{"id":106073,"date":"2015-11-24T10:27:43","date_gmt":"2015-11-24T15:27:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=106073"},"modified":"2015-12-02T16:20:50","modified_gmt":"2015-12-02T21:20:50","slug":"unable-to-savor-your-holiday-meal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2015\/11\/unable-to-savor-your-holiday-meal\/","title":{"rendered":"Unable to Savor Your Holiday Meal?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Thanksgiving and other holiday season meals are fast approaching, with many of us looking forward to savoring delicious food together with family and friends.<\/p>\n

But more than 2 million Americans have a condition that causes them to experience a loss of their ability to smell or taste.<\/p>\n

The Taste and Smell Clinic<\/a> at UConn Health treats patients with taste and smell problems.<\/p>\n

Congestion from a common cold may temporarily interrupt the enjoyment of meals, but other disorders can have a more severe impact on the ability to smell or taste.<\/p>\n

Smell disorders can include a total loss of smell (Anosmia), a partial loss of smell (Hyposmia), or perceiving a smell when it\u2019s not present or finding a once-familiar odor strange (Parosmia). Also, taste disorders may include a diminished sense of taste (Hypogeusia), or even a persistent, unusual taste (Dysgeusia).<\/p>\n

\u201cOur perception of a smell occurs when substances in the air pass through our nose and stimulate the smell nerve and signal our brain,\u201d says Dr. Denis Lafreniere, an otolaryngologist with the UConn Health Taste and Smell Clinic who is chief of the Division of Otolaryngology at UConn Health and medical director of the UConn Health Medical Group. \u201cWe have only four basic tastes we can experience of salty, sweet, sour, and bitter when the taste buds in our mouth respond to food or substances dissolved in our saliva.\u201d<\/p>\n

While taste and smell are two separate chemical senses, both contribute to the experience of flavor, Lafreniere notes. Flavor is a combination of smell, taste, spiciness, temperature, and texture. Most of the flavor of food comes from smell, so when you are unable to smell you have lost much of your ability to experience flavor.<\/p>\n

Sometimes these two treasured chemical senses of taste and smell may be disrupted temporarily or even permanently. Only about half of taste and smell disorders are treatable.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people are born without a sense of smell, called congenital anosmia,\u201d says Lafreniere, \u201cbut the majority of losses or distortions of taste and smell can have many different causes, including nasal disease, exposure to chemicals, upper respiratory infections, head injury, neurological disorders, or even dental problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

UConn Health\u2019s Taste and Smell Clinic has a long history of evaluating patients with taste and smell problems. Its team has evaluated and collected data on more than 3,000 people living with taste and smell disorders. It also conducts research to better understand these disorders and develop potential new therapies. The Clinic was founded in 1981 with funding from the National Institutes of Health.<\/p>\n

Recommendations from UConn Health for those who may be experiencing a loss of smell and\/or taste include: <\/strong><\/p>\n