How to overcome body odor

By Mohamad Ali

Hyperhidrosis is a condition that causes an offensive body odor. Body odor is a major personal problem for most people today. It is embarrassing, annoying and it reduces our social confidence. Sweat is generally odorless but it has been blamed for body odor. But remember, armpits are designed to sweat. Millions of dollars are spent annually in the development and usage of deodorants and antiperspirants supposedly to remedy the situation. However, these not only ignore the main cause of body odor, but in some cases can be detrimental to your health.

Body odor is the smell that arises as a result of bacterial decomposition of secretion of the skin apocrine glands at the junction of the dermis and subcutaneous fat. The process yields ammonia and short chain fatty acids, with their characteristic strong odor. The most plentiful of the acids is the hexanoic acid which is brought to the skin surface. Bacteria living in and near the apocrine glands digest the chemicals and release even more different odors. Bacteria grow rapidly on wet skin.

One internal cause of body odor arises when there is an excess amount of toxin in the body. When the liver or the kidneys cannot cope with the excess, then the toxin must exit through the skin. Such a situation may happen due to liver disease or congestion, kidney disease, uremia, pneumonia, other systemic diseases, and improper diet.

In order to reduce and subsequently eliminate body odor, you must take the following steps:

1. Avoid intake of saturated animal fats or hydrogenated, meat, dairy products and fried food as these not only can lead to liver toxicity but also become an attractive media for bacterial infection. Refrain from consuming sugar, sweets and refined carbohydrates. Try a 2-week fast and adopting a vegetarian diet until symptoms are cleared. A healthy diet will keep the oils bacteria feed on to a minimum.

2. Try alternate hot and cold showers daily to maintain proper skin function. Ensure skin cleanliness as the oily secretion of sweat provides an ideal medium for bacterial growth.

3. Try Epsom salts baths. Soak for 20 minutes in a hot tub containing 500 gm of the salt and finish with a cold spray. Repeat daily for a week followed by 2-3 times per week until the body odor is normal.

4. Wear loose cotton clothing that breathes well, and light-colored clothing to reflect light and heat. Wearing natural fabrics like cotton, silk and wool will allow your skin to breathe. Natural fabrics tend to absorb perspiration better than artificial materials.

5. Maintain your body weight at a healthy level to reduce the odds of having excessive body odor.

6. Take the following supplements:

Multi vitamins and minerals tablet once daily

Zinc tablet 50mg three times daily

Chlorophyll 2 tablets 3 times daily

Omega 3 Fish Oil 1000 mg once daily

Evening Primrose Oil 1000mg once daily