Loss of smell or anosmia: This Covid-19 symptom drives survivors to get creative in the kitchen

CNN — Emergency physician Dr. Alex Yeats had just whipped up what seemed like an appetizing dinner option when his wife let him know she wasn’t having anything to do with it. Anosmia — a condition known as “smell blindness,” or loss of smell — is a common symptom of Covid-19, and can severely impact people’s ability to taste, since the senses are intertwined. When recovery happens, sometimes the wires can get crossed.” While it’s still unknown why people lose their sense of smell with Covid-19, Wen said “it’s thought that the coronavirus doesn’t affect nerve cells that control smell but rather the cells around them.” That, too, is considered good news for recovery, since supporting cells regenerate easier than neurons. “Adding lemon or cloves and those aromatic things enhance everything and make me feel like I’m not missing out as much — even though I know I am.” Londoner Kaya Cheshire has amped up the use of herbs and spices in her cooking since losing her sense of smell from a mild case of Covid-19. Courtesy Kaya Cheshire At her doctor’s suggestion, Cheshire recently began “scent training,” using things like rose, lemons, cloves, garlic, eucalyptus and menthols that have a really strong smell to retrain her brain.