My boyfriend has a nose like a dog. Because of this, I’ve become accustomed to not wearing perfume and opening the bathroom window after I apply scented lotions. When it comes to cleaning, whether it be the kitchen counters or our weekly two loads of laundry, I have to be sure to use all natural scents that won’t make him dizzy. You could say that his nose is the same as a person with sensitive skin.

When I read the “Making Sense of Scents” feature article (page 107) in this month’s Body+Soul, I identified with it right away. As a child, I used to have terrible skin reactions when my mother would use anything other than Tide laundry detergent and Downy softener. Though I am not sure if it had anything to do with the scents in the products, reading that “skin allergies are the most common and proven adverse reactions to synthetic fragrances” sure did get me thinking.

Writer Frances Lefkowitz provides a great amount of data to back up the fact that all these unnatural smells infiltrating our senses are having nothing but negative effects. Of course, no article of this kind would be good without some helpful suggestions to avoid these chemicals, and those are provided thoroughly.

One major effect that scents can have on a human is altering emotions and moods. Unpleasant or bitter smells usually make my intestines clench up, which leads to a most uncomfortable day. According to “Belly Up” (page 64), by the same Frances Lefkowitz from the previous article, Traditional Chinese Medicine’s chi nei tsang (CNT) massage technique might be just what I need.

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