a natural approach to body odor
If you have recently noticed a change in your body odor, you have always been impacted by being someone who sweats too much or has a strong odor, or you excessively sweat at night then this blog will help you with beginning to tackle this issue.
Understanding sweat first and foremost is key to learning why your body odor has changed. We have two types of sweat glands in our bodies: eccrine and apocrine.
Eccrine glands cover the majority of our body and are especially prominent on our palms, soles of our feet, and forehead. The sweat here is more watery and does not have a smell, it is responsible for cooling the body.
Apocrine glands are located in the armpit and genital regions. The sweat from these glands consists of proteins and fatty acids and are responsible for body odor. These glands are actually entirely inactive until they are stimulated by hormones in puberty, it is believed their purpose may be to attract a mate! Apocrine glands are regulated by androgens and strong emotional stress. Skin bacteria then breaks down the fatty acids in the sweat and causes the pungent odor that has lead you to reading this blog today. Considering what we now know about apocrine glands, let’s get into why your odor may have changed.
Hormonal Causes
When you think of a hormonal cause of excessive sweating and body odor, the first thing that comes to mind is menopause. This is for good reason. The overarching cause of night sweats, hot flashes, intolerance to heat, and random excessive sweating is a dip in estrogen levels and rise in testosterone. Aside from menopause, there are other reasons that young women may be experiencing this same imbalance. These include hypothalamic amenorrhea from excessive stress/exercise, anorexia, pituitary gland conditions, PCOS, etc. Rising levels of testosterone relative to a drop in estrogen cause your skin to become thicker and more oily, causing a more sour scent. This is why if you are suffering from PCOS you will notice an increase in both body hair and sweat.
Lastly, the stress hormone cortisol can have a strong impact on body odor as well. Remember that apocrine glands are stimulated by strong emotions/androgens. If you are constantly in a fight or flight mode and under high amounts of stress and anxiety, your apocrine glands are being over stimulated and signaled 24/7 to release sweat.
How to Help Your Hormones
Although excessive sweat and odor can have a major impact on your day to day life and confidence, this is not a death sentence for you. If you are going through menopause, it is a phase that will pass and your body will re-regulate to adapt to your new hormone levels. However, if you are young and experiencing low estrogen, high testosterone, and/or high cortisol, there are things you can do to help!
If your body odor is from low estrogen and/or high testosterone, you will have other signs including: insomnia, mood swings, dry skin, hot flashes, low libido, and vaginal dryness. Here’s what can help:
Eat phytoestrogen foods. These include tempeh, tofu, berries, papaya, peaches, flax seeds
Supplement with B Vitamins and Vitamin D. Vitamin B2 and B6 aid your body in the process of creating and using estrogen. Vitamin D actually functions in the body as a hormone and aids in estrogen production
Consume healthy fats to lower testosterone such as fatty fish
Vitamin E can aid your body in reducing hot flashes and sweats
Supplements that can help are Chastetree berry, Black cohosh, Red clover, and Maca
If you are suffering from extremely high levels of cortisol that is causing your increase in sweat and body odor, Here’s what can help:
Reduce your caffeine. Caffeine can be stressing your adrenals and causing stress on the body even if you don’t realize it. Try swapping out a cup a day for tea and then slowly adjusting to just tea. See how you feel after a month
Deep breathing breaks from work, meditations at night, yin yoga in the morning, whatever you can fit in your schedule to signal to your body it is safe and can relax
Aid your circadian rhythm and make your body feel regulated. If you are unable to stay off screens an hour before bed, invest in quality blue light blocking glasses (I love the brand RA Optics) and adjust the settings on your phone to automatically dim and warm the lighting at night. Sleep is crucial!
Supplement with Zinc. Zinc supports your bodies stress response, is a natural androgen blocker, kills bacteria, and slows the bodies production of sebum and keratin (sweat and hair!) Always take Zinc on a full stomach
Liver Detox Support
Your liver may also be to blame for a change in body odor. This is because your liver’s primary job is to break down nutrients, process blood, and detox toxins and waste products. Waste is removed through bile in the liver and then excreted from your body so that it can’t accumulate and cause damage. Having a sluggish liver means that you are not excreting wastes properly. These waste products are going to start being secreted through the pores instead as a way to get out, causing a change in odor and acne.
Your liver’s health and functioning can be impacted by your diet and lifestyle choices such as alcohol and foods that cause a blood sugar spike such as refined carbohydrates and sugar.
