The Nation's Health

Health Tips: BAD ODOR

Bad odor can be very unpleasant

Bad odour can be very unpleasant. It is difficult to detect and describe an odour. Some areas of the skin, such as the armpits and genitals, are more likely to produce bad odour because the sweat glands in these areas are slightly different. These glands produce proteins and oily substances that bacteria feed on. Some substances have stronger odours than others, only small amounts have to be present to make someone detect them. The smell of body odour may also be influenced by diet. Certain foods contain chemicals that may be excreted in the skin, such as curry, garlic and other strong spices. Bad odours can do more than simply give people memories of images or sounds. This is because our nasal organ is in direct contact with the system where our memory and our emotions are centred. Each person has a different odour, just like each person has a different fingerprint. To prevent the odours on a farm the air can be washed by means of an absor bent, which removes components that cause odour problems.

Bad odor of a person is dependant upon multiple factors like gender, genetics, health, diet, medication and many more. A person's odour can be linked indirectly to a person's unique genes. The genes of the immune system determine the composition of bacteria on a person's skin. Bad odour is individualistic and differs from person to person. Infact, it is often used for identification of a person by dogs. People who have a condition known as hyperhidrosis tend to sweat excessively, and therefore, they are more likely to develop a strong bad odor. Bad odour may then become a problem, especially if hygiene is poor. Treatment is simple - have regular baths or showers at least once a day. After puberty, an antiperspirant and deodorant is useful to reduce sweating but this is rarely needed for younger children. Prevention of Bad odour Avoid closed sweaty shoes such as trainers and wear fresh cotton socks or bare feet in open sandals as often as possible. Avoiding very spicy foods may help. Use a deodorant with aluminium or zinc. Either of these metals should kill odour-causing bacteria. Extremely heavy sweaters should use an antiperspirant/deodorant containing aluminium chloride. During the summer season one needs to take bath at least two to three times a day. Avoid chain-smoking and heavy drinking.

Home Remedies for Bad odour

Apply an absorbent powder such as baby powder to your underarms after bathing.

Tea made from Fenugreek (methi) seeds is also beneficial in bad odour.

Til oil gargling is good for jaws, depth of voice and good taste for food. By doing this type of gargling one never gets cracked lips, bad odour, sore throat and toothache.

Parsley is a great food to neutralizer. It's leaves are rich in chlorophyll, nature's own deodoriser.

Drink Water throughout the day. You can also used 10 drops of the essential oil in 30 mm of water and apply on the underarms

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