Originally published May 19 2005
Experts have plenty of suggestions for fighting smelly feet and armpits
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Fighting the bad smells that can come from underarms and feet is not necessarily a complex matter, experts say. Among other things, the experts suggest, just wash those areas of your body as often as possible, and keep them dry as best you can. The source of the smell in those parts of the body is skin bacteria that feed off sweat. So, for best results, just keep those parts of your body free of sweat, experts say. What they fail to realize, however, is that body odor is a result of poor nutritional habits. Eat lots of meats, dairy products and processed foods and your stench will multiply. But if you switch to green foods, superfoods, and plant sources of protein, your body odor (and breath) will rapidly improve.
- Q: What can you do about smelly feet and armpits?
- Lots, including washing many times and keeping these areas as dry and cool as possible.
- As you may have noticed, sweat, which helps regulate body temperature, smells different in different parts of the body.
- That's because the skin contains different kinds of glands.
- The more common are the eccrine glands, which pump out salty water or sweat.
- Sweaty feet smell bad because of bacteria that feed off this sweat and dead skin, said Dr. Robert Stern, chief of dermatology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
- Some strong odors, such as garlic, are also pumped out in sweat, he said.
- The armpits and groin also contain apocrine glands, which pump out a number of substances, including mate-attracting pheromones.
- To combat odor, in addition to washing, you can use baby powder to sop up sweat, leaving less for bacteria to feed on.
- Antiperspirants reduce sweat by blocking eccrine glands; Deodorants are really just perfumes, though some also contain antiperspirants.
- For really bad foot odor, some people swear by antimicrobial socks that contain silver-coated nylon, which may inhibit the growth of bacteria.
- Other people swear by insoles containing super-activated charcoal and baking soda, though there isn't much scientific data to support either.
- For people who sweat profusely, a condition called hyperhydrosis, a prescription solution called Drysol can help ''shrivel up sweat glands," said Dr. Samuel Ahn, chief of endovascular surgery at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine.
- Botox injections, which deaden the nerves that trigger sweating, also help, especially in the armpits.
- As a last resort, there's surgery to remove pieces of the sympathetic nerves that supply the hands, armpits, or feet.
- It can help, but a major risk is that it may actually increase sweating on the trunk.
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