SECRET LIFE OF THE NOSE WHAT IT ALONE KNOWS!
The human nose has a secret life that rivals any other area of the body. In the mirror it looks pretty unremarkable, especially as it becomes a bit lumpy and droopy with age.
But inside it is full of tissue similar to that found in a man’s most personal parts and has what can popularly be described as the equivalent of a ‘G spot’. This spot has evolutionary biologists in a frenzy of excitement. They say it may be the clearing house for subliminal impressions that lead to instant dislikes and irresistible attractions.
As noses go, the human one is underrated. Compared to that of animals, humans’ olfactory capacity is said to be extremely rudimentary. While many animals depend on their noses for survival, humans dismiss theirs as blunt instruments.
The human nose is full of rich erectile tissue. During the day, this tissue goes through natural cycles in which it congests and decongests, turning on and off nasal erections.
Most people are not aware of these cycles, which last up to
6 hours and alternate between nostrils. As one side goes up, the other goes down. People are, however, aware of a feeling of fullness in the nose if they challenge gravity and hang upside down. Smoking, drinking, breathing in ammonia vapour or low levels of oxygen can produce the same effect, as can pregnancy or thyroid hormones, exercise and massage. After sex some people are left with engorged noses that drip.
With advancing age, many men’s noses drip even if they are celibate. This ‘old man’s drop’ results from excessively watery nasal mucous and has been known to be successfully treated with testosterone.
Just as age eventually affects other erectile tissue, so it affects the nose. Each human nostril has three sets of turbinates, which are bony cavities containing blood-filled erectile tissue. These are the airconditioners of the body and adjust inflowing air to suit the individual system, by warming, cooling or humidifying it. Whatever the temperature and water content of the air breathed in, by the time it reaches the lungs, the turbinates have ensured that it is at body temperature and matches body humidity.
With age, the blood supply to the turbinates diminishes, the mucosa around them dry out a little and they work less efficiently. This can cause crusting in the nose and lead to ropy post-nasal discharge.
Age also causes the cartilage hood at the end of the nose to droop. As this happens the tip of the nose sags and the nostrils narrow. This causes some people difficulties, particularly when they are recumbent at night and sleep is interrupted.
Finally, age also gets to the 12 million smell receptor cells that are housed right up in the bridge of the nose. When you want to take in a full aroma, you sniff deeply to get the smell-laden air right up to the bridge. If the nasal passages are obstructed, less air gets there. If the receptors are old, they are less able to appreciate the full bouquet.
It is not known what effect years have on the mysterious ‘G spot’, which, although new to us, was first identified in humans almost two centuries ago by a Danish anatomist called Jacobson.
His spot, now known as the Organ of Jacobson, can be seen by the naked eye and consists of a pair of tiny pale pits, one on either side of the nasal septum, 1.5 cm above the nostril, just above the floor of the nose.
According to Lyall Watson’s book Jacobson s Organ, these organs have been disregarded as anatomical ghosts without function. Watson claims that not only are they superchargers, making us more sensitive to odours, but they also open up a channel quite separate from our main olfactory system, feeding an older, more primal area of the brain that monitors molecules that have a profound effect on our awareness and emotional states.
Watson says the most interesting thing is that these organs are not receptive to ordinary odours. They respond instead to substances that have large molecules but often no detectable smell. Rather than communicating with the olfactory part of the brain they go to the section that coordinates mating and other basic emotions.
Conservative physiologists and neurologists are not convinced. They want concrete evidence, preferably from humans willing to have dyes injected into their systems so their brains can be scanned to see where the tracers end up.
Whatever the truth, most humans will continue to follow their noses, whether it makes sense or not.
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