>> WHILE MANY OF COVID-19'S
SYMPTOMS INFURIATINGLY MIMIC THE
FLU OR A COLD THE LOST OF TASTE
AND SMELL ARE A COMPLICATER OF
THE VIRUS.
NOW RESEARCH ESTIMATES BETWEEN
700,000 AND 1.6 MILLION PEOPLE
MAY NOT HAVE REGAINED THEIR
SENSE OF SMELL EVEN MONTHS AFTER
THEIR COVID INFECTION.
AND HEALTH PROFESSIONALS ARE
RESEARCHING WAYS TO HELP
PATIENTS REDWAIN THE SENSES.
JOINING US TO SHARE TIPS HOW TO
RECOVER FROM SMELL LOSS IS Dr.
PETER PAPAGIANNOPOULOS, A
SPECIALIST WHO TREATS SMELL LOSS
AND SINUS PROBLEMS AT RUSH
UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER.
DOCTOR THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
AS I MENTIONED WE KNOW THAT
OMICRON VARIANT'S SYMPTOMS HAVE
BEEN MUCH MORE COLD-LIKE THE
SNIFFLES, SNEEZING.
DOES OMICRON HAVE THE SAME
IMPACT ON SMELL AND TASTE AS
WE'VE SEEN WITH COVID-19 UP TO
THIS POINT?
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME FIRST
OF ALL.
AND I'D SAY IN TERMS OF OMICRON
LONG-TERM EFFECTS TOO EARLY TO
TELL.
ANECDOTALLY SEEMS LIKE IT'S
STILL HAVING SIMILAR EFFECTS IN
THE SHORT-TERM AS IT HAS FOR THE
PRIOR VARIANTS.
>> WITH OMICRON, CASES OR
SYMPTOMS CAN CLOSELY RESEMBLE
FLU AND COLD HOW SHOULD WE
MANAGE THIS AS CASES RISE AND
LATER ON AS THEY GO DOWN?
>> I THINK THE KEY IS TO DO THE
SIMPLE THINGS.
CONTINUE TO WEAR A MASK WHEN YOU
ARE IN PUBLIC.
TRY TO LIMIT YOUR EXPOSURE TO
LARGE PUBLIC SPACES AND BEING IN
LARGE GROUPS.
THE REALITY IT DOES SPREAD
AMAZINGLY QUICKLY AND EASILY.
AT LEAST I, MYSELF HAD NUMEROUS
FRIENDS CATCHES IN THE LAST
MONTH.
EVEN ANECDOTALLY IT'S CLEAR THIS
IS SPREAD MUCH MORE EASILY
AMONGST US
>> NOW, ACCORDING TO A STUDY
FROM THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OVER
72% OF PATIENTS WITH SMELL LOSS
RECOVERED AFTER ONE MONTH.
AND 84% OF PATIENTS WITH TASTE
LOSS RECOVERED AFTER ONE MONTH.
WHAT DO WE KNOW WHAT CAUSES THIS
DYSFUNCTION?
>> THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION.
SMELL AND TASTE ARE VERY, VERY
MUCH INTERLINKED.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT TASTE ALONE
THERE'S FOUR CARDINAL TASTES,
SWEET, SOUR, BITTER AND USE
MA'AMMY.
EVERY OTHER ELEMENT IN TERMS OF
FLAVOR COMES FROM YOUR SENSE OF
SMELL.
WHEN PEOPLE HAVE A SMELL LOSS
THEY ALMOST CERTAINLY HAVE A
TASTE LOSS AS WELL.
WHAT WE'VE FOUND AND YOUR
NUMBERS ARE CORRECT THAT USUALLY
OF THOSE PATIENTS WITH COVID WHO
HAVE A SMELL LOSS ABOUT 85% WILL
BE BACK TO NORMAL IN ABOUT ONE
MONTH.
THAT LEAVES 15% OF PATIENTS THAT
WILL BE STRUGGLING POTENTIALLY
FOR UP TO THREE MONTHS AND THEN
THERE ARE PATIENTS THAT NEVER
REALLY GET A NORMAL FUNCTION
BACK UNFORTUNATELY.
