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What Is That Ice Cream-Induced 'Brain Freeze,' Anyway?

Anyone who has quickly slurped up a milkshake or chomped on a snow cone knows the sharp, brief pain of "brain freeze."

Its cause is a mystery, but it's not harmful, according to experts at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

“It is very common and happens more frequently in children,” said

  • Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
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  • August 24, 2023
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  • Blind People Are Better at Sensing Their Heartbeats

    People who are blind are better at sensing their own heartbeats, according to a new study that found blindness appears to heighten one's ability to feel signals from the inner body.

    Researchers from Sweden and Poland tested this in a study of 36 blind individuals and the same numbe...

    Hate Listening to People Chewing? You Might Have Misophonia

    Most people have cherished memories of their grandparents reading to them as children.

    Ekaterina Pesheva's memories are quite different.

    "I remember distinctly being very irritated and very angry listening to my grandmother reading children's books to me, like fairy tales," said Pesheva, 48, who lives in Boston. "I would become aware of her mouth getting dry, and that, for whatever ...

    When Older Dogs' Hearing Fades, Risk of Dementia Rises

    When dogs' hearing fades, their mental skills follow, new research reveals.

    For the study, the researchers examined the link between hearing loss in aging dogs and dementia. The findings shed light on ways sensory loss affects canine cognition (thinking skills) and could lead to better tre...

    Dogs' Keen Sense of Smell May Help Them 'See'

    While humans typically use their sight to orient themselves, dogs navigate the world by combining their sense of smell with their vision.

    So claims a new study that found dogs' sense of smell is integrated with their vision and other unique parts of their brain.

    "We've never seen this connection between the nose and the

  • By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
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  • July 21, 2022
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  • Understanding How COVID Can Trigger Loss of Smell

    It has happened to millions during the pandemic: a sudden loss of smell that heralds the start of a COVID-19 infection. But scientists have been stumped as to why.

    Until now.

    New research suggests the symptom is due to inflammation rather than directly caused by the coronavirus.

    The researchers noted that loss of smell (

  • By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter
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  • May 5, 2022
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  • With COVID, Inflammation May Be Triggering Loss of Smell

    Immune system-triggered inflammation is the likely reason for the loss of smell reported by many COVID-19 patients, a new study finds.

    "As a neuropathologist, I wondered why smell loss is a very common symptom with COVID-19 but not with other respiratory diseases," said lead study author Dr. Cheng-Ying Ho. She ...

    How COVID-19 Can Change the Brain

    Scientists have discovered that even a mild case of COVID-19 might inflict damage on your brain.

    On average, middle-aged and older adults who'd been sick with COVID showed signs of tissue shrinkage in brain areas related to the sense of smell, the researchers reported. They also tended to have more trouble completing complex mental tasks, when compared to people with no history of COVID-1...

    Drug Might Help Ease 'Sensory Demands' of Autism

    A medication that acts on certain brain receptors can temporarily ease visual-processing problems in some adults with autism, a small study has found.

    Researchers said it's far too early to know whether the drug, arbaclofen, could prove useful in managing those visual issues. But the findings do give in...

    How Folks Are Coping With Post-COVID Loss of Smell, Taste

    People who've lost their ability to smell and taste due to COVID-19 have significant struggles, but they can find ways to cope with their situation, a new study shows.

    One of the most common side effects of COVID-19 is the loss of the sense of smell, which severely affects the sense of taste. This can lead to anxiety, depression and reduced quality of life.

    In this study, five women...

    Could Losing Your Wisdom Teeth Enhance Your Sense of Taste?

    Having your wisdom teeth yanked could have one culinary up side: Heightening your sense of taste.

    So claims a new study that challenges previous research on the issue.

    "Prior studies have only pointed to adverse effects on taste after extraction, and it has been generally believed that those effects dissipate over time," said study senior author Richard Doty. He is director of the S...

    Lost Sense of Smell Returns for Almost All COVID Survivors

    A year on, nearly all patients in a French study who lost their sense of smell after a bout of COVID-19 did regain that ability, researchers report.

    "Persistent COVID-19-related anosmia [loss of smell] has an excellent prognosis, with nearly complete recovery at one year," according to a team led by Dr. Marion Renaud, an otorhinolaryngologist at the University Hospitals of Strasbourg.

    ...

