The Nose Essay, Research Paper
The Nose
The nose is a organ used for breathing and smelling that is found in the
center of the face above the mouth. In this report you will learn about how it
works, and things that can affect it.
At the end of the nose there is a pair of nostrils, these allow you to
breathe in air and exhale it. At the end of the nostrils comes the nasal cavity.
Going farther up, the cavities divide into 3 shelf-like bones called nasal
conchae or turbinates these warm inhaled air. From there the sinuses open
into the cavity. If these are blocked they are called sinusitis. The outside of
the nose consists of a elastic tissue called cartilage. It is a flexible tissue that
can bend and it is found on other parts of the body.
The air is inhaled, it goes to through the nasal passages through the
pharynx and trachea and into the lungs, in a continuos movement. When air
is exhaled, most of the air goes out at once, but some remained in the nose
until another breath is taken. The sense of smell is very closely related to the
sense of taste. Sometimes the odor makes us think what the food will taste
like, if we did not have the sense of smell the sense of taste would be greatly
affected, you would have the basic tastes but nothing like you have now.
Smell occurs in the olfactory, this is where nerve receptors lie, then passes
through to the mouth causing most of the sensation of taste.
Some things that may happen to the nose include: a nosebleed, colds
allergies, loss of smell and taste as well.
When we have a cold, the infection inflames the mucous membranes
making it very difficult to smell. A histamine is realesed, which makes blood
go to the nose causing stuffiness . The rhintis is the inflammation of
and nasal cavities, this is what causes the nose to plug and be unable to
breath. Congestion often interferes with sleep. Doctors say that if you sleep
on your side with you head elevated over 4 inches, this should help the
stuffiness to go down. Other forms of relief are available if this is
unconfortable for you. Chronic sinus infections can be very painful,
sometimes they are not, they may be repetitive or you may only have them
once, but after you have them once, you are more likely to get it again. These
may be bronchitis and asthma. Although asthma is a horrible allergy, it may
be caused from chronic sinus infections.
Some allergies that may come along are: asthma, hay fever, whooping
cough ect. Many things may affect these, like trees, grass, pollen, molds and
many others. Although it may be difficult to avoid them, this is usually what
can make them less irritating. Antihistamines and decongestants are available
to cause the swelling of the nose to go down. When you exercise vigorously,
the adrenaline increases which causes constricts nasal vessels and other
passages to open up and make breathing easier.
A nosebleed is caused by a irritation to the inside tissue of the nose, if
it is hit or scratched, it may cause bleeding. To make the bleeding stop pinch
the top of the sinuses gently while tilting the head forward, avoid tilting back,
this may cause the blood to run into the stomach and cause irritation and
infections there.
The nose is a organ that has many useful purposes, it is also taken for
granted very highly, if we did not have the sense of smell we would not have
the sense of taste. It may cause problems, but they can al be fixed so in short
it is a very useful tool in every day life.