How You Smell Can Reveal State of Your Health

© 2016 The Wired Word

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Did you know that the smell coming from your body can reveal the state of your health? That's the story coming last week from a team of researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, headed by Mats Olsson, an experimental psychologist.

The researchers have discovered that several diseases have signature smells. People with yellow fever have been reported to smell like a butcher's shop, those with the glandular disease Scrofula like stale beer (no report on how to distinguish such persons from those who stayed in the tavern too long), and those with diabetes like rotten apples.

Although the news is about fresh research, the idea of bodily smells serving as diagnostic keys has been around in the medical circles for a long time. In fact, the smell of a patient's urine was one of the major diagnostic tools in medieval England. (See also, for example, the 1976 article "Smell as a Diagnostic Marker" in the links list below.)

Part of what's new, however, is the hope is that we can learn to detect by their smell who is contagious, and thus can avoid such persons and stay healthy. Olsson's team has been exploring how odors can reveal when someone is sick or recently infected.

Olsson's team has found that the disgust many people experience when encountering unpleasant odors activates a mild immune reaction to help protect them from disease. "Emotional disgust is there to keep us healthy," Olsson said.

Another driver of this research is the idea that human bodily smells can be early detection tools that can lead to treatment sooner and thus save lives. Cancer cells, for example, are thought to release compounds that smell different from those released by healthy cells. It appears that human noses are not sufficiently sensitive to note the difference, but some dogs can sniff it out.

When the TWW team was discussing this story, one member commented that perhaps reading bodily smells was part of the technology in the medical tricorder Dr. McCoy used to diagnose illnesses in the futuristic Star Trek TV series and subsequent movies. The team member meant his comment to be lighthearted, but in light of this news story, it doesn't seem all that farfetched.

More on this story can be found at these links:

How Your Smell Can Reveal If You're Sick. CNN 
Meet the Dogs Who Can Sniff Out Cancer .... CNN  
Smell as a Diagnostic Marker. Postgraduate Medical Journal 

The Big Questions

1. Are there any of the five senses through which God does not communicate with us? Explain your answer.

2. When you walk into your church and take in the smell of the building, what memories are triggered? What role do those memories play in your life of faith? Has any church past or present that you've worshiped at had a distinctive smell? Was it pleasant or unpleasant? Did others notice it? Was it an essential part of worship or accidental?

3. Thinking of smell as a figure of speech for how others perceive the effect of your commitment to Christ, in what ways do you emit the "fragrance of Christ"? Do you emit any smell of spiritual illness or dysfunction?

4. When has the "smell" of someone's story or joke caused you to realize that something unholy was afoot?

5. What might it mean that two of gifts of the Magi to the baby Jesus were scent related? (Frankincense was used in the temple and in homes as a pleasing aroma to the Lord, and myrrh was an expensive perfume, used by royalty or for embalming.)

Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:

Genesis 8:20-21
Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And when the LORD smelled the pleasing odor, the LORD said in his heart, "I will never again curse the ground because of humankind … nor will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done." (For context, read 8:13-22.)

After the great flood, Noah and his family came out from the ark and offered animal sacrifices to God. According to the verses above, the smell of the sacrifices being burnt emitted an odor that was "pleasing" to God and led him to say he would never "again destroy every living creature."

The Hebrew word translated as "odor" is rêah?, which, in other places in the Old Testament is also rendered as "savor," "smell," "fragrance," "scent" and "aroma." Of the 61 appearances of this word in the Old Testament, 43 refer specifically to sacrifices made to God and appear in Genesis-Numbers and Ezekiel. For the people of the Old Testament, the smell of burning sacrifices helped them understand that they were reaching out to God.

Questions: What smells are typical of worship services in your church? Do any of the following communicate to you that you are reaching out to God or that God is reaching out to you: the smell of lit candles, of communion bread, of eucharistic wine, of (in some denominations) incense, of anointing oil, the pine scent of the Advent wreath, the smell of lilies at Easter, or (in some denominations) the smell of a love feast being prepared or the dry paper smell of hymnbooks? Why? Do you consider the smells that may come from a church kitchen or fellowship hall associated with a fellowship meal worshipful? An intrusion? A distraction?
Are you allergic to certain smells? Do you find perfumes pleasant or sickening? Should a church be segregated according to scented and unscented?