    Smog Might Damage Your Sense of Smell

    Breathing in tiny particles of air pollution over a long period of time may put your sense of smell at risk, a new study suggests.

    Researchers found the risk for loss of smell - a condition called anosmia - was nearly doubled among people with lengthy exposure to this type of air pollution, known as particulate matter.

    "It's curious that the entire group who had lost their sense of ...

    Are Some Foods Super Bitter to You? You Might Have Lower COVID Risk

    If you can't stand broccoli, celery or kale, you may be a supertaster, and it just might protect you from COVID-19.

    Supertasters are folks who are highly sensitive to bitterness. They're not only less likely to get COVID-19 than people who aren't so sensitive to sharp, pungent flavors, they're also less likely to wind up hospitalized with it, the researchers said.

    What's more, super...

    Diminished Hearing, Vision Together Could Be Risk Factor for Dementia

    A combination of hearing and vision loss is tied to an increased risk of mental decline and dementia, but having just one of those impairments isn't connected with a higher risk, a new South Korean study finds.

    It's not clear why a diminishing of both senses, but not just one, would raise dementia risks, but the study's leader had a theory that's tied to the importance of socializing in ...

    No Sense of Smell After COVID? Therapies Can Help Bring It Back

    So, you had COVID-19 a few months back and you still can't smell that first steaming cup of coffee in the morning. Is there anything you can do to hasten the return of that vital sense?

    Experts say there is, including "physical therapy" for your nose.

    "In most cases, smell loss is temporary, but it can take months or even years to recover," said researcher Dr. Tran Locke. She's an a...

    COVID-Linked Loss of Smell, Taste Can Linger for Many Months

    By now, most folks know that a loss of smell and taste are a hallmark of COVID-19 infection, but new research shows it can continue up to five months after the virus first strikes.

    "It was apparent from the beginning of the pandemic that a significant percentage of people lost their capacity to smell," said researcher Dr. Nicolas Dupre, director of neuromuscular and neurogenetic disease c...

    I've Lost My Sense of Smell: Is It COVID?

    While loss of smell is a symptom of COVID-19, don't panic -- there are a variety of other possible causes, one expert says.

    "It can be due to nasal or sinus inflammation, or other viral infections distinct from COVID-19," explained Dr. Bobby Tajudeen, director of rhinology, sinus surgery and skull base surgery at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

    "And it can even occur as a...

    'Smell Training' Might Speed the Sense's Return After COVID

    Special training may help COVID-19 patients regain their sense of smell after suffering parosmia, a new British study suggests.

    Parosmia is a condition where people have strange and often unpleasant smell distortions. Instead of smelling a lemon, for example, you may smell rotting cabbage, or chocolate may smell like gasoline. Parosmia has been linked to COVID-19 and other viruses and hea...

    Nerves May Play Important Role in Autism

    Autism may involve nerves that control touch, pain and other sensations as well as the brain, a new study suggests.

    "More than 70% of people with autism have differences in their sensory perception," said researcher Dr. Sung-Tsang Hsieh, an attending neurologist at National Taiwan University Hospital in Taipei. "For some people, even a light touch can feel unbearable while others...

    Say What? Like Animals, People Perk Up Their Ears to Hear

    Like many other animals, people can move their ears to focus on a specific sound, researchers say.

    However, this movement of ears is subtle and the ability to do it hasn't been known until now.

    By measuring electrical signals in ear muscles as volunteers tried to detect sounds, researchers found that people make tiny, unconscious movements to aim their ears at a particular s...

    Another Side Effect of COVID-19 -- Lasting Hearing Problems?

    The aftereffects of COVID-19 are numerous, and now British researchers report that many patients recovering from infection with the new coronavirus have lingering hearing problems.

    For the study, 120 U.K. patients who had been hospitalized for COVID-19 took part in a phone survey.

    When the patients were asked if they had any changes in their hearing, 13% said it was wor...

    COVID-19 Can Start With Neurological Symptoms

    While a fever and cough have seemed to be the early warning signs of COVID-19, new research shows almost half of hospitalized patients experience a host of neurological problems.

    In fact, headaches, dizziness, strokes, weakness, decreased alertness or other neurological symptoms can appear before the more commonly known symptoms of infection with the new coronavirus (known as S...

