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Q. I've been struggling with body odor for years. When someone approaches me, I hear them continuously sniffling or covering up their nose to mask the odor. What is it that irritates so many people on a daily basis?
I've used anti-bacterial soap for years, but it only helps for a short while. There has not been a day without someone sniffling or moving away from me. It's really affecting the way others look at me in my workplace, commute, and outings. I try to avoid enclosed areas like elevators, and try to keep my distance from others if at all possible.
Once I thought this odor was due to a serious nail fungus. After taking oral Lamisil, I no longer have the fungus, but I still smell bad. I've had many sleepless nights worrying about how others would react to me on my commute and at work. Please help!
A. Only a physician can diagnose what’s causing your problem. Some people have a metabolic disorder called trimethylaminuria. A defective enzyme allows a chemical to build up in the body that smells like dead fish.
If this were your problem, a special diet might help. Avoiding eggs, milk, meat, beans, fish and cheese could reduce the odor. Some people report that chlorophyll pills also help. If a different condition is responsible, perhaps your physician will be able to come up with an effective treatment.
Q. I have been on Prevacid for a few years for acid reflux. I am trying to get off of it, but whenever I cut back my symptoms get worse. Are there any other ways to control reflux?
A. Medications that suppress acid formation in the stomach (Aciphex, Nexium, Prevacid, Prilosec, Protonix) are quite good at relieving symptoms of reflux and heartburn. When they are discontinued, however, people experience a phenomenon called drug-induced acid rebound. That means the stomach pumps out even more acid than it did initially. This effect can last for many months.
Gastroenterologists are debating the significance of this rebound hypersecretion of acid (Basic & Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Jan. 2006). Some data suggest that the excess acid production may lead to prolonged heartburn.
We have offered numerous other ways to control heartburn symptoms in our new book, Best Choices From the People’s Pharmacy (Rodale Books). They include cutting back on carbohydrates, chewing sugarless gum after meals to stimulate saliva, sipping ginger tea or swallowing a little yellow mustard. Anyone who would like more details can find them at www.peoplespharmacy.com.
Q. I have a solution for constipation I would like to share with your readers. I take around 500 mg magnesium every night. The result is what "normal” people experience: a regular, comfortable bowel movement. Nothing else I tried in the past helped me so gently.
Is there a problem taking this supplement? I’ve mentioned my approach to two doctors who didn't think it was harmful. Your opinion would be appreciated.
A. Magnesium is in several time-honored laxatives. Some people even tell us that taking this mineral before bedtime helps them sleep. It may also prevent nighttime leg cramps.
People with kidney disease should avoid extra magnesium. Even healthy people can experience diarrhea if they take too much. The normal supplement ranges between 300 mg and 500 mg.
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This is in response to the comments about body odor. I suffered terrible body odor for five years before determining the cause.
I visited numerous doctors and was told by each of them that it was "all in my head." I was so tormented by comments from co-workers and others, I considered suicide. When co-workers would comment about the odor, I would come home and shower for an hour and then return to work.
As a last effort, I decided to stop taking all my medications in hopes that it would help the odor problem. It helped! It finally dawned on me that the body odor started at about the same time I started taking a prescription sleep medication.
Just to be sure that was the cause of the problem, I took the drug again for several days and the odor returned. I haven't taken it since and the odor has disappeared.
I shall gladly give the name of the drug upon request.
About body odor: I was once troubled by stinky armpits, especially after even moderate exercise. During an annual physical, I asked my doctor's advice.
He explained that the problem was caused by bacteria, and that no amount of ordinary scrubbing was likely to cure it. He advised Betadyne soap (which he said surgeons use to scrub). He cautioned me to follow directions exactly, which involved leaving the soap applied for several minutes. He also told me to throw out all my undershirts to prevent re-colonization.
I did as I was told, using the soap for several days. The problem cleared up completely.
That was nearly 30 years ago. Since then, it's recurred perhaps three times. Once I was able to cure it using Listerine (original version) in the same way, but other times, that failed and the Betadyne once again did the trick.
Hope this helps.
I developed unpleasant body odors and one in particular which comes suddenly. I shower with lots of soap everyday. I don't know the exact smell, but it's something like old and rotted. I am a college student so I have a hard time getting involved in any information or discussions for my field lest I smell. And recently my doctors diagnosed me with h-pilori infection beginning at the stomach, but I finished the antibiotic treatment months ago. What should I do?
