Cold Sweats and Night Sweats

Causes of cold sweats and night sweats

The human body normally produces sweat as a way to help keep cool. Sweating normally occurs with exertion such as when exercising or in high temperatures. However, there are other reasons for sweating.

Sweating can be triggered by fear or anxiety, and this is often referred to as a cold sweat. It comes on suddenly and results in cool, damp skin. It is the body's reaction to stress as part of the "fight or flight" response that helps us to react in a dangerous situation. A nightmare during sleep can trigger a cold sweat, and people with prolonged stress or anxiety problems can experience sweating as a symptom.

Cold sweat

A cold sweat is not a medical problem, but it can be a symptom of a serious condition that needs medical attention including:

• A severe injury that is causing pain
• Shock
• Heart attack
• Shortness of breath
• Too little sugar in the bloodstream

Excessive sweating can also be a symptom of many other disorders, whether a cold sweat or if it occurs during sleep as a night sweat. Doctors often hear their patients complain of night sweats. Night sweats refer to any excess sweating occurring during the night. However, if your bedroom is unusually hot or you are using too many bedclothes, you may begin to sweat during sleep - and this is normal. In order to distinguish night sweats that arise from medical causes from those that occur because one's surroundings are too warm, doctors generally refer to true night sweats as occurring at night that can drench sleepwear and sheets, which are not related to an overheated environment.

Causes of excessive sweating

There are many different causes of excessive sweating. To determine what is causing excessive sweating in a particular individual, a doctor must obtain a detailed medical history and arrange tests to decide if an underlying medical condition is responsible for the sweating. Some of the known conditions that can cause excessive sweating are:

Menopause - The hot flushes that accompany the menopausal transition can occur at night or day and cause sweating. This is a very common cause of night sweats in women around the time of menopause.

Idiopathic hyperhidrosis - Idiopathic hyperhidrosis is a condition in which the body chronically produces too much sweat without any identifiable medical cause.

Infections - Classically, tuberculosis is the infection most commonly associated with night sweats. However, bacterial infections, such as endocarditis (inflammation of the heart valves), osteomyelitis (inflammation within the bones) and abscesses all may result in night sweats. Night sweats are also a symptom of HIV infection.

Cancers - Night sweats are an early symptom of some cancers. The most common type of cancer associated with night sweats is lymphoma. However, people who have an undiagnosed cancer frequently have other symptoms as well, such as unexplained weight loss and fevers.

Medication - Taking certain medication can lead to night sweats. In cases without other physical symptoms or signs of tumour or infection, medicinal side effects are often determined to be the cause of night sweats. Antidepressant medications are a common type of medicine that can lead to night sweats. Other mental health medications have also been associated with night sweats.

Medications taken to lower fever such as aspirin and paracetamol can sometimes lead to sweating. Other types of medications can cause flushing, which, as mentioned above, may be confused with night sweats. Some of the many medications that can cause flushing include:

• Niacin (taken in the higher doses used for lipid disorders)
• Tamoxifen
• Hydralazine
• Nitroglycerine
• Sildenafil

Many other medications not mentioned above including cortisone medications such as prednisolone may also be associated with flushing or night sweats.

 

Hypoglycaemia - Low blood sugar can cause sweating. People who are taking insulin or oral anti-diabetic medication may experience hypoglycaemia at night that is accompanied by sweating.

Hormone disorders - Sweating or flushing can be seen with several hormone disorders including phaeochromocytoma, carcinoid syndrome and hyperthyroidism.

Neurological conditions - Uncommonly, neurologic conditions including autonomic dysreflexia, post-traumatic syringomyelia, stroke and autonomic neuropathy may cause increased sweating and possibly lead to night sweats.

Sweating too much? Here's some relief
Excessive sweating in women: Tips to stay dry:

1.Limit spicy foods and caffeine

If you experience excessive sweating, or hyperhidrosis, you're one of the 2-3% of people who sweat up to 10 times more than people without the condition. It can help to keep a symptom diary, including foods and drinks consumed, to identify the things that make you sweat heavily. Then avoid the sweating triggers you've identified. Common ones include alcohol and spicy food, such as curries or hot peppers.

