Body odour is a problem faced by a lot of people from all walks of life. It usually arises from the combination of sweat and living bacteria that naturally dwell in the human body. There are certain factors that are usually responsible for triggering it. Thick fabrics, stress, dietary habits that include excess caffeine intake, use of onions and garlic in the daily diet, or excess fat in the body are just a few to name. The most annoying of all body odours are smelly armpits! However, it is usually possible to keep the odour at bay. Here s how we can control it.

Daily habits to practise

Stay hydrated throughout the day. It allows the body to free itself from the toxic products, which contribute to the chemical formations that arise as a foul smell.
Eat a lot of green vegetables and less amounts of onions, garlic and chillies in the diet, which will obviously increase sweat secretion.
Avoid too much of caffeine and alcohol, which contribute heavily as stimulants of the sweat glands.
Try to remain stress free; practice yoga and meditation as daily habits to keep your mind at a balance.
How do we recover from it?
The people, who generally do not have a healthy dietary or living habit, have to start living by the rules to get rid of this problem. Groom yourself:

Start exercising to release your body from that extra load, remember to shower after exercising, as accumulation of sweat will again form an ally to the problem.
Keep your underarms shaved. Although it is still not conventional for the men in the society to do so, it is very important, as there is more aggregation of bacteria around places where we have hair on the body. So shaving or trimming your armpit hair will definitely prove to be worthy.
Maintain hygiene. Keep yourself clean and wear fresh clothes.
Wear perforated fabrics that let your skin breathe, like silk and cotton.
If all the above mentioned steps have been followed, and the problem still persists, do not hesitate to see a doctor to strike a list of diseases off the list which also manifest in this problem, like hyperthyroidism, diabetes, Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), leukaemia, tuberculosis and others. Maintain a healthy environment around you, follow a few simple steps, and enjoy a happy living.

Smelly Armpits - How To Prevent & Control It?

Sweating is a normal function of the body, but some people sweat so much that their clothes are often drenched in sweat. Hyperhidrosis is a condition where the amount of sweat produced by the sweat glands cannot be regulated. It is characterized by excessive sweating commonly seen in the underarms, palms and soles. This disorder can affect a person at any age and if left untreated, can become a lifelong condition. Though this condition is not a serious threat to your health, it can be quite embarrassing and can hamper your lifestyle.

In many cases, there is no obvious trigger for Hyperhidrosis, and it is caused by the malfunctioning of the nervous system. This is known as primary Hyperhidrosis. Sweat is a function which helps the body cool itself. In cases of primary Hyperhidrosis, the brain sends a message to the sweat glands to produce sweat even though the body does not need to be cooled. A genetic mutation may also be the cause for some cases of Hyperhidrosis.

Hyperhidrosis with obvious trigger factors is known as secondary Hyperhidrosis. While primary Hyperhidrosis mostly affects the underarms, groin, palms and soles, secondary Hyperhidrosis can affect all parts of the body. Some of the common triggers for this condition are:

Pregnancy
Menopause
Anxiety
Low blood sugar
Hyperthyroidism
Medication side effects
Alcohol or drug withdrawal
Parkinson's disease
Hyperhidrosis can be challenging to diagnose and treat. Lifestyle changes are the easiest way to address this disorder. Some changes that can help you fight Hyperhidrosis are:

Avoid spicy food and alcohol
Replace deodorants with antiperspirants
Choose cotton fabrics over synthetic fabrics
Wear loose fitting clothes.
Try using armpit shields and wearing absorbent socks.
Anticholinergic or antimuscarinic medicines can also help treat Hyperhidrosis. This keeps the nervous system from activating the sweat glands. Dry mouth, blurred vision, constipation, abdominal cramps and difficulty in passing urine are some of the side effects associated with this medication. Iontophoresis is a more aggressive form of Hyperhidrosis treatment. This involves passing a weak electric current through a wet pad to the affected area to block the sweat glands. It is usually used to treat excessive sweating in the palms and soles. 