I need the reader regarding the sleep med that causes body odor to send me a message. I think I know which one--thank you soooo much!!!
J
I'm a 24 year old female and have been suffering from bad body odor since grade school. I use the best soaps and body sprays. Nothing works. I scrub my entire body each and everyday. Body sprays only make it worse resulting in a pungent bowel movement smell. This has greatly affected my social life. I avoid people as often as I can. What's wrong with me?
PEOPLE'S PHARMACY RESPONSE: PLEASE DISCUSS THIS ISSUE WITH YOUR DOCTOR. WE CAN'T DIAGNOSE, BUT THERE ARE A FEW CONDITIONS THAT MIGHT CAUSE ODOR.
I also struggle with everyday body odor and I've tried every type of anti-bacterial soap, Hibaclens, herbal remedies, shower three times a day..... None has worked so far. I have been taking Advair for my asthma for over 10 years and recently been diagnosed with H. Pylori/gastritis and started on Prevacid. The Prevacid I only used for 1 month and had to stop due to muscle pain. I tried Chlorophyll for the odor but that and other herbal products doesn't help either. I started a probiotic pill once a day but not sure how that's helping. Any suggestions? This is making my life even more miserable and my doctor doesn't seem to think anything is wrong. Everyone starts sniffing, gets watery eyed and backs up every time I'm around. I even had co-workers tell me I stink. Help!!
PEOPLE'S PHARMACY RESPONSE: ASK YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT ANTIBIOTICS TO ERADICATE THE H. PYLORI. WE HAVE HEARD FROM OTHER PEOPLE THAT GETTING RID OF THE STOMACH INFECTION MAY HELP ODOR.
I have a body odor which I can smell by walking into my house or car or bedroom, its awful, to try to describe a dry hard smell? I don't know if its through my mouth or overall. I too notice people stepping away, covering their noses and eyes watering. I'm on blood pressure meds but this has been happening before the meds. What are the symptoms of H. Pylori or gastritis, I don't seem to have problems in that area and have regular bowel movements and a healthy diet. HELP!!
I want to tell people to stay away from milk and sometimes all dairy. My husband gets a very bad body odor from it with very little activity. good luck!
Reading this site has helped me feel better, because now I don't feel alone considering I have been going through a pungent bad body odor for about 2 years. People at work would make really rude comments because of my body odor and I even lost friends. It hurt so much emotionally I quit working and could not believe people could be so rude.
When I used public transportation people make rude comments about a bad odor and I knew it was probably coming from me. I use to be the girl everyone wanted to be around and now I am the girl that everyone tries to avoid. I thought it was medically related and saw 2 different doctors for 2 opinions on my general health and they both did blood work and everything came back normal.
Should I trust my blood work results or could there still be something medically wrong with me that a lab could'nt catch? I use to drink a lot of alcohol but the doctors did blood tests for my liver and they were normal. I have gained weight and have had edema for the last 2 years, could weight gain been causing this odor? The doctors said my edema was most likely due to my weight gain but could it be something else.
For some reason I still think I could have type of medical issue because my body odor will not go away no matter what I do. I'm desperate, please someone give me advice so I can have peace of mind and return back to living a normal life. Thanks a lot and I hope everyone out there that is going through this gets their answers and has a great life.
I have acid all the time, and I have been on some type of meds for 11 years now. I have had the light run down my esophagus and they find nothing wrong, but my body produces A LOT of acid. WHY? I have ask my doc and he just stated that some people do. This does not make any sense to me. Do you know of anything else I can do? I have tried all home remedies, nothing seems to help, my worse occurs at night around 3:00 am and I actually vomit, almost every night. It's not food, it is simply ACID coming up. What do you suggest?
My husband has given up smoking 12months ago. Since then he has a really really bad body odour and at times bad breath, he has put on some extra kilos since he stopped.
He's been to the dentist and everything is fine. He seems to smell even more when he sweats. His smell lingers on where ever he's been. I have friends that tell me how bad he is. It's getting quite embarrassing for him as well as for me. He's on lipitor for cholesterol and kavaside for blood pressure. He was taking fish oil capsules but has stopped, but he still smells. Can anyone help we are desperate?