Dont Let a Pedicure Ruin Your Sandal Season

November 30, 2011 under World News

Mary’s daughter was getting married. So as a last minute surprise she took her daughter and all of the bridesmaids out for an outing to get pampered at a nail salon. But just before the wedding, the bride and all her attendants developed big black draining sores all over their lower legs and ankles. So how can you make sure your nail salon is safe and avoid this sort of pedicure disaster?

As a podiatrist, I get lots of questions concerning the relationship between pedicures, foot fungus and infections. But the most passionate discussions seem to revolve around pedicures. I even remember one of my instructors in medical school telling all of us medical students to warn our patients to avoid salon pedicures. But we have to be realistic. Women love to be pampered and a pedicure is a great way to relax, and feel special. You just have to know the risks associated with nail salon infections and follow some simple rules to keep your pedicure experience safe.

If you dont think pedicures can be dangerous, you must not watch the news. In September of 2000, 110 individuals were infected during an outbreak in a nail salon inside the San Francisco Bay Area. Inside days of the soothing foot bath and pedicure, pimple-like bumps appeared. These little bumps got worse and turned into red or black pus-filled sores. A lot of of these women got permanent scarring on their legs as a result.

In 2004 there was another outbreak only miles south of San Francisco in which pedicure-related infections were identified in 143 pedicure customers linked to 33 different nail salons in Santa Clara County. In 2005 there was yet another outbreak of infections related to nail salons involving 17 individuals.

A pedicure lawsuit was born after a Mountain View California woman died after a bacterial infection allegedly contracted from a pedicure in 2004. A similar case in Fort Worth, TX involved a 46 year-old woman who allegedly contracted an antibiotic-resistant infection and eventually died from the staph infection. On shocking study conducted in Arizona in 2009 showed that 181 nail salon establishments agreed to pay fines to settle health code violations in the Tucson area alone.

Although the statistics and headlines can be alarming, you should know that not all pedicures lead to infections. There are laws and professional guidelines that help nail salon workers protect you from infections and the spread of disease during a pedicure.

The first thing you should do when you visit a nail salon is look around. Use a little common sense. If you go to a restaurant and see flies buzzing about the kitchen, would you still eat there? Does your nail salon look clean? Do you see health and safety rules posted in the waiting area? This is one of the most common reasons for citations in California nail salons during state inspections. Let’s be honest, if your pedicure place won’t follow the simple rules like posting required signs, the almost certainly can’t be trusted to carefully clean or sterilize your pedicure equipment?

Next, ask some questions. Are all of your nail technicians licensed? If they are licensed you can be sure they have at least taken a test about ways to decrease the spread of nail infections. Although anyone can make a mistake, you’re just more likely to have sanitary conditions at a nail salon that follows all the rules.

Ask them how they disinfect their instruments. Do they re-use any disposable instruments. This can be a real no-no. Re-using disposable instruments is an easy way to spread fungus and bacteria from one foot to another.

How do they clean the foot bath? Most of the really contagious infections involved a germ called mycobacterium. It lives in water and can grown on the dead skin and hair that gets stuck in a little filter inside the foot bath motor. If the salon staff cant tell you quickly the exact protocol for cleaning the foot bath, you could be soaking your feet in an alphabet soup of infection causing bacteria.

Look for labels and covers on all containers. If you dont see clear labels such as dirty, clean, water, disinfectant, etc., dont expect the workers to always grab the clean ones when working on your feet. Lids on the containers may possibly not seem like a big deal, but all of those infection causing fungal spores and bacteria can float through the air from that nasty yellow toenail within the chair next to you and then settle right on the cuticle pusher the nail tech is about to use on you.

Watch for hand washing. When you go to the doctor you’ll notice your doctor washes his hands before and after seeing you. This is actually a well-known simple way to decrease the spread of infection. Your nail tech should do exactly the same. If you sit in the waiting area and see a worker simply change gloves and not wash her hands, you might think twice about that pedicure.

Ask them if they ever fix ingrown toenails. If the answer is yes, you may possibly be putting yourself at risk. Ingrown toenails are often teeming with infection-causing bacteria. And you dont want to be sitting inside the pedicure chair following a pus-filled ingrown nail. Only licensed podiatrists (foot doctors specializing in feet and toenail surgery) should be working on these. Just cutting out the corner or the ingrown nail has a lot of risks and is illegal when performed during a nail salon pedicure. Once you have found a clean, reputable nail salon, dont shave your legs before you get a pedicure. The one risk factor that links pedicures to horrific infections is open wounds. If you shave less than 48 hours before your pedicure, you create invisible little cuts within the skin that allow bacteria to get in. If you must get a pedicure right after you shave your legs, skip the foot bath.

