Strengthen Olfactory (smell)

[Johann2547]

I saw someone one a thread discussing regaining sense of smell. FWIW, I was using the supplement L-Carnosine several years ago and the immediate impact it had on my sense of smell was just short of miraculous. And I wasn’t even using it for that end. I pretty much stay away from supplements these days, but if my sense of smell were to waiver a bit, that would be the one thing I would use again.

My sense of smell now is so strong that I sometimes wish it were not.

[Lilac]

I lost 99 percent of my sense of smell with a Covid-era cold/flu thing. I wasn’t extremely sick, and my head never stuffed up. Three years in, I am still not back to 100 percent. I am at maybe 85 percent power, with lingering distortions. It is frustrating, as I used to have a sensitive palate and nose. I tried a lot of things, and I’m willing to give L-Carnosine a try. Do you recommend a brand and a dose?

[Cari aka “Rinse & rePeat”]

I was in a thread in the RPF where they linked a documentary that was fascinating about Covid. The cure for it is nicotine. So a member who had no sense of smell for a couple of years decided to try the no teen patches and within days he got smell and taste back. He was pretty emotional about it. It was such a good thread!

[Lilac]

I am willing to try nicotine, too. I will report back.

I found a lot of the recommendations I got from the Ray Peat board (sigh) and Ray himself (hurrah!)  helpful. But the moves forward were slight, maybe 1 percent at a time. For me, there was no great leap forward over this time.

I found helpful:

shellfish (Ray’s recommendation–oysters and shrimp)

vitamin A (Haidut’s brand) in the nostrils (I did this for a week or two)

I took turmeric in gelatin capsules, too. I really can’t remember if it was helpful. Sounds low-risk, in any case.

 

[Johann2547]

I used the NOW brand of L-Carnosine. And it is so powerful that I would just take out a tenth of a capsule and ingest that. In fact, if the capsules are still 500 mg, I would never do that much because of the histamine response. Less is best.

[Anonymous]

Zinc, vitamin B1 and iron supplements help me a lot with this.

[Lilac]

Thank you, Johann. I will give it a try in the next month or so and report back.

[Cari]

“Zinc is one of the essential factors for the Olfactory nerves and taste nerves, possibly because it’s involved in the carbonic anhydrase enzyme, it regulates the carbon dioxide versus bicarbonate, and that is a major anti-inflammatory factor. The anti-inflammatory effects of zinc are largely working through the metabolism of carbon dioxide.”

[Lilac]

I flew cross-country and felt a twinge in my throat a couple of days into my trip. The symptoms kept intensifying. Now I am home and dealing with another round of distorted taste–sweet receptors noticeably. I’m not sure about distorted sense of smell yet.

And I had eaten a can of oysters before the trip as a precaution. I am going back to supplementing vitamin D daily. Since dropping my daily supplementation I have gotten sick twice. Frustrating!

 

[Lilac]

I am trying the L-carnosine, small dose. It does seem to be improving my sense of smell. Faint odors are reaching me–things like earthy smells outdoors. What is does not seem to be doing is undoing my distorted smells and tastes, which include coffee, chocolate, basil, tomatoes, and colognes.

I’ll keep taking it for a while at least. Thanks @Johann2547 for the suggestion!

[Author]

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