Prothinspo has the largest selection of diet, exercise and celebrity weight loss in the world. With a thinspiration
gallery to keep you motivated visually with Celebrity and Supermodel Tips and Tricks to weight loss
from Jodee the Queen of this scene...
WWW.PRO-THINSPO.COM
CHANGE YOUR DIET AND EXERCISE REGIME AND STAY SUPER SKINNY FOREVER!
CLICK HERE TO SEE BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOS OF WEIGHT LOSS. SO
THINSPIRING....

But before indulging she stops and asks herself, "What am I feeling?" Even if
she tosses back a Hydrox or two, she can now distinguish between eating to fill
her stomach and eating to appease her heart. Learning the difference helped
her lose -- and keep off -- 30 pounds she'd dragged around for years. "I live the
Solution every day,"

Whether you're looking to lose a little unwanted weight or a lot, there's always
room for some extra assistance in your diet and workout plan. That's why people
coast to coast will be able to turn to Hydroxycut to support their weight-loss
goals. Add Prothinspo Hydrox to your diet and workout plan to get the fat-loss
results you deserve. Real Science, Real Results! It doesn't matter what your
goals are...

This product is designed to help you get fat-loss results when combined with
diet and exercise. Studies show that this product is the most effective weight
loss product on the market.
Prothinspo has always maintained the lowest price available for this product on
the market today!!
click here to read the studies on this product...
questions?.......Contact me and I will write you back.
Prothinspo has served millions we
are the McDonalds of
Thinspiration.. last checked hit
counter
was
CLICK IMAGES BELOW
TO READ MORE OR PURCHASE.
The tools and information on the this site are intended as an aid to weight loss and weight maintenance, and do not offer medical
advice. If you suffer from, or think you may suffer from, a medical condition you should consult your doctor before starting a weight
loss and/or exercise regime. If you decide to start exercising after a period of relative inactivity you should start very slowly and
consult your doctor if you experience any discomfort, distress or any other symptoms. If you feel any discomfort or pain when you
exercise, do not continue. The tools and information on the this site are not intended for women who
are pregnant or breast-feeding, or for any person under the age of 18.
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Product Features

Everything you need to get started is included
includes: Lavender ,Peppermint ,Orange
Lemon,Eucalyptus ,Rosemary,Tea Tree
Our Aromatherapy Beginners Kit is an easy,
economical way to sample the most common essential oils.
Everything you need to get started is included.
Each essential oil starter kit contains seven pure essential oils in
10 ml cobalt blue bottles with the preferred euro dropper.
Each Kit includes: Lavender ,Peppermint ,Orange Lemon,Eucalyptus
,Rosemary,Tea Tree 2 oz. Organic Jojoba Oil for creating your own
perfumes. 4 oz. Grapeseed Oil for
blending and creating your own massage/body and bath oils.
16 oz. Unscented Bath Salts
for creating scented bath salts and salt scrubs.
Terra Cotta Lamp Ring One 2 oz plastic spray bottle for creating
room air fresheners or body sprays. 10 small plastic pipets for
measuring drops Two 2 ml amber bottles for creating your
own blends Two 5 ml cobalt blue bottles
Two plastic 2 oz. bottles for creating your own massage oil,
Beginners brochure included.

Most smellology types of products cost hundreds of dollars. Trust me
I try everything and really do my research and to find all the smells it
cost normally $500.
This was great if I had that kinda money.
PROTHINSPO'S PLAN IS AFFORDABLE!

