DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Body odor is my problem. I cannot get rid of it. I’m a 28-year-old woman and am losing the battle with BO. I know you’re going to say to use a deodorant. I have, and do — just about every one that’s made. And I take daily, sometimes twice daily, showers. This is a source of great embarrassment to me and is ruining my social life. Do some people produce bad odors? What can you suggest? — L.B.

ANSWER: Right off the bat, you have to make certain that your brain isn’t tricking you into believing you have an unpleasant odor when you really don’t. Have a family member or a close friend give you his or her honest appraisal. And if you want greater assurance, take a larger poll. If the majority says there’s no offensive smell, believe that to be true.

On the other hand, if people say otherwise, then you have to go to work. Body odor comes from bacteria ingesting sweat produced by special sweat glands called apocrine glands. They’re found under the arms and in the groin. Apocrine sweat contains sugars, proteins and fats, a mixture that bacteria love. Their metabolism of apocrine sweat gives rise to an outpouring of malodorous products.

Keeping the apocrine sweat area dry solves body odor. Antiperspirants — not ordinary deodorants, but ones containing aluminum chloride — lessen the production of apocrine sweat. If products sold in the store don’t get the job done, then antiperspirants with a higher content of aluminum chloride should be tried. Drysol is such a product and requires a prescription. It contains 20 percent aluminum chloride.

If the higher strength of aluminum chloride doesn’t turn things around, contact the General Medical Company of Los Angeles for information on its product called the Drionic device. It’s battery-powered and stops perspiration for as long as six weeks. You also can contact the company at www.drionic.org.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I come from a family where alcoholism is rampant. I have stayed away from alcoholic drinks because I fear I might have the gene for alcoholism.

Would it be dangerous for me to drink nonalcoholic beer? I have heard it does contain some alcohol. — B.B.

ANSWER: Alcoholism does run in families, but that’s not saying that every child born to an alcoholic will become one.

Nonalcoholic beer has a low alcohol content, 0.5 percent. Some fruit juices have a similar amount of alcohol. It’s not likely that such a small dose of alcohol will have any effect on you or put you on the road to alcoholism.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: When I read articles on nutrition, and “grams” and “servings” are used to say how much you can eat, I have no idea what the amount is. Will you give me some simple way of picturing the right amounts? — S.A.

ANSWER: Three ounces is 85 grams. Three to six ounces often is the amount used to denote a meat serving. Picture in your mind a deck of cards. That’s the equivalent of three ounces or 85 grams.

One ounce of cheese, a typical serving, is 28 grams, or about the size of four dice. One serving of a fruit or vegetable is the equivalent of a clenched fist. A serving of oils — olive oil, for example — is a teaspoon.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: What’s the significance of a high eosinophil count? My doctor’s receptionist called me to give me the results of recent lab tests. She said everything was normal. She also sent me a copy of the tests. There is a notation that my eosinophil count is too high. It says the normal is 50 to 500. Mine is 550. Is this normal? Is it of any concern? I don’t feel sick. — L.B.

ANSWER: Eosinophils are one kind of white blood cell. Higher-than-normal counts are seen in allergies, asthma and some parasitic infections. Your count is not a sign of anything. You can forget it.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com.

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