Keep in mind that there are lots of safe, comfortable places for you to get a pedicure. You just need to ask a few questions so that you can feel sure you will leave the salon with pretty, soft, pampered feet and not with an nasty infection.

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Best Low Cost Health Insurance Secrets Save You Money!

November 30, 2011 under World News

Low cost wellness insurance programs offer health insurance policies at a a lot lower price than other insurance companies. Often students, men and women who are unemployed and low-income families seem to be the best candidates for low cost wellness insurance. They can choose from many of the best low cost well being insurance policies that offer coverage at a a lot lower price. Some individuals want to include dental insurance in their plans and they can often get some very good rates. And there are several low cost wellness insurance plans for students also.

If the plan is through your employer they offer low premiums compared to numerous of the other well being insurance programs in the marketplace. In some of the plans, the employer pays a share of the premium. Nevertheless it’s important that, although they are not as expensive, the plan really should fit the consumer’s needs. It’s important that the low cost health insurance plan should offer adequate protection against major diseases such as cancer and diabetes.

Employer’s low cost wellness insurance plans usually include an annual full physical or medical check-up. This complete physical or medical check-up is free and by which an employee can find out if they have any medical issues. Employers who carry these types of plans boost the morale of the employee as it shows that the employer cares about the employee. This type of employee benefit is sorely missing inside the third globe countries.

Group health insurance can be ideal due to the fact groups get considerably far better rates than individuals when it comes to well being care and health insurance. Numerous small business owners or others who are self-employed who want the best rates incorporate their businesses to give the insurance company the appearance of a larger corporation. Then they try to get cheaper wellness insurance rates.

Group insurance plans are highly discounted when compared to individual wellness insurance policies so finding hooked up with a group plan is desired. Nonetheless group insurance is only a part of the equation. There are deductibles, co-pays, and a few other variables that are factored into the rate so it’s always possible that individual health insurance or even family health insurance may turn out to be just as affordable as group insurance inside the long run.

Many folks are looking for short term wellness insurance plans or just some temporary health insurance when they are in-between jobs. COBRA covers people for the short term while they’re looking for their next job. And once they do find work, they will get a good low cost well being insurance plan through their employer.

Another way to get affordable or low cost well being insurance rates is to turn to a health insurance consultant for help. Some consultants say that the best way to find affordable, low cost well being insurance is to get a group health insurance plan sponsored through an employer. However this is just one simple fact. They can often help you find the best rates for students, find dental insurance or health insurance that will cover pre-existing conditions. Several men and women don’t know that wellness insurance consultants exist.

However the best way to get the best low cost health insurance is to compare, compare, compare online. Comparison shopping online can be a must to get the best deal. Numerous websites have the ability to help you compare the rates of a lot of insurance companies and providers and offer ratings, reviews and consumer reports. These sites are affiliated with a lot of different insurance companies who want your well being insurance business and many will offer quality but cheap plans. They have the ability to offer several free quotes at one time with just a click of the mouse. When you compare online it won’t matter if you’re from Texas, California, Florida, Arizona or any other state.

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Benefits of a Great Night’s Sleep

November 30, 2011 under World News

Anyone who has trouble sleeping understands how difficult it can be to function without the proper quantity of sleep. In addition to avoiding the next-day grogginess, there are numerous benefits of a good night’s sleep.

Reduce Stress

When you don’t sleep enough, the body becomes stressed out. When this happens it increases the overall stress level of the person suffering from insomnia.

It is sort of a catch 22. One of the remedies for insomnia is reducing stress yet one of the problems associated with insomnia is an increase in stress.

Talk to your doctor about ways to reduce stress so that you again get all of the benefits of a good night’s sleep.

Lose Weight

There are so a lot of actions that promise to help you lose weight. Could it be true that spending a little a lot more time in dreamland could actually help you shed some extra pounds? Yes! Studies show a link between weight gain and insomnia.

If you get between seven and nine hours of sleep each night, it can be one factor that helps you lose weight.

Heart Health

There are studies that show a link between insomnia and high blood pressure. High blood pressure is one of the variables that increase the risk for heart disease.

Also, as mentioned above, those suffering from insomnia are also at a greater risk of being overweight which is another heart disease risk factor.

