These smells can signal more than a skipped shower.
Whether you’ve just completed a grueling workout or chowed down on an onion-packed burger, chances are, at one time or another, you’ve been that person who stunk up the room. In most cases, a simple shower, swipe of deodorant, or line of minty-fresh toothpaste could remedy the situation. But in other cases, it’s not so simple.
That’s because your body odor can actually speak volumes about your health. In fact, some diseases can actually produce a unique, distinguished odor, according to a recent Swedish study.
So which funky fumes should you take note of? Here are five common body odors that might signal a serious problem—and what you should do if the stench arises.
FRUITY BREATH IS A SYMPTOM OF DIABETES
Credit a complication of diabetes called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which occurs when your body runs low on insulin and your blood sugar spikes, says Robert Gabbay, M.D., Ph.D., chief medical officer at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston. People with Type 1 diabetes generally experience it more than those with Type 2 diabetes do.
Here’s what’s happening: Your body can’t create the energy it needs to function properly, so it begins to break down fatty acids for fuel. This creates a build up of acidic chemicals called ketones in your blood. One of the main acids—acetone (the same component found in nail polish remover)—can leave a fruity smell on your breath, Gabbay says. You might not notice it until someone else mentions it, but doctors can smell it on you as soon as you walk into a room.
The effects of DKA can be serious—even deadly. It can make you vomit and urinate frequently, causing your body to lose fluids at a dangerous rate, he says.
DKA generally occurs with other symptoms of diabetes, like fatigue, blurred vision, and unexplained weight loss, but in many cases, people don’t put them all together, which delays diagnosis and treatment. So if you notice the fruity odor on your breath along with any of those symptoms—especially if they are accompanied by fatigue, dry mouth, difficulty breathing, or abdominal pain, head to the emergency room as soon as possible, the American Diabetes Association recommends.
After your doctor tests your blood for ketones, he or she will work on replacing lost fluids and getting your sugar levels back to normal with insulin treatment.
STINKY FEET IS A SYMPTOM OF ATHLETE’S FOOT
Can’t seem to fight funky sneakers? A fungal infection may be to blame. If you notice dry, scaly skin around your toes, redness, and blisters, you may have athlete’s foot, according to the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA).
Your feet might also emit a foul odor, caused by a combination of bacteria and fungus eroding into your skin and toe webs, says Cameron Rokhsar, M.D., associate clinical professor of dermatology at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. And if you scratch your feet and then touch another part of your body, you can spread the fungus to other areas of your body, like your groin or armpit. That can potentially cause an odor to form in those areas, too.
Plus, if you ignore athlete’s foot, the skin in between your toe webs becomes excessively soft and moist, making it an entry point for bacteria, says Rokhsar. You can develop more complicated conditions like cellulitis, a bacterial infection of your skin’s soft tissue.
So if you’re experiencing symptoms, try an over-the-counter antifungal spray like Lotrimin or Tinactin. If the problem continues to persist after two weeks, your doctor can take a closer look and prescribe a more targeted treatment, suggests the APMA.
Since athlete’s foot is just one of the nasty skin conditions you can pick up at the gym, protect yourself from picking it up again by wearing shoes in the locker room. Because fungi tend to thrive in moist environments, try using a talcum to keep your feet dry if they tend to get sweaty.
We asked a hot doc some of your most pressing health questions:
SMELLY POOP IS A SYMPTOM OF LACTOSE INTOLERANCE
When your small intestine doesn’t produce enough of an enzyme called lactase, it can’t digest lactose, a sugar found in dairy products, says Ryan Ungaro, M.D., assistant professor of gastroenterology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.
So your small intestine directs lactose directly to your colon—instead of your bloodstream—where your gut bacteria ferment it. This can cause loose, foul-smelling stool, bloating, and smelly gas, Ungaro says.
