by Kat Oliver

Created on: April 10, 2009   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

What is sweating anyway? Sweating is the natural release of a salty-tasting liquid produced by the body's sweat glands. We often refer to sweating as perspiration, probably because we believe it sounds nicer.

Our bodies sweat as a means to help us stay cool when we are extremely hot or when we exert ourselves through activities such as walking, running, and other exercises. Situations which produce anger, fear, and embarrassment also stimulate the sweat glands.

Certain foods and beverages can also stimulate the production of sweat. Spicy foods, especially those that contain hot peppers, and coffee and tea with large amounts of caffeine are known to stimulate sweating. Narcotics and alcohol are also known stimuli of the sweat glands.

There are actually two types of sweat glands. The first type is found more abundantly in the palms of our hands, the soles of our feet and our forehead. These sweat glands are active at birth. The second type is found in the arm pits and in the genital area. These sweat glands become active at the onset of puberty. The more sweat glands you have, the more you sweat. Women have more sweat glands than men but men's sweat glands are usually more active or responsive.

Text books tell us that we have approximately 2.6 million sweat glands distributed in the skin or dermis covering our bodies. The glands are connected to the pores on the skin's outer surface. There are no sweat glands located on your lips, nipples, or genitalia.

Sweating is much more than simply cooling the body. Sweating actually helps your body to detoxify or rid itself of accumulated chemicals and toxins. Sweating helps to maintain your body's blood PH levels by removing not only the toxins but also the acidity caused by those toxins.

Some studies have shown that sweating actually rids the body of more heavy metal toxins than the liver and kidneys. Toxins are also stored in your body's fat cells. Many of the synthetic chemicals contained in common medications are rapidly absorbed by fatty tissues. When you sweat, you are actually increasing the body's metabolic rate which causes the body to burn more fat cells for energy. Not only does this generate more energy, by breaking down fat cells it also helps the body to eliminate large numbers of the chemical toxins stored in those fat cells.

History has shown that ancient civilizations utilized so-called hot rooms or saunas as a means to purify the body. This practice has continued for hundreds of years. People who utilize saunas and steam rooms consistently report increased energy levels and a generalized feeling of well-being following their sessions.

Because the skin is the body's largest organ for elimination, it is considered capable of eliminating up to 30% of stored body wastes simply through sweating. With the stimulation of the metabolic process through heat, all of the body's major organs are stimulated to increased levels of activity which ultimately assists the body in with general healing, detoxifying and cleansing. And, of course, an added benefit to all of this is weight loss.

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