Dr Karl shares the story of Joy Milne who can tell if someone has Parkinson’s disease through smell

People have shared their amazement after finding out it is possible for some people to ‘sniff out’ Parkinson’s disease before an official diagnosis. 

Joy Milne is one of the few people in the world with the unique gift and has been a huge help to scientists trying to better their understanding of the disease.

In an online video, Australian scientist Dr Karl explained Joy was given T-shirts worn by several people, some with and some without Parkinson’s and was tasked with telling which was which. 

‘The people without, she picked them accurately except for one person but that person sadly eight months later was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease,’ he said.

Joy Milne (pictured) is one of the few people in the world with the unique gift and has been a huge help to scientists as she can tell if someone has the disease by smelling their t-shirts

Joy, a grandmother from Perth in Scotland, discovered she had the sixth sense when her husband’s scent changed one day. 

‘She loved the smell of her husband and he had many a fine quality so of course they got married,’ Dr Karl explained. 

‘After a few decades she suddenly noticed one day he had begun to smell bad and (12) years later he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.’

Joy attended a Parkinson’s support group with her husband and noticed everyone else in the group had the same smell. 

She has since helped doctors and scientists make breakthroughs in their research on Parkinson’s disease. 

Her nose can detect the tell-tale scent of Parkinson’s which comes most strongly from the back of people’s necks and between their shoulder blades.

This revealed that sebum – an oily substance secreted from pores in the skin – contained ten compounds linked to Parkinson’s. 

Viewers were amazed by Joy’s incredible story and gift.

‘It’s crazy how she was 100 per cent accurate and even detected it earlier than the current best testing we have,’ one said. 

In an online video, Dr Karl explained Joy was given t-shirts worn by several people, some with and some without Parkinson’s and was able to tell who was affected and who wasn’t

‘I’m so glad she spoke up about this, and more importantly someone listened to her!’ a second added. 

‘How spectacular. What a gift,’ replied a third.

However, Joy’s talent may not be as rare as most may think as some said they can also smell certain illnesses and diseases.

‘I can smell cancer. I knew my friend had it before she even knew,’ one woman said. 

‘I can smell Parkinson’s. I work in a care home so obviously the people we care for are already diagnosed and quite advanced but yes, there’s a definite smell to it,’ another claimed.

‘I could always tell when my kids were going to be poorly by the smell of their breathe,’ a mum commented. 

‘I noticed my husband had a different smell before he was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia. Lewy Body is on the Parkinson’s side of dementia,’ explained a fourth.