I did my research so that I could sell this product plan to all of you
Prothinspoer's out there. Smellyourselfthinspo is a kit that gets it all
into perspective of smells for you as an individual. The kit comes with
everything needed to
start
smellingyourselfthinspo
all this and just to make sure you reach your goals and stay there
this plan also comes with
1 measuring tape so you can see your results,
1 daily journal so you can mark your journey,
1 home exercise plan,
1 meal plan,
1 harris counting formula to figure out how many calories you should
be eating for your specific personal needs,
1 fat burning foods grocery list to help you shop better and healthier,
several ebooks value of over $100 dollars you get
ebook pounds and inches, ebook low fat cooking,
ebook 101 ways to burn calories and e links to
Prothinspo's members pages so you can read more,
1 detox foods list of foods to eat and foods to avoid.
THE ONLY THING YOU HAVE TO LOSE ON THIS PLAN IS
POUNDS AND INCHES..
Scentspiration is going to take over the
entire dieting industry shortly.
Don't get caught up in costly
pre-mixed formulas that might not work for you..
Mix your own and save the money for the new clothing you are going
to have to buy when you keep dropping sizes.
USA
OUTSIDE USA
Item Weight: 3
pounds
Shipping Weight: 4
pounds
USA
OUTSIDE USA
Product Features

Everything you need to get started is included
includes: Lavender ,Peppermint ,Orange
Lemon,Eucalyptus ,Rosemary,Tea Tree
Our Aromatherapy Beginners Kit is an easy,
economical way to sample the most common essential oils.
Everything you need to get started is included.
Each essential oil starter kit contains seven pure essential oils in
10 ml cobalt blue bottles with the preferred euro dropper.
Each Kit includes: Lavender ,Peppermint ,Orange Lemon,Eucalyptus ,Rosemary,Tea
Tree 2 oz. Organic Jojoba Oil for creating your own perfumes. 4 oz. Grapeseed Oil for
blending and creating your own massage/body and bath oils.
16 oz. Unscented Bath Salts
for creating scented bath salts and salt scrubs.
Terra Cotta Lamp Ring One 2 oz plastic spray bottle for creating
room air fresheners or body sprays. 10 small plastic pipets for measuring drops Two
2 ml amber bottles for creating your
own blends Two 5 ml cobalt blue bottles
Two plastic 2 oz. bottles for creating your own massage oil, Beginners brochure
included.

Most smellology types of products cost hundreds of dollars. Trust me I try everything
and really do my research and to find all the smells it cost normally $500.
This was great if I had that kinda money.
PROTHINSPO'S PLAN IS AFFORDABLE!

I did my research so that I could sell this product plan to all of you Prothinspoer's out
there. Smellyourselfthinspo is a kit that gets it all into perspective of smells for you
as an individual. The kit comes with everything needed to
start
smellingyourselfthinspo
all this and just to make sure you reach your goals and stay there
this plan also comes with
1 measuring tape so you can see your results,
1 daily journal so you can mark your journey,
1 home exercise plan,
1 meal plan,
1 harris counting formula to figure out how many calories you should be eating for
your specific personal needs,
1 fat burning foods grocery list to help you shop better and healthier, several
ebooks value of over $100 dollars you get
ebook pounds and inches, ebook low fat cooking,
ebook 101 ways to burn calories and e links to
Prothinspo's members pages so you can read more,
1 detox foods list of foods to eat and foods to avoid.
THE ONLY THING YOU HAVE TO LOSE ON THIS PLAN IS
POUNDS AND INCHES..
Scentspiration is going to take over the
entire dieting industry shortly.
Don't get caught up in costly
pre-mixed formulas that might not work for you..
Mix your own and save the money for the new clothing you are going to have to buy
when you keep dropping sizes.
USA
OUTSIDE USA
Item Weight: 3 pounds
Shipping Weight: 4
pounds
To Resist a Snack Attack

Sniff: Green Apple or Another Favorite Scent

A fragrance you love can help manage cravings, according Alan Hirsch,
MD, founder of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in
Chicago. In one study, Hirsch gave overweight people banana, green
apple, and peppermint to sniff when they felt a craving; they lost more
weight than nonsniffers.

Try this: Keep a bottle of a favorite scent handy throughout the day and try
sniffing instead of snacking
To Calm Down

Sniff: Orange or Lavender this comes inside the kit.

In an Austrian study, researchers wafted the smell of oranges before some
participants and lavender before others. The two groups felt less anxious,
more positive, and calmer, compared with participants who were exposed
to no fragrance at all.