    Loss of Smell, Taste Might Be Long-Term for Some COVID-19 Survivors

    Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, it's become clear that many people with the infection lose their sense of smell and taste. And doctors are concerned that some will never get back to normal.

    At this point, it's hard to know how common the symptom is. First, there were anecdotal reports of COVID-19 patients who had lost their ability to smell or taste, said Dr. Nicholas Rowan,...

    Back in Touch: Technology Restores Hand Sensitivity to Young Quadraplegic

    A sense of touch has been restored to a young man who lost it after being left paralyzed from the elbows down following a swimming accident nearly a decade ago.

    How? By tapping into almost imperceptible neural signals that can remain even after spinal cord injury, and amplifying those signals to the point where a lost sense of touch can be regained.

    The process was achieved ...

    Another Study Finds Loss of Smell Is Early Sign of COVID-19

    A new study adds to a growing pile of evidence that suggests losing your sense of smell and taste is an early sign of COVID-19.

    While there has been anecdotal information about this link, these are the first empirical findings that make a strong connection, according to the researchers at the University of California, San Diego.

    Other known symptoms of coronavirus infection ...

    Loss of Sense of Smell Could Be Early Sign of Coronavirus Infection

    Here's a clue that you may have coronavirus that might surprise you: a loss of your sense of smell.

    Groups representing ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists in Britain and the United States have issued guidances that a sudden loss of a person's sense of smell may be a sign of infection with the new coronavirus.

    It's not a completely unexpected finding, since a temporary in...

    Playing Sports Might Sharpen Your Hearing

    Playing sports may improve the brain's ability to process sounds, a finding that could lead to new therapies for people who struggle with hearing, researchers report.

    "No one would argue against the fact that sports lead to better physical fitness, but we don't always think of brain fitness and sports," said study senior author Nina Kraus. She's a professor of communication sciences a...

    Mild Head Injury Can Impair Your Sense of Smell

    Even a mild concussion can temporarily affect your sense of smell and trigger longer-term anxiety problems, a new study finds.

    It's been known that such problems could occur after a major concussion. But this study found it's also true for minor concussions caused by accidents such as falling off a bike with a helmet on, having a traffic fender-bender, falling on the ski slopes, or sl...

    Love the Smell of a Cup o' Joe? Here's What That Reveals About You

    Java junkies can sniff out even tiny amounts of coffee, and the more they drink, the better they can smell it, British researchers say.

    It's a discovery with powerful implications for treating people addicted to substances with a distinct smell.

    "The higher the caffeine use, the quicker a person recognized the odor of coffee," said study leader Lorenzo Stafford. He is an ol...

    As Sense of Smell Fades, Does Death Come Closer?

    They say the nose knows, but can a loss of smell signal impending death?

    Possibly, researchers say.

    They discovered that a poor sense of smell was associated with a nearly 50% higher risk of death within the next decade for adults older than 70.

    While the study didn't prove cause and effect, that association is enough to make some experts wonder whether seniors...

    Brain Sharpens the Hearing of the Blind, Study Finds

    Researchers have long wondered why blind people seem to have a sharpened sense of hearing. Now a Seattle team has pinpointed specific brain adaptations that occur in folks without sight.

    "There's this idea that blind people are good at auditory tasks, because they have to make their way in the world without visual information. We wanted to explore how this happens in the brain," said ...

    Is a New Remedy for Body Odor on the Horizon?

    Danish researchers have sniffed out a potential new weapon to fight armpit odor.

    It's zinc oxide, or ZnO. The strategy was inspired by hospital wound care. Because putting zinc oxide on open surgical wounds reduces corynebacteria and the bad smell it creates, researchers thought it might also make an effective deodorant.

    The study authors said their small, early trial with 3...

    Good Smells May Help Ease Tobacco Cravings

    Could quitting tobacco involve something as simple as a pleasant scent?

    New research suggests it's possible.

    U.S. smoking rates have fallen over the past 50 years, but about 40 million Americans still smoke, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    At least half of adult smokers report trying to quit in the past year, but half of those who ...

    Can't Taste Anything? You Might Want to Check Your Nose

    Don't blame a loss of taste on your mouth, new research suggests.

    Instead, most people can thank their nose for the problem, the study authors said.

    The research team at the Virginia Commonwealth University's Smell and Taste Disorders Center examined the records of 358 patients who were evaluated for a taste disorder or combined taste/smell disorder between 1980 and 2017.