Sniffing an orange or coffee twice a day may reverse 'long Covid' loss of smell

14 April 2023 , 21:59

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People with long anosmia have suffered a form of rewiring of the brain and could use a method called olfactory training to help beat the debilitating problem. (Image: Getty Images)

Sniffing an orange or lemon twice a day may help reverse the loss of smell commonly associated with long Covid.

Anosmia, or the loss and smell of taste, is a common often long-lasting symptom in those having been infected with Coronavirus.

While many will only temporarily suffer with a loss of smell and taste, others have gone on to suffer from long-covid - with their lives sometimes debilitated by anosmia.

Now, scientists have claimed there could be a simple hack to help bring back your sense of smell.

A study from a team at University College London (UCL) found for the first time that people with long anosmia have suffered a form of rewiring of the brain and could use a method called olfactory training to help beat the debilitating problem.

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Olfactory training a method where a person with smell problems works to enhance their recognition of senses, with the researchers scientists suggesting taking 10-second sniffs of common household scents - such as lemons, oranges, nutmeg, mint, coffee - twice a day.

Sniffing an orange or coffee twice a day may reverse 'long Covid' loss of smell

Many long Covid sufferers have reported a total loss of smell (Getty Images)

They said MRI scans showed the sniffing impairment was a result of alterations in the brain of infected patients, which leave two parts of the brain disconnected and unable to properly process smells.

The disconnection between the orbitofrontal cortex and the prefrontal cortex was impaired in long Covid sufferers, and certain smells could help repair to link, reports The Telegraph.

It comes after a “more infectious” Covid variant has been surging in India with a rare added symptom, according to a doctor.

The new variant dubbed Arcturus has already been confirmed in the UK by the UK Health Security Agency although there are under 100 cases.

It is very different in India where it has become the driving variant and the states of Haryana and Kerala have reintroduced mask wearing in public.

People wear face masks as they arrive at a government hospital, since a rise in Covid-19 cases in Chennai (AFP via Getty Images)

India's health ministry has even gone as far as to launch mock drills this week in an attempt to see if hospitals were prepared to deal with a possible influx of patients.

And in India along with the typical symptoms of fever and a cough people have also been suffering from “itchy” conjunctivitis or pinkeye.

Dr Vipin Vashishtha, a paediatrician and former head of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics Committee told The Hindustan Times about the unusual pattern of patients having the pinkeye in cases in the country.

Meanwhile the World Health Organization is focusing attention on the new Omicron variant XBB.1.16., Arcturus, having started monitoring it on March 22.