More Productive

One of the much more obvious and immediate benefits of a good night’s sleep is that you are significantly a lot more likely to be productive the next day. Even one night in which you don’t get enough sleep can impact your productivity and ability to concentrate.

Also, you cannot make up for several night’s lack of sleep by attempting to cram in extra sleep the day before a big event for which you need to be well rested.

In order to be the most productive, you must sleep between seven and nine hours every night.

General Health

There have been several studies that link lack of sleep to a number of medical conditions. While not all of the studies were conclusive, one thing is certain: The benefits of a good night’s sleep are many. It is far better for your physical well being and your emotional well being to get the right amount of sleep each night.

If you are having trouble sleeping, you should talk to your doctor about possible remedies. The suggested remedy might be a simple lifestyle change, stress reduction or, in some cases, prescription sleep aids.

The benefits of a good night’s sleep are numerous enough that you should make battling insomnia one of your top priorities.

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The Top five Questions & Answers About Abdominal Exercises…

November 30, 2011 under World News

These are in my opinion the TOP 5 Questions asked regarding core workouts for strengthening and firming your abdominal muscles.

Question: Can You Exercise the Upper and Lower Abs Separately?

Answer: Although it may feel as though you can “isolate” the upper and lower abs (the rectus abdominis), you actually can’t contract one section independent of the other. Research that looked at the muscle activation while performing a simple crunch exercise found that you could feel much more contraction in the upper abdomen because the muscle fibers in the upper part of the rectus abdominis shorten much more than in the lower part of the muscle, but the entire muscle is, in fact, activated during the movement.

When you perform a reverse crunch (lifting the hips), the opposite happens; you feel much more contraction in the lower part of the rectus abdominis even though the muscle fibers in the upper rectus abdominis are also contracting.

Additionally, when you stabilize the hips and only lift the torso during the crunch, there is greater muscle involvement within the upper rectus abdominis as well as the internal obliques. When you perform reverse crunches, there is much more activation in the lower part of the rectus abdominis and far more involvement of the external obliques.

Question: Can I Lose Belly Fat by Doing Lots of Crunches?

Answer: Unfortunately, no. Simply doing lots of crunches won’t reduce belly fat. The belief that you can lose body fat in a specific area by exercising the muscles just beneath that fat is called “spot reduction.” Spot reduction can be a myth that has been disproved time and time again.

In 1984, researchers at the University of Massachusetts concluded that abdominal exercises do not decrease the quantity or size of belly fat. In this study men did the equivalent of 5,000 sit-ups for 27 days. The researchers measured body fat inside the abdomen, buttocks and upper back during the study. If spot reduction worked, the men should have lost fat only within the abdominal area because the buttocks and upper back are not worked during sit-ups. Nevertheless there was no change within the thickness of abdominal fat or waist size. Biopsies showed there was no significant change within the diameter of abdominal fat cells either.

What ab exercises can do is tone and firm the muscles, but to reduce abdominal fat takes more than just ab exercise. You need a balanced fitness routine that includes cardiovascular exercise, resistance training, and a sensible diet program.

Question: What Is the Best Abdominal Exercise?

Answer: One study that looked at the best and worst ab exercises concluded that:

1) The Bicycle Crunch Exercise was the best for strengthening the rectus abdominis
2) The Captains Chair Exercise is the best for strengthening the internal obliques and the external obliques

However, it’s important to keep in mind that there is no single abdominal exercise that challenges all the abdominal muscles inside the most effective way, and the best way to work the abs is with a variety of abdominal exercises.

Question: Does the Order of Ab Exercises Matter?

Answer: Although some programs insist that the order of abdominal exercise is the key to finding results, there is no research that backs this up. In reality, research shows that the opposite might be true. The Principal of adaptation explains how our body constantly adapts to new training routines. Over time and with practice we become very efficient and master these techniques. If you continue to do exactly the same exercise, within the same order in a few weeks or months the routine becomes ineffective and we hit a plateau. To break this cycle, modify your routines every 1-3 months. To modify your exercise routine, change one of more of the following:

1) The Specific Exercises Performed
2) The Number of Repetitions or Sets Performed
3) The Order of the Exercises
4) The Number of Exercises Done Each Session
5) The Amount of Weight or Resistance Used
6) The Speed, or Tempo of the Exercises

Question: Can I Use Weights When Exercising the Abs?