Try this: Add a few drops of either oil to a room diffuser and use in your
office on stressful days.
To Learn Something New

Sniff: Rosemary this comes inside the kit

Next time a presentation or new software program drives you crazy, think
of Shakespeare’s poor Ophelia. After Hamlet made her nuts, she toddled
around the castle picking rosemary, muttering, "That's for remembrance."
Researchers at the University of Northumbria in the United Kingdom found
she was on to something. After exposure to rosemary oil, 48 college
students outperformed a control group on memory tests and felt more alert
throughout.

Try this: Buy a plant or two for your windowsill, so you can pluck a branch
to smell while you're studying or memorizing something for work.
To Fight Pain

Sniff: Lavender or Peppermint this comes inside the kit

Looking for ways to use less pain medication, doctors at New York
University Medical Center exposed patients undergoing laparoscopic
gastric bypass surgery to lavender oil (applied to the anesthesiology face
masks they wore during surgery). Those patients required substantially
less morphine and needed fewer analgesics afterward. Peppermint helps
too. After a review of several studies, a Wheeling Jesuit University
researcher concluded that it can ease headache pain, and German
headache researchers report that the brisk smell is as effective as
acetaminophen.

Try this: Next time you have a headache, inhale the scent from a
handkerchief sprinkled with a few drops of lavender or peppermint.
To Soothe Menstrual Cramps

Sniff: Essential Oils tons of different types of essential oils for you to
smellyourselfthinspo and take care of other things...

A 2006 study in Korea divided women with intense menstrual cramps into
three groups. One group received a daily 15-minute abdominal massage
with essential oils for 1 week before their periods, another group got the
same massages without fragrance, and the last group received no therapy.
Those in the aromatherapy group reported that their discomfort decreased
by half.

Try this: Add 2 drops of lavender oil, 1 drop of clary sage oil, and 1 drop of
rose oil to an almond oil base and massage into your abdomen once a day
for a week before your period.
To Rev Your Libido

Sniff: Baby Powder

This, along with cucumber and licorice, has been shown to turn women
on, increasing vaginal blood flow by 13%. Pumpkin pie and lavender
increase blood flow by 11%.

Try this: Soften your skin with some baby powder after showering. Or to
cap a romantic dinner, serve pumpkin pie and keep a cucumber-scented
sachet next to your pillow.
To Feel Younger

Sniff: Pink Grapefruit

This fresh citrus smell can influence perceptions of age. When volunteers
viewed photographs of 20 models after being exposed to the smell of pink
grapefruit, they perceived the models as being 3 years younger than did
people who judged the photos while smelling nothing.
To Crank Up Your Workout

Sniff: Peppermint

In a study at Wheeling Jesuit University, peppermint vapors gave college
basketball players more motivation, energy, speed, and confidence. Some
athletes use peppermint inhalers, and at one time Reebok even built a
peppermint smell into some sports bras.
To Sleep More Deeply

Sniff: Lavender

There's a reason people have been filling pillows with lavender flowers for
centuries: Earlier research demonstrated that lavender increases deep
slow-wave sleep, and recent studies from England and Korea show that
the flower also helps people with mild insomnia.
Breathe deeply

Why: Cool hot flashes

Slow, deep abdominal breathing can reduce the frequency of hot flashes
by about half, according to three studies. Estrogen withdrawal is partly to
blame for hot flashes, but researchers believe that stress also plays a role
by firing up the sympathetic nervous system—the part of your wiring
responsible for the fight-or-flight response.

