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:m...@nyu.edu] 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 m...@nyu.edu --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)