Phantosmia and Parosmia are commonly thought to result from viral
infection, head trauma, surgery, and possibly exposure to certain toxins or use
of certain drugs. Sometimes the condition is considered psychiatric in origin.
There is evidence that anosmia, followed by parosmia, may be caused by the
insertion of zinc salts into the nasal cavity or by a viral infection of the
olfactory mucosa. Solutions of such salts can be bought over the counter, as
they have been marketed as a "homeopathic" medication.
Leopold is well know -- see
http://chemse.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/27/7/611 . One technique he
has used is to remove the olfactory mucosa (on one side) --
http://archotol.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/128/6/642 . Sometimes it
regenerates and normal olfaction is restored. In these cases, it would seem
that the problem was peripheral rather than central. Others have used a
variety of putative treatments based on the notion that the origin of the
problem is central.
I have corresponded with quite a few persons with phantosmia or
parosmia. Some of them would willingly submit to surgery that would render
them anosmic. Given that most of the false odors that are reported by these
people are disgusting (the scents of death, vomit, feces, smoke, chemical
odors, etc.), that is no surprise.
A support group can be found at
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/parosmia/ .
Cheers,
Karl W.
-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Palij [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Friday, August 14, 2009 8:56 AM
To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)
Cc: Mike Palij
Subject: [tips] Phantosma: And I Can't Get It Out of My Head
There is an article in the NY Times this week by a person with
"phantosma", a condition in which one has olfactory hallucinations.
In this particular case, a real olfactory experience gives rise to
the persistent re-experience of the odor. This raises the question
of whether this is actually an olfactory hallucination or an intrusive
memory comparable to the types of memories that people with PTSD
report about their traumatic experience. The article doesn't make
this connection but it does suggest how certain cognitive techniques
might be useful in dealing with the condition (e.g., focusing attention
on something else instead of the re-experienced odors). For more,
see:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/health/11cases.html?_r=1&ref=science
Didn't Proust in his "In Search of Lost Time" series (NOTE: the French
title "A la Recherche du Temps Perdu" was previously translated as
"Remembrance of Things Past") give odor memories a particular role
in his narrative? I have a newly obtained set of "Lost Time" but have
not had the time to read it yet. Any Proust scholars out there? Or
are they all watching "Little Miss Sunshine"? ;-)
-Mike Palij
New York University
[email protected]
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