FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) - Loss of smell and taste is one of the most common side effects of COVID-19, with experts saying around 90 percent of covid patients will have some sort of smell disorder.
While not being able to smell may not seem like a big deal, it does pose safety concern risks for you and your family.
“If you have the inability to smell, then there could be a fire, there could be a gas leak and you wouldn’t be able to detect that,” Dr. Alan Bruns, an Ear, Nose and Throat Physician at Essentia Health said.
So, how do you fix it? Smell therapy.
“Really all you’re doing is you get four or five things that have pretty distinct smells and then you just take big whiffs of it a couple times a day,” Dr. Kyle Johnson, an Ear, Nose and Throat Physician at Sanford Health said.
“Typically that’s going to be something like a flower, like rose, a lemon, eucalyptus and something like clove,” Bruns said.
“Certain foods can have so many smells at once that it’s hard to do it, so you want to go with something basic,” Johnson said.
In a nutshell, it’s retraining your brain to recognize smells again. It’s something both doctors say they recommend to their patients to do for about 10 to 20 seconds twice a day for a few weeks.
Bruns says several studies have shown those who do smell therapy recover better and quicker than those who don’t.
“But there are still going to be some patients regardless, probably around two to four percent of patients who had covid that are never get their sense of smell back,” he said.
Both Bruns and Johnson say the key is to keep at it, as results won’t be immediate. They also say while you can wait a few days to see if your smell comes back on its own, it’s never too soon to start.
“We don’t have any research that lets us know if you do it sooner rather than later, it’s going to work better, but there’s certainly no risk to it either,” Johnson said.
Bruns says if you lost your sense of smell and it’s been over three months, to make an appointment to see an ear, nose and throat doctor.
Copyright 2021 KVLY. All rights reserved.
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Lost your sense of smell from COVID? 'Smell therapy' can help - KVLY
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