Colon hydrotherapy only washes away bacteria that you need for digestion. Why didn’t you press your doctor for an answer? Blood isn’t the only thing he could have tested.

You may have the genetic condition called Trimethylaminuria, or “TMAU” for short. There is a lot of information online about this disease – just enter “TMAU” or “trimethylaminuria” into an Internet search engine. TMAU can cause bad body odors (and bad breath) in persons who have this disease. The only symptom of TMAU is the odor, and people with TMAU are otherwise healthy. The body odor is not caused by a lack of personal hygiene. In fact, a person with TMAU can smell horribly 10 minutes after they shower. The odor can resemble that of rotting fish, urine, feces, or garbage. People affected by TMAU can also have a musty smell.

The strength of the odor caused by TMAU varies from person to person, and may also vary over time. Some people with TMAU may only have a faint odor, while others with TMAU may have a very strong odor. A person with TMAU may smell strongly on some days, and not as strongly on other days. Sometimes the odor can be so strong that it can permeate an entire room in a matter of minutes. For women, the odor typically gets worse around their periods. Stress can cause an increase in the odor.

As I said, the odor is not affected by personal hygiene. The TMAU odor is caused because the person’s liver does not produce an enzyme that is necessary to break down a nutrient – the nutrient choline – that is found in almost all foods. The liver of a person with TMAU can only break down choline into a very smelly state; people without TMAU can break down choline all the way, so it doesn’t smell anymore.

There is currently no cure for TMAU. People with TMAU may not be able to smell themselves, because they have been living with the odor their entire life.