Diminished Sense of Smell

Your nose has a lot in common with the nose of your caveman ancestor. Your convoluted nasal passages filter out microscopic garbage. They warm and moisten the incoming air so it will be user-friendly by the time it reaches your delicate lung tissue.

It is probable that man’s sense of smell has diminished considerably over tens of thousands of years. It is difficult to know to what degree the nasal nerves (responsible for evaluating odors) have diminished in size and number over the ages. It’s a good guess that the brain “map” assigned to command your sense of smell is smaller now than it was in primitive times.

Once upon a time man’s survival depended heavily on a highly developed sense of smell. His nose told him the food was tainted, the water was polluted, the grass fire was dangerously close or that elephants were nearby. Members of the same tribe could probably recognize each other by their familiar smell.

Today we rely on the FDA to validate our food and water. We scrub off our individual odors (I’m not complaining) and trowel on the deodorant and aftershave. Energy gravitates to our busier parts and our eyes seem more important than noses these days.

EVEN A DIMINISHED SENSE OF SMELL CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE. You still automatically SNIFF when faced with an unknown odor. This tiny exploratory breath samples the air without actually filling your chest with potential toxic gases. You have a few seconds to back away safely.

Be well. Breathe beautifully.