Botox injections can also help treat Hyperhidrosis by blocking the brain signals to the sweat glands. However this is not a permanent cure and may need to be repeated after a year or so. Endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy or a surgery to remove the sweat glands may also be recommended in extreme cases of Hyperhidrosis. This is usually seen as a permanent solution for excessive sweating, but are relatively new procedures and hence not very common.

Hyperhidrosis - Making Summer Miserable

It is perfectly normal to have body odour after a hard day s work. However, it can get downright embarrassing and alarming if such body odour persists, even after a good warm shower. This medical condition is a symptom of hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating.

What causes body odour?
When the body bacteria combine with sweat, a chemical decomposition occurs that lets out a stinky and pungent smell from certain body parts, especially the feet and the armpits. Working outdoors or being subject to high stress levels over a prolonged period of time can result in this condition. An inclusion of excessive amount of garlic, onion and other spices in your regular diet can trigger body odour as well. Excessive alcohol consumption, conditions such as obesity and diabetes mellitus can also lead to body odour.

Below is a list of some of the most effective homeopathic treatments for body odour:

Silicea: This homeopathic preparation is effective to remedy feet odour. The concerned person might also show symptoms of excessive sweating in the feet along with the appearance of cracks in between the toes.
Hepar Sulph: This homeopathic preparation is effective to address a pungent body odour occurring due to excessive physical or mental stress. Additionally, this preparation is also effective to cure body odour that emerges from the armpits and tends to leave a yellow stain around the region. If the pungent body odour persists even after a proper bath, the homeopathic preparation Rheum can be an effective remedy.
Psorinum: This homeopathic preparation is extremely beneficial to address foul smell in combination with the symptoms of excessive sensitivity to cold weather, an unhealthy /dirty looking skin, and excessive sweating.
Baryta Carb: This homeopathic preparation is effective to cure feet odour, especially in children.

Suffering from Body Odour - 4 Homeopathic Remedies to Help Treat it

Deodorants and antiperspirants are items of regular use all over the world. You would never want to smell bad or have sweat stains under your armpits. Hence, after using a deodorant or an antiperspirant you usually stick to it and keep on using it continuously. There is a major confusion regarding deodorants and antiperspirants, and it is important to know the major difference between these two similar items of everyday use.
Deodorant-
Deodorant serves the function of preventing unwanted and unpleasant odour from our body. Deodorants do not prevent sweating. Body odour is caused due to the bacterial breakdown of sweat. The ingredients of a deodorant are designed especially for the elimination of the smell caused by bacteria.
The common ingredients of a deodorant are :
Water
Sodium stearate
Organic aloe vera juice
Witch hazel water
Glyceryl laurate
Fir needle oil
Chamomile flower aqueous extract
Hops [CO2] extract   helps eliminate the odour
Caprylic/capric triglyceride
Ascorbic acid
Silica shell
Organic Lemongrass Oil
Antiperspirants-
Antiperspirants are different from deodorants, and they are designed in such a way that the body produces lesser sweat. This is done by blocking sweat from reaching the skin. The ingredients present in antiperspirants, especially aluminum, block the pores on the skin and do not allow sweat to pass through them. When an antiperspirant is applied to the skin, the aluminum salts get dissolved in the sweat under the armpit. The dissolved aluminum forms a gel, which acts like a plug on the sweat glands or pores on the skin. This stops sweat secretion. Aluminum is, however, a cancer-causing factor and may also lead to Alzheimer s disease. Several forms of aluminum present in some antiperspirants leave yellow stains on clothes as a result of mixing with sweat.
The primary ingredients of antiperspirants are:
Aluminum Zirconium Trichlorohydrex.
Dimethicone.
Tribehenin.
Artificial fragrance.
C18 36 Acid Triglyceride.
People are often confused as to what to use among deodorants and antiperspirants. This depends totally on your personal choice, but it is recommended to use a product which incorporates natural ingredients instead of using chemicals such as aluminum. Hence, deodorants are considered to be safer for everyday use. However, several artificial dyes and fragrances are used as ingredients in both deodorants and antiperspirants, which cause reactions on the skin. Allergies and skin irritation also occur sometimes as a result.


