The Sense Of Smell

Sep 13, 2013

By Cherie Carpenter


Part 4 of 5 - Our Wonderful Totally Amazing Body                                                                                                                
By Cherie Carpenter, CLSC, RM, AdvCBP, BAT, CBI
 
 
The Sense of Smell

If your nose is working at its best, it can distinguish the difference between 10,000 smells! That is because our sense of smell operates via complex receptors, detecting specific stimuli in both the normal and subtle senses. 

The smelling zone, called the olfactory epithelium, is located on the roof of the nasal cavity. Because we have fewer receptors than dogs, humans' sense of smell is usually not as refined as theirs. However, we benefit from more sophisticated brain processing. Chemical molecules, known as odorants, float in air making the sense of smell in humans more sensitive than taste.

Smell is not only important for appreciating food and drink. It is strongly connected to the limbic system. This connection is an essential for our survival and serves as a pre warning signal. This intuitive sense is vital not only for finding and ingesting safe foods. It also alerts us to dangers, such as smoke and poisonous gas.

The sense of smell can guide us to our special mate and to positive people and conditions. A study out of the UK asked female subjects to rate the level of attraction to scents on six shirts, each worn by a different male. In every case, the female subjects accurately picked both the best and worst person to produce healthy children - as determined by genetic testing.


A newborn placed on the mother's chest identifies her odor, which stimulates feelings of comfort and security. The sense of smell may deteriorate with age. From birth to death our beliefs dictate our experience, in turn affecting our sensory perceptions of the world. And smell is an important part of that process. This is because both loving and disturbing memories are stimulated through smell. 

Whether we are enjoying the sensuality of smell with a new-born infant, our lover, a puppy, roses, and fresh mowed hay - or we are intuiting danger, smelling a rat or something fishy - we sometimes take this special sense for granted. We really miss out when we do.  

   
Cherie Carpenter, Advanced Certified BodyTalk Practitioner, Certified Access Trainer and BodyTalk Fundamentals Instructor.  She enjoys a successful BodyTalk Practice in Barrie and Orillia.  She teaches BodyTalk Access and BodyTalk Fundamentals and Integrative in Ontario. 
www.bodytalkcentral.com 1-877-884-1767
 
 
 

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