Anosmia – no sense of smell! If you’ve landed here from a search engine, chances are you’re looking for cures, probably of the natural holistic variety. I’ve tried them all, the medical treatments too – all except the surgery for polyps, which even the ENT guy didn’t recommend – and I must admit to being too confused by now to help anyone, other than to say don’t lose heart.
Acupuncture worked very well for me, briefly, then wore off. Oral steroids also worked very well, again briefly, but for longer than the acupuncture. I persevered with Flucticasone Propitionate steroid nose spray, like the ENT guy told me to, but the anosmia set in once more and I’ve been entirely without my nose since New Year’s eve, when I noted it shutting off with progressive sips of a large celebratory Laphroaig.
But in the last few weeks it’s been returning,…
My other problem, related to anosmia, was a recurrent minor chest infection – I’d get wheezy, especially in the mornings after alcohol. So I’ve been spending some time addressing that side-issue, wondering if the anosmia would then address itself. To this end I’ve consulted an apothecary and been taking Vogel’s tinctures of Plantago and Echinachea for the past six months – also Sanatogen’s 50+ formula (because I’m 50+) with Ginko and Ginseng – like the Chinese TCM lady recommended. I’ve also cut down on red wine, refined sugar, and dairy produce. And I still use a few puffs of Flucticasone Propitionate morning and night as well, just to keep the ENT guy on side.
I’ve tried cutting alcohol out altogether, but that’s easier said than done. If I drink alcohol now, it’s white wine with an ABV of no more than 12%, and I try not to overindulge. I also take my coffee black and sweetened with honey, which was weird at first, but now I can drink it no other way. Certain anti-caffeine champions tell me I should cut out the coffee as well, and they’re probably right, but I simply can’t do it. A man must have at least some guilty pleasures, or life’s not worth living. I enjoy bush tea later in the evening as it’s caffeine free, and won’t keep me awake at night.
I briefly tried drops of tea tree oil up my nose, but they burned like hell. I also tried drops of witch hazel – a noted anti-inflammatory – and this didn’t burn as much but it still burned. Like it says on the bottle – recommended for external use only. Both of these things are handy to have around but not to put up your nose.
The ENT guy told me red wine causes rhinitis – a temporary swelling of the mucous membrane, so it might be responsible for temporarily dulling one’s sense of smell, but he was puzzled when I said it also caused copious amounts of yellow snot in the mornings as well(apologies if you’re eating). I think whiskey does the same, so I avoid that as well these days, except on rare special occasions – because the scent of a good single malt is for me the finest thing in the world.
I’ve also tried a Himalayan salt pipe, and as unlikely as that sounds, I think it helped to loosen the chest and ease my breath. Whether it be that or the combination of Plantago and Echinacea or something else altogether, I’ve not struggled with the wheezy chest or the yellow snot (apologies again) all summer – plenty of breath for hill walking anyway.
So,… it’s now late August, and I can smell things again.
Well, some things.
It’s a strange experience and, for now at least, somewhat incomplete, since my nose is curiously selective in what it responds to: coffee, certain cooking smells, car freshener smells, Lynx Africa antiperspirant, shoe polish – all are back in my life. However, petrol, mown grass, WD40, Fairy Liquid, bathroom smells, David Beckham body spray, the dustbin, and indeed the entire cosmetics bit of Boots – all these things, and more, have yet to register, but I’m hopeful of further revelations as time goes on.
If you’re after a cure for anosmia, I wish I could help, or at least be more specific in how I’ve brought about this unexpected partial remission – if indeed I have and it’s not just a natural waxing and waning. My anosmia is caused by nasal polyps – a kind of harmless out-growth from the mucous membrane – harmless except for shutting off the sense of smell, and eventually blocking one’s nose, though no one seems to know what causes the nasal polyps.
My approach to the problem began in a fairly analytical manner, like diagnosing a niggly fault on the car, but has degenerated over the years into more of a scatter-gun defence. Something has had an effect, but I’ve no idea what – not that I’m complaining. It remains to be seen if this is just a welcome flash in the pan, or the beginnings of a permanent regaining of control over my olfactory senses. For now, I shall simply enjoy it, as I continue to be startled and delighted day by day with aromas long forgotten – even the bad ones.
So, for all you anosmics out there, don’t despair. Persevere. Draw on whatever information is to hand, both medical and holistic. I’d largely given up – well, any normal person would after all this time -but the sense of smell isn’t understood that well, indeed it lacks any sort of logical explanation, so we shouldn’t be afraid to try therapies for which there’s no logical explanation either – except, for putting tea tree or witch hazel up your nose.
Trust me, you’ll only do that once.
Update June 2015.
I’d not tried Alpha Lipoic Acid at this point. I began taking it in November 2014. I think this is the breakthrough for me. My sense of smell seems to be returning to normal. If you’re anosmic and haven’t tried it yet, then do check it out.
