Your body can be giving off messages about your health in the form of odour. Everyone has experienced a time when their scent has been strong and these subtle messages are a way for your body to tell you what’s going on.
The mind, body and soul is connect and needs to be balanced. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) the ancients believe imbalances manifest in many ways and one of them is body odour. The Chinese have translated the meaning of body odour and practitioners pay particular attention to the smell as an aid to diagnosis.
Fire. When stressed the body can give off a burnt or smoky scent, this tells the practitioner that there is a heart meridian imbalance. The heart houses the head and people who are stressed, suffering from anxiety and depression give off this kind of smell.
Earth. For people that are overthinkers and worriers they may give off a sweet fragrance, liken to spoilt flowers. The element of earth belongs to the spleen and stomach meridians and an imbalance results in a sweet scent. Spleeny people often bruise easily and crave sweet foods.
Metal. Someone holding onto grief or sorrow can have a rotten aroma. The element of metal is the lung and large intestine meridians and an imbalance in the meridians can create a rotting smell. Other manifestations can be tummy upset and chest problems including phlegm.
Water. A person who has gone through some trauma and a scare might have a putrid smell. The element of water is kidneys and an imbalance in the bladder and kidney meridians may give off a slightly ammonia or a salty sea aroma. A person suffering from this may also be extremely tired and have a lack of will power.
Wood. An angry and hot tempered person can give off a rancid whiff. The element of wood is the liver and gall bladder and an imbalance of those meridians may result in the rancid smell. A person like this should avoid firing up the liver and avoid drinking alcohol and eating hot and spicy foods.
Dealing with emotions.
It’s important for the body and mind to maintain a balance. If emotions are not dealt with properly they can manifest in body in a number of ways and one if them is body odour. A person who is stressed can smell of smoke. An overthinker can have a sweet fragrance. Someone suffering from grief can have a rotten aroma. A body not dealing with fear and fright can have a putrid scent and an emotional angry person can have a rancid whiff.
Holding onto these emotions can make us ill and talking to someone may help. It can be a loved one, a parent, a teacher or even a therapist. Exercise is great. It will release serotonins into the blood, lifting our mood and making us feel happier. Eating good wholesome foods help restore the body’s energy levels. Meditation and breathing exercises may help reduce our blood pressure. Good quality sleep brings everything back into a balance.
The changes in body odour should not be a call for alarm, but if it co-insides with other changes then to seek medical advice.