I like to sometimes tie in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) to add a broader viewpoint and show you how it connects to Western medicine as well. TCM has an entire meridian dedicated to the liver which directs qi (energy) and hormones throughout the entire body. If your liver meridian is off, you are going to feel stuck, stagnant, frustrated, and weighed down. When your liver meridian is functioning properly, your hormones will be balanced and in tune with your circadian rhythm and your qi will be flowing smoothly throughout your body. This will reflect in your life as balanced energy levels, clear thinking and decision making, and a distinct focus.
How to Help Your Liver
Whether we are talking about the liver’s ability to process nutrients, blood, and filter waste products OR the liver meridian’s job to conduct smooth qi and hormones throughout the body, either way we can address lapses in functioning to help your issues with sweat and body odor. We need clear, rhythmic, smooth flowing processes in the body in order for hormones to be processed and waste to be excreted. In short, everything needs to be running smoothly. Here is how you can support your liver:
Eat a lot of fiber and limit processed, sugary foods. Focus on cruciferous vegetables and berries
Beetroot, turmeric, onion, garlic, broccoli, dandelion leaves, legumes, and grapefruit are all foods that specifically aid your detox pathways
Eliminate alcohol intake or reduce drastically for a period of time to see if you notice improvements in symptoms
Warm water and lemon juice in the morning. Staying hydrated all day to help flush out toxins, add in Chlorophyll drops for extra liver support
Dry brushing and sauna can help your body circulate, flush out, and detox
Milk Thistle and Dandelion Root tea or herbal supplements are shown to assist with restoring liver cells and aiding in phase 2 detox (elimination)
Try to limit your exposure to toxins. Utilize the “dirty dozen” list and swap out your cleaning products for a better brand such as Branch Basics
Magnesium glycerinate supplements or baths/soaks can help balance your hormones
Try QiGong or tapping exercises specific for liver meridian. Try this video
Overactive Thyroid
We know by now that apocrine glands and excessive pungent sweat is cued by stress and hormones. What we haven’t touched on is possibly the bodies largest control center of temperature/hormone/sweat regulation: the thyroid. The thyroid gland actually regulates and directs hormones that regulate your bodies metabolism and temperature control. When your thyroid is overactive, the hormone thyroxine is produced in excess and throws off your metabolism. This can lead to excessive weight loss, anxiety, insomnia, and sensitivity to heat.
How to Help your Thyroid
If you have an overactive thyroid, you should try to avoid foods high in iodine. Please get your levels checked by a doctor and formulate a plan under their guidance before making these changes! High iodine foods to avoid include:
Iodized salt
Seafood
Dairy products
Egg yolks
High amounts of beef and poultry
Herbs and supplements can help your overactive thyroid return to normal levels. These include:
L-Cartinine
Selenium
Vitamin D
Bugleweed
Lemon Balm
Diet
It may seem too straight forwards, but changes in your diet to very pungent foods can actually change your body odor to become more pungent as well. This is exactly what you may guess: garlic, onions, alcohol, etc. Alcohol is a doubly whammy as it also impacts your liver and hormone health. A lot of dietary changes have been mentioned already when discussing how to support your hormone levels and liver health, but this is just to emphasize that it also makes sense sometimes to think simply. Pungent foods=pungent odor. You are what you eat! Foods rich in sulfur tend to cause the strongest odors. These include:
Onions
Garlic
Red meat
Cabbage
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Natural Deodorants and Armpit Detox
After addressing root causes such as hormone health, liver function, thyroid, and diet, you can also take a more hands on approach and attack at the source! Switching over to a natural deodorant is crucial to avoiding harmful chemicals and endocrine disruptors considering your skin, the largest organ of your body, absorbs anything you put on it. Chemicals you should avoid in your deodorant include:
Triclosan
Phthalates
Parabens
Aluminum
Many people may not realize this, but using an antiperspirant can actually negatively impact your health and make your body odor worse! The salts used can actually cause an imbalance of bacteria and allow the smelly guys to thrive, making your sweat more pungent. Natural deodorants allow your body to actually sweat/detox, don’t clog your pores, don’t cause skin irritation, and still reduce odors!
My favorite deodorant brands to use:
Necessaire (what I currently use - unscented deodorant paired with their body exfoliant that I use to scrub my armpits with in the shower!)
If you are making the switch over to a natural deodorant, you don’t want to forget to detox your armpits first. Your body needs to sweat out and release built up chemicals from past products before it is able to properly utilize a natural alternative. This detox period may last a bit of time, but there are things you can do to speed up the process and make sure it works:
Bentonite Clay + Apple Cider Vinegar Mask 1-2x a week
AHA + BHA serums work to lower the skin’s pH and reduce odor-producing bacteria
2-3 sprays of a magnesium spray in armpits can help you absorb this necessary mineral and also control body odor
If you want additional support, you can click here to schedule a discovery call