True, but arguably the same can be said if you've got an ear infection or recovering from eye surgery or something; your respective senses aren't at full capaci

True, but arguably the same can be said if you've got an ear infection or recovering from eye surgery or something; your respective senses aren't at full capacity then either. I know that, in my experience, pungent smells have an interesting way of making it through some of the sickest olfactory sense.