Smell Loss After Upper Respiratory Infection

Losing the sense of smell is not uncommon with upper respiratory infections (URI), typically with a viral common cold or flu. According to some studies, smell loss or decrease may occur between 18-45% of  patients who suffer from a URI. It is estimated that about 1/3 of such patients will fully recover their sense of smell with 2-3 years, most within the first year. Unfortunately, that leaves 2/3 of these patients who suffer from some degree of smell dysfunction. The key determining …

1/11/2018 0

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Why Does Airplane Food Taste So Bad?

Image by Wikipedia People universally complain about how bad airplane food is... However, the reason may surprise you in that it's not the airline's fault, but your body's. Based on research performed in 2010 at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany where they have a replica airplane cabin and can simulate different altitudes, cabin pressure, cabin external wall temperature, relative humidity, noise level, vibration, light, air circulation, etc... food scientists discovered that…

5/15/2017 0

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How Many Basic Tastes Do We Have? Four? Five? Six? More?

As children, we all learn that there are 4 basic tastes: salty, sweet, sour, and bitter. Umami (savory) was discovered in 1909, but recognized more generally since the 1980s. But there have been a number of other additional basic tastes also proposed that many may not have heard of: Calcium Fatty (Oleogustus) Metallic Heartiness or Mouthfulness Should one include taste senses due to the somatosensory system, one can potentially include these basic tastes: Pungency, spiciness, h…

8/03/2015 0

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Tonsillectomy Lawsuit Due to Taste Loss

An ENT was sued for $1.5 million dollars for normal taste loss that occurred after tonsillectomy that was performed in 2009. The jury did not find the ENT negligent, but awarded the money due to failure to obtain "informed consent." Given the patient is a restaurant owner and cook, the loss of normal taste has impacted his life tremendously. [ link ] Taste loss/alteration after tonsillectomy is an extremely rare complication... like very rare to the point where it is worth writin…

5/11/2015 0

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Man Files $15 million Lawsuit Against NYC Citi Bike Claiming Smell Loss From Bike Crash

Image by Pharos of Wikipedia In 2013, a man rented a bicycle from New York City's Citi Bike program. Apparently while riding this rental bike, the front wheel struck a wheelstop installed near a bicycle docking station which the man did not notice, flipping him resulting in head trauma. This head trauma resulted in permanent smell and taste loss. [ link ] The wheelstop is meant to prevent cars from from backing into bike stations, but the lawsuit alleges "no cones or colored wa…

3/30/2014 0

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Men's Ability to Taste Linked to Fertility?

Image by  צביה   from Wikipedia Researchers found that two proteins that govern the ability to taste sweet and savory profoundly influenced sperm development. This surprising connection between taste and male fertility occurred when the gene encoding the taste receptor proteins TAS1R3 (part of savory taste receptor) and GNAT3 (converts oral taste signal to a nerve signal) were modified in mice allowing for selective knockout with the drug clofibrate. When these genetically modified mic…

7/03/2013 0

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