat or stress). Five percent of the global population deals with this condition. Most often, hyperhidrosis affects the palms of the hands, the soles of the feet, and the underarms.
It’s embarrassing, and it’s equally uncontrollable for the sufferer.
A Hyperhidrosis case in point: Calc carb 30
In my practice, I met with a very young child who was embarrassed — and I mean, soooooo embarrassed — about having sweaty hands. Why? Well, in her kindergarten, the young students had to hold hands to walk from place to place. She was in a panic that someone would notice her hands were always wet.
My goodness, that’s a high social mountain to climb for a tiny one in kindergarten. Heck, I’m sure sufferers of any age can relate to that concern of being ridiculed or ostracized.
Conventional treatments run the gamut from destroying the sweat glands with electricity or microwaves, prescription topicals, prescription pharmaceuticals and even Botox injections.
However, we successfully addressed this youngster’s condition with the first homeopathic medicine that comes to my mind when considering hyperhidrosis: Calcarea carbonica (Calc carb) 30, twice daily, until very much better.
This choice makes perfect sense. When one reads up on hyperhidrosis, there appears to be a component of calcium assimilation and depletion. Calcium management is right up Calc carb’s alley.
Now, the distinguishing factor for choosing Calc carb is that the hands feel clammy. Indeed, there’s generally no odor … just a clammy, moist feel. (Oops. There’s that word again. My apologies.)
Calc carb can also be a good consideration for hyperhidrosis on the head, neck, chest and feet. For instance, if a baby’s scalp sweats while nursing, or they wake from a nap with soaking-wet hair, we would also consider Calc carb employed in the same manner. This alone is not cause for administering a homeopathic because it’s not a pathology, but it offers a clue to consider Calc carb for other conditions.
This medicine was a perfect fit because Calc carb is also a great remedy for someone prone to frequent colds. So that clinched it: This child did, in fact, suffer from colds more often than most.
Indeed, the prudent use of Calc carb addressed both the child’s clammy hands and their propensity to catch colds.
Social disaster averted, while overall health was bolstered. Win-win.
Hyperhidrosis in the hands and/or feet: Silicea 6X
However, Calc carb is not our only consideration. If excessive perspiration also occurs on the feet, or if it has a sour odor, we might look more pointedly at Silicea 6X, two to three times a day, depending on severity, until very much better.
What do I mean by “very much better”? Well, it means the condition has diminished enough that it's no longer a bother or has disappeared completely. When the condition is no longer the uppermost thing on the sufferer’s mind, it’s time to halt the medicine and observe. Should the condition recur, simply resume the medicine schedule that previously worked until it abates again.
If, after giving the remedies their due (six to eight weeks for a chronic condition), there is no improvement whatsoever, then one might consider pivoting to another appropriate medicine.
To that end, I will discuss two more homeopathic medicines for hyperhidrosis in this week’s Memo to Mighty Members.* We’ll look at excessive perspiration during menopause, and also discuss a remedy for hyperhidrosis that specifically occurs in the armpits with an accompanying odor.
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Warmly,
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References:
- Cheydleur, K., Oberlin College. (21 August 2015) “Why ‘Moist' Makes us Cringe” https://www.oberlin.edu/news/why-moist-makes-us-cringe
Would this also work for hot flashes?
I’ve written about hot flashes. Search for this:
Joette Calabrese Hot flashes
Joette,
I cannot thank you enough for this write up. I have suffered from hyperhidrosis since a teenager and it has been extremely embarrassing as a school girl and now in a professional working environment.
Mine goes beyond hands and feet though – I have it in my armpits, groin, and upper lip. I’ve been digging into my repertory and materia medica and landed on Jaborandi. Would you agree this is probably the better choice, or should I stick with Calc carb and Silicea?
Thank you so much for your wonderful work.
‘Nice job, Natalie. I tend to agree with you that Jabroandi is a good fit given the locations on the body.
But as always, it won’t do harm to choose one, give it its due and move on if there’s no response.
I look forward to hearing how it goes.
Great post. Would either of these be recommended for cold/clammy hands and feet, along with armpit sweat, in response to coffee or when anxious? I’ve been scouring my repertory without much success.
Don’t expect to find a rubric that covers the entire picture. Instead, look up anxiety with a subrubric of perspiration in the Mind section and the other way around in the Skin/Perspiration section. Then go to the food/drink section of the repertory and look for ailments from coffee. You’ll have to use all three of these to get a cross reference.
unfortunately, these lists will be long but jot down the bold remedies and look each one up in a good materia medica. See if any of them fit other aspects of your life.
I hope this helps.
This is how its done when there is not a specific protocol or simple rubric.
Thank you, this was really helpful. Looks like Calc Carb or Chamomilla may be a good place to start.
Interested to know if this would also work for a person who has stomach sweating.
He’s been unwell for 60 years with asthma and eczema and now got hyperhydrosis and itchy feet with breaking skin and rashes.
Just curious to know what others have found. 🤔
What can I send I have trouble when I get too hot? I feel like I had a sunstroke at 75 or 89 degrees.
Thank you! My son is very excited to start! Definitely been hard for him to always have sweaty hands and feet!
My grandaughter has tics and very sweaty hands. Bad anxiety. Is there something she could try for all of these? Possible tourette’s.
Have you keyed in Joette Calabrese Anxiety to find my articles online and my blog? Also consider my online course titled Mindful Homeopathy.
https://joetteslearningcenter.com/mindful-info-page/