What is the Difference Between an Antiperspirant and a Deodorant?

Sweating is a normal and natural phenomenon, which all human beings experience. When the weather conditions are humid or if you have walked for a long duration in the sun, sweat is bound to appear. Some people sweat much more than the normal rate. If you belong to this category, some questions may come to your mind like whether is it abnormal? What can be a possible remedy? Here are some facts you must know about sweating.

1. Sweating is a natural phenomenon, and everyone sweats
It is a normal function of the human body. It involves releasing of fluids from our sweat glands present in the skin. The body maintains its temperature by means of perspiration. Sweating may make you feel uncomfortable,but performs the important cooling function of the body. Composed of water, sugar, salts and ammonia, sweat does not have any smell of its own. The unpleasant smell produced from your skin is a result of sweat mixing with bacteria.

2. The rate of perspiration varies from person to person
If you find yourself to be sweating more than normal people around you, it's natural for you to get concerned. However, do not worry because there is nothing unnatural. Some people produce more amount of sweat than others and that is completely natural. The rate just varies from person to person.

3. Overreaction of sweat glands leads to hyperhidrosis
Some people have sweat glands, which are so over reactive and over productive that they actually suffer from the disease hyperhidrosis. People having this disease sweat abnormally. The rate of perspiration is very severe. There is no such cure for hyperhidrosis. The only permanent solution to fix this disorder is by surgery where the nerves to the sweat glands are cut off.

4. Sweating is psychological in nature
The process of sweating is carried out by the sympathetic nervous system. Once it is stimulated, more sweat is produced. Although it may seem weird, thinking of sweating can lead to more sweating in individuals.

5. Nausea leads to increased sweating
Nausea or motion sickness is another reason, which accounts for increased perspiration. Nausea stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, which in return produces additional sweat.

6. Sweating can be delayed at times
Suppose you are climbing up a staircase, but surprisingly you notice that even after going up five flight of stairs, there is no sweat. The sweating appears a little later and is quite intense. This is because your body takes some time to react to the thermoregulation which takes place.

Sweating is a very uncomfortable and irritating phenomenon, but it is actually helpful to the body.

Sweating: What's Normal, What's Not

Excessive sweating or hyperhidrosis occurs due to the presence of extremely sensitive sweat glands in certain body portions. It is a condition in which you sweat more than the normal amount and this can be attributed to temperature, anxiety levels and daily routine.

Symptoms: If the excessive sweating is limited within the underarm, the feet, the face and the palm of your hand, then it is diagnosed as primary focal hyperhidrosis, which is relatively harmless in nature and does not presuppose any serious medical condition. However, excessive sweating might cause severe mental and emotional problem for the affected person. In most of the cases of primary hyperhidrosis, the person suffers from a very early age, but is too embarrassed to check it up by a doctor. Primary hyperhidrosis can also be part-hereditary in nature. However, an early diagnosis might eliminate Primary Hyperhidrosis completely.

But, if excessive sweating occurs at a later stage and all around your body that interrupts your daily schedule, then you should check up with your doctor, as that might be a warning sign for far more serious medical conditions like cancer, malaria, diabetes, heart attack, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, thyroid problems, serious nerve and hormonal anomalies, etc. Also, if you experience excessive sweating at night and that too all of a sudden, you must go for a check-up. This form of Hyperhidrosis, known as Secondary Hyperhidrosis is sometimes accompanied by symptoms of nausea, giddiness in the head, the sudden rise of temperature up to 40 degrees Celsius and an intense pain in the chest.

Treatments: Primary Hyperhidrosis is diagnosed with antiperspirants which have high aluminum salt content like Drysol, Xerac AC; these are to be applied to the affected regions at night with a suitable prescription from the doctor. A prescribed dosage of anti-depressants and Botulinum toxin injections can be used to treat excessive sweating. Surgical procedures like removal of sweat glands can be applied, if excessive sweating occurs only in the underarm regions. You can also opt for nerve surgery if Hyperhidrosis is limited to your hand.

Excessive Sweating - Know the Signs!

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