Body odour is one of those things that most people never talk about. We are bombarded with deodorants, antiperspirants, perfumes and scents to mask our own natural scent, however, some people find that their smell can be strongly offensive. Our body secretes sweat as a natural response, but it is the reaction between the sweat and the bacteria on our skin that produces the odour. There are two key areas to consider regarding body odour – stress response and poor elimination.
I have seen countless patients who experience a massive release of sweat (and associated body odour) in stressful situations. If this sort of response sounds like you, the best strategy is to focus on some stress relieving strategies and reduce caffeine and other stimulants. When you’re feeling anxious, consider going for a brisk walk or a jog to encourage the sweat and stress release concurrently.
Poor elimination basically means that your body’s sweat has a strong odour because it is eliminating by-products from clearance pathways (such as urine or bowel). If this is the case, it is important to encourage natural elimination and obviously clean up your diet and lifestyle. Encourage regular exercise where you promote sweating in a concentrated experience. For example, a morning jog or workout at the gym where you allow your body to sweat without masking it with deodorants enables the body to clear through this pathway more easily. Remember, the body needs to eliminate approximately 600 mL of water from the skin via evaporation. As such, at the end of your exercise session, you’ll find that it reduces your sweating throughout the day considerably.