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 
But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing him. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. (For context, read 2:12-17.)

Paul refers here to Christ leading his followers in "triumphal procession." While he's not talking about Christians conquering the lands, Paul is possibly alluding nonetheless to the victory marches powerful rulers initiated after winning battles or to the processions toward the temple of some of the local gods. In both cases, aromatic substances were often burned in incense containers carried by some of the processors.

But Paul is switching the analogy to speak of Christians emitting the "aroma of Christ." Paul is likely thinking of our lives, lived for God, as a sacrifice of thanksgiving from which the pleasing smell of authenticity arises and which is a testimony to those around us to the goodness of God and the changes wrought in our lives by Christ.

It is often said that actions speak louder than words. Paul offers a slight adaptation here: He says that the life of faith, in which one offers oneself as a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God, has a fragrance that is noticeable and that commends itself to others.

In battle victory marches, some the associated smells marked the death of those defeated -- a "fragrance from death to death," but faithful followers of Jesus emit "a fragrance from life to life."

Questions: In what ways is it helpful to consider your words and deeds to be a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God? To what degree do you consider your words and deeds to be expressions of your commitment to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself?
How attractive is your "spiritual fragrance" to those outside of Christ? Do you think people catch a whiff of Jesus when they meet you, and think about him even after you depart, because your presence has left a lingering fragrance of Christ behind?

Genesis 27:27 
So [Jacob] came near and kissed him; and [Isaac] smelled the smell of his garments, and blessed him, and said, "Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed. (For context, read 27:1-40.)

Smells can be misleading. The verse above is from the story of Jacob convincing his elderly, blind father Isaac that he, Jacob, was his brother Esau. Among other methods Jacob used to deceive his father, Jacob donned his brother's clothes, which had the smell of the outdoors in them. Jacob's goal was to trick his father into giving him the birthright blessing meant for Esau, and he succeeded in doing so.

Question: How do we ensure that the "aroma of Christ" (see 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 above) that comes from us is the real thing?

John 12:3 
Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. (For context, read 12:1-8.)

This verse can be read both literally and figuratively. No doubt the aroma of the costly perfume did spread throughout the house, but it seems as if John is also telling us Mary's service to Jesus had an effect on the emotional and spiritual atmosphere of the gathering as well.

What the odor couldn't mask was Mary's daring in crossing boundaries that separated women and men in first-century Palestinian society, nor the visceral shock that those in attendance would have felt at Mary's actions and Jesus' acceptance of them.

Garrison Keillor tells a story in Lake Wobegon Days about two old Brethren patriarchs getting together to settle over a meal a disagreement in which both expect to be the victor against the other's "heresy." Not wanting to show favoritism, the host decides not to pick one to pray over the meal, but suggests a silent prayer. Both patriarchs try to outdo the other in piety, silently praying while their stomachs protest, but finally the women put the meal on the table and that breaks the impasse. I wonder if good food and good smells does more for reconciliation than all the scripture quoting in the world.

Questions: What sort of smell arises from your service on behalf of Christ? Is there an odor of reluctance? a fragrance of thanksgiving? a whiff of Christ himself? Explain your answer.

John 11:39 
Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days." (For context, read 11:17-44.)
John 6:51 
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh. (For context, read 6:35-51.)
John 14:2-3 
In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. ... And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. (For context, read 14:1-7.)

The verse above from John 11, about the raising from the dead of Lazarus, reminds us that death has its own smell. But the John 6 verse tells us that eternal life has its distinctive smell as well. There, Jesus, the bringer of eternal life, says he is "the living bread," and we all know that the scent of freshly baked bread emitting from the kitchen is one of the smells of home.

In the old TV series M*A*S*H, which was set in a mobile Army surgical hospital during the Korean War, one of the recurring characters was the pompous surgeon Charles Emerson Winchester III. Being near the front lines, that medical unit saw a lot of people die, and in one episode Charles got to wondering what happens when someone passes away -- what is on the other side of that dark barrier. To try to find out, Charles decided to question a dying soldier as he was slipping into eternity. Going to the dying man, Charles shouted, "What is happening to you? What do you see?" The man replied, "I smell bread." And then he died.

Theology has a way of showing up when we least expect it. If bread is a smell of home, then the writers of that episode were preaching some pretty good theology, even if they didn't intend to.

