I think your efforts to bring this Body Odor problem to the medical establishment, education, advertisements, and understanding is very commendable and worthwhile undertaking.  As I mentioned in my previous posting, I know that scientists need to test people to get a diagnosis to try to find a cure to the various causes of body odor, and that there is very little funding for this research. Unfortunately, the whole medical system in the U.S. seems to be asking the people who suffer excruciating emotional pain on a daily basis, and frequently for years, to willfully continue with the odor, even when it could be controlled, and to spend a lot of money to see if sooner or later it would be diagnosed – with no cure in sight!  And also unfortunately, in the UK and other countries that have socialized medicine, the doctors don’t pursue testing patients because they consider it cosmetic medicine.  I can’t imagine that having trimethylamine (with a pH of 9.8) in one’s blood and urine, or to not breakdown protein properly, as Dr. Arun [scientist42] explains, to not be somehow detrimental to one’s health!  It seems that all doctors sense the psychological implications when they all refer people complaining of body odor for psychological treatment.  Unfortunately, this is just putting a band-aid on the problem, and not addressing the cause of the problem.

It is essential that we do all possible to heighten awareness of the medical community, including worldwide universities, and any other entity that can support the research of these underlying MEDICAL CONDITIONS associated with body odors and its psychological impact. But how do we do this?  People with BO, especially severe BO, tend to suffer from depression and/or anxiety, and tend to withdraw from society feeling vulnerable and impotent – definitely not combative in nature or even proactive in regards to aggressively supporting a cause.  You can see this by the lack of support and enthusiasm you got when you suggested this 7 days ago.  These underlying MEDICAL CONDITIONS PSYCHOLOGICALLY PARALYZE  its victims!  It isn’t that people in this forum don’t wish that things change, it’s that depression is paralyzing.  

When writing a petition, you first would need to determine to whom we would address it.  I don’t know what country you’re in, but I had sort-of begun making contacts here in the U.S.  On March 3, 2008, I wrote to the Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, Gardinfo@nih.gov to ask them about any future workshops on Trimethylaminuria, since the last one was in 1999.  This is what they sent me: 

Best of luck,

mpdela