If we have a physical injury it makes sense to rebuild our muscular strength. There’s a similar logic after losing our sense of smell from a bout of COVID-19, according to Jefferson Health. They say the best option could be learning to smell again. Might this reopen shadow memories of how we discovered the wonderful world of scent when we were young?
Is Smell Training Preferable to Taking Steroids
Some medical specialists recommend using corticosteroid nasal spray to re-energize the smelling sensation. However, while this may work, steroids do have side effects that may include fluid retention, high blood pressure, and problems with mood swings and behavior.
Therefore, it seems reasonable to consider a more organic way of learning to smell again. Recent research suggests a course of smell training. In fact, Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas recommends what it calls ‘physical therapy for your nose’.
Baylor suggests gently smelling different essential oils or herbs with familiar scents for twenty seconds. While we focus on our memories and experiences associated with those scents. However, it stands to reason we may benefit even more by training with our own favorite signature experiences.
More Useful Tips for Learning to Smell Again
A group of researchers from International Forum of Allergy & Rhinology would like to incorporate smell training in COVID-19 rehabilitation. They published a report in Wiley Online Library promoting their thoughts, and we link to it below.
They say smell returns fully to 90% of people within six months after COVID. However if it does not, then they could ‘retrain their brain’s smell pathways to recognize different odors.
Scientists call this mechanism neuroplasticity, or our brains’ ability to reorganize itself to compensate for a change or injury. This is how we can shed the trauma of the past and rebuild our lives. Time is a great healer, indeed.
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