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Saturday, March 2, 2019

Three Tips For The Ageing Taste Buds


As we age, our ability to smell and taste diminishes. Most taste loss is secondary to smell loss, but people notice the taste loss more and think of it as "taste loss" even though the underlying cause may be smell loss. Testing can often help determine whether smell or taste loss is the primary diagnosis.

Taste can begin to decline as early as age 30 and is progressive - it increases with the passing years. Most people over 50 report that food tastes a bit "flatter" or that flavour is "more blunted" than it was in their youth. This tends to cause the overuse of sugar and sweet as people try to compensate for their inability to taste as well. Too much salt and sugar can be very harmful to those with hypertension or diabetes so it is something that should be carefully monitored.

Sometimes the cause of our age related taste loss is the accumulation of years of taste bud damage from excess use of very hot, spicy foods. If you are very fond of these spices you may be damaging your taste buds. The need for ever-increasing "heat" is not a sign that you are getting used to hot peppers, it's a sign you have damaged your taste buds.

Fortunately, if you are younger than 50, your taste buds will regenerate fairly quickly, so damage can be quickly repaired if you stop using these hot spices. However, over the age of 50 taste buds do not regrow nearly as quickly so extra care should be taken to avoid damage.

In fact, about half of those between the ages of 65 and 80 will suffer from this problem though many are unaware of it. By the time we are over 80, three-quarters of us will have problems with our smell and taste.

I know from personal experience with my mom, just how many problems this can cause. For some time now, she has been complaining that food no longer has any taste and that she can't smell things as well. Now at 85, we find she is using sour milk and completely unaware of it. She eats less and less and seems to have very little appetite at all.

I embarked on a journey to learn all that I could to help her. I've learned that there are changes in the body that underlie taste loss and that it nearly always begins with smell loss. This is because true taste loss is much less common than smell loss and though few people know it, smell is an integral part of the taste experience.

As our body ages there are structural changes that occur in the skull that lead to a pinching of the olfactory (smell) nerve. Once this nerve gets pinched the messages can no longer get passed along to the brain and our brain tells us that it doesn't smell anything.

Additionally, blood flow to the brain decreases as we age and this causes the brain to work less well. Exercise is an important way to help increase blood flow, but unfortunately many older people do not get enough of it. Experts believe that exercise does help those with smell and taste loss, so if it all possible it should be incorporated into a daily routine. It doesn't have to be a lot either - just 10 minutes a day - before each meal can make a significant difference!

Finally, a third factor in the age related loss of taste and smell is an increase in the thickness of the nasal mucous which blocks the uptake of odor molecules. Drinking plenty of fluids helps to thin out the nasal mucous. Proper hydration is also known to improve smell and taste loss. When I worked with older patients who hated the taste of water, I recommended they try the many flavoured waters that are on the market today. This is a great tip for anyone that isn't fond of plain water.

Avoiding extremely spicy foods, getting some exercise, and drinking plenty of fluids are three simple ways to improve the sense of smell and taste.

Read Concept of 6 tastes or rasa in Ayurveda

By Kerry Hook

The Benefits of Giving Your Child a Daily Routine


Why does a child need and benefit from a daily routine?

By having a daily routine running in your household your child will have a structure that will help them to focus and discipline their lives.

If they do not have a daily routine they will not be able to prepare themselves for the next task ahead of them. Instead they will feel uneasy and insecure as to how their day will unfold, not knowing what to expect. Once they get into a habit of following a daily routine they will develop eating and sleeping patterns that will help their body to create cycles that will enable them to function well. If they have different eating and sleeping times each day, their bodies will be disturbed and this can cause the child to be moody and tired. It is very important for a child to have fixed meal and bed times. They need food when they are hungry and sleep when they are tired. If there is no consistency in a child's daily life they will find it difficult to settle and relax. By following a routine and being consistent it will help them to follow a set of rules and be able to understand what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. They will understand there are boundaries to which they must adhere. This will help avoid difficult behaviour and tantrums.

Having a daily routine for your child also allows you to have time for yourself, knowing when you will be able to do your thing and this will help you to plan your day and feel relaxed and calm.

I hope you have found this advice beneficial and it helps you to create a daily routine for your child.

Read more about Benefits of Ayurvedic Daily Routine or Dinacharya

By Simon Surfer