Imagine for a couple of minutes that you don't smell. Life becomes completely uninteresting, flowers do not please, because their appearance without fragrance does not give the expected effect. The kitchen - and that without aromas becomes some kind of stranger. What is responsible for smell? The sense organ that enables a person to feel life with all its delights.
The structure of the nose
Man smells through the nose. Before talking about the sense of smell, you should understand what this organ is. After all, its cavity performs a very important function - it cleans the air from dust and unnecessary particles. It is possible to understand how this whole process occurs only when the structure of a person's nose is known. Its anatomy is as follows:
- There are little hairs at the entrance. It is they who are a kind of barrier that prevents the ingress of foreign particles and dust.
- Goblet glands are also peculiar defenders of the human body, as they secrete mucus. It, in turn, is characterized by antiseptic properties, due to which the destruction of pathogenic bacteria occurs. In addition, mucus prevents dry and cold air from entering thethe human body.
- The nasal cavity has four walls: inferior, superior, medial, lateral.
- An area with a large number of blood vessels.
- Osteo-cartilaginous septum. It divides the nasal cavity into two equal parts. Its curvature can lead to breathing difficulties.
We examined the structure of the human nose. The anatomy of this organ has its own characteristics. Much depends on the correctness of its structure.
Summarizing all of the above, we conclude that the nose consists of two parts: the outer section and the nasal cavity. This body performs the following functions:
- protective;
- resonant;
- olfactory and others.
A little bit about smell
Smell is a special sense that allows you to respond to aromas. Odorants act on the upper part of the nasal mucosa, where the olfactory nerve is located. Simply put, the sense of smell can be called the ability to smell. Each person perceives them differently, which is why experts distinguish three groups of people:
- Macrosmatics - have a delicate sense of smell, sensitive to aromas. They can distinguish all existing shades of smells.
- Micromatics - they will take a little time to determine the saturation of the aroma. According to statistics, these people are the most.
- Anosmatics are people who do not smell at all. Their number is small.
Description of a complex process
Recognizing smells is not an easy task. And the opinion that we perceive aromas with the help of the nose is deceptive. This organ only helps us to inhale. After that, the air enters the olfactory epithelium. It contains neurosensory cells. They react very actively to the presence of smell and send an impulse to different parts of the brain: to the olfactory cortex, hypothalamus, hippocampus. Only after that a person begins to realize the smell, remember it and identify it. In addition, the hypothalamus can store associative memory. It is thanks to her that smells often give rise to certain memories.
Smell is the ability to remember a large number of odors and classify them. Why is this happening? Scientists have expressed the following opinion. Olfactory neurons contain a large number (about a thousand) of receptor proteins. Each receptor has only one protein and is responsible for a specific smell. There are ten million olfactory neurons in humans, and each of them has a large number of receptors. So thanks to the olfactory system, we can recognize a huge number of smells, but separately.
Smell gone
Sometimes it happens that a person's sense of smell disappears or worsens. Why is this happening? Most often this is due to damage to the nasal mucosa or intracranial processes. Agree that the loss of smell, as well as the loss of taste, is not a very pleasant situation for a person. What is causing this problem?
- Swelling of the mucous membrane of the nasal septum. This is due to the presence of diseases such as SARS, rhinitis, sinusitis, as well as a curvature of the septum, allergies, the presence of nasal polyps.
- Violation of the secretion of the mucous membrane. At the same time, the cilia, thanks to which odors are captured, are immersed in a secret.
- Violation of the olfactory neuroepithelium. This happens when inhaling toxic substances, acute infections.
- Tranio-cerebral injuries.
- Tumours.
- Using neurotoxic drugs.
- Some congenital diseases.
- Neurosurgical intervention.
- Impaired functioning of receptors.
- Underdevelopment of the olfactory pathways.
- Smoking.
- Age changes.
