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The information on this website is designed to offer self-care tips and recommendations based on evidence-based research and literature from professionals in each field. It is not intended to diagnose or treat any specific medical condition. Please consult with your healthcare provider before making any health-related decisions.
Battle of the Olfactory The COVID battle was intense. Enemy troops massed fires in your nose; you took some casualties. But these highly trained troops, responsible for both enabling your smell and your lungs and brain first line of defense, fought hard and prevented the enemy from penetrating your lungs. Your body is in debt to these brave olfactory warriors who put up a good fight and saved the day.
I sum this up in a quick video. See below or keep reading.
Your loss of smell when contracting COVID-19 is a good sign. It demonstrates you have a strong immune system and is caused by an intense battle in your nose. This win prevented the COVID-19 virus from penetrating your body’s outer defense as the virus pushed hard to hit its target. Your lungs and your brain. Task Force RECON located inside your nose, executed a successful SCREEN at the cost of a few casualties and key sensors. Replacement sensors are due to arrive in 6-8 weeks.
The data demonstrates that those who presented the symptom of loss of smell were less likely to require hospitalization and recovered quickly. Though the lack of smell remains, those younger than 50 gave a greater chance of their sense of smell returning in a month or two.
Did you know that all stimuli processed in the brain are sent to the Thalmus for processing but the sense of smell? These smelly stimuli are free to travel un-supervised. This explains why smells can trigger memories or PTSD so rapidly.
Sensory Perception: Taste and Olfaction | Anatomy and Physiology I (lumenlearning.com)
Loss of smell, also known as anosmia, can sometimes be a good thing. Like when you are road tripping with someone who is producing large amounts of flatulence. Or when you run over a skunk. But it can also cause discomfort and reduce the ability of other senses. In today’s COVID-19 environment other senses are hindered. As we wear masks, our voices are muffled, and we cannot see lips moving, which aid in understanding what’s being said in conversation. You may find yourself in a George Costanza dilemma.
Smelling is what we experience when environmental variables stimulate the olfactory epithelium of the nose. The sense of smell, from contact with the stimuli to its processing in the brain, starts with entering the nose and making contact with epithelium cells. Epithelial cells play a key role and can be found on every organ; look at your skin; it’s covered in them. These cells “constitute a front-line physical barrier between the organism and the environment.”
The epithelial cells in your nose enable smell, and are tasked in the defense to protect the lungs from becoming damaged when contact with the COVID-19 virus is made. Since the key immune system battle occurred in the nose this is the reason for olfactory epithelial disfunction.
I have talked to a few who have contracted COVID-19 and presented only symptoms of headaches, body pains and fatigue, but no fever or respitory problems. I assume this is due to the effectiveness of their oflactory epithelial cells.
Research has demonstrated that those who lose smell due to COVID-19 are less likely to require hospitalization. It appears that the epithelial cells jump on the virus grenade preventing the massing of fires into the body’s internal defenses. Those with olfactory dysfunction due to age or illness will have a weaker defense allowing the virus to bust through the exterior defenses and rapidly travel to the brain and or lungs.
Olfactory epithelial cells regenerate every 6-8 weeks. This means that those who just recovered from COVID may miss out on the Christmas and New Year smells. If you have lost taste, don’t worry, you should enjoy the addictive sugars found in hyper-palatable Christmas food soon, as taste cells tend to regenerate in 8–12 days.
A variety of research demonstrates the ability to influence a quicker regeneration of olfactory epithelial cells. Cell transplantation therapy, neurotrophic factors, and steroids have been used to assist with olfactory dysfunction.
An article in the Journal of Neuroscience found 60% of the population between the ages of 65 and 80 have weakened olfactory cells, and one of the primary enablers for disease susceptibility. Could this be a possible course of action to better protect the elderly population from COVID-19? Most of the COVID-19 moralities are in the 65 and older age group.
Checking for olfactory epithelial cell dysfunction in those who work in occupations with an elevated chance of exposure to COVID-19, might be a good idea as well.
In Researching the reason for the loss of smell, I read a variety of data on the neurological impacts of COVID-19 as well. The nose provides the quickest route to the brain, and the virus may make contact with the brain creating a long-term impact.
Even beyond recovery, COVID-19 has the potential of continuing damage once it has entered the brain. More research is still needed to understand long term neurological impacts fully. In an upcoming article, I will discuss brain plasticity and provide tips and techniques to strengthen and maintain cognition as effective ways to combat any possible negative cognitive impacts resulting from COVID.
Sources
Self‐reported olfactory loss associates with outpatient clinical course in COVID‐19 (wiley.com)
Epithelial Cells – an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
Loss of supporting cells in olfactory epithelium causes loss of smell in COVID-19 (news-medical.net)
The Olfactory Epithelium and Olfactory Receptor Neurons – Neuroscience – NCBI Bookshelf (nih.gov)
Anosmia in COVID-19: Underlying Mechanisms and Assessment of an
Olfactory Route to Brain Infection
Factors that modulate olfactory dysfunction (nih.gov)
Prevalence of Olfactory Impairment in Older Adults | Geriatrics | JAMA | JAMA Network
Re-establishment of olfactory and taste functions (nih.gov)
How COVID-19 attacks the brain (apa.org)
