Does this pass the proverbial 'smell test'?

[timo2]

Your nose knows death is imminent | Mo Costandi | Science | theguardian.com



Loss of the sense of smell predicted death more accurately than did a diagnosis of cancer, heart failure or lung disease, the only other common cause of predicting it more accurately being severe liver damage. But the researchers stress that it is unlikely to be a cause of death itself, arguing only that it is a harbinger for what is to come, and suggesting two possible reasons why this might be so.
The tip of the olfactory nerve, which contains the smell receptors, is the only part of the human nervous system that is continuously regenerated by stem cells. The production of new smell cells declines with age, and this is associated with a gradual reduction in our ability to detect and discriminate odours. Loss of smell may indicate that the body is entering a state of disrepair, and is no longer capable of repairing itself.
The olfactory nerve is also the only part of the nervous system that is exposed to the open air. As such, it offers poisons and pathogens a quick route into the brain, and so losing smell could be an early warning of something that will ultimately cause death.

 

[nuke_diver]

If so my wife will say I've been dead for years

 

[marko]

Interesting. I've had no sense of smell since birth...wonder what that means?

Had an uncle who could only smell alcohol...and he smelled it most of the time.

 

[Sue J]

I've never had a sense of smell either. I'm guessing this is not as rare as I thought. My doctor called it anosmia.

She asked if it bothers me and I told her, "No, it doesn't bother me at all, but it seems no bother other people."

It all works out ok because DH has a very good sense of smell and covers that aspect of our marriage for the both of us.

 

[MRG]

Actually this reminds me of a Barbra Karnes("Gone from my Sight") video. Think she mentioned the loss of smell and taste. There's a hour an half utube she put together for people on the dying process.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

 

[splitwdw]

interesting. I've had no sense of smell since birth...wonder what that means?

zombie ;d

 

[KrissK]

I'm pretty healthy and I can rarely smell anything...It may be hereditary, because my 70 something Dad can't smell either.

 

[clifp]

Evidently the peanut butter test, is pretty accurate for assessing dementia, and Alzheimer.

 

[kcowan]

DW can smell at 50 feet and hear at 100 feet. She know when I have applied cologne, and she can hear the TV from her bathroom