>> WHAT DO WE KNOW HOW IT CAN BE
RESTORED?
>> SO THE REASON FOR THE LOSS IS
ACTUALLY RATHER THAN A SWELLING
PROBLEM IN THE NOSE OR A
CONGESTION PROBLEM IT IS A
PROBLEM WITH THE LEVEL OF THE
SMELL NERVES AND IT'S NERVE
DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE VIRUS.
SO WHAT WE CAN DO EARLY ON IS
WHAT IS CALLED SMELL RETRAINING
THERAPY.
AND I RECOMMEND STARTING THE
THERAPY IF YOU ARE STILL HAVING
SMELL DYSFUNCTION SYMPTOMS TWO
WEEKS INTO COVID.
IF YOU ARE HAVING ISSUES AFTER
THAT THE EARLIER YOU START THIS
THE BETTER.
>> AND WHAT IS THE THERAPY
ENTAIL AND IS IT THE KIND OF
THING I CAN DO AT HOME?
OR SHOULD I SEE SOMEONE LIKE YOU
FOR THAT.
>> GREAT QUESTION.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN
START ON YOUR OWN IT'S EASY TO
DO.
IT REQUIRES YOU USING ESSENTIAL
OILS.
WE USUALLY RECOMMEND FOUR
DIVISION SHALL OILS YOU CAN BUY
ON ANY ON-LINE SITE.
THE FOUR RECOMMEND RED LEMON,
ROSE, CLOVE AND EUCALYPTUS.
THEY SHOULD BE SMELLS THAT YOU
KNOW WHAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO
SMELL LIKE.
DIFFICULTY WITH THE SMELL LOSS
IS TRYING TO RECONNECT THE NERVE
CONNECTION BETWEEN WHAT YOUR
MEMORY SMELLS LIKE TO WHAT IT
SMELLS LIKE.
THE WAY IT WORKS YOU WILL PUT
THE SMELLS IN FRONT OF YOU IN
THE MORNING AND FOR 15 SECONDS
YOU WILL PUT THAT OIL IN FRONT
OF YOUR NOSE AND TAKE A DEEP
SNIFF IN FOR 15 SECONDS AND PUT
IT DOWN AND THINK ABOUT WHAT THE
SMELL SHOULD SMELL LIKE AND GO
DOWN THE LINE AND DO THAT
MORNING AND NIGHT.
AND IF YOU ARE STILL HAVING
ISSUES I WOULD SAY COME SEE A
PHYSICIAN AS SOON AS A MONTH
AFTER YOUR DIAGNOSIS TO START
WORKING WITH YOU.
>> AND YOU MENTIONED A SMALL
PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE WHO NEVER
REGAIN THAT SENSE OF TASTE AND
SOMETHING DOESN'T TASTE THE WAY
IT USED TO BEFORE THEY HAD
COVID.
BUT WHAT ARE YOUR CONCERNS THERE
ABOUT WHAT CAN BE DONE FOR
PEOPLE WHO MAY NEVER REGAIN
THAT?
>> THAT IS TRUE.
IT IS A MINORITY OF PATIENTS.
I'D SAY IT'S ABOUT 5%.
BUT IT IS REAL.
I'VE HAD A 30-YEAR-OLD CHEF IN
MY OFFICE CRYING THAT HE CAN'T
PERFORM HIS JOB THE SAME WAY HE
USED TO.
THE BIGGEST WAY TO AVOID THE
LONG-TERM EFFECT IS AVOID GET TO
GO AS MUCH AS YOU CAN.
IT'S HARD TO PREDICT WHO WILL
HAVE LONG-TERM SMELL LOSS AND
WHO WON'T.
THE KEY IS IF YOU DO YOURSELF
HAVE THE SYMPTOMS THE SOONER YOU
CAN START SMELL RETRAINING
THERAPY THE BEST CHANCE YOU WILL