Sweat begets better ideas

Control perspiration, and the heat might seem tolerable

RALEIGH -- At his taxi stand downtown, Johnson Umeh relies on an ancient remedy to combat the flop sweats that pervade his profession: A tree.

"Thank God I have shade," he said Wednesday, standing on a sidewalk hot enough to fry an earthworm. "And thank this tree."

There's an easier way. Let's talk about sweat. Your armpits. Your handshake. No offense, but you're clammy.

Expect moist colleagues today with the heat hitting 100 degrees. Pass along a few ideas to dry the dampest brow.

Let's start with clothing.

For roughly $18 to $35, a pair of Ex Officio underwear promises to wick away wetness and the odors it creates.

"If you've ever spent more than a few hours hammed into the middle seat on an overcrowded plane," the package explains, "you can appreciate the comfort of this amazing underwear."

Raleigh's Great Outdoors Provision Co. sells them along with a companion undershirt, and manager Robin Hannon shows off a line of $28 T-shirts that dry in two hours on a hotel towel rack. They're a hit with business travelers.

"Don't think you're not going to sweat," he said. "When it's 100 percent humidity and 100 degrees, you're still going to get wet. But when you slow down, it's going to move moisture away from your body. A cotton shirt stays wet all day."

Then there's super-tough, sweat-exterminating antiperspirant.

Maxim gets doctors' nods, and it doesn't require a prescription. Drysol does, too, but for that, you'll need a note or a Canadian drugstore.

Hamlin Drug Store downtown also carries Certain Dri and B+Drier for stubborn sweat glands. They're strong astringents that draw the tissues taut, said longtime pharmacist John M. Johnson, who specializes in harder-to-find remedies.

One in 100 people worldwide suffer from hyperhidrosis, which means sweating hard enough to fill a jelly jar, even while relaxing in cool weather.

"The level of sweating can go to dripping level," said Dr. Raphael Reisfeld from the Center for Hyperhidrosis in Los Angeles.

In the most severe cases, he will operate to clamp nerve endings and stop sweaty palms, but that can lead to "compensatory sweat elsewhere."

For everyday sweating, stay in the shade like Umeh, the cabbie. Wear loose clothes. Drink lots of water.

"It's simple grandmother remedies. You don't need a surgeon for that," Reisfeld said.

It can even be enjoyed. Ask Mark Eugene Cramer, 44, who walked out of the Wake County jail on Wednesday, after an arrest on drug-related charges. His skin was dripping from the boiling but glorious fresh air.

"I'm loving every minute of this sweat," he said. This is the sweat of a free man."