I remember a conversation I had with my director when I was working at the Maine Public Health laboratory. He referenced the time he taught anatomy at Harvard and commented on the complexities of the human body. I replied that, based on all the processes that need to come together, it’s a wonder that we can walk and chew gum…
It takes thousands of nerve endings (receptors) throughout our skin to process four basic sensations: pain, heat, cold and pressure. The sense of touch is very complex. As with the other senses shared on this journey, I really don’t think about how everything comes together. I just know I can use my senses to better myself and others. Feeling pain…
A sense of balance or equilibrioception is important for many reasons. I know just how important it is when I get up too fast or turn around too quickly. That feeling of dizziness, nausea and losing control is difficult to manage. Dolly Parton once said, “Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” Life…
“Memories, imagination, old sentiments, and associations are more readily reached through the sense of smell than through any other channel.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. The science is very direct behind why this fourth sense is so powerful, bringing forth intense memories. Smells bypass the thalamus and go straight to the olfactory bulb, which is the brain’s smell center. This…
The third sense we can use for a sensible look at healthy living is taste. I’ve been looking forward to sharing this sense with you, since it’s something I believe you can sink your teeth into. Discussing the sense of taste can be heavy on science or whimsically presented tongue-in-cheek. There are five basic qualities of taste: sweet, bitter, sour,…
Before we go any further, I need to remind you that even though I’m sharing my personal investigation of eighteen human senses, please use your common sense. I’m not offering medical advice but just attempting to use topics to think of things in a refracted manner. The second sense we can use for a sensible look at healthy living is…
To do something sensibly means taking a rational and practical approach to a situation. Making this move requires information. However, where can you get the facts you need to be sensible? The answer lies in our senses. When asked how many senses there are, most will answer, “Five.” Touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste are the standards. However, depending on…