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What is the nose? One of the most visible organs on the front of your face is the nose. Anatomically, a nose is a vertebrate respiratory organ that covers two nostrils in humans. Nostrils are those two holes visible in the front of the nose, responsible for reception and expulsion of air for respiration purposes. A septum proceeds from deep within the nose near the skull where it's made of thin bony pieces.
There are also hairs in the nose that function to prevent the airborne particles from proceeding into the lungs. Within and behind the nose we find para-nasal sinuses and mucus. As soon as air passes through the pharynx behind the nasal cavity, and proceeds to the entire respiratory system.
Not only does the nose help us breathe, but identifying which perfume smell better than the other is also done best by the nose. A nose helps us distinguish scents that are good and which ones are bad. Although it is not a tasting organ, to a certain extent a nose do contribute to our sense of taste.
Most of us take our sense of smell for granted, because it is not necessary for our survival the way our other senses are... However we still rely on it more than you would probably think.
Smell affects many aspects of life such as attraction, memories, and emotions. Our sense of smell also adds a richness to our lives that we aren't always conscious of, but as soon as it's taken away it dramatically changes our quality of life ask an anosmic (someone who has lost some or all of their sense of smell). Anosmics suffer from depression and their quality of life is severely affected.
Smell is one of the chemical senses and with these sense we sample our environment for information. We are continuously testing the quality of the air we breathe, like for potential dangers such as smoke from fires, or food and flowers. Although it looks little, a nose is a complicated gateway to the respiratory system that most people find difficult to keep healthy. Colds, hayfever, flu, nasal obstructions, sinusitis and sinus infections are evident to the complexity of the nose.
About 139 million Americans suffer some form of sinus disorder each year. For the purpose of this site, the following nasal disorders will be discussed:
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