The woman who lost her sense of smell...

There was nothing remarkable about the cold I caught. But a few weeks after I was otherwise back to feeling normal, my sense of smell and taste hadn't returned. I went to my doctor, and he said I had a sinus infection, prescribed antibiotics, and told me not to worry. That was three years ago. 

Since then, I've been to internists, allergists, and otolaryngologists, none of whom have been able to help me. They provided only a diagnosis—anosmia—the medical term for "you can't smell anything." The specialists thought my anosmia probably originated with a virus but had become chronic due to the severe allergies I developed after moving to Northern California. I began searching the Internet like a cyber bloodhound (at least I could sniff virtually) for the trail that would lead to my missing sense of smell. I tried nasal washes, nose sprays, herbal remedies, steroids, acupuncture, antihistamines, dietary modification, meditation, and visualization. A few worked for very brief periods, but nothing lasted. More...

See also: Pruthviraj Patil, India's Werewolf Boy, longs for a cure...

And this: Rhett Lamb, the boy who never sleeps...

And this: Christopher Sands, the man who can't stop hiccupping!

And this: Young girls ... and strange allergies