Shaving, milk of magnesia can reduce underarm odor

Q. I enjoyed reading your article about using old-fashioned Listerine for smelly armpits. Another approach is for men to shave their armpits.

I am a very active male, and, especially in the summer, my armpits smell bad even after bathing. I get much better results after shaving the hair off. Armpit hair seems to be an odor sponge.

A. Body odor (BO) is often caused by a combination of bacteria and perspiration. The more you sweat, the easier it is for bacteria to flourish in your armpits.

Anything that reduces perspiration or bacteria can help control BO.

Shaving might help a bit, but most men probably won’t want to shave their pits.

Readers tell us that milk of magnesia (MoM) also can help: “I have suffered with STRONG underarm odor since I was 12 years old, and believe me, as a woman, it is embarrassing. Nothing I tried worked until I put milk of magnesia on my underarms. What a blessing!”

Q. I have been taking Effexor XR for two years. At first I was pleased that it relieved the anxiety, depression and excessive worrying I had been suffering.

Then I began experiencing insomnia and night sweats and decided to taper off this antidepressant.

After cutting my dose in half, I have had brain zaps (impossible to explain) and pressure in my ears.

It is truly a hellish experience. Most doctors don’t warn you about withdrawal or tell you how to get off these drugs. Do you have any information that will help?

A. Many people find that antidepressants such as Effexor (venlafaxine), Cymbalta (duloxetine), Lexapro (escitalopram), Paxil (paroxetine) and Zoloft (sertraline) are helpful for depression. But there can be a dark side to such medications.

Stopping this type of drug may lead to withdrawal symptoms that are extremely disruptive. Symptoms may include dizziness, headaches, insomnia, anxiety, sweating, visual disturbances and difficulty concentrating. Many people complain of shocklike sensations in their head (brain “zaps” or “shivers”).

We are sending you our Guide to Dealing With Depression with some tips on phasing off such drugs and some alternate approaches for coping. Anyone who would like a copy, please send $3 in check or money order with a long (No. 10), stamped (61 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. E-7, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027. It also can be downloaded for $2 from our Web site: www.peoplespharmacy.com.

Q. I wanted to share a method that I have used several times for killing warts, and am curious if you have any insight that differs from mine.

My doctor gives me a recurring prescription for the antiviral drug amantadine.

I take it with me when I travel in case I get the flu. I throw the bottle away when the pills expire.

The capsules are flexible, with a yellow, gooey substance inside. On a whim back in 2007, I cut one open (instead of throwing away the expired prescription) and squeezed the goo onto a big wart on my neck and covered it with a bandage. I figured warts were viral, and maybe an antiviral drug would work.

During the next few days, this wart began to turn pink. After about a week, I was absent-mindedly running my finger across it and it just fell off. Any thoughts?

A. To our astonishment, we did find a suggestion that the antiviral influenza medicine amantadine might work topically against genital warts.

The accounts were brief and published in both Japanese and German medical journals decades ago.

As far as we can tell, there has been no well-conducted scientific research on this fascinating discovery. You might have stumbled on something worth further investigation.

XIn their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of The Vindicator or e-mail them via their Web site: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Their newest book is “Favorite Home Remedies From The People’s Pharmacy.”

2009 King Features Syndicate Inc.