Firstly, i would like to thank mpdela for being so kind and considerate in having her own board highlighting several issues related to BB and BO.
I've been visiting several forums including this one for the past several years. All i can say is that i've been there and tried all that, none to a cure. Infact the more i get to learn about new cures the more excited i feel which only leads to a hole in my pocket. What i strongly believe is that we would only have to live like this for the rest of our lives since if there was a cure, it would've been out there by now. This industry is a billion dollar industry, and they're definitely not going to jeopardise it by creating a medicine for healing us. The best it could get is by doing some misleading marketing in promoting a new product which only lasts for as long as you're body gets used to it.
Every new cure has its timeframe, once the body adapts to it, then the product/cure has no effect anymore. Here's my checklist which clearly hasnt helped so far:
1. Therabreath, Halita, BreathRX and other Dental products:
Good for the first 1-2 weeks. Gives a temporary relief but then dies off eventually. I guess the bacteria gets used to playing their usual games.
2. Chlorophyll, zinc, magnessium supplements
Liquid chlorophyll gives a soothing effect. Cant say for sure if it helped or not since i still have the same issues. Probably it might take some time but worth holding onto. Zinc+copper+mag supplements always left me confused. Tried them for 1-2 months stopping and continuing doses every now and then so as to maintain a balance but i guess the body didnt get enough. Probably someone has a better explanation as to how much a body can consume before results start showing in.
3. Baking soda and apple cider/white vinegar
Vinegar sure does reduce the acidity on the skin but doesnt really mask the odor. Agree you end up smelling like vinegar but you're odor is still present at the same time. Baking soda on the other hand only works once you're out of the shower. It somehow works just like a body talc. When used as a mouthwash it does wonders but even this doesnt last for long. As soon as you're talking continues for more than 5mins you're back to square one.
4. Exercise and sauna
been constantly exercising to sweat the hell out of me but still no luck. Ends up that i stink more on doing so. Sauna does help to some extent that you're body cleanses out. I usually spend 10mins in the sauna at 80'c and it really helps. But after a hour i begin to smell my own odor.
5. Heat
The more our bodies are exposed to the sun, the body temperature increases. Which inturn brings out the bacteria onto the skin, which brings about the smelly odor. Perfumes and colognes dont seem to mask the odor. Here's the funny part, if i were a strong perfume, it would somehow blend with my odor and disappear in a while. But if a normal person, puts on the same perfume then it would last on him for nearly a day. Why? Some x-files stuff.
Its not just the sunlight, but even while staying indoors you can end up stinking the whole room.
I could probably go on, but not sure if someone out there is going to really read all this and see what we're going through in leading a healthly life. Like many say, having cancer would atleast allow you to live you're life happily with everyone around you. Here's its just the opposite, you can live longer but with no one around you. Just wished if we didnt have a nose!!
Hi Mark82, Thanks for all this very valuable information. I really wish more and more sufferers would give a thorough report like yours, so that we can all learn from it. Unfortunately, the only type of body odor fully understood by science is Trimethylaminuria (tmau), and all the management protocol published is geared toward tmau. This leaves behind all the other sufferers that have different causes of BO, and this is precisely what moved me to do the blog. I hear you loud and clear about your pessimism regarding not only finding a cure, but actually attempting to do so. Many of us feel the same. Since the blog went live on 21 days ago, I have met 3 different scientists from various countries of the world, and I know there are more out there, who are very eager to research the other causes of BO (other than tmau) to help those who have no guidance whatsoever. The reason these 3 scientists are motivated to do so is because they themselves, or very close family members, suffer from body odor as well. In addition, government sponsored programs, like the U.S. National Institute of Health Office of Rare Diseases Undiagnosed Diseases Program, have been funded to begin research in BO for non-TMAUrs, and other possible types of genetic disorders. I know that there is also some research being conducted in the UK and possibly in Japan because I’ve read some of the articles. I do agree with you, though, that there is much too little out there in terms of funding and aggressive research. Have you tried any particular diet or 2? If so, how have your reacted to them? I hope others take your example and give us info about what they’ve tried and what effects they’ve had – positive or negative. A few scientists I refer to are compiling a full survey/questionnaire for research that will soon be used in the blog. I hope all the sufferers participate in it, since the data we give them will serve to assist them in finding a cure, or at least a management protocol. Thanks for sharing,
Oh yes, i completely forgot to mention about TMAU. The term by itself isnt acknowledged by doctors these days. Its like a legend! Lets face it, there's like 1 in a 100 that actually suffer from excessive BO. I've read many BO sufferers being cured from certain measures. Probably they werent TMAU affected. I came across some self-funded clinic which actually validates your blood sample for possible TMAU infection but its really a lot of money once again for nothing. I'm 22 now and am really fed up of spending money on alternative solutions. I end up buying body lotions and aftershaves to cover up the smell to a certain extent. But it appears that i'm holding a cloud of it around me where ever i move. Few other experiences:
Colon hydrotherapy:
This works upto the upper colon only when actually all the junk has been living towards the bottom colon. Tried it a few times and nothing major got flushed. Eventually i was given herbal laxatives which helped a little. Another waste of $$$ for TMAU suffers. It claims that it purifies your blood stream but i dont see how water simply could do that.
