Our sense of smell is an integral and important part of our experience. But what happens when it doesn’t work?

Anosmia is the inability to smell. When we have a cold, flu, sinus disease or upper respiratory infections, we can experience temporary anosmia. Specific anosmia occurs when a particular odor or class of odors is odorless to the normal person.

Hyperosmia is an above average sensitivity to smell which women can sometimes experience during pregnancy.

There are several causes which can impair olfaction classified under two categories:

• Natural causes – related to odor fatigue and / or aging

• Unnatural causes – related to illness, trauma and the environment.

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