2.Bathe with care

When bacteria mix with sweat, they cause odour. Bathe or shower daily, but not with products based on soap, which can make things worse. The Hyperhidrosis UK support group recommends using a special emollient wash available from pharmacies. Dry off completely, since bacteria and germs thrive in dampness.

3.Manage hot flushes and night sweats

If menopause causes hot flushes or night sweats, many remedies are available. Apply a cool, wet flannel to your skin or drink iced water for relief. Prescription medications and hormone therapy may also relieve hot flushes.  Some women try complementary therapies, but evidence is lacking for many of these. Seek medical advice if hot flushes are causing problems, and before trying a supplement or herbal remedy.

4.Choose the right clothes
Loose-fitting clothes and natural fabrics like cotton let air circulate around your skin, which slows the build-up of moisture. When you exercise, wear fabrics and socks that pull moisture away from your skin. Consider absorbent under layers like t-shirts. Keep an extra shirt or jacket handy in case your sweating becomes excessive. Black or white clothes are less likely to show sweat marks.



5. Reduce Stress
Stress can cause sweating, and excessive perspiration can make you stressed and anxious. Try to break this vicious circle with relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, deep breathing and biofeedback. Yoga classes, guided imagery, or just some more me-time may help. If stress is a problem, seek medical advice. A talking therapy called cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) may help.

6. Find the right antiperspirant

Aluminium chloride based antiperspirants can help reduce excessive sweating, in over-the-counter or prescription forms. These antiperspirants work by blocking sweat gland ducts. For mild symptoms, products are available in shops. Apply a thin layer of antiperspirant to towel-dried skin before bed. The active ingredients work while you sleep, then it is washed-off in the morning. Deodorants reduce odour, but don't help with wetness.
 

7. Care for your feet

If sweaty feet are a problem, avoid tights. Wear socks made from cotton or materials that wick moisture from the skin, and change your socks often. Make sure shoes are completely dry before you wear them again. This may mean not wearing the same shoes 2 days in a row. Absorbent insoles may also be helpful. Go barefoot, if you can safely. Antiperspirants aren't just for underarms. You can use them on your feet and hands, too.

8. Keep your cool
Lower temperatures at home and at work can help reduce sweating. Try a fan or air conditioner, or open the windows to keep air moving. Drink plenty of cold water and take cool showers or baths. Dress in layered clothing so you can remove or add layers as the temperature changes. In summer, stay out of the sun and avoid strenuous activities in the hotter parts of the day.

9. Stay healthy
Obesity, smoking and drinking alcohol can cause or intensify heavy sweating. So aim for a healthy weight, quit smoking and limit alcohol. Not only will you reduce sweating, but you'll also feel better and reduce your risk of many health conditions.

10. Protect your skin and clothes
Wet skin folds are prone to irritant dermatitis and infection. Consider underarm disposable sweat pads to absorb sweat and protect your clothing. Change your clothes daily and wash them regularly. Dry clothes thoroughly before wearing them again.

11. If excessive sweating causes problems in your life, and self-help tips haven't helped, talk to your GP about other treatments. A referral to a dermatologist may be recommended. Treatments for excessive sweating include Botulinum toxin injections (Botox) to block nerve signals from the brain to sweat glands, low-level electrical current treatment called iontophoresis, and some medications and surgical procedures can help reduce heavy sweating. If heavy sweating is accompanied by other symptoms like fever, unplanned weight loss, chest pain or a rapid heartbeat, seek urgent medical advice. It may be a sign of an untreated medical condition.

an ounce of prevention is better (Flu &Colds)

an ounce of water is better than pounds of drugs

a glass of fresh juice cure better than manufactured drugs.

Drinking freshly made juices and eating enough raw whole foods to provide adequate fiber & oxalic acids is a sensible approach to a healthful diet daily. Incorporating fresh juice into your life does so much more.

The abundance of live, uncooked foods flushes your body of toxins, leaving you feeling refreshed, energized , and relaxed all at the same time.

The pure foods make your skin glow, your hair shine naturally, your breath fresh, and your entire system so regulated you will never have to give it another thought.

Colds and flu become fewer and farther between ; many people report that arthritic joints loosen with renewed flexibility ; and gums and teeth become less prone to bleeding and cavities.

Who can argue ? i believe juicing is the ideal way to consume these valuable vegetables raw uncooked and in quantity so that the important nutrients get right to work.