Endoscopy:
Had an endoscopy session and was tested positive for hiatus hernia. Lived on antibiotics thinking they might solve the issue. But boy was i wrong once again.
Diet:
After reading about the restricted diet for TMAU, i decided to give that a shot as well. No milk/eggs/fish/meat. It did reduce my breath concerns but BO had no affect. I'm now back to milk and egg whites. There's no clear understanding of what food/fruits/vegetables contain choline to a high extent. Anyone would find it difficult to cut down on those food types for the rest of their lives just to avoid BO. Its ridiculous!
I clearly doubt scientists would really be able to come out with a good solid research and clinically proven formula to make this work. Simply because BO and BB vary from one human to another. They'll probably need lab-humans whom they can play with before coming out with a solution. My case could be highly unique as opposed to another TMAU sufferer since i believe its more than one factor that add up to the odor.
Thanks for replying so fast Mark82. I can feel your frustration pouring through in your words, and I can relate to that. I wish I could say that there is a solution, a quick fix, but there really isn't, precisely because, as you say, there are numerous causes of BO yet to be discovered, and there is more than one factor that add up to the odor.
The main suggestion I can give is to not spend money on anything expensive unless the scientific community confirms that they have found the cause of a particular BO, and specifically prescribe a remedy or cure. There is no need to throw away your money on expensive 'quick fixes', that really won't address the core of your problem.
Does that mean that I am saying to a 22-year-old (the same age as my son) to give up and believe that this will never be conquered, ABSOLUTELY NOT! We can't give up! I can't think of anything else I could possibly do but the blog I'm doing now. I hope to bring together scientists and sufferers to exchange information and to somehow promote research. I won't give up.
Maria, i really must admire the courage you've in bringing this topic out to this level. BB and BO are the 2 most socially affected diseases and yet no one seems to address them the right way. Its mostly under the hands of this money minting vendors coming out with innovative ways of ripping people off. I for one, have given up on these products since they simply wouldnt help. Though i'm still counting on numerous supplements, hopefully someday they would override those factors causing BO.
I'm sure there are many who read these forums, and when they discover something new they havent attempted, they give that a shot. I know for a fact that there would be a solution someday, but when?! But i've to contradict that as well, since if a scientist does a study and successfully comes out with a medicine for this, then would the deodorant/mouthwashes/mints industry rely on? Its possible that they might close down this billion dollar industry just to support us?
Another issue is that no one wants to take this to the media and have some recognition/coverage to this fact. To a normal person, it appears that we arent hygiene conscious. Like as though we sleep in the gutter! Gosh, its really painful at times.
I know what you mean Mark82, it seems that not even the most powerful governments in the world are as powerful as the mega corporations, including those that you are referring to. And what compounds this problem more when it comes to BB and BO, is the psychological paralysis that overwhelms sufferers - shame. It is a shame that sufferers have to feel shame for having a condition that we have no control over.
If it were not this self-defeating position of 'hiding behind the shame' more of us would bring to the public eye this unjust concept most people have of sufferers, that we are not clean. However, this internal dialogue between shame and courage is a very personal one that we each have to face individually. Both positions are very painful and difficult to deal with. Some sufferers have come to the limelight, and I have posted their videos in my blog. I am certain that these exceptionally courageous people found this to be their best coping tool. Everyone copes differently.
Getting back to the powerful corporations and their possible resistance to a simple solution to BB and BO that may hurt their bottom line, the only weapon we have to fight for our cause is ourselves individually, by continuing to have our internal dialogue against the shame we carry, and learning to tear down these walls so that we may take one step at a time, supporting research, and living our lives shame-free. This is most certainly the first step :)
The one thing I get from your blog is that you lack faith. If you believe there is no cure, you definitely will not find one. Be optimistic so that you can find a solution. Never give up no matter what!
Thats very subjective. Depends where i'm. In a crowded or semi-crowded lift, YES. IN a closed room after been sitted for more than an hour, YES. But what i smell, is definitely not the same smell what others get to sniff. Though its smelly in either ways but i guess our noses become immune to the smell after a while.
If you dont have a shower for a day, you'll smell which is true. But for us, it would be more than just that usual smell. Its like an aura you carry with you leaving traces behind. LOL!
Has anyone out here tried "Activated charcoal" for that matter. I'm nearly done with my dosage of copper chlorophyllin tablets so i was thinking of moving into charcoal for a change. I've read about it everywhere but would be great to hear from someone with a personal experience with it. Thoughts?
Home
My story in finding a cure! 