Returning the sense of smell
If the ability to recognize odors is lost, it should be returned. According to statistics, most often the lack of smell occurs due to colds, curvature of the nasal septum, the presence of polyps. In a word, when a mechanical obstacle appeared, which does not allow you to enjoy the aromas. Based on the cause, a decision should be made on how to restore the sense of smell.
For diseases of the mucous membrane, doctors act as follows:
- Eliminate all the factors that caused the loss of smell.
- Medicines are prescribed individually.
- Prescribe physiotherapy.
- Use if necessarysurgical treatment.
Therapy & Nutrition
Not always when a problem occurs, a person tends to go to the doctor, in most cases he tries to find the answer himself to the question of how to restore the sense of smell. Most often, home treatment is successful if you have simple rhinitis.
With a cold, mucous fluid accumulates gradually. But the appearance of mucus is also influenced by nutrition. If your diet is high in starchy or cooked foods, your sense of smell may leave you. If this happens, then the first thing to take care of is a change in diet. At the time of treatment, you can even switch to vegetarian food or simply give up fatty meat. In addition, you will have to limit the consumption of milk and potatoes, as well as exclude confectionery and bakery products, all fatty and smoked, sugar from the diet.
Healing baths
In order to restore the sense of smell, it is necessary to follow a certain sequence in the treatment:
- Soften the slime. To do this, it is recommended to make a steam bath. It will also help clear the lungs and bronchi. Three procedures for 15-20 minutes will be enough. Remember that if you have dry facial skin, apply a cream to it before the procedure.
- For greater steam efficiency, add young dill, sage, mint or nettle to the water.
- Bending over the bath, covering your head with a towel. Inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth.
- After the bath you take a shower, butdon't wet your head.
- Knead your body. To do this, you can wave your arms, legs, tilt and rotate your head, torso.
Folk remedy to fix the problem
How to restore the sense of smell? You can resort to the advice of traditional medicine. The following remedies will perfectly help get rid of mucus:
- Take 150 grams of horseradish, grind it on a grater, add the juice of two or three lemons. You mix. Take one teaspoon twice a day on an empty stomach.
- Mixture of nose drops is prepared as follows: take mint, snuff and eucalyptus. Put everything in a liter jar, pour olive oil (it should cover the mixture). Leave until the mass becomes homogeneous. Drip twenty drops into each nostril in the morning and evening. Keep your head up for a few minutes. The resulting mixture should be stored in a dark place.
Remove mucus from the nose
After thinning the mucus, proceed to its removal, this is another step on the way to the return of smell. Prepare an aqueous solution. For these purposes, you can use s alt, coniferous decoction. For each nostril, you will need half a liter of healing agent. Rinse your nose thoroughly.
Now you know how to get your sense of smell back. This process is not very difficult, but rather lengthy. So be patient.
Let's talk about hyperosmia
A person can not only lose his sense of smell, but vice versa - acutely feel all smells. Hyperosmia is a heightened sense of smell. Most often itappears in the following cases:
- In pregnant women.
- In people who have mental illness.
- For multiple sclerosis.
- For migraines, brain tumors.
- For infectious diseases.
This condition manifests itself as follows: sick people smell much more intensely than he althy people. For the treatment of hyperosmia, restorative therapy is used.
When smells are better perceived
You already know that smell is a feeling. Perhaps you are interested in who has it more developed. It has long been believed that the sense of smell is best developed in women. But more recently, scientists have come to the conclusion that the representatives of the beautiful half of humanity are better at classifying and recognizing odors, while men perceive aromas as a signal for action.
Age also affects the sense of smell. The best way to recognize smells is people during puberty. By the age of forty-five, this feeling begins to fade, and by the age of seventy, many no longer smell subtle aromas.
The weather also affects the sense of smell. Odors tend to be stronger in hot weather.
Conclusion
Smell is a sense that makes our life beautiful and richer. It is given to people from birth and pleases them until old age. Thanks to him, humanity can enjoy every new day.