Breathe deeply to enlist the parasympathetic nervous system, which
activates your body's relaxation response. That will slow heart rate, relax
muscles, and lower blood pressure. Sit in a comfortable chair and allow
your breath to deepen. Inhale through your nose; exhale through your
mouth. Close your eyes to cut out distraction. Let your belly be soft—you
want it to rise and fall with each breath.
Sip green tea daily

Why: Stay mentally sharp

Studies have shown that green tea helps keep cholesterol in check and
may lower cancer risk. Now researchers say the drink may also work to
maintain cognitive function. A Japanese study of 1,000 people over age 70
found that those who drank 2 cups of green tea daily did better on a variety
of tests of mental abilities (including memory)—and the more green tea
they drank, the better they performed.
GET YOUR SMELLMYSELFTHINSPO KIT TODAY !! READ MORE BELOW.
Why it works:
In several studies, researchers at the University of Vienna found that men and women who
were exposed to the aroma of orange oil (citrus sinensis) became happier and more relaxed
during a stressful situation.*
You can  formulate your own with the same orange oil which will maximally increase overall
positive mood and reduce depressive symptoms.
Did you know that the human sense of smell can identify thousands of aromas and is 10,000
times more precise than our sense of taste?

We have millions of smell receptors in our noses. When they detect a scent, they shoot the
information to the olfactory bulb—a pea-size cluster in the brain, which sorts the signals and
relays them to the limbic system. This primitive part of the brain governs many memories and
emotions; some of our most basic behaviors—feeding, fighting, or fleeing; as well as sexual
arousal, pleasure, and maybe even addiction. Because of their close proximity, the
neurological controls for these behaviors often become entangled. That's why, for instance,
during the early stages of attraction, dinner is often a prelude to sex.

It also explains how odor can help lower stress levels, improve mental and physical
performance, ease pain, end insomnia, and even help us lose weight, research shows. Here’s
how to use your sense of smell to your advantage.
It's possible that something else is responsible for the mental clarity, such as the socializing
the Japanese tend to do over a cup. But the results might partially explain why rates of
dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, are lower in Japan (where green tea is commonly
consumed) than in the United States.
Can a perfume really help you improve your mood and hit the gym a little harder? After testing
out some of these "aromas with extras" to see how they work,  I found to be a somewhat of a
mood brightener. All skepticism was sprayed away with a liberal application of  just before my
four hour workout.... The  fragrance I concocted left a pleasant powdery with a slight touch of
orange and vanilla. I wasn't hungry when I came home from the gym as I usually attack my
fridge as soon as I walk in the door. This time I must say since I have been
smellingmyselfthinspo I am truly not as hungry, not as bitchy and sleeping better.. plus I am
also seeing weight loss and inch loss in a couple of days time of just changing up my smells.
GET YOURS TODAY... SMELL-YOURSELF-THINSPO!
YOU CAN SMELL-YOURSELF-THINSPO... THIS YEAR LEARN THE TRICK THAT MANY ARE
FINDING TO BE THE LIFELONG ANSWER TO WEIGHT LOSS, MOOD SHIFTING, AND SELF
CONFIDENCE.. INCHES COME OFF AND YOU CAN SMELL YOURSELF THIS WAY..
READ MORE BELOW.
There are so many products, so many scents that can influence people. In my case, I
like to have lots of them. I love sweet, clean smells, and I have to try every single one. I
have a lot of friends who feel the same way. The smell of a particular fragrance or scent
can be very pleasant and make you feel better and happier. Without a doubt, it makes
sense to use scents.
THAT IS WHY PROTHINSPO HAS STARTED
SMELL-YOURSELF- THINSPO KIT

       read more below... lets start with self confidence...Everyone lists certain
characteristics that he or she looks for when choosing a mate, and low self-esteem
usually doesn't make the list. Confidence, on the other hand, does. So, what makes a
self-confident person attractive?

Berenecea Johnson-Eanes, Ph.D., educator and president of the consulting firm Human
Potential in Atlanta, believes that a self-confident person has a solid sense of who he
or she is. She says that many feel that these individuals are intriguing and more
interesting because they tend not to be burdened by the fear of low self-esteem.

"A confident person will come to the relationship whole and not in need of confirmation
of value from his or her mate. This is one of the most powerful and special
characteristics one can offer to a relationship," says Johnson-Eanes. "Confidence is
what makes a person more balanced and able to manage the challenges and
negotiations that a relationship is bound to bring.