Now consider what Jesus said in the John 14 verses. The Greek word that's translated "prepare" ishetoimazo, and one of its meanings is "provide," which is related to the word "provisions," which is another name for food. So there is some justification for reading Jesus' words this way: "In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. ... And if I go and bake bread for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, we can enjoy bread together."

Question: Besides being unending, what do you understand to be the nature of eternal life?

For Further Discussion

1. Comment on this, from TWW team member Misty Wintsch: "My father passed away when my son, Carter, had just turned 4. Five months later, we were Christmas shopping at Strawbridge's and Carter said, 'Mommy, Poppy is here.' I was taken aback and trying to decide what to say to this little boy when I realized there was a man in the middle of the aisle spraying Aramis on passersby -- my dad's cologne. I changed what I was going to say (something like, 'NO, Poppy is not here with us anymore. I told you he's not coming back') to 'There will always be people and places and pictures and ideas and even smells that remind us of Poppy. Isn't that great!?' Of course, I let the man spray Aramis on my 4-year-old and got choked up every time the wind changed all day."

2. Respond to this, also from Misty Wintsch: "I find the notion that our own scent is actually different when we are sick interesting. I know that people who are dying often have a certain odor about them -- but is this article saying that when we are coming down with a cold or flu, we smell different? Well, if that isn't a God thing, I don't know what is. We are subconsciously wise enough to give a wide berth to those with that faint odor? WOW – thank you God!"

3. TWW team member Dave Nerdig said, "I worked my way through college on a road crew. My foreman was accomplished at vulgarity but his most familiar curse was to add the adjective "stinking" to any individual, group, endeavor or piece of machinery. I knew I had arrived when he said I was a [EXPLETIVE] stinking college kid that should be locked up in the desert with all the other stinking[EXPLETIVE] 's so he would not have to put up with the stench." Do you often use images associated with smells as part of your normal conversation? In a pleasant or unpleasant way?

4. TWW team member Jim Berger said, "I am reminded of a comment about new churches that are nested in existing churches. The members of the hosting church said that they had no problem with the schedules. Their problem with the new church was 'the smells'. Kim chi or kielbasa. As a colleague said, 'You can't turn off the smells that's a lingering in the fellowship hall!'" How can we accommodate with olfactories as well as theologies?

5. Comment on this, from TWW team member Frank Ramirez: "In the early church, people from different ethnic backgrounds ate meat prepared different ways and were separated by issues involving food -- but bread and fish crossed all the boundaries. A fish-garlic relish could soften the hard bread poor Christians had to eat. Fish was clean where some might consider one or another kind of meat unclean. Perhaps that's why frescoes of communion pictures from the early church always show bread and fish."

Responding to the News

There is a story of a young man named Bill, a college student with wild hair, torn clothing and imperfect personal hygiene. He's a brilliant but off-beat guy who is attending college. Across the street from the campus is a tidy church attended by well-dressed people. They say they want to develop a ministry to the students but are not sure how to go about it.

One Sunday Bill, wondering about Christianity, decides to go there. He walks in with jeans, torn T-shirt, no shoes and wild hair. The service has already started, and so Bill starts down the aisle looking for a seat. The church is packed, and he can't find one. By now people are really looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one says anything. Bill gets closer and closer and closer to the pulpit and, when he realizes there are no seats, he just squats down right on the carpet.

By now the people are really uptight, and the tension in the air is thick. About this time, the minister realizes that from way at the back, a deacon is making his way toward Bill. The deacon is in his 80s, has silver-gray hair, wears expensive cologne and a three-piece suit. He's very dignified and courtly. He walks with a cane and, as he starts toward Bill, everyone is saying to themselves that you can't blame him for what he's going to do. How can you expect a man of his age and of his background to understand some college kid on the floor?

All eyes are focused on the deacon as he gets near Bill. The minister can't even preach the sermon until the deacon does what he has to do.

And now they see this elderly man drop his cane on the floor. With great difficulty he lowers himself and sits down next to Bill so he won't be alone during the service.

Be careful how you live. It may only be by catching a whiff of you that some people discover what following Jesus is all about.

Closing Prayer

Bless us, O Lord, with spiritual good health, and help us to do what we need to do to stay that way. In Jesus' name. Amen.