Acupuncture and Olfactory Dysfunction
April 5, 2010
Traditional Chinese Acupuncture (TCA), where very thin needles are used to stimulate specific points in the body to elicit beneficial therapeutic responses, may be an effective treatment option for patients who suffer from persistent post-viral olfactory dysfunction (PVOD), according to new research in the April 2010 issue of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.
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More on Scent and Emotional Bonding
March 7, 2010
New research at Edinburgh University may offer valuable clues about the role of scent in the way humans create emotional connections with one another, and also shed light on the causes of autism and anxiety disorders.
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Smell + Sound = SMOUND
February 24, 2010
Like so many discoveries, the possible link between our senses of smell and sound came to Dr. Daniel Wesson purely by accident.
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If You Wanna Know If He Loves You So…It’s In His Armpit
February 17, 2010
The smell of a man’s sweat differs according to what mood he is in and women can pick up on changes that indicate attraction, according to the latest “stinky t-shirt” research. Read more
You May Unring the Bell but You Can’t Unsniff the Smell
November 30, 2009
You may occasionally forget a face, or a favorite old tune, but - whether or not you are consciously aware of it - you will almost certainly never forget a smell. It’s a phenomenon the Whiff-Guys have dubbed Endorphin Branding™.
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Good News for Bad Noses
November 11, 2009
Treatment with a glucocorticoid medication, either alone or in combination with Ginkgo biloba, appears to significantly improve the sense of smell in individuals with previous olfactory loss due to upper respiratory infections, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery.
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Nonanal + CO2 = Olfactory Dinner Bell
November 4, 2009
What, exactly, do mosquitos find so irresistible in our human signature scent?
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Big Nose = Big Heart?
October 13, 2009
Inspired by the works of such authors as Charles Baudelaire, Marcel Proust, and Albert Camus, Rice University sociochemist Denise Chen decided to investigate the link between scent and emotion for herself. “The olfactory brain overlaps with the emotional brain, and is believed to have contributed to its evolution,” says Chen. “They share close functional and anatomical connections.”
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Welding Fumes Linked to Anosmia
September 16, 2009
Eye protection has always been standard safety gear for professional welders but little consideration was given to the occupational hazard of that least-appreciated of the five senses…until now. A new study by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine has found that welders who work in enclosed spaces with poor ventilation may be at risk for loss of sense of smell.
“This is the first study to clearly demonstrate that welders who work in confined spaces without adequate respiratory protection are at risk for damaging their sense of smell,” says Richard Doty, Read more
The War of the Noses
September 1, 2009
Those two separate nostrils aren’t just there so your nose can keep up aesthetically with your eyes and ears. According to a study from Rice University, the dual olfactory orifices–like most things–thrive on competition. When exposed separately to different odors, the nostrils do not smell a blend but rather an alternating sample of each individual aroma.
This “nostril rivalry,” as dubbed by the study published in Current Biology, is similar to what happens when the eyes are presented with different images, or the ears with different tones.
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