"Very often people lack confidence out of fear, and this keeps them from believing in
themselves; that in turn keeps them from succeeding in a healthy relationship."

When asked if self-confidence was a turn-on for her, Nursing Administrator Alison
Austin of Dayton, OH, says definitely! She believes a self-confident man is aware of his
imperfections but doesn't allow them to hinder him from being the best person that he
can be.

"Someone who is confident within himself understands that he is `human' and that he
makes mistakes and learns from them. In return he allows me to be `human' as well,"
explains Austin. "It's all about what he has on the inside and knowing that he is doing
the best that he can with the cards he's been dealt in life."

She continues, "The confident man who I find attractive doesn't need reassurance or to
have his ego constantly stroked. He's not looking for me to complete him but for me to
complement him instead."

For upstate New York Staff Sergeant Otis Williams of the U.S. Air Force, self-confidence
is a turn-on as well. "It's in her sway, the way she holds her head up, her smile and her
tone of voice," he says. "A confident woman projects all of that in the way she carries
herself."

When considering a potential mate, Williams acknowledges that he finds a confident
woman to be attractive if she is good at making eye contact. "It shows that she's not
afraid of you, that she's not a pushover and that she can take care of herself. When a
woman can look directly in your face, her confidence radiates."

According to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Counseling Center,
self-confidence is an attitude that allows individuals to have a positive yet realistic
view of themselves and their situations. These people trust in their own abilities and
have a general sense of control in their lives. The Counseling Center also believes
that those who have a void of confidence depend excessively on the approval of
others in order to feel good about themselves.

Dr. Na'im Akbar, professor of psychology at Florida State University and executive
director of Mind Productions and Associates, doesn't see any harm in obtaining the
approval of others to build one's self-esteem. He believes that the key to earning a
secure sense of self-confidence is to surround yourself with optimistic people who can
help you to work on your attributes.

"Being in healthy relationships with family, good friends or lovers can help you to
identify your positive traits," says Akbar. "There also has to be time set aside for
self-reflection. Try to identify your strengths, whatever they may be, and focus on
bringing those out.

"One of the things that lead people to depression is a preoccupation with what's wrong
with them. So, rather then being preoccupied with what's wrong, develop an art of
appreciating what's right and make that your major focus."

Clinical psychologist and UCLA professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences Dr.
Gail Wyatt insists that people who are self-confident have a strong sense of presence
and feel that they deserve to be treated well, which tends to lure other people to them.

Wyatt, author of Stolen Women: Reclaiming Our Sexuality, Taking Back Our Lives and
co-author of the upcoming book No More Clueless Sex, asserts that self-confidence
has nothing to do with physical beauty and says that men and women exude the
characteristic trait in different ways.

"Unfortunately, the way that people are still attempting to exude self-confidence has a
lot to do with the images that they see mostly in the media," she says. "Women are still
depending on how they are built and how attractive they are, and men still depend on
their material acquisitions or wealth. Those things are very exterior and very
superficial ways of defining how men and women take the easy way out to feel that they
are self-confident.

"How you look and what you have has very little to do with it. The process must begin
inside."

Wyatt admits that even the most confident person has a bad day, but insists that a
positive attitude and persistence is key if you want to give off that air of assurance that
many people find attractive.

"There will be times when you feel less than good about yourself and what you're
doing," she says. "That's when you have to reinvent yourself. You have to set goals in
your life to keep you moving and growing. Challenge yourself to move beyond where
you are now."

TRY ONE OF THESE SELF CONFIDENCE BLENDS... SMELL YOURSELF CONFIDENT.
Blends to Aid Self Confidence and Insecurity

The below blends can help alleviate feelings of
insecurity and help enhance self confidence. When
selecting and using oils, be sure to follow all safety
precautions and remember that aromatherapy should
not be used as a substitute for proper medical
treatment.