You sir have tried everything I did and yet mine remains without change, however I think mine become a problem the moment after I got the pulmonary infection
Hi there. Yes, infections and anosmia do go hand in hand. It’s fair to say I’ve tried everything except the surgery. The anosmia comes and goes of its own accord regardless.
Best wishes
Michael
My ENT tells me that 50% of anosmia sufferers with polyps are cured by surgery. I think those are fairly good odds…if I knew I had polyps, as you do, and was not improving, I’d go for the surgery. I’m not sure if I’m one of those people or not, because I haven’t had the CT scan yet. But chronic congestion is not my problem. My anosmia came with a sinus infection. It’s been 3 months.
I appreciate your sharing your experience because it gives me hope that I might find a cure or improvement eventually. Other than the surgical option, my doctor is not particularly optimistic, although he says there’s a chance I’ll improve on my own. I can still smell/taste partials of certain things sometimes, for no particular reason. I estimate my overall experience of smell/taste at around 5-10% but most of the time I’m smelling and tasting nothing at all.
The one interesting experience I’ve had, which has happened five times over the past month and a half, occurs when I drink a glass of white wine before a meal. (I choose white over red because it doesn’t stain my teeth, not because I prefer it. I can’t taste anyway, so who cares.) As long as I wait at least half an hour between drinking and eating, my ability to taste returns to close to 100% and lasts the entire evening. It’s always gone by the next morning, but the fullness of the experience lets me know that the potential to smell and taste is still there, just blocked.
Since I’m not interested in turning into an alcoholic, I save the white wine remedy for special evenings out. I have no clue why it works. What I like about your story is that you didn’t give up, and you’ve been willing to think outside the Western medicine box. I’ve resisted doing that, figuring it would be a waste of time and money and just lead to more disappointment. But I’m considering taking your advice and pick up some alpha-lipoid acid. How’ve you been doing since you started the ALA in January? If it’s continued to help you, what dosage are you using?
Thank you!
Hi Rita,
Thanks for your comment. Interesting what you say about the wine. I’ll experiment with that. I have to be careful with alcohol though – more than a couple of glases and it will kill my scent and taste for 24 hours or more. The ALA is promising – I’ve been on it six months now and had two periods of near complete recovery, the last one lasting a couple of months, which is as good as it got with the corticosteroids. It’s gone again just now – hay fever season here – but I’m confident it will return. My ENT was less confident over the surgery, and would only recommend it if I couldn’t breathe through my nose – as for the sense of smell, he said it would probably go again after a couple of years. I think mine is allergy related.
I hope yours comes back. Mine’s been unreliable for years.
Regards
Michael
Hi Michael,
Thanks for responding so quickly. Your experience with ALA sounds promising and I will give it a try.
I wasn’t suggesting that anybody try my white wine cure — it’s just something I’m reporting because it has happened to me. There might be something to it, there might not. And certainly, if you’ve had the opposite experience with alcohol — that it knocks out your scent and taste for an entire day — that makes the waters rather murky.
I appreciate your thoughts.
R.
How’s it going, Michael? I’ve had polyps since I was 21. I’m 56 now. Had many operations and always found Otrivine worked great for me. My GP and the ENT docs thought I was mad, as I was on it permanently for years! I finally had an operation in December 2012 which trim the lower turbinates and a slightly deviated septum. After a little scare a week after the op (lots of blood, taken to A&E, overnight stay to make sure it stopped) I was cured, or so I thought. Although I get terrible post nasal drip, I never needed any medication at all for over two years. Earlier this year I had an infection and lost my sense of smell & taste. They gave me steroids (which always make my heart race) and nasal drops. I was ok for about two months but it’s back again. I get the most horrendous things coming out of my nose – one was an inch across and dark green. I haven’t had any taste or smell for a month now, and contacted my GP today to see if they can do anything. I don’t really want steroids as the effect scares me a bit, and although I’m way too ‘scientific’ to believe in accupuncture and stuff, I would be willing to try the Alpha Lipoic Acid. How have you been on it since June? And what dose do you take?
Hello Baz,
Sounds like you’ve had a rough ride over the years. Thanks for commenting. Steroids had the same effect on me. I did try acupuncture and it did work for a while, but the Alpha Lipoic Acid has been the answer for me, a steady improvement since the Summer. I can still kill it with alcohol but it comes back within a few days. I’m taking 500mg a day – 250 morning, 250 at night. I’ve been on it for about a year now. I have more information on my other blog which I started to give the fuller story of my journey back into scentedness.
https://scentandscentability.wordpress.com/2015/09/16/300-days/
It takes a while for the lipoic acid to start working, but was worth it in the end.
Hey Michael,
Really useful piece of information. Did you take Echinacea drops continously for 6 months or with some breaks after every