Smell and Taste Rehabilitation – Post COVID-19 Syndrome
The study reviewed here took a small cohort of individuals with olfactory sensory loss that persisted post-COVID. Participants with a history of olfactory problems before starting the study were excluded.
Approximately 30% of individuals who have identified COVID-19 had an impact to their olfactory system (capacity to smell). For many of these individuals, these symptoms can persist well after the acute phase of the illness. Sensation-focused rehabilitation and medications have shown promise in restoring smell to those who have lost the ability post-COVID.
This was a case-controlled study. While the participant number was small, the pilot study has interesting implications for helping individuals recover the sense of smell and possibly lost taste in post-acute COVID-19. Somatic mindfulness skills, improving regulation, ability to attend to fine details of sensation of smell, along with unique SE tools for imaginal exposure, could offer some opportunities for the development of an SE-informed rehabilitation protocol.
D'Ascanio, L., Vitelli, F., Cingolani, C., Maranzano, M., Brenner, M. J., & Di Stadio, A. (2021). Randomized clinical trial” olfactory dysfunction after COVID-19: olfactory rehabilitation therapy vs. intervention treatment with Palmitoylethanolamide and Luteolin”: preliminary results. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci, 4156-4162.