Diabetes affects our blood vessels and nerves and therefore can affect any part of the body. However, certain parts of our body are affected more than other parts.
I don't think dogwoods have (much?) scent, maybe just lightly floral. The white petally looking things are not actually petals they are bracts, like a poinsettia has. There's something called an English dogwood that is very fragrant, but it isn't a true dogwood and is also known as mock orange. Bradford pears have a smell that this author described as sweaty socks, so if your tree doesn't smell very good that's probably it: http://www.gardenguides.com/106133-dogw ...
In older trees that have been infested with dogwood borers for a long period of time, the bark higher up on the tree may crack and branches may break off. Dogwood borer larvae are pink or light orange in color and are about 3 to 5 inches long. Dogwood Borer Control. Good dogwood borers organic control starts with proper care of dogwood trees. Do not plant dogwood trees in harsh, full sun as this weakens the dogwood tree and makes them more susceptible to the dogwood borer larvae. Dogwood borer larva are attracted to grafted dogwood trees, so either avoid grafted trees or keep a close eye on the base of these dogwood trees if you plant them.