Try as we may, we cannot duplicate chlorophyll in the laboratory. Eat more spinach and broccoli. I have provided more recipes for fresh, delicious fruit and vegetable juices that will ultimately benefit your good health and wealth.

And that is all there is to it ---- there are no tricks, no special formulas to buy , no foreign foods to seek out in weird shops/pharmacies, no pills, no powders to mix with water.
Easy ? Sensible ? Delicious ? You bet !

Citrus Fruits : Grapefruits, lemons, limes, oranges, and tangerines.

Citrus fruits are bursting with vitamin C. When you juice citrus fruits, the vitamin C will dissipate/lose quickly. Should be drunk within minutes of juicing for optimal benefits. What about the bottled and concentrated frozen citrus juices in the supermarkets? Read the labels carefully ; they often say "vitamin C enriched." Meaning the real vitamin C was removed and substitute vitamin C is added in the process of bottling. You will get some vitamin C if you drink them, but it is not the original vitamin from the fruit itself but instead a synthetic vitamin from a test tube. Phony vitamins cannot fool the human body, but only unsuspecting consumers.
Eating the white rind and membranes of lime and lemon. Leave these on the fruit when you peel it for juicing or eating to benefit from the natural occurring vitamin C and bio-flavonoids - named "vitamin P" by the late Hungarian Nobelist Dr. Albert Szent-Gyorgyi who discovered vitamin C. Combined with vitamin C, bio-flavonoids strengthen capillaries and blood vessels, help the body fight colds, and increase antiviral, anti-allergy, and anti-inflammatory activity.

You are Smart, really cold

ACID IS THE KILLER

The human body is very smart. When you start becoming acidic, the human body says, “Acid is the killer and we cannot have it close to any vital organs. It will cause heart attacks, strokes, hardening of the arteries and almost any disease you want to talk about, from diabetes to psoriasis to allergies, to asthma, and cancer.

If we do have the acid too close, it will eat away at the organs. It will cause cells to mutate. It will reduce the oxygen. It will cause plaque in the arteries. It will deplete calcium and so on. What we have to do is get the acid as far away as possible from these vital organs.”

In order to protect the organs, the body creates fat cells to store the acid. Fat cells are cold because the acid in the cells eats up the oxygen and hydrogen. Without oxygen and hydrogen, cells lack energy and warmth. They are cold.

ECHINACEA - From Snake Oil to Modern Medicine

Echinacea is also known as purple coneflower.

The Native Americans - 'Indians' who first embraced the healing power of echinacea. They used echinacea internally as a treatment for colds, measles, mumps, and arthritis. As an external poultice they applied it to wounds, insect bites, stings and even snakebites.

Later date, white settlers arrived, then employed their pioneer mentality and soon adopted echinacea as their own.

Indeed, one travelling salesman of patent medicine, a doctor Meyer used it in his 'Meyer's Blood Purifier'. He claimed this medicine to be 'an absolute cure' for rattlesnake bite, blood poisoning and we may guess 'whatever else ails you'. It was claims like this that gave patent medicines the term 'snake oil'.

The medical establishment of the 1870s was understandably sceptical
of such medicine and their claims.
Dr Meyer was so confident of echinacea's capacity to protect against rattlesnake bite that he offered to let a rattlesnake bite him in another doctor's presence and then use his 'Blood Purifier' to cure him. Dr Meyer was not taken up on his offer but soon echinacea had been taken up by the establishment as a medicine.

The same is happening to water-cure protocol formula: not many doctors wanted to teach the public about it's proven claims that water cured may incurable diseases where drugs approach had failed.

Echinacea is useful in treating wounds, venomous bites and stings, blood poisoning, meningitis, chicken pox, malaria, influenza, syphilis and gangrene. (Source: M.Castleman, The Healing Herbs, Bookman, Melbourne,1991)

Echinacea enjoyed a prized place in medicine for some time which only waned with the advent of antibiotics in the 1930s.
In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, echinacea has made a comeback. This plant is certainly effective in boosting the body immune system and is a useful healing tool.

Healing with Echinacea

Its benefits for humans are varied and impressive. It decrease the amount of colds caught and also to have the effect of making symptoms that do appear less severe and shorter in duration.

