“I Smell Like Cheese,” Complains Woman, Who Told Mayo Clinic She Showers Twice Daily.

Summary

A woman is struggling with persistent body odor despite maintaining high standards of personal hygiene, and she is seeking help from medical professionals, as the issue is affecting her life and self-esteem.

Abstract

A woman has reached out to the Mayo Clinic for advice on her unexplained body odor, which she describes as similar to sweaty socks, despite showering twice a day. Her condition persists regardless of diet changes and has not been medically diagnosed beyond SIBO, which does not account for the specific odor she experiences. This has led to social embarrassment and a concern that others perceive her as unclean. The article explains that body odor typically results from the interaction between skin bacteria and bodily secretions, and while these bacteria are beneficial to the immune system, excessive odor can be socially isolating. It also lists several diseases that can cause odor, including diabetes and liver disease. The article underscores the importance of addressing the issue, as poor personal hygiene can impact workplace health and safety, company culture, and an individual's employment, although termination for health-related odor issues may be protected under wrongful termination laws.

Opinions

The woman believes her body odor is a health issue rather than a hygiene problem.
The woman's condition has not been adequately explained or resolved by medical professionals.
The article suggests that while body odor is a natural human condition, excessive and uncontrollable odor can be distressing and socially challenging.
Employers may view poor personal hygiene as a health and safety risk and a potential threat to company culture and reputation.
There is a legal perspective that employees should not face termination for body odor issues resulting from medical conditions or medications, as it may fall under wrongful termination laws.

“I Smell Like Cheese,” Complains Woman, Who Told Mayo Clinic She Showers Twice Daily.

One woman recently wrote in to the Mayo Clinic asking for help

She insisted that in spite of frequent showers and attention to personal hygiene, she could not get rid of her body odor.

She compared the smell to sweaty socks, even though a friend told her that her feet did not smell bad. Her diet affected the strength of the odor but cutting out foods did not make the odor disappear.

She’s gone to multiple doctors, dentists and other professionals, but no one has been able to find anything wrong medically, except for SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) which causes a fishy odor, but nothing like what she experiences. The woman insists it is a health issue and not a matter of hygiene.

The embarrassment is hard to take, she says, because people think she’s unclean when she’s tried everything to stop the problem.

Ordinarily, body odor is caused when secretions from the body mix with bacteria on the skin surface. Perfumed products may cover up the bacteria, but they are never completely destroyed, even by constant washing — and you wouldn’t want them gone completely, anyway — they support our immune system.

But when the odor is uncontrollable, it can make life pretty miserable for everyone around. When it’s health-related, even explaining why you have odor doesn’t keep you from being embarrassed.

What diseases cause odor?

Diabetes

Gout

Menopause

Overactive thyroid

Liver Disease

Kidney Disease

Infectious Diseases

People have even been terminated from employment because they could not control their body odor.

One lawyer explains that personal hygiene is not just offensive:

“From the employer’s perspective, personal hygiene is potentially a workplace health and safety risk,” she told us. “If an employee has bad personal hygiene, it can also end up taking a toll on the company culture and morale….. could go some way in damaging the employer’s reputation.

If you do have a medical issue, a health condition or take a medication that causes body odor, be sure and disclose this to an employer. Under wrongful termination laws, you cannot be terminated for health conditions that cause this issue.

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Hey, I’m Judy. Sure would like it if you’d leave a few claps and maybe even a hello! in the comments. Hang in there-tomorrow is going to be better. I promise.