Answer: Yes, but before you add resistance with weights you should be able to perform the exercises properly with good technique. The most effective ab exercises start with proper body position, controlled movements and focus on contracting the specific muscles you want to work. Far better results come from slow, controlled repetitions. Once you have good form, you can begin adding small hand held weights or a medicine ball to increase the resistance.

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Migraines – Balanced Brain Chemistry Provides Relief

November 30, 2011 under World News

As a recovered victim of learning disabilities, stress disorder, and brain chemistry challenges, I was forced to find a simple remedy to the a lot of symptoms of brain imbalance. Recovering from the grief of a fianc

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Is Chocolate Really Wholesome For You?

November 30, 2011 under World News

Chocolate has been about for over three thousand years and has been loved by all, no matter what country, religion or nationality you may possibly be of. It is so versatile it can be used in cooking spicy foods, desserts or even in skincare and perfumes. The aroma of chocolate itself seems to evoke a sense of well-being. Recently, it has been inside the news for its amazing health benefits, which range from weight loss, improving breathing difficulties, curing skin problems, preventing bad cholesterol from forming on blood vessel walls to improving memory and dementia. Dark chocolate is far better for you because of the high percentage of cocoa solids which means there is less sugar. Some say the flavor is also greater. Dark chocolate also consists of a really great antioxidant which is said to fight off things such as high blood pressure, S.A.D, and even heart disease!

A study at Pennsylvania State University, compared low-flavonoid and high-chocolate diets and found that people who ate lots of chocolate had higher antioxidant levels in their blood and less of the bad LDL-cholesterol. All this makes sense since pure cocoa is an extremely rich and natural source of very potent nutrients that prevent and neutralize a lot of diseases.

It is loaded with flavonoid antioxidants which assist the above-mentioned wellness benefits. There are several companies which give a variety of healthy chocolate products from drinks to delicious cookies. I will offer a few of my favorite ones. Health by chocolate formulated by Dr. Phillip Cohen has a delicious bar for Women who crave chocolate during PMS and menopause, which consists of chaste tree berry, soy, rose oil and flax. They offer 3 different bars and even a chocolate drink. Another is Dolphin natural chocolates which is non-dairy and available in eight flavors. You can also find fruit dipped in their dark chocolate such as papaya, apricots or pineapple.

Probably one of the most widely available is Xocai healthy and gourmet chocolates available in several delicious products. You will find that these products all taste far better than most. Probably the best way to try it is to check out the variety pack which offers you the drink, protein bars, Chocolate nuggets and the omega bars. The omega squares are packed with essential fatty acids, which gives you an excellent source of Omega-3.
Their products are said to contain more antioxidants than any healthy chocolate available. So go ahead and give in to your cravings. Just make sure you remember there is chocolate out there to benefit your wellness and then there are just chocolates.

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Natural Well being Remedies – Did You Know Your Home Was Full of Them?

November 30, 2011 under World News

Some of the things that you are about to read in this article are going to impress you. I know when I first came across them, they certainly impressed me. There are items that are likely in your home or have been that you have likely just thrown away that could have either cured an ailment or relieved some other symptoms. I am talking very simple things that if men and women only knew what capabilities they had, everyone would be turning to them.

What did you do with the last piece of toast that you accidentally burned? Odds are pretty good that it went directly into the trash or the composter. Did you know that burnt toast contains charcoal and will relieve gas pain?

How long has that bottle of apple cider vinegar been in your pantry? You know the one that you either bought for one specific recipe or maybe your mom gave it to you? Well, that apple cider vinegar is good to have around for healing sores. For bad wounds, soak a gauze bandage inside the solution and leave overnight. You could also dilute one part vinegar to five parts water to use as an effective antiseptic wash to heal sores.

Ginger root might be one of those things that you glance at within the fruit market only since of its bizarre shape. You may possibly even wonder what in the globe one would do with such a thing. If you grate some of it and put it inside a clean cloth or something similar, so that you can squeeze out all of the juice, then add it to some vegetable oil, it’s a great massage oil that will relieve very tired and aching muscles and joints. Applying before bed will help prevent disturbed sleep.

If you or someone in your family gets a sprain or a bruise, take a cabbage leaf and roll it with a bottle or a rolling pin until it is crushed. Then place it over the affected area and secure it with a bandage. Replace with a new leaf every couple of hours.

The next time that you have a wound that looks infected, or an angry looking boil, grab a little piece of bread and put some honey on it. Place it honey side down on the wound and the honey will act as a drawing ointment which will clean out the wound or bring the boil to a head.

Have you ever called your mom when your baby had a diaper rash? Maybe she advised you to use cornstarch. It does the trick every time.

