Prime Time Living 6.18.25 - Flipbook - Page 10
10 A Special Advertising Section of Baltimore Sun Media Group | Wednesday, June 18, 2025
HEALTH
Making sense
of scents
The nose knows a lot
more than you think
By Margit B. Weisgal, Contributing Writer
W
hen Gloria R. came down with a bad cold, her doctor recommended Zicam
nasal spray, which contained zinc. At the time, no one knew that a major side
effect of zinc was permanently losing one’s sense of smell. Today, Zicam is
given orally. However, Gloria cannot get her sense of smell back.
““Smell is a potent wizard that
transports you across thousands
of miles and all the years
you have lived.”
– Helen Keller
It turns out that anosmia, losing our
ability to detect smell, is a normal aging process. It is also, for some people, a side effect
of COVID or a functional issue and it may or
may not return. Who knew?
What’s more interesting is that the sense
of smell is the most evolutionarily ancient of
all our senses. And there’s more good news.
Keep reading.
“When you look at the physiology of the
nose – its structure and how it functions,”
explains Dr. Nicholas R. Rowan, associate
professor of otolaryngology-head and neck
surgery at The Johns Hopkins University
School of Medicine, “there are many reasons a person can lose their sense of smell.
If you’ve ever had a cold, the stuffiness prevents you from smelling what’s around you.
You could have nasal polyps in your nose –
another blockage. Then there’s COVID. But
one of the most common causes of smell
loss is aging.
Johns Hopkins Medicine has a series
of podcasts titled “A Woman’s Journey:
Healthy Insights That Matter,” and it was
there I heard Rowan speak on the podcast
“Can You Smell the Roses?” that debuted
earlier this year. He is a passionate advocate
for those who suffer from loss of sense of
smell and does research into the sense
of smell and quality of life in patients who
undergo sinus or skull base surgery, with
a focus on how to improve patient outcomes and experiences. Additionally, he is
involved in clinical trials that study cuttingedge therapies for individuals with chronic
sinus disease.
“The nerve that connects your nose
to your brain is very high up in your nasal
passage and, no, you can’t touch it,” says
Rowan, “but it’s very close to the area of
your brain where this special sense is interpreted. It’s the only nerve that goes from
the organ – your nose – directly to the brain
where it is interpreted, without going to a
relay station. Other senses – sight, sound,
touch, and hearing – have a longer journey
and need to be processed first.
“Smell is a pretty basic function. Again,
this is an ancient sense, and it enabled early
man to survive. Molecules (chemicals) in the
air will go up the nose, bind to the receptors,
then create an electric signal that travels to
the brain. Your brain interprets the impulse
then sends back a signal that it’s a flower or
coffee or garbage or your mom’s turkey on
Thanksgiving.
“It’s not just your nose that transmits
smells. Your mouth is also a conduit. As
you’re eating and you move the food around
your mouth, the odors go to the back of your
throat and then into your nose and sinuses,
called retronasal olfaction (sense of smell).”
Interestingly, Rowan reports that, “what
we oftentimes refer to as taste is actually flavor, about 90 percent of which comes
from our noses, rather than our mouths or
tongues, and why, for instance, when we
have a common cold, food ‘tastes’ bland.
This is also why, when we lose our sense of
smell, it can be depressing, especially if we
can’t enjoy the flavor of our food, something
that is important to us.”
As with all our sensory functions, our
sense of smell is not spared as we grow
older. You probably need glasses because
