Aromatherapy to Support Loss of Smell from COVID-19

Do you know someone who has lost their sense of smell due to COVID-19? Almost everyone knows someone who has lost their sense of smell due to COVID-19, whether the loss has been temporary or persists as you are reading this. If we have ever needed Aromatherapy – this is the time! And I have the treatment!

The loss of the sense of smell is called Anosmia. A reduced sense of smell is called Hyposmia. Unfortunately, the loss or reduction of the sense of smell affects another sense too – taste. Smell and taste work together to give foods flavor. As an Aromatherapist, I cannot imagine a life without smell or taste!

Others are experiencing unusual tastes and smells. Phantosmia is the perception of a smell that doesn't exist, like phantom limb pain. Often the phantom smell is unpleasant, or normally pleasant smells can be perceived as foul. Parosmia is when things smell differently than the way you remember.

Why does this phenomenon happen? No one is quite sure exactly why, but we do know how it happens. Findings indicate that infection with COVID-19 changes the sense of smell by affecting the function of cells that support the olfactory sensory neurons.

The sense of smell is important! Without a doubt, it makes life more enjoyable. People who have lost their sense of smell experience depression, anxiety and unwanted weight loss due to their lack of food enjoyment.  Each of the human senses serves a biological purpose, including the sense of smell. This sense alerts us to dangers we encounter in our daily lives, like smoke, gas leaks, dangerous fumes and spoiled, inedible food.

Experts recommend a sort of physical therapy for the nose, to encourage and coax the sense of smell back into functionality. The goal is to “rewire” the connection between the aroma and your brain’s association with the aroma, which was somehow severed by the damage to the support cells of the olfactory sensory neurons. You are training those cells and nerves to come back to life. At this point in time there really is no other treatment.

Here is a link to an article that helps explain how Aromatherapy can support your sense of smell -

https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20201201/smell-training-might-speed-the-senses-return-after-covid

And another regarding research on this -

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/11/201130131517.htm

Just as there are primary colors (red, blue and yellow), there are thought to be primary smells and each has a corresponding example that is typically used to represent it: floral (rose), fruit (lemon), spicy (clove) and camphoraceous-minty (eucalyptus).

I have created a training kit for lost and altered sense of smell that includes all you need to begin your Aromatherapy. This kit includes 4 aroma inhalers, one for each of the primary aromas (rose, lemon, clove and eucalyptus), a printable log to keep track of your therapy, and 4 laminated photos related to these aromas to meditate upon while inhaling each aroma, plus the support of a certified clinical aromatherapist – me! Each kit is $40, which includes a virtual appointment to get started, and shipping – a nominal cost for the return of your sense of smell (and taste)! It’s an extremely safe, empowering, self-driven treatment option with absolutely no side effects!

Purchase the kit here: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=17122300&appointmentType=category:Aromatherapy%20Training