icon caret-left icon caret-right instagram pinterest linkedin facebook twitter goodreads question-circle facebook circle twitter circle linkedin circle instagram circle goodreads circle pinterest circle

Blog: On Health. On Writing. On Life. On Everything.

Odors - Is Your Body Betraying You?

A rose is a rose is a rose – but never will a rose grow out of one of your body orifices. Yet all the time we make believe: Bodily odors are among the most embarrassing facts of life. Those odors jump into your face unbidden, exposing the thin veneer that shields our modern identify – clean, well-shaven, sweet-smelling - from acknowledging our ancient, animalic bodies. These are the most bothersome malodorous areas and orifices of our bodies: mouth, vagina, anus, feet, and modern science and salesmanship have figured ways to sell us products for smelling better – preferably like roses, lilies-of-the-valley, violets – soaps, deodorants, They all have two things in common: They don’t address the root causes of stench, and they add to the pollution burden on your body. Now is probably too late to tell you because all the scented soaps, incense, perfumes, colognes, after-shave lotions, shower gels, wrinkle creams, bubble baths and whatnot have already been bought – either for you, or by you. Truth is there is no cosmetic product available that is good for us – not even the natural or organic varieties. They all require stabilizers and preservatives for their long shelf life – and none of those further your health. If mold doesn’t touch it, your cells don’t like it either. Oh, well – you remember this next year. Let’s go to the root cause of odor: • Underarm: If you need a deodorant, buy a fragrance free product. I like the tea tree oil kind. Check if you really need to use it every day. As you eliminate root causes (see: feet), your smell might get better naturally - don’t be obsessive about it. • Vagina: We had this subject already: NO DOUCHES!! • Halitosis: If you have an odor from your mouth (you can test it by cupping your hands over your mouth and exhale into them), it can stem form your teeth, gums, esophagus (feeding tube), lungs and/or stomach. Most often the culprit is the stomach. Eating a diet without sugar and dairy is a good beginning. Many people have a gluten people. And tomatoes are at the root often, too. Try to figure it out. • Gas (coming out of that unmentionable hole): Excessive gas is linked to an inflamed intestinal tract. Dairy, sugar, gluten are most often the root cause (on this blog, I have written extensively about food allergies, milk’s inflammatory properties, gluten intolerance and so on). • Feet: If you have excessive sweating of your feet (sometimes also of your hands), it can be your autonomic nerve system – doctors like this diagnosis. But more often, poor nutrition is at the root of smelly feet. Especially bad fats and animal proteins. Here I want to lay to rest once and for all the discussion about vegetarianism: If you smell excessively at your feet and under your arms, you are having too much animal and/or bad foods for your body type, period. Science makes clear that we are omnivores, we eat all and everything – mostly because during history we didn’t have the luxury to be choosy; starvation was always near. But the amount you eat should not be unduly high, and should cover your needs – every body has different requirements. The animals you eat should be of good quality (organic, grass-fed). And don’t forget to say a prayer for every animal that has died for you. We all have met those male types who have smelly feet and holes in their socks – so needy for a caring wife that likely they’ll never find one. Because, genetically, we are hard-wired to choose a healthy mate, and somebody who eats day-in, day-out from the convenient store around the corner and doesn’t care for his body, shows all the alarm flags of a poor mate. (Of course, this is gender-neutral – it applies to women, too). Yep, bad food choices come out in your armpits and in your shoes. Hint: learn cooking from scratch! Women will love you! A few more hints: • If you take a daily shower and don’t have a blue-collar job, don’t use soap – how dirty can you get at the computer in a single day? Every wash takes away from the healthy acidic layer on your skin that protects your body from invading germs. – Always end with a cold shower to close the pores (unless you have a contraindication). • Don’t use soap at all. When you wash you hair, use an inexpensive shampoo and RINSE EXTREMELY WELL. • Never wash your hair twice in a row – that’s a ruse by the industry to sell more shampoo. • Use a fragrance-free detergent for your laundry. • NEVER use a softener – liquid or one of those scented towelettes. They pollute the environment and your body and have no value at all. Who says that a towel has to be soft? Try toweling yourself with a hard towel – and discover how the scrubbing makes your body come alive. • Question any household product (dish washing liquid, etc.) that comes with an added fragrance. One of the reason we see so many allergies and asthma, is that our bodies desperately are busy getting rid of all those unwarranted scents. Get used to the idea that we are odorous animals. If we eat right, we will not be stinky. But never will we smell like violets. Even so, our healthy smell is full of pheromones that will drive the other sex wild. Read More 
Post a comment

Fresh Air

If you live in a house that is perfect in terms of insulation and energy efficiency, you are likely living in a house with stale air – or worse: poisoned air. The old drafty windows allowed air to go in and out freely. Retrofitted with air-tight windows and doors, you keep in the used-up air. People are often not aware that indoor pollution is much worse than outdoor pollution. Indoor pollution comes from building materials (wood preservers, paints, plastics, glues, etc.) and household cleaners (detergent, laundry softeners) and molds. The two most important – and easiest – steps are: • Sleeping with window open so that you don’t re-breathe stale, polluted air all night through. • Opening your windows at least twice a day for ten minutes each time. Opening the windows wide but only for a short time, is using less energy than keeping a window slanted all the time. Respiratory diseases – asthma, bronchitis, sinusitis, allergies, increased susceptibility for infections, and so on – are furthered by bad air. If you have mold at your place, the root cause needs to be addressed: moist walls, flooded basements, condensation issues in poorly ventilated spaces. You better ask a specialist. This can come very expensive. But your health doesn’t come cheap either. And once somebody is sensitive to molds, life can get extremely complicated. The opposite – too dry air – is also inflicting lung ailments. You can put out open dishes with water or hang up moist towels. Both are better than humidifiers that in many instances get grown over with molds and bacteria, adding to the problem instead of solving it. Green plants help improve indoor air by humidifying and removing pollutants. Philodendron, spider plant and golden pothos are most effective at the task, and they also happen to be unfussy in their needs. Aromatherapy can improve air quality. Incense actually is detrimental to your health (as nice as it is for your soul), but essential oils, especially eucalyptus, strengthen respiratory passages. This all will help you indoor air – provided there’s no smoker in the house. Read More 
Be the first to comment