A 65-year-old grandmother is astonishing people with her incredible ability to sniff out Parkinson's disease, according to the Daily Mail. Joy Milne first discovered her ability when the disease presented itself in her late husband, Les.
She noted how she was able to detect a change in her husband's odor before he was even diagnosed with the disease. "It's hard to describe but it was a heavy, slightly musky aroma," she said.
Milne didn't realize the ability was anything special until she told scientists at the University of Edinburgh, according to Metro.
Milne was tested, of course, to prove her ability was the real deal.
Researchers brought out t-shirts people had slept in, and she was able to identify which people had Parkinson's just from the scents they left behind.
A new study is being conducted by Parkinson's U.K. to find out if skin odor is any indicator of the disease's presence, according to HomeCare.
"Funding pioneering studies like this have the potential to throw Parkinson's into a completely new light," said Arthur Roach, director of research. "Not just on early diagnosis, but it would also make it a lot easier to identify people to test drugs that may have the potential to slow, or even stop Parkinson's, something no current drug can achieve."