Lactose intolerance is fairly common: In fact, an estimated 65 percent of people have trouble digesting dairy, according to the National Institutes of Health. But the reaction—including painful stomach cramping, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting, as well as smelly farts and poop— can vary from person to person, says Men’s Health nutrition advisor Alan Aragon, M.S.
For most people, though, it only takes 12 grams of lactose—about eight ounces of milk or a cup of ice cream—to set off unsettling symptoms, he says.
So if your gas or poop smells particularly pungent after you down some milk, you might want to check in with your doctor, says Ungaro. (If you’re passing wind more than usual, rule out these five other reasons you could be gassy first.)
He or she can diagnose the problem, or even rule out more concerning intestinal issues, like Crohn’s disease, as a culprit behind the stench. Then, your doctor can help you determine how much lactose you can take in per day without causing a problem. (You can also pop a Lactaid pill, which contains the lactase enzyme and allows you to digest dairy within 45 minutes, if you just must have a sundae, Aragon says.)
STRONG-SMELLING URINE IS A SYMPTOM OF A URINARY TRACT INFECTION
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) can produce pungent, almost chemical-smelling urine, says Jamin Brahmbhatt, M.D., a urologist at Orlando Health. This happens after bacteria, most commonly E. coli, enters your urinary tract and urethra. Then, they multiply in your bladder, causing an infection.
UTIs are more frequent in women than men because their urethra—the channel that drains the bladder—is shorter. So if you notice your pee smells funky, check in with your doctor, who will test your urine to see what’s up.
BAD BREATH IS A SYMPTOM OF SLEEP APNEA
If your morning breath is consistently ripe—even if you brush your teeth regularly—you could be dealing with undiagnosed sleep apnea, a disorder that causes your breathing to sporadically stop and start while you sleep.
Sleep apnea can lead to excessive snoring, causing you to breathe through your mouth throughout the night. This can make your mouth very dry, which is a common cause of bad breath, says Raj Dasgupta, M.D., assistant professor of clinical medicine at the University of Southern California.
This allows bacteria to breed more readily—and when certain kinds multiply, they produce a sulfurous gas that can give your breath a rotten egg smell.
If you’ve ruled out other causes of bad breath, but still wake up with a smelly mouth and you suffer from daytime sleepiness and snoring, schedule an appointment with your doctor. It’s vital sleep apnea gets diagnosed quickly: The sleeping condition has been strongly associated with diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease, so treating it sooner than later can spare you of its long-term health effects, Dasgupta says.
Once you’re diagnosed, your sleep doctor can recommend a continuous positive airway pressure device (CPAP), a mask that rests over your nose and mouth helps that helps keep your airways open while you snooze.
Source: Women’s Health
These smells can signal more than a skipped shower. Whether you’ve just completed a grueling workout or chowed down on an onion-packed bu...
The leaders of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, AYCF, have said that the threat of arrest by the government of Kaduna State will not stop them from insisting that people of Igbo extraction should leave the north, Premium Times reports.
The group, a coalition of some northern groups, insisted on its stance that Igbos leave the 19 northern states within three months.
One of the leaders of the group, who read their declaration on Tuesday, Abdulaziz Suleiman, said they held a meeting in Kaduna on Wednesday after the threat of arrest and decided that “there will be no retreat, no surrender”
Mr. Abdulaziz, the National Coordinator of Northern Emancipation Network, NEN, informed PREMIUM TIMES over the telephone on Wednesday evening that contrary to the position by Kaduna State government, they are not advocating violence.
“Our declaration did not mention violence at all. The Igbo have consistently insisted that they don’t want to be in Nigeria, let them therefore, go back to their places. They don’t believe in Nigeria, so, we also don’t believe in them,” he said.
Mr. Suleiman also accused Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State of playing politics over the matter. “Where was El Rufai when the Igbos gave the Fulani ultimatum to leave their areas?
