10 more senses to consider: psychologist

A British pain psychologist says there are 10 additional physical senses that are being "neglected" by doctors.

The senses beyond the "big five" include balance, motion, pressure, itch, pain, fatigue, breathing, temperature, appetite and expulsion (of bodily waste).

According to Professor Chris Eccleston, the director of the Centre for Pain Research at the University of Bath, argues the traditional focus on sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch has taken the focus off the psychology of physical experience.

"The body matters and the way people experience bodies can be very specific and matter enormously in all healthcare environments," he said.

At the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists' annual scientific meeting in Brisbane on Saturday, Prof Eccleston told health professionals they could improve their patients' experiences by focusing on the additional senses.

"It's a gap in our education. We know a lot about to vision, we know a lot about audition, we know a lot about touch but when it comes to the fact that we are embodied we know next to nothing about it," he said.

"When you think about bodies at all, we think about them as a taxi for the mind," he said.