SENSE AND SENSIBILITY

HOW to boost your senses. This week: Smell ‘YOU can train the sense of smell to be more sensitive — it’s a recognised treatment for smell disorders,’ says Carl Philpott, a professor of rhinology and olfactology at Norwich Medical School.

The process is simple, twice a day you sniff the contents of ten jars of differing strong, but harmless, scents, such as clove, vanilla or coffee. It takes about three months to show effects.

It works by priming the part of the brain that controls the sense of smell — the piriform cortex. It’s been shown that with training, this area increases in activity and improves its ability to identify scents.

Reducing our exposure to odours such as strong bleach, chemical cleaners and air fresheners, which can ‘stun’ cells in the nose, can also help.