What can I do about vaginal odor?

1) For like several years I have been afflicted with a really smelly crotch. It's like I sweat a lot down there and it just has a really sweaty vaginal odor. I bathe regularly but nothing really helps; by the end of the day I always smell funky. This wouldn't gross me out if it was just an occasional problem, but it happens every day. What can I do?

2) I have an embarrassing odor problem in the crotch area due to sweating. The odor is the same as underarm body odor. FDS didn't seem to help any. Cornstarch and powders work for about an hour. I wear only cotton panties. It seems that gel deodorants (Mitchum/Soft & Dri) are the only products that will control the odor for more than one hour (not long enough). Is using antiperspirants/deodorants harmful to my body (I do not use it in the clitoral/vaginal region, only on the "mound" of hair)? Also, how can I eliminate this sweating? My friends don't seem to have this problem. I am 32 and the problem seems to worsen each year.


Is it possible to get BSE (mad cow disease) from gelatin?

I would like to know if I should be concerned with the risk of contracting "bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)" or its human variant, from the use of vitamins, supplements, over-the-counter medication, or pills prescribed by a doctor which contain gelatin?

I understand that one of the main components of gelatin comes from the bones and skin of cows and that it is often imported from other countries. I also understand that it is highly unlikely that the standard processes involved in producing gelatin would ever remove or disable the BSE contamination.

It is also very alarming that BSE has a long incubation period (years) whereby the infected person has no symptoms. However, when symptoms do occur, the person dies a horrible death, via a deformed and shrinking brain, usually soon thereafter.

Since gelatin is used in so many food products, is it realistic to try avoiding all gelatin?

What are the mathematical chances of contracting the disease from gelatin in a food product?

Is there fewer gelatins in a standard hard pill as opposed to a "soft gel" capsule?

I feel the FDA, U.S. Government, and more importantly, the food and supplement industries, should do more to insure that all food products and supplements used in America are free from contamination of this horrible disease in order to prevent any chance of an outbreak like the one seen in Europe a few years ago.

I would appreciate your thoughts on this subject.


Are there different nutrient and energy requirements for endurance versus resistance athletes?

I am a second year Nutrition student and have a question about protein and endurance athletes. Why are their protein requirements greater than they are for resistance athletes? Is it because the muscle glycogen stores get depleted over a long period of time with intense exercise? If so, should they consume more carbohydrates than resistance athletes, with a low glycemic index prior to their workout?


How to read and trust nutrient value charts?

I have researched health and nutrition online for a while now, and I work out not only with weights and yoga, but martial arts and mountain biking, as well.

Lately while researching online, I've found that a lot of nutritional value charts conflict in numbers. Some charts say that skim milk contains eight grams of protein, some charts say skim milk contains 13 grams of protein. Which charts are right?? This is incredibly frustrating and confusing. I did find out that there is nutrition software available, but it's so expensive and it comes with lots of extra things that only doctors need really, like making charts for patients and what not.

Also, I found information on one site saying that adults should consume 0.8 grams of protein per however many kilos you weigh (I weigh 82 kilos, so that means 66 grams of proteins per day). Another site said that adult females between 25 to 50 kilos just need 55 grams of proteins per day. Also, it's not just protein intake that conflicts with all of these charts online.

If you can help out at all, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.


Is my hair loss due to my vegetarian diet?

I have been a vegetarian for two years. Since last year, I have been losing quite a bit of hair. I have no pattern of male baldness in either side of my family. I do take multi-vitamins everyday. My diet is fairly nutritious. Could there be any correlation between my vegetarianism and the hair loss? Some books point to folic acid deficiency so I have made an effort to buy vitamins with 100%-200% RDA recommended folic acid. Do you have any ideas on what might be causing this?