Embarrassing Bodies - Let's Get Over Them

Embarrassing Bodies - Let's Get Over Them

Emma Chitty | The West Australian

We’ve all been there: something concerns you about your body... but you’re hesitant to talk to anyone about it. Why? Well, some problems can be harder to discuss than others and that’s usually due to embarrassment. Today in Health + Fitness we’ve asked a doctor and a naturopath to talk us through common body issues that sometimes prevent us asking for help. And the answers aren’t as embarrassing as you may think.

Bad breath
“Causes for bad breath include gum disease, tooth decay, sleep apnoea, alcohol, mouth, nose and throat conditions and stress,” says Suzanna Wallace, naturopath and herbalist at The Green Naturopath.
“Ensure you have regular dental check-ups, practise good oral hygiene, try to reduce stress in the body, rinse the mouth after eating and look to eat a more alkalising diet.”

Body odour
“Body odour can be found in a number of areas we don’t like talking about — under the armpits, in the urine, feet, vagina, anus, behind the ears and in the belly button,” Ms Wallace says.
“It may be caused from an excess of bacterial growth, spicy foods or imbalances of normal bacteria and the body’s natural PH.”
To fight back against body odour, Ms Wallace suggests eating plenty of fresh vegetables, spirulina, fruit, fermented rich foods and probiotics.

Body shapes and plastic surgery
“People are often quite reluctant to ask about body shapes and the possibility of plastic surgery — but it’s our job to have an open mind,” says Simon Torvaldsen, chairman of the AMA WA council of directors.
“If someone wants plastic surgery to correct something that’s completely normal, I think I have an obligation to say they don’t need to worry — but if it’s something that’s bothering them, most things are fixable and we can help.”

Gas
“Among other issues, gas may be caused by irritation, inflammation, infections or imbalances within the microbiome in the gut,” Ms Wallace says.
“To prevent excess gas, try reducing stress, eating slowly and including herbs such as fennel, peppermint and ginger to soothe and support your digestive system.”
Dr Torvaldsen says it is important to remember some amount of gas is normal. “I need to reassure people sometimes that a little bit of body gas is normal — often, a healthy diet actually results in more intestinal gas than an unhealthy diet,” he says. “Higher-fibre diets can give you a bit more gas but they’re the ones proven to be good for you.”

Menopause
“Women are often very reluctant to admit they have menopausal symptoms, or that the symptoms are bad enough for them to want treatment,” Dr Torvaldsen says. “We can replace hormones naturally now — natural oestrogen and natural progesterone — so the risks of doing so are very low and the results are great.”

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
“In some cases, people actually get a symptom they misinterpret and think may be an STI when it’s not — they often won’t want to talk about it because they don’t want their partner thinking they’ve been unfaithful when they haven’t,” Dr Torvaldsen says. “People need to be reassured that their medical records are confidential unless they give permission for someone to access them or there is a court order — no one is going to be accessing your medical records without consent.”

I look fine but I don’t feel right
Never feel embarrassed to seek help if you are struggling with your mental health. “One thing that people are very reluctant to reveal is if they haven’t been coping — from a medical point of view, it’s probably the most dangerous thing I see and is far more embarrassing to some people than any bodily problem,” Dr Torvaldsen says.
“Depression destroys people’s lives and we can do something about it — the most satisfying people to treat are those who have had severe depression and start to feel OK again.”

We want to help!
Doctors go into their line of work because they want to help — so don’t be embarrassed to ask for it.
“Sometimes it’s the things that people think are the most embarrassing that we actually find most satisfying to treat because we can actually easily fix them and make a big difference to their lives,” Simon Torvaldsen says.

“The bottom line is to try us — we can help with most things.”

Source The West Australian

Copyright 2018