Blend #1

3 drops Bergamot
1 drop Jasmine
1 drop Vetiver
Blend #2

2 drops Cedarwood
2 drops Bergamot
1 drop Frankincense
Blend #3

4 drops Sandalwood
1 drop Jasmine
Blend #4

2 drops Frankincense
3 drops Sandalwood
Directions: Select one of the blends shown above.
Then, choose which method you'd like to use the
blend and follow the directions below:

Diffuser Blend:
Multiply your blend by 4 to obtain a total of 20 drops
of your chosen blend. Add your oils to a dark colored
glass bottle and mix well by rollling the bottle in
between your hands. Add the appropriate number of
drops from your created blend to your diffuser by
following the manufacturer’s instructions.  
Chemical Communication

Especially in the animal world, smell plays an important role in identification and
communication. Animals often recognize hierarchy and territory through odor. Each
individual has a distinctive smell, or odortype (4). Babies, from the time of birth, can
identify their mothers on the basis of smell alone. Conversely, after less than 24 hours,
mothers can identify their infants by smelling them. Siblings can recognize each other by
smell, and dogs can smell the difference between twins (however, not identical twins,
which indicates that identical twins have identical smells) (1). Studies have even shown
that rodents, and possibly even humans, prefer a mate with a different odortype-possibly a
way of promoting genetic diversity within a population (4). Smell is the most honest way we
have of communicating, though most humans are not "tuned in to it" or have lost the
acute sense of smell that animals still possess.



Studies at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia have shown that odortypes,
or individual odors are coded by the genes of the major hostcompatibility complex (8).
These are the same genes responsible for accepting or rejecting skin grafts or other
transplanted organs. Although it is not understood how these genes code for odor,
researchers have discovered groups of volatile organic acids which, when mixed
differently, apparently produce an individual's specific odor (8). These odortypes effect
mate selection, sexual arousal, physiology, and mother-infant recognition. In less than 50
hours, an infant can discriminate between a gauze pad worn by his or her own
breast-feeding mother, and than of another lactating mother. There is evidence from
animal studies that the sense of smell is often the only identifying characteristic that an
infant is able to recognize. When a mother rat's nipple is washed, the pup is no longer
attached (1).



Recent studies on rodents have shown that they can detect fear through scent alone (1).
When the odor of rats that had been mildly electrically shocked was presented to rats that
had not been shocked, they behaved in a nervous manner. Interesting studies done on
humans at Monell by Denise Chen, and at Rutgers University by Jeanette Haviland have
shown that humans are able to recognize fear or happiness in fellow human beings.



In the study, an equal number of men and women wore absorbent underarm pads while
watching clips of either scary or funny movies. They separated the "happy armpit pads"
from the scared ones and added in some neutral pads before asking about 80 men and
women to smell the samples and attempt to identify "happy smells" and "scared smells".
Although most subjects said they didn't smell anything, their guesses were very accurate.
Women were apparently especially good at picking out the scared male samples. Three
quarters of the women, and half the men were able to identify the one "fearful male odor
jar" out of six. "But men could not detect the happy smell of other males or fear from
females", Chen said (5).



There was another study done by Chen and Haviland on how the scent of other individuals
influenced a person's mood. Volunteers in three age groups, between 3 and 8, in their
early 20's, and elderly individuals in their 70's agreed to use no deodorants, perfumes, or
soaps and wear an armpit pad for 10 hours. About 300 university students were asked to
report on their moods before and after smelling samples taken from the armpits of various
people. Apparently, the smell from elderly women produced an uplifting effect, and the
scent from young males produced a depressing effect. Haviland gave possible
explanations of this phenomenon-that the scent of elderly females conveyed
approachability and familiarity, whereas the scent from young males conveyed aggression
(5).



One of the most prominent mysteries in the realm of pheromones is the phenomenon that
when women live together, their menstrual cycles tend to regulate and become
synchronized. A study done in 1998 by psychologists Martha McClintock and Kathleen
Stern that discovered two human pheromones that had an effect on women's' menstrual
cycles. Similar to the Chen/Haviland experiment discussed above, women were exposed
to arm pads worn by other women. Women who were exposed to the pheromone pads of
women ovulating had longer cycles and women who were exposed to pads of women who
had not yet entered ovulation had shorter menstrual cycles (7).



