A complete inability to smell, whether permanent or temporary, is called anosmia. Because the ability to taste the full flavor of foods depends on the ability to smell, the condition may reduce interest in food and cause related complications,...
Your sense of smell, called olfaction, plays a role in your health and your quality of life. Olfaction can alert you to the presence of dangerous and toxic material nearby to help you avoid disease, or can allow you to enjoy the flavors in the...
While the loss of the sense of smell or anosmia is not usually a serious condition, it can affect quality of life. It may lead to a loss of appetite as the sense of smell also aids in tasting flavor. There are many causes of a loss of sense of...
Loss of sense of smell, known as anosmia, and taste, known as ageusia, can stem from three main causes: obstruction of the nose, damage to the nose lining, or damage to the olfactory nerve or parts of the brain that deal with smell and taste....
The senses of taste and smell are closely related in terms of the proximity of the receptors in the nose and mouth and the anatomical sites in the brain where these sensations are perceived and interpreted. The co-existing loss of taste and smell...
Urine odor can help serve as an indicator for good or poor health. Diet, illness, hydration and physical activity all play a role in the concentration, color and odor of your urine. Generally, if you are healthy and hydrated, the odor of your...
Peppermint oil is a strong essential oil that can be used in many forms. Most commonly, it is known as a tea that can help with an upset stomach. But mint oil goes beyond calming the gut. It also can help the entire digestive process, from...
If you are unable to smell fragrances, body odor, leaking gas, food or spoiled food, you have a condition called anosmia, defined as the loss of the sense of smell. Those with anosmia also complain of loss of taste, as they cannot appreciate the...
A common symptom of an egg allergy is nasal congestion, which can cause anosmia, or loss of smell. During an allergic reaction to eggs, various tissues in your body become swollen, causing most allergy symptoms. MayoClinic.com states that anosmia...
Physicians reporting in the February 2011 issue of "The Cochrane Review" analyzed data from clinical trials dating back to 1984, which investigated zinc as a cold symptom treatment. The researchers, Drs. Singh and Das, independently reviewed the...
Zinc is an essential trace mineral that supports immunity, cell division and growth, wound healing, carbohydrate metabolism, taste and smell. Beef, pork, lamb, chicken and legumes are food sources of zinc. Infants need 2 to 3 milligrams a day of...
Zinc is an essential nutrient that contributes to a variety of the body's functions, including cell reproduction, immunity, synthesis of proteins, vision, protection against free radical damage and repair of wounds. But despite its many benefits,...
Anosmia is the medical term for either the temporary or permanent loss of the sense of smell. Anosmia can be caused by a variety of medical or environmental factors and is normally treated with specific medications. Medical researchers believe...
Anosmia, or loss of the sense of smell, proves a relatively common disorder, especially among older adults. The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research states that approximately 1 to 2 percent of the North American population...
Zinc is an essential trace mineral needed to catalyze more than 100 enzymatic processes. Zinc is necessary for many bodily functions, including conversion of retinol to retinal, which is needed for night vision; absorption of gastrointestinal...
Anosmia is the medical term used to describe a loss of smell or diminished sense of smell. The cause can be due to a nasal obstruction, such as a polyp, or a disorder of the neural pathways that send odor messages to the brain. According to...
Anosmia is the loss of the sense of smell. Some people have congenital anosmia, meaning they were born without the ability to detect odors. Other times, people develop anosmia as a result of other disorders. In some diseases, such as allergies or...
Nasal polyps are benign small-tissue growths found inside the nasal passages of the nose. Factors such as age and genetics can be significant in nasal polyp growth. The polyps are caused by chronic sinus infections, or frequent inflammations, such...
Zinc is a mineral that is used by the body for growth, wound repair, protein synthesis and maintaining a healthy immune system. The body has no known storage mechanism for zinc, so it must be ingested daily. The recommended daily allowance for...
Atrophic rhinitis is a disease of the nose in which there is atrophy or thinning of the mucosa of the nose. This results in wide nasal passages and results in nose block, crusting in the nose and loss of smell. This disease is commonly seen in...
Sinus infections can occur from virus, fungus or bacteria, and from inflammation caused by allergy or abnormal growths. Signs and symptoms of a maxillary sinus infection can appear suddenly and resolve on their own, or can become chronic and...
Dr. Shabbir M.H. Alibhai and colleagues report in the March 15, 2005 issue of the "Canadian Medical Association Journal" that many prescription drugs older people take for chronic conditions contribute to unintentional weight loss. Obvious...
While you may know some of the most significant health-related threats of smoking---such as lung cancer or emphysema---you may not know other long-term effects, such as a reduced sense of smell, according to American Academy of Otolaryngology....
Because zinc is an element, it's a nutrient that must be provided by your diet, making it an essential dietary mineral. You need only small amounts of zinc, so it's sometimes referred to as a trace element. Zinc performs a number of functions in...
More than 100 viruses can cause a cold, and they're all contagious. Symptoms include runny nose, sore throat and fever. Some over-the-counter medications help shorten the duration and alleviate the symptoms, such as zinc lozenges and Tylenol. Both...
Zinc supplements are often taken during the cold and flu season to prevent illness or reduce the severity of symptoms. Zinc works on many body systems and plays an integral role in thousands of body processes. Some people do not tolerate zinc...
Patients suffering from chronic sinusitis endure many symptoms that, over time, have been found to significantly impact their quality of life. In the June 2006 issue of the journal "Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology," Dr. Neil...
A nasal polyp or cyst is small, tear-shaped growth in the sinus cavity. Minor nasal polyps commonly go unnoticed because they don't cause any symptoms. As they grow, they become more evident due to nasal obstruction and sinus pressure pain....
A broken nose, medically known as a nasal fracture, refers to a crack or break in the bones of the nose, according to the Mayo Clinic. Specific symptoms of a broken nose include nose pain or tenderness, a crooked nose, a runny nose and nosebleeds....
