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 the nose

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.