One study of 80 adults found that echinacea shortened cold duration by 33 per cent. (Source: B.Schulten et al., Arzneimittel-forschung Drug Research, 51(7), 2001,pp.563-68.)

The effects of echinacea on the common cold are due to a twofold action.
1.In the first place, echinacea boosts your body immunity so it is better able to deal with infection. Echinacea does this by stimulating the release of certain chemicals, such as interferon, which get your immune system going.

So effective is echinacea at doing this that it has even been shown to reduce the incidence of leukaemia in mice. I know we humans are not mice, hence the detractors downplay this study. I wonder what those same drug manufacturers used in their drug experiments and studies prior to their synthetic drugs can be approved for human consumption? (Source:I.Hayashi et al., Nihon Rinsho Meneki Gakkai Kaishi, 24(1), February 2001,pp.10-20.)

Echinacea also stimulates various cells of your immune system. In net effect then, echinacea gets your body as ready as it can be to defend against infection and it also goes a step further in warding off disease.

This herb is safer and more effective than the World Health Organisation's approved Tamiflu (proven not effective )vaccine/drug for the H1N1 pandemic.

2.Echinacea has the valuable capacity to restrict the activity of viruses. This is an unusual quality, which echinacea achieves by blocking the release of a substance known as hyaluronidase.

It is this hyaluronidase that viruses use to cut out the highways and byways by which they move about your body and spread their infection. Echinacea then is a very viable treatment for the common cold or flu since viruses cause a majority of these conditions.

One particular species of echinacea (Echinacea angustifolia ) also appears to have a mild antibiotic effect, which is capable of directly killing bacteria such as golden staph (Staphylococcus aureus ).(ource: A.Menograph Alternative Medicine Book, 6(4), August 2001, pp. 411-14)

For one moment, it is worth considering claims made in some quarters that a lot of echinacea's effect may arise from a placebo effect because people taking it expect it to work. How about Tamiflu,then? As we know, the human mind does play an undeniable role in the body's physical responses but it only takes a quick look at one study to demonstrate that echinacea has a real physical effect.(Source: W.O'Neill, Equine Vet, 34(3), May 2002, pp. 222-27)

Horses were given echinacea for a period of 12 weeks. At the end of this time the horses had boosted levels of immune cells and the cells were more active. We can assume that the horses had no knowledge of what they were taking and no expectations that it would work. This will rule out the placebo effects, if there is any at all.
I challenge the Tamiflu promoters to try this same experiment on the horses and report their result.

Finally, since the immune system is also involved in wound healing, echinacea is very useful to help heal everything from cuts to burns and ulcers. (Source:R.Bauer et al., Economic and Medicinal Plant Research, 5, 1991, pp.253-321.)

As a final bonus, echinacea has also been shown to have antioxidant properties. (Source: B.D. Sloley et al., Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 53(6), June 2001, p.849-57.)

DOSAGE with echinacea is not a simple issue.

To begin with, there are three(3) species of echinacea that have the medicinal qualities outlined here. They are :
1. Echinacea angustifolia,
2. Echinacea purpurea, and
3. Echinacea pallida.

The root of the plant has traditionally been used medicinally although the flowers, stems and leaves (aerial portions) have also shown immune boosting properties.

Dosage is very different for the varying varieties available.

Echinacea root should be taken at a level of 500-1000 mg three times a day.

Dry, powered extract (standardised to 3.5 per cent echinacoside) should be taken at 300 mg three times per day.

The juice of the aerial portions of echinacea should be taken at 3-4 mls (3/4 to 1 teaspoon) three times a day.

Always look for a standardised product. On a long-term basis, take echinacea on a three-month rotation of two months on, one month off, two months on, etc.

Be aware that if you have an allergy to daisies, then you should use echinacea with caution as it is a member of he daisy family and may induce an allergic response.

Do check your daily water-quota requirement is met regularly. Many cases of allergies were due to chronic dehydration of the body. Use water-cure protocol formula then. You can find it in previous posts at Health Wealth blog here http://theinnozablog.blogspot.com

As echinacea can increase fever, do not take it during an active fever. Since enchinacea is an immune stimulant, caution should be used in combining it with immunosuppressive drugs (if you are taking them) such as corticosteroids, cyclo-sporine, amiodarone, methotrexate and ketoconazole.