Sweat in August. Welcome to America

I gave up wearing anti-perspirant in my late 20s. And I gave up wearing deodorant in my 50s.

[Taken from sweathelp.org]

"Two Types of Hyperhidrosis

"Excessive sweating is divided into two categories to help clinicians and sufferers understand their cause and then approach treatment. The two types of hyperhidrosis are Primary Focal and Secondary Generalized. Understanding the difference is one of the most important steps in understanding hyperhidrosis.

"Primary focal hyperhidrosis refers to excessive sweating that is not caused by another medical condition, nor is it a side effect of medications. Excessive sweating is the medical condition itself. This type of sweating occurs on very specific areas of the body (described as focal areas) and is usually relatively "symmetric" meaning that both the left and right sides of the body are affected similarly. The most common focal areas are sweaty hands, sweaty feet, sweaty underarms, and sweaty face or head. (Notice that we say 'and' when we list the focal areas? That's because most people with hyperhidrosis experience excessive sweating on more than one area--especially those with sweaty palms, they almost always also have sweaty feet.)

"Primary focal hyperhidrosis often begins in childhood or adolescence, especially hyperhidrosis of the hands and feet. Interestingly, although people with primary focal hyperhidrosis have episodes of excessive sweating at least once a week, they usually do not experience excessive sweating while sleeping. It’s also been shown that primary focal hyperhidrosis may be inherited and many members of the same family may suffer from this condition (but sadly many never talk about it with each other because of embarrassment). If hyperhidrosis seems to "run" in your family, you may be able to help researchers better understand who gets hyperhidrosis and why.

...

"The other main type of hyperhidrosis is referred to as secondary generalized hyperhidrosis. This type of excessive sweating is caused by another medical condition or is a side effect of a medication. That’s why it’s called secondary - it’s secondary to something else. Unlike with primary focal hyperhidrosis, people with secondary hyperhidrosis experience sweating on larger or other areas of the body (described as generalized areas). Another key difference between the two types of hyperhidrosis is that people with secondary generalized hyperhidrosis may often experience their sweating symptoms while sleeping. With secondary hyperhidrosis, excessive sweating usually starts in adulthood, whereas primary hyperhidrosis starts in childhood or adolescence. Finding a potential treatment for secondary excessive sweating often involves first determining what (if any) underlying medical condition or medication may be the root of the problem. In the case of secondary hyperhidrosis, you don't want to eliminate an important symptom of an underlying condition."

PROBABLY TMI in your questionably humble opinion, right? Well, it's my sweat so what's it to you? Truth be told, no man is an island (except Manhattan) and sweat can affect many of those who approach or are in close proximity. Weekend Update: Roseanne Roseannadanna on Smoking - SNL (We learned about this from Roseanne Roseannadanna when she reported meeting Dr Joyce Brothers in a sauna).

I live in the southwest and this is a brutal month regarding heat. I marvel at people who go outside and run regardless of the weather. I wait until it's very late to take a walk to the grocery store (1½ miles each way) to burn some calories. But when it's in the mid-80s at dusk... forget about it. I'll just wait until the fall to do that kind of exercise.