Smell training involves sniffing at least four different odours, twice daily for several months.
Smell loss expert Prof Carl Philpott, from the University of East Anglia’s Norwich Medical School, said that the method “aims to help recovery based on neuroplasticity – the brain’s ability to reorganise itself to compensate for a change or injury”.
Research by an international group of smell experts, published in the journal International Forum of Allergy & Rhinology, advised against using steroids to treat smell loss.
Prof Philpott said there is “very little evidence” they will help with smell loss and they have “potential side effects including fluid retention, high blood pressure, and problems with mood swings and behaviour”.
BBC News
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image captionThe recommendation is to sniff familiar items like garlic, oranges and mint twice a day for several months
Researchers are calling for people struggling to regain their sense of smell after falling ill with Covid-19 to undergo smell training rather than being treated with steroids.
This is a process that involves sniffing different odours over a period of months to retrain the brain to recognise different smells.
A group of international expert say smell training is cheap and simple.
And unlike steroids, it is free from potential side effects.
A loss of smell is one of the main symptoms of a coronavirus infection, along with a fever and a persistent cough.
Smell training involves sniffing at least four different odours, twice daily for several months.
Smell loss expert Prof Carl Philpott, from the University of East Anglia’s Norwich Medical School, said that the method “aims to help recovery based on neuroplasticity – the brain’s ability to reorganise itself to compensate for a change or injury”.
Research by an international group of smell experts, published in the journal International Forum of Allergy & Rhinology, advised against using steroids to treat smell loss.
Prof Philpott said there is “very little evidence” they will help with smell loss and they have “potential side effects including fluid retention, high blood pressure, and problems with mood swings and behaviour”.
Try smell training to treat Covid smell loss, experts recommend
Smell training involves sniffing at least four different odours, twice daily for several months
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People who have experienced a loss of smell as a result of coronavirus should try “smell training”, scientists have recommended.