scents-related stories
Fit Beauty: Looking good despite a hangover
I tend to think that moderation is the best way to go when it comes to most things, including alcohol consumption. However, I'd be a liar if I said I always followed my own rule. We all overindulge from time to time -- sometimes it can be easy to get carried away when you're having a good time. Despite the resulting hangovers, life goes on and we all have to pay for our overindulging.
If you find yourself in a situation where you've woken up with a raging headache, nausea, red eyes (etc) and don't have the luxury of laying around all day recovering in front of the TV, here are some tips from AOL's All About You on how to look good if you're hungover but still have to go about your daily life.
Scents that make men swoon
Diet & Weight Loss, Men's Health
Folk wisdom suggests that various aromas are sexually enticing, says Dr. Alan Hirsch of The Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation. Because no data previously existed on this very topic, Hirsch set out to investigate the effects of 30 odors on penile blood flow. What he found was that each odor produced an increase in flow in each of his 31 subjects. But some odors, and some combination of odors, increased arousal more than others. Here are the winners.
- Lavender and pumpkin pie together increased the median penile blood flow by 40 percent.
- Doughnuts and black licorice increased arousal by 31.5 percent.
- Pumpkin pie and doughnuts: 20 percent.
- Orange: 19.5 percent.
What will you be serving your man tonight?
Home hazard: Air Fresheners
If your answer is 'no much', I suggest you educate yourself by checking out this slideshow from our friends over at AOL Body. The down-low: Most air fresheners contain chemicals called phthalates (pronounced thal-ates), which have been linked to birth defects and hormonal imbalances. And citrus and pine scents usually contain terpenes, which are not toxic on their own but can produce toxic compounds when they interact with other elements.
This is scary stuff, but stuff you need to know. So go on, educate yourself. And in the meantime, freshen your house with natural scents like fresh air, fresh flowers and fresh baking.
Think twice about using that air freshener...
Air fresheners are big business these days -- in my grocery store almost a half of an aisle is devoted to all the different styles and scents of air fresheners and air sanitizers. But how healthy are they? Last week the National Resources Defense council released a study that shows that most air fresheners (12 out of the 14 they tested) contain controversial chemicals called phthalates. Phthalates have been linked to health issues such as cancer, developmental abnormalities, and fertility. And although the U.S. doesn't regulate phthalates some other countries do, which is a little disconcerting.
Even if there isn't any "proof" that phthalates are dangerous, I for one will be making an effort to use one of those 2 brands that tested negative for them: Febreze Air Effects Air Refresher and Renuzit Subtle Effects.
Health problems detected with sniffing device
We now have news out on another small device for diagnosis health issues: this one uses sniffing to detect health problems varying from Alzheimers to a deviated septum.The idea is that the sense of smell is one of the most delicate of senses and may act as a sort of "canary in the mine" to give early warnings of impending or already existing issues. By measuring how deeply a person sniffs when smelling a scent or odor experts can determine if their sense of smell is impaired or not, and then find out why if it is.
I hope I'm not asked to take this test anytime soon because the smells they use include ripe cheese mixed with rancid meat, burning mixed with skunk scent, and then (a sigh of relief for participants) bananas.
Humans have a greater sense of smell than previously thought
Organic, Diet & Weight Loss, Alternative & Green Health
We all know that certain animals like dogs have an incredible sense of smell -- but how about humans? In a new study, it was found that humans can track a scent trail across a field -- with all their other senses blocked.These new finding, which were just published in Nature Neuroscience, suggest the human sense of smell doesn't get enough credit. Perhaps it is not given enough credit because we compare ourselves to other species that have high tolerances for scent accuracy.
In this study, 46 healthy young adults aged 18 to 26 were studied as they wore masks that blocked their vision; earmuffs that screened out sounds; and gloves, knee pads and elbow pads to mute their sense of touch.
Even with all that, they crawled on their hands and knees in an open field to try to find and follow a scent trail -- and after several trials, the "trained" participants easily located the scent they had been trained on.























