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Showing posts with the label sense of smell

AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES AND YOUR BLOOD

AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE AND BLOOD MS is a chronic, inflammatory disease of the central nervous system [CNS], which is the brain and spinal cord. Many physicians believe that MS is an autoimmune disease. This term refers to a group of diseases in which the immune system goes awry and attacks certain tissues of the body. The cause of MS is unknown, but viral infection has been considered as a possible triggering factor. The end result, it seems, is that components of the immune system target the myelin sheath covering the nerve fibers of the CNS, leaving plaques or lesions on the myelin, which is an important fatty substance. Indeed, the name multiple sclerosis refers to the multiple patches of scar tissues appearing on the nerve fibers. Myelin shields certain nerve fibers, providing a form of electrical insulation. So when myelin breaks down, electrical impulses may be completely blocked, or they may short-circuit to adjacent nerves, producing an abnormal impulse. And because damage can o

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT YOUR SENSE OF TASTE

                                      Bite into your favorite food, and immediately your sense of taste is activated. But just how does this amazing process work? Consider your tongue –as well as other parts of your mouth and throat –includes clusters of skin cells called TASTE BUDS. Many are located within PAPILLAE on the surface of the tongue. A taste bud contains up to a hundred receptor cells, each of which can detect one of four types of taste –SOUR, SALTY, SWEET, OR BITTER. Spicy is in a different category altogether. In recent years some scientists have added UMAMI to the list. UMAMI describes the unique salts of GLUTAMIC ACID. One of them is, among others, the flavor enhancer monosodium glutamate. Spices stimulate pain receptors cells –not taste buds! In any event, taste-receptor cells are connected to sensory nerves that, when stimulated by chemicals in food, instantly transmit signals to the lower brain stem Taste, however, involves more than

SNIFFING OUT DISEASES

                                       A sniffing test may help in the early diagnosis of diseases such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s. A failing sense of smell appears early in the progression of Parkinson’s disease and is among the most common symptoms. A practical method of testing the level of deterioration in a patient’s sense of smell has now been developed. While the more obvious Parkinson’s symptoms, such as tremors and muscular rigidity, appear at a later stage. Dysfunction in the sense of smell can be detected months or even years earlier, thanks to newly developed sniffing test. This opens the way for treatment that may delay the progression of this presently incurable disease.