Where was he when over 500 northerners were killed in Ile Ife? These people just politicise everything. Because he wants to run for President, he chose to ignore his people and appease the Igbo? Goodluck to him,” he said.
Like Mr. El-Rufai, the Nigerian government has also condemned the call by the northern coalition, assuring Nigerians that the threat by the group should be ignored.
“It is not new, but what I want to assure you is that the security agencies are on top of the situation,” the information minister, Lai Mohammed, said.
The call by the Northern group has also been condemned by Nigerians across ethnic and political divide, as well as Igbo groups like MASSOB and the Ohaneze Ndigbo with the latter cautioning Igbos in South-east Nigeria not to retaliate with a similar call.
The leaders of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, AYCF, have said that the threat of arrest by the government of Kaduna State will not stop...
Dek-Niyor Entertainment front man Chinko Ekun returns with the crisp visuals to his recently released single titled – ‘Gbefun‘. With production credits to Aaecho, the video was shot on various location in Dubai byWalinteen Pro. Gbefun was mixed and mastered by Spyritmyx.
Hit Play below:
Dek-Niyor Entertainment front man Chinko Ekun returns with the crisp visuals to his recently released single titled – ‘ Gbefun ‘. With p...
The singer who was represented by Fan Li is out of jail and his arraignment hearing is fixed for June 23, 2017.
See his complaint/arrest affidavit below:
This comes after the singer appeared in court on June 5, 2017, for his bail hearing in the 9-count fraud charges levelled against him in the U.S. The ‘My dear‘ singer was in court with Chukwuebuka, his accomplice.
Meanwhile, Chukwuebuka, who is claiming to be Dammy Krane’s show promoter, filed paperwork saying that he is indigent.
Dammy Krane, on the other hand, pleaded not guilty and paperwork was provided to his defence attorney, showing what police found on his phone.
None of his family members or record label representative was present in court for his hearing.
The singer who was represented by Fan Li is out of jail and his arraignment hearing is fixed for June 23, 2017. See his complaint/arrest af...
Senator Dino Melaye has revealed how he deliberately framed others in his alleged assassination case, using the police.
In yet another phone audiotape obtained exclusively by Saharareporters, he tells Muhammed Audu, the son of late former Governor of Kogi State Abubakar Audu how he used his connections with the police to frame someone referred to as “Edward” (believed to be Edward Onoja, the Chief of Staff to the current Kogi State Governor), in the alleged assassination attempt on him at his country home.
The Kogi State Senator reported an assassination attempt on his life at his home in Ijumu on April 15, and on April 29, the police paraded six persons, including the chairman of Ijumu LGA, one Taofik Isah, who were allegedly involved in the crime.
In the new audiotape, Melaye, speaking mostly in Hausa, reveals to Muhammed that the assassination story was carefully orchestrated to rope in his opponent, and how his access to the highest echelons of the police facilitated his effort to frame “Edward” in the alleged plot to assassinate him.
Only last week, SaharaReporters published another audiotape in which Senator Melaye was caught bribing Justice Akon Ikpeme of the Cross River State High Court in the election petition tribunal process which brought him to the Senate two years ago. All the persons alleged to have participated in the assassination are currently on bail.
Melaye Caught On Tape Revealing How He Framed “Suspects” In His Alleged Assassination Attempt
Senator Dino Melaye has revealed how he deliberately framed others in his alleged assassination case, using the police. In yet another phon...
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, on Tuesday received Nigeria’s Lola Omolola, founder of a secret Facebook group called Female in Nigeria.
FIN was founded in 2015 by Omolola, a movement of women focused on building compassion and providing support for one another, with the goal of having up to 1000 members in the group.
However, the group exceeded its target as it recently hit one million members. According to Zuckerberg’s Facebook page on Tuesday, he will be meeting with Lola and a few hundred of other top Facebook group admins in Chicago later in the month for the first ever Facebook Communities Summit.
