What can you do to regain your sense of smell after contracting Covid-19?

This is one of the most distinctive and curious symptoms of Covid: loss of smell, which poisons more than half of those affected.

Among the many things the virus attacks are the receptor cells in the nose, which affects their ability to function properly.

While most people recover within a few weeks, for about one in ten people, the problem, called anosmia, lasts for a month or more.

It makes life pretty miserable. The sense of smell is intrinsically linked to taste, which means that people who suffer from it generally find that food and drink become, literally, tasteless.

Today, scientists have come across a potential treatment to awaken the senses: vitamin A.

The compound, found naturally in cheese, eggs and oily fish, is added to nasal drops, which will be given to volunteers with Covid-related anosmia, as part of a medical trial.

While it may take a few months for results to be seen, there are several other remedies that experts believe could make things better.

Here are a few you can try right now, and more on the horizon …

VITAMIN DROPS TO WAKE SLEEP CELLS

There is already compelling evidence that vitamin A nasal drops could be the anosmia treatment that patients desperately seek.

In April, a group of German doctors from the University of Dresden conducted a study similar to the proposed UK study, testing the drops in a group of patients for eight weeks.

Half of them received the drops along with ‘scent training’ – which involves sniffing strong scents, such as rose and coffee, every day to stimulate nerve cells to smell. inside the nose.

The other half received training in smell alone and without drops.

After eight weeks, 37% of people using the drops reported a significant improvement in odor detection, compared to 23% of the control group.

One substance in the vitamin – retinoic acid – is known to repair damaged DNA in cells, which may explain the effect.

The new study will use a similar method and researchers will scan the brains of volunteers to get a better idea of ​​what’s going on.

Professor Barry Smith, from the Center for the Study of the Senses at the University of London, said: “As cells begin to recover, an area of ​​the brain called the olfactory bulb develops. This suggests that the treatment will have a lasting effect.

Professor Carl Philpott, Principal Investigator and Ear, Nose and Throat Consultant, added: “We will also be looking at activity in other areas of the brain related to odor recognition. It’s a very exciting time for everyone on the pitch.

TAKE A GOOD BREATH SOME STRONG ODORS

Doctors have long debated the effectiveness of smell training in regaining the senses. Some studies show it to be effective, while others have shown limited benefits.

However, Professor Philpott says research conducted by his team at the University of East Anglia suggests it’s worth a try.

A study of 140 patients with anosmia found that sniffing at least four scents – including lemon, rose, and eucalyptus – twice a day for two months could significantly improve subjects’ sense of smell.

Professor Philpott suggests buying rehabilitation kits online or using strong-smelling spices or other pungent ingredients that are found in most kitchen cabinets.

STERODES SPRAY TO SOOTHE THE NOSE

A nasal spray containing anti-inflammatory steroids could help patients smell again.

The treatment is already offered to some with long-term loss of smell as a result of other viruses such as influenza, and is effective in up to half of patients.

Now experts believe it could help those who have had Covid-19 as well.

Scientists at Benha University in Egypt are currently analyzing the effect of a daily wandering steroid on 100 people who have lost their sense of smell as a result of coronavirus.

The study will test subjects’ scent using mint and garlic at the end of each week for three weeks and compare their results to those of a group undergoing scent training.

“Sometimes the virus causes the nerves to swell, which disrupts the signals sent to the brain,” says Professor Philpott.

“Steroids can be very effective in treating swelling and inflammation. But we need more evidence to prove it works for Covid-related odor loss.

WATER EVERYTHING IN TOMATO SAUCE

Perhaps the most miserable part of losing your ability to smell is the associated loss of taste.

Professor Smith says his patients report a host of weird sensations alongside it – from different foods all tasting the same to phantom tastes, such as rotten junk.

Experts say this is mainly due to the effect of the virus on nasal cells.

“While some can detect sweet or savory, a depth of flavor comes from inhaling the scents of food as we eat,” says Professor Philpott.

“If the smell goes away, everything tastes strange or tasteless.”

But there is one basic taste that comes through particularly well: the meaty, salty taste called umami.

We are born with a large number of receptors in the tongue that seek out this taste because it is found in breast milk, so it is more easily detected.

“Try to add an umami ingredient to each dish,” suggests Professor Smith.

“It’s mushrooms, tomato sauce, soy sauce, soy paste or miso. You are more likely to taste them, and it will increase the intensity of the other flavors as well.

TRY ADDING A LEMON SQUEEZE

Citrus fruits such as lemon, orange and lime can stimulate receptors on the tongue that detect other flavors, says Professor Smith.

“Adding a squeeze of lemon to vegetables and even meat will help you pick up flavors much faster.

” Receptors that detect acid [as in citrus fruits] act quickly, which can increase the activity of receptors in the tongue that pick up other tastes.

“If you think about eating a banana, for example, it sometimes takes a while to taste the flavor. But with lemon or lime it’s an instant hit.

There are other tips to “shock” the taste buds.

“Adding a tiny bit of chili or ginger will at least make you feel a tingling or burning,” says Professor Smith.

“If the food is very boring, it brightens up a meal and makes the feeling more interesting. “

I trained my nose to smell again

One patient who credits the smell training for bringing his senses back to life is 29-year-old David Soffer.

He caught Covid in April 2020 and started noticing an absence of smell and taste almost instantly.

“I’m a big coffee snob, so I always sniff when I grind my beans in the morning,” he says. “And one morning, suddenly, there was nothing left.

Six months have passed without any improvement. “You don’t realize how much you take it for granted until you lose it,” he says. ‘It was miserable.’

While researching the problem online, David, a marketing manager from Hampstead, north London, came across AbScent, an anosmia charity, which recommends smell training.

He bought a kit from his website, which included four strong-smelling essential oils, including eucalyptus, coffee, and different floral notes.

Less than two months after smelling them for a few minutes twice a day, he noticed a difference.

“At first things smelled weird. Eucalyptus was like sniffing diapers. But little by little, I began to perceive smells that I recognized.

Today David says his smell and taste have “returned to 95% normal.”

He adds, “Simple flavors like bananas still take me a while to taste. But I can enjoy pretty much any food I love again.