Though these experiments show that human pheromones do exist and to a certain degree
effect our behavior, their composition is not understood. Neither is it understood how the
pheromones are transferred from one organism to another. Scientists seek to understand
this better in the hope, among numerous other things, to help infertile couples by
inducing ovulation, or to stop ovulation as a means of birth control (7).



Smell and Memory



The scent of cedar perhaps brings one back to a camping trip or an old house, the scent
of wood-smoke reminds us of winters past, and the scent of hyacinth brings us to spring.
Smell evokes memory in a way that no other sense can. Memory and smell are closely
linked; in order to identify a smell, we must first remember it, and then place the object
that it comes from into our vision. When the temporal cortical region of the brain (the site
of memory) is damaged, the ability to identify smells is damaged (1). Memories, and the
emotions associated with those memories are prompted by strong smells (1). Studies have
even shown that recall can be enhanced if learning was done in the presence of odor, and
that same odor was present at the time of recall. Although the accuracy of the memory is
not affected by the type of sensory cue (olfactory or auditory), the intensity and vividness
of the memory are increased when the cue is olfactory (8).



The actual ability to smell is closely tied to memory and experience. Although infants are
able to smell at the time of birth, they appear to be unable to distinguish between a
pleasant and an unpleasant odor (1). This implies that the response to an odor must be
learned. Humans tie scents to experiences with emotions. Perhaps this is why young
children tend to put objects that adults find revolting into their mouths-there is no
previous experience with the object to label it as a good thing or a bad thing. The ability to
smell certain odors is actually a combination of experience and genetics (7). People who
cannot detect certain smells are said to have "specific anosmia". These people can be
induced to perceive the odor if they are exposed to it repeatedly (7).



We tend to think of the loss of sight or hearing as a tragic occurrence, whereas the loss of
scent is laughed off or tied to aging. The fact is that people who lose their sense of smell
are deprived of taste and important aspects of functionality-there has even been research
tying the loss of smell to Alzheimer's disease and memory loss. Anosmia is the condition in
which the sense of smell is lost (1). Two to three percent of the population is anosmic, and
about fifteen percent have some form of "odor blindness" (9). This can be caused by
aging, traumatic head injury, a virus, or exposure to damaging chemicals (1). Anosmia is
not life threatening, and is often not treated or taken seriously.



Several pharmaceutical companies are working on developing artificial noses-both for
those afflicted by anosmia, and for medical diagnoses. They are seeking to find a way to
detect the odor of dangerous bacteria in food or in viruses (9). There is even a company
attempting to factor scent into the Internet experience (10).



Scientists are discovering important ways to use smell as a therapeutic tool. Simply
smelling something during or before a negative experience often ties that smell to the
experience, thus making it an unpleasant smell. The reaction also goes the other way, a
smell is often associated with a positive experience. This could be very advantageous in
medical treatments and psychiatry. A very exciting study was done recently-healthy males
were injected with insulin once per day for four days. Their glucose was measured (it fell).
During the injections, they were exposed to a smell. On the fifth day of research, the
subjects were exposed to the smell without the insulin-their glucose fell (1).



Interestingly, odor evokes activity in the same cortical system where epilepsy often starts.
Dr. Tim Betts of Birmingham University has conducted some studies using aromatherapy
with epileptic patients. Almost all patients were able to reduce seizure frequency through
associating a certain odor with relaxation (often this odor was Ylang Ylang, as opposed to
rosemary which increased the frequency of the seizures) (1).



So the answers really are in our noses! How exciting! There is so much information yet to
be tapped through studying the olfactory system. Maybe our sixth sense is really just a
secret part of our sense of smell yet to be discovered. The olfactory system is related to
so many mysterious parts of the brain-such as memory, recognition, and emotion.
Wherever we go, our nose goes first, leading us, in a sense. Science is increasingly
showing us that there is a reason for this.