“Over the past few weeks, I’ve been meeting group admins across the country that are building meaningful communities on Facebook and will be at the summit. Two years ago, she founded a secret Facebook group called Female IN, or FIN,’’ Zuckerberg said.
Zuckerberg said FIN is “a no-judgment space where more than a million women come to talk about everything from marriage and sex to health issues and work problems.
It is helping to end the culture of silence that exists for women in some parts of the world.’’ He said for the past decade, Facebook had been focused on making the world more open and connected.
The Facebook founder expressed the willingness of the platform to continue to connect persons, adding that there was the need to do much more by bringing people closer together and build common understanding.
“I’m looking forward to meeting more admins like Lola and talking about how we can help them do even more to build community. I’ll share more info on the summit as we get closer, and I’ll stream the event live from my profile later this month,” he added
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, on Tuesday received Nigeria’s Lola Omolola, founder of a secret Facebook group called Female in Nigeria. ...
The beauty enthusiast/blogger has released the first product from her skincare line; ‘Coco Hydrating Face Cream‘ from the line set to carry skincare products for different skintypes and skintones.
“Coco Hydrating Face Cream is one of my best kept skincare secrets, that I am now happy to share” She shares about the new line. Described as; “a perfect daily moisturiser that nourishes the skin whilst maintaining your skin’s natural glow, a perfect moisturiser to use on its own or underneath make up and specially formulated for those who require moistened skin in a hot climate.
She offered that the new product is produced for all skintypes with climate kept in mind, “The texture of the cream allows for quick absorption into the skin with minimal effort. Coco Skincare is dedicated to offering skin care products specially formulated to encourage healthy glowing skin. Each Coco Skincare product is created for a specific purpose, using only the most effective and high-quality ingredients to create the most sought after results“.
“I was desperately looking for a product that could meet the needs of my ideal face cream, something effective yet light and non-greasy that could also help prevent hyper-pigmentation on the face.
However, it was important for me that it would have no long term damaging effect. I couldn’t find exactly what I wanted so I went to work creating it! I worked with a credible and certified dermatologist to perfect the formula and then tested the final product on a study group of 15 women for 3 weeks and noted their results” she shares the inspiration behind creating the product.
“90% saw a significant difference in their skin, noting that the texture of their skin was healthier and their faces were less dull after using the cream.
I have been using this formula for over 7 months and I can testify that I have seen a real improvement in my skin. I started seeing a clear difference after the first month, with the texture of my skin becoming smoother and reduced breakouts” she says about the new product.
The beauty enthusiast/blogger has released the first product from her skincare line; ‘ Coco Hydrating Face Cream ‘ from the line set to c...
The acting U.S. ambassador to China has resigned over President Donald Trump’s decision to leave the Paris climate accord.
China expert and former journalist John Pomfret also wrote on Twitter that the charge d’affaires at the U.S. embassy, David Rank, had personally informed embassy staff of his decision.
A U.S. embassy spokeswoman would only confirm that Rank had made a “personal decision.”
“We appreciate his years of dedicated service to the State Department,” she added.
Rank has worked in the US foreign service for 27 years.
He was acting ambassador while the embassy awaits the arrival of Trump appointee Terry Branstad at the end of June.
On June 1, Trump announced during a speech at the White House Rose Garden that he had decided to pull out of the landmark climate deal, in part because it would not reduce global temperatures fast enough to have a significant impact.
Trump said: “even if the Paris Agreement were implemented in full, with total compliance from all nations, it is estimated it would only produce a two-tenths of one degree Celsius reduction in global temperature by the year 2100.
“Tiny, tiny amount.”
Trump said he would “terminate” U.S. obligations to the Green Climate Fund, a main arm of UN climate funds, saying Washington had already paid one billion dollars and that “many other nations haven’t spent anything, and many of them will never pay one dime”.
The acting U.S. ambassador to China has resigned over President Donald Trump’s decision to leave the Paris climate accord. China expert and...