What's this? People can lose their sense of smell from an upper respiratory tract infection? I didn't know that.
And ... what's this? Traditional Chinese acupuncture may be able to restore this sense of smell? Didn't know that either.
But it's true, an upper respiratory tract infection can wipe out your sense of smell. Sometimes it's temporary, sometimes it's for good.
"Approximately 2 million Americans experience some type of olfactory dysfunction. One of the most frequent causes of loss of smell in adults is an upper respiratory tract infection (URI). Patients usually complain of smell loss following a viral URI. The smell loss is most commonly partial, and reversible. However, occasionally patients may also present with parosmia (a distortion of the sense of smell), phantosmia (smelling things that aren't there), or permanent damage of the olfactory system."
And, according to research, it also appears that traditional Chinese acupuncture can improve an impaired sense of smell, also known as persistent post-viral olfactory dysfunction (PVOD). This news appeared in the April 2010 issue of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100401085342.htm