Sniffing essential oils that smell like lemon, clove and other spices is a treatment option the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention is recommending for Covid-19 survivors who have yet to regain their sense of smell.
Doctors and scientists have a warning, however: It won’t work for everyone.
Because the effectiveness of olfactory training has yet to be proven, some fear the CDC may be giving people unrealistic expectations about their likelihood of smelling again. John Brooks, the CDC’s chief medical officer for the agency’s Covid-19 emergency response, first touted its use at a congressional hearing April 28, saying it’s a treatment that “really works.”
In an interview, he said he was trying to raise awareness that it exists even if it doesn’t work in all instances.
“I don’t believe that a false sense of hope is a reason to withhold making sure people know that it is available,” he said.
Smell training is easy, cheap and can be done at home. The process involves repeatedly taking short sniffs of the same four scents twice daily, spending several seconds on each before moving to the next one. Kits of scented essential oils can be purchased online. Spices, candles and even scented soaps work too.
Doctors and researchers believe the Covid-19 virus, SARS-CoV-2, attacks the cells that support the olfactory nerves in the nose. About 90% of people will get their sense of smell back as they recover from Covid, but the other 10% may never recover, says Jay Piccirillo, a professor of otolaryngology and vice chair of research at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
By this fall, he estimates as many as 6 million Americans could have chronic olfactory dysfunction from Covid.
Doctors and scientists are recommending smell training because it’s safe to try and there’s really no alternative.
“I don’t want people to be discouraged, but I also want to give them something that has shown some promise,” says Pamela Dalton, an olfactory scientist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, a nonprofit scientific institute in Philadelphia.
“Really, we have nothing else to offer you,” she says.—Lydia Wheeler
Track the virus
It took just over six months to reach the milestone around the world, an extraordinary accomplishment precipitated by countries’ attempts to save lives and reopen their economies. However, that means it will still take nine months to vaccinate 75% of the global population, a threshold that could provide so-called herd immunity. Read the full story here.
What you should read
Know someone else who would like this newsletter? Have them sign up here.
Have any questions, concerns, or news tips on Covid-19 news? Get in touch or help us cover the story.
Like this newsletter? Subscribe for unlimited access to trusted, data-based journalism in 120 countries around the world and gain expert analysis from exclusive daily newsletters, The Bloomberg Open and The Bloomberg Close.
"smell" - Google News
June 05, 2021 at 06:15PM
https://ift.tt/34QWUpS
Smell Training Can Help Some Patients - Bloomberg
"smell" - Google News
https://ift.tt/35zrwu1
https://ift.tt/3b8aPsv
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Smell Training Can Help Some Patients - Bloomberg"
Post a Comment