From: olivercranglejr@gmail.com   
      
    	   
      
   	 	 	 	 	 	 		    
       
    	   
    	   
   Chemosensory Disorders | Odd Smells and Tastes | Smell Disorders    
   Taste Disorders | Burning Mouth Syndrome | Head Trauma   
      
   Chemosensory Disorders   
      
   At the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation we are devoted to   
   testing patients with chemosensory disorders (dysfunction of smell or taste).   
   The diagnostic evaluation includes a neurological examination, blood screening   
   tests and a variety of    
   smell and taste tests. We also assess how smell loss impacts upon   
   psychological well-being, such as depression or social interaction and hence   
   the quality of life.   
      
   Terminology describing the sense of smell and taste encompasses a whole new   
   vocabulary. Listed below are some of the commonly used terms:   
      
   "Taste" or "Flavor" is defined as a combination of true taste, consistency,   
   viscosity and smell. Approximately 90 percent of taste is smell. This is   
   easily demonstrated by holding your nose and eating a chocolate bar. The taste   
   of the chocolate will be    
   similar to chalk. This demonstrates the phenomenon called olfactory   
   synesthesia syndrome when you misperceive one sense as demonstrated by placing   
   gentle pressure directly to your eyelids with eyes closed. You begin to see   
   light spots before your eyes.    
   These spots are actually caused by the pressure misperceived as light.   
      
   Similar is a combination of Cranial Nerve I (olfactory) and Cranial Nerve V   
   (trigeminal) function. The trigeminal nerve is the nerve of the nose and face   
   which detects pain or irritation. Trigeminal stimuli can be seen when a person   
   begins crying while    
   cutting an onion. The integration of the two nerves we interpret as smell.   
      
   The absent ability to smell is called anosmia. The most frequent cause for   
   this is from head trauma secondary to automobile accidents.   
      
   A reduced ability to smell is hyposmia. We often see patients who present to   
   our clinic with these complaints following an upper respiratory condition.   
      
   An increased ability to smell is called hyperosmia. For example, being able to   
   identify the perfume that a person wore who sat in the chair before.   
   Hyperosmia is seen in patients with cluster headaches, migraines and adrenal   
   cortical insufficiency -    
   Addison's Disease.   
      
   A hallucinated smell, phantosmia, implies olfactory system disruption which is   
   often times seen in patients with seizures.   
      
   Dysosmia is a distorted smell seen in the presence of an odorant. Parosmia   
   implies a smell system dysfunction, but still intact.Both definitions can be   
   used interchangeably and are often times due to nasal polyps. A patient that   
   exemplifies this is a    
   woman who in the presence of the smell of coffee would smell flowers.   
      
   When an odor is normally perceived as hedonically pleasant and that same odor   
   is perceived as unpleasant, this is called cacosmia. Symptoms also associated   
   with this are headaches, dizziness, shortness of breath and anxiety.   
      
   Torquosmia is where a normally hedonically pleasant odor is perceived as   
   chemical, burned or metallic   
      
   It is estimated that one-half of people over the age of 65 have a decreased   
   ability to smell, as do 75 percent of those over 80 years old. Presbyosmia is   
   the gradual decrease of olfactory ability with age.   
      
   Absent taste, ageusia, is often attributed to medications and surgical   
   procedures. Antithyroid and antimetabolic agents along with radiation therapy,   
   neoplasms and inflammatory diseases in the oral cavity can cause ageusia.   
      
   A hallucinated taste is called phantogeusia. This is described as an abnormal   
   taste present in the mouth when nothing is there. One origin of this is seen   
   in patients who have had dental fillings.   
      
   Metallic phantogeusia is a hallucinated taste of metal and has been seen as   
   part of an aura or seizure in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy.   
      
   Many in the normal population experience a specific ageusia of one or more of   
   the taste categories (salt, sweet, sour, bitter).   
      
   Hypergeusia is an increased ability to taste, while hypogeusia is a reduced   
   ability to taste.   
      
   Windows are episodes in which those people who cannot smell or taste   
   experience episodes of normal smell or taste lasting a second or two. This is   
   called olfactory windows as it relates to smell andgustatory windows as it   
   relates to taste.   
      
   Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS) is more commonly seen in women than men. Patients   
   complain of sensation as if their mouth and lips are on fire Diseases causing   
   BMS include viral infection, salivary gland dysfunction, taste dysfunction,   
   hematological    
   disorders, central nervous system disorders, diabetes mellitus, and Sjogren's   
   syndrome.   
      
   Treatment   
      
   The treatment depends on the underlying origin for the problem. Treatment   
   involves surgical intervention, use of medications such as vitamins, steroids,   
   GABA modifiers, calcium channel blockers, antidepressants or anticonvulsants.   
      
   Origins of smell and taste problems include posttraumatic head injury, post   
   viral infection, allergic rhinitis, polyps, neoplasms, nutritional and   
   metabolic deficiencies, endocrine disorders, congenital/hereditary etiologies,   
   medication, chemical    
   pollutants, industrial dusts, surgery, and psychiatric disorders.   
      
   Most patients seen at our clinic are referred by their physician. Some are   
   referred by attorneys whose clients have lost their smell or taste secondary   
   to head trauma and are looking for diagnosis, treatment and compensation for   
   their loss. We have even    
   been asked to evaluate entire towns with exposure to toxic chemicals where   
   entire communities are left without the sense of smell.   
      
   Some of the problems seen in association with chemosensory dysfunction are   
   changes in appetite and diet, and the absent ability to detect gas leaks and   
   spoiled foods. Due to the overwhelming effects the disorder can have on one's   
   lifestyle, a high    
   incidence of mood disorders also co-exist. Therefore , it is important to seek   
   out help to identify, assess, treat, and manage chemosensory disorders.   
      
   General treatment approaches that can be implemented immediately for the   
   safety of the chemosensory dysfunction patient include use of a gas detector,   
   smoke detector, food taster, smell buddy, group therapy, and to check dates on   
   all foods.   
      
      
      
   	   
      
      
   If you came to this site to find information about smell and taste disorders    
   and their treatment,    
   click here.    
      
      
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    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)