Sweating is natural phenomenon necessary for the regulation of an individual’s body-temperature. The secretion of sweat is mediated by a portion of our vegetative nervous system(the sympathetic nervous system). In some people, this system is working at a very high activity level, far higher than needed to keep a constant temperature. This condition is referred to as hyperhidrosis. Especially excessive sweating of the hands and the feet is palmoplantar hyperhidrosis or volar hyperhidrosis. This is by far the most distressing condition. It was founded that the first important cause of this was emotional factor. The hands are much more exposed in social and prefessional activities than any other part of our body. Many individuals with palmoplantar hyperhidrosis are limited in their choice of proffession, because unable to manipulate materials sensitive to humidity or reluctant to shake hands; some patients arrive to the point to avoid social contact. The occidental medical treatments for palmoplantar hyperhidrosis include application of topical agents(chemical antiperspirants such as aluminum chloride), iontophoresis(treatment with electrical current), or surgery(thoracic sympathectomy). It was reported that the most effective treatment was thoracic sympathectomy. So this study was started to find the easy and effective oriental medical treatments against the occidental medical treatments through the oriental medical literature. The occidental medical idea for palmoplantar hyperhidrosis is only limited in neurologic system, so surgery is the best treatment. But the oriental medical idea for palmoplantar hyperhidrosis is much wider, so the oriental medical causes and treatments for this are able to be veriety. And the oriental medical teatment is freely in treating the patients of palmoplantar hyperhidrosis, because entire idea including pulse, facial color, mental condition, constitution and other symptom exists in the oriental medicine.
The results of a bibliographic study of causes and treatments for palmoplantar are as follows;
1. The main causes of pa1moplantar hyperhidrosis are heat in the stomach, damp-heat in the spleen and the stomach, insufficiency of the spleen-qi and the stomach-qi, deficiency of the spleen-yin and the stomach-yin, and the others are the stomach-cold syndrome, stasis of blood and dyspepsia in the stomach, disorder of the liver-qi, deficiency of the heart-yin and the kidney-yin, deficiency of the heart-yang and the kidney-yang, stagnated heat in the liver and the spleen, the lung channel-heat etc.
2. The main methods of medical treatments for palmoplantar hyperhidrosis are clearing out the stomach-heat, eliminating dampness and heat in the spleen and the stomach, invigorating the spleen-qi and the stomach-qi, reinforcing the spleen-yin and the stomach-yin, warming the stomach, relaxing the liver and alleviating of mental depression and tonifying the heart and the kidney etc.
3. The main prescriptions of palmoplantar hyperhidrosis are Taesihotang, Palmultang-kakam, Samyeongbaechusan, Chongbisan, Sasammaekmundongtang, the others are Leejungtang, Hwangkikonjungtang, Seungkitang, Boyumtang, Baekhotang, Chongsimyonjayum, Moyrosan, etc.
4. Local medicine for external use are liquid after boiling alum in water for about 1 or 2 hours, liquid after boiling alum and pueraria root in water and liquid after boiling stragalus root, pueraria root, ledebouriella root and schizonepeta in water, etc.
5. The methods of acupuncture therapy include invigorating Bokyru, Yumkuk and purgating Hapkouk, or invigorating Bokyru, Kihae and purgating Hapkouk, or steadying Hapkouk, Nokung.
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