We've all been at school, at work or in a public place with someone with an odor problem. Well, in my case, I was the someone with an odor problem. I have a medical odor disorder. A medical odor disorder is any one of several medical conditions that causes a person to smell bad to other people, regardless of how clean that person is.
Unfortunately, not many people understand that smelling bad isn't always equal to being dirty. So, as a kid growing up, people always thought that I smelled bad on purpose. There are ways to tell someone with an odor disorder from someone with bad hygiene, though.
To begin with, people with bad hygiene typically act normally. That's because they either don't care that they have an odor problem or don't know that they have one. People with an incurable odor illness, though, are likely to act nervous and afraid. They're likely to try to stay out of the way of other people as much as possible because they know that they are creating a problem.
Another way to tell someone with an odor illness from someone with poor hygiene is that someone with an odor disorder's odor will usually change in times of stress. It could also change based on foods that the person eats or even clothing that they wear.
Finally, someone with a medical odor disorder has probably been confronted several times. So, if you confront them, they're likely to know exactly what you're going to say and be fully prepared to explain and produce hygienic items, such as sticks of deodorant. So, the next time you think someone near by is dirty, be sure to really assess the situation before you confront them.
Erica Daniels has been writing articles about health-related topics for the past 7 years. She also enjoys writing about gift items such as why to consider getting a leather money clip or money clip wallet for your man.
Erica Daniels