Two of the hallmark symptoms of COVID-19 are loss of taste and smell. To regain these senses so important on a daily basis, olfactory training is recommended, and remains simple to apply.
To enjoy a good meal when you are a carrier of the coronavirus? Comfort yourself with a cuddly scent? Impossible mission. Since the publication in April 2020 of a European study coordinated by the University of Mons, the sudden loss of taste (ageusia) and smell (anosmia) are recognized as being the main symptoms of infection with Covid-19. Out of 417 patients from around ten European hospitals, 85.6% reported a change in smell and 88% in taste. Neuroscience researchers, psychiatrists, ENT specialists and even perfumers have therefore looked into methods of olfactory rehabilitation, some of which are easy to apply.
Train your nose
Be careful, if the anosmia and dysgeusia are acute, it is recommended to refer to an ENT service specializing in rhinology, and more particularly, in the management of odor disorders. If they are less severe, we will follow the advice and personal rehabilitation exercises of the French Society of Otorhinolaryngology and Surgery of the Face and Neck (SFORL), the CHU Lille and the French Association of Rhinology. .
A patient who has suffered from a loss of smell, often accompanied by a loss of taste, will be able to stimulate his nose 2 to 3 times a day with products with specific scents, easily spotted on the shelves of supermarkets: vanilla, dill, thyme, cinnamon, cloves, lavender, coriander, mint, cumin, but also coffee and light vinegar. Once brought home (or found in your cupboards), it is recommended that you read the name of these products before you smell them, "to give the sensory system time to combine the two pieces of information", say specialists. Happy rehabilitation!