Natural health remedies are available to you everywhere you look, you simply need to know what you’re looking at. With a little research and a willingness to seek one out, you can find a natural wellness remedy for almost every ailment you can think of.

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Recalibrating Your Body/Mind To Stillness

November 29, 2011 under World News

One of my teachers would say, “There are two kinds of suffering. Slow suffering or fast suffering.” He recommended fast suffering. I agree. Which do you prefer – slow or fast?

It is possible to recalibrate your body/mind system from disturbance in all its forms – fear, separation, stress, effort, tiredness, the list goes on – to a state of stillness – open body, quiet mind, deep connection to your Source and to other people, again the list is endless. Will you recalibrate to stillness fast or slow? You have a choice.

Coincidentally, the speed at which you pursue stillness is the speed in which you end suffering. Stillness starts with an open body. Yoga is mastery of opening the body. Stillness includes a quiet mind. Meditation is mastery of quieting the mind. Our mastery is combining the effects of both disciplines into a simple, easy procedure and set of tools. We call it the Technology of Stillness.

The slow way to recalibrate from suffering to stillness is daily practice. Most folks consider practice to be the most “practical.” After all, “It’s much better to put my toe within the water than to just jump in,” we think.

Disciplined practice will recalibrate your body/mind system over time and eventually stillness will become your “default.” The key phrases are “disciplined” and “over time.” Frankly, most people don’t have sufficient desire to fuel the discipline and sustain the time.

But if you are one of those who do, here are some useful tools:

To Open the Body

o Stretch regularly to relax and open the flow of energy in your body.

o Breathe deeply, consciously a few occasions every day.

o Eat foods that keep you light and flowing (e.g., foods that are easy to digest, foods with live enzymes).

o Exercise to pleasure, not exhaustion. Remember to include stretching, aerobics, and strength exercises.

o Get bodywork (e.g., massage, chiropractic, etc.) to relax and disrupt the holding patterns in the body.

o Exhale a long “sigh of relief” breath when you notice stress in your system.

o Relax your eye muscles, taking the tension out of looking.

o Soft focus your eyes, whenever possible, expanding your visual field.

To Quiet the Mind

o Notice sensations in your body, the a lot more subtle sensations the far better.

o Distinguish the sensations in as numerous parts of the body as possible – forehead, heart, voice, breath, vision, etc.

o Distinguish whether the sensations in your body are opening and expanding or closing and contracting.

o Notice thoughts in your mind; do not engage the thoughts but observe them.

o Attend to all individuals and events in your life with curiosity and allowing rather than interpretation and judgment.

o Cultivate the curiosity of a child.

o Notice the stories you have made up about everything; make up a counter story to break the story’s “truth.”

The fast way to recalibrate your way of being to stillness is immersion. Have you ever noticed how quickly you acclimate to a situation when you have no other choice?

I took Spanish in high school. I “practiced” every day for a year. Twenty years later I began doing business in Costa Rica. Whenever I traveled there, especially inside the countryside where some of our orchards were located, I was “immersed” in Spanish.

My intelligence (Source), vs. my thinking (mind), kicked in. I was amazed at what I could say and comprehend. I adapted quickly, allowing my vocabulary, my hearing, and my thinking simply to recalibrate to the Spanish language. The practice I had in high school was useful but my immersion in Costa Rica called my Spirit forth. I immersed; I integrated; I became.

You can go to the mountaintop and hang out for several years to immerse in stillness. You can place yourself in a monastery or an ashram. You can master yoga and meditation.

We developed the Technology of Stillness to immerse you in stillness easily and simply. Bathing within the luxury of an open body and quiet mind allows you to recalibrate profoundly and permanently. Discover Stillness is really a tool that works at the vibrational level to recalibrate your frequency from agenda -tight, constricted, effort, intensity – to expanding -intuition, flow, synergy – and beyond. It shifts your very experience of reality.

Fast or slow; the choice is yours. Either way, begin the journey. Your rewards will be immeasurable.

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Ingredients in Anti-Aging Products

November 29, 2011 under World News

No mater what you are doing or where you go we always see advertisements promoting an anti-aging product that is trying to lures us into buying it to look and feel younger. You will see it in newspapers, magazines, televisions, and billboards. Any trip to the store and we are bombarded with different kinds of brands that specialize in smoothing our wrinkles, toning our facial muscles, and promising us firmer skin in just a few minutes per day.

What is inside Anti-aging products and which anti-aging product works? It has been proven that oxidants in our bodies are primarily responsible in our method of aging. Oxidants are created during the normal process of metabolism; cells produce unstable oxygen molecules that damage cells. As we get older the human body produces a lot more and much more of these unstable oxygen molecules.

This is why almost all of the anti-aging products on the market promote the anti-oxidant quality of their product. Scientific research and technology has come a long way in combating the aging approach and to give us options on how we could maintain our youthful look.

The most common ingredients in any anti-aging product is Alpha-Hydroxy Acids or AHA. It exfoliates our skin, which is the approach of removing the top layer of skin from our bodies. An alternative to AHA is BHA or Beta-Hydroxy Salicylic Acid and it does exactly the same for our skin.

Coenzyme Q10 or Ubiquinone is used to prevent and repair damage done by the sun. Not only does it prevent and repair, it also encourages new cell growth and can be a proven antioxidant. Collagen is another one of the main ingredients in an anti-aging product and it promotes skin hydration making our skin look and feel plumper, firmer, and minimizing fine lines and wrinkles. These are just four of the many chemicals that is identified inside a jar of an anti-aging product.

Common Vitamins and over the counter products can help with aging such as Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin D, Vitamin K.

Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is clinically proven to increase collagen production. Vitamin C also has healing and antioxidant properties while reducing fine lines and minimizing scars. Vitamin C is nature’s protective nutrient, essential for defending the body against pollution and infection and enhances the bodies’ immune system. Take 1,000 to 5,000 mg daily.

Vitamin E is also clinically proven as an effective antioxidant. It also improves our skin’s moisture and content, but also has skin protection properties and is good in smoothing our skin. Vitamin E also accelerates wound healing and aids inside the functioning of the immune system.

Vitamin D is manufactured within the skin following direct exposure to sunlight. A lot of studies show that Vitamin D production decreases in older people and in those who are housebound. Vitamin D is needed by the body to absorb calcium, which makes your bones stronger and helps prevent factures.

Vitamin K is popular among eye care products. It is also clinically proven to reduce dark circles around the eyes and treats spider veins. Vitamin K is also proven to be effective in treating broken capillaries and bruising.

Always consult your doctor before using this information.

This Article is nutritional in nature and is not to be construed as medical advice.

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Unlocking the Secrets of Your Sense of Smell: Part 2

November 29, 2011 under World News

All scent originates as a chemical. Without chemicals, our brain would not be able to perceive, or “read” a scent. All around us are currents of air which are in constant motion. These currents contain myriads of complex combinations of odours that only trigger our attention when they irritate or please us.

Every time we breathe, our noses take in these chemicals, which pass over two small patch-like areas the size of a penny that contains five to six million tiny yellow receptor cells called the olfactory epithelium. Located on these receptor cells are microscopic filaments called cilia that extend into a watery mucous that surrounds the epithelium. On the cilia are proteins that respond to specific molecules. Like a key in a lock, when these proteins come into contact with its corresponding odorant molecule, a series of biological interactions are initiated.

First, there is an immediate rush of electrical activity as one experiences the perception of an odour. Our sensory nerves have long filaments, or axons, that are located on the opposite end of our olfactory nerves. The axons send messages to nerves located inside the olfactory bulb which is shaped like a protracted balloon. The millions of axons that line its circumference transmit a pattern of activity that is specific to the individual cilia that come into contact with their corresponding molecules. Just as our brains are able to store and recognize complex notes from a symphony, it is also able to store and recognize complex combinations of fragrance notes that make up our favourite perfume.

How strong is our sense of smell?

Compared to a dog that has two hundred twenty million olfactory sensors, humans have only five or six million. While it may possibly seem that humans have been short-changed where noses are concerned, we still can nevertheless, recognize thousands of different scents. Though we might not have a piranha-sharp sense of smell, we are able to, for instance, detect some substances in dilutions of less than one part per several billion parts air.

How sharp is our sense of smell at birth?

Unlike our other senses, our sense of smell is fully mature at birth and is one of the first senses that newborns experience. Their sense of smell helps them to locate their mother and her source of food. Without this functioning sense, baby animals would not be able to locate their mothers’ milk.

Studies indicate that a newborn can recognize his or her mother’s nipple simply by its scent. In one study, mothers washed one of their breasts while leaving the other left unwashed. Over two-thirds of the babies tested chose the unwashed breast.

Research conducted by Dr. Ira Lott reveals that when a baby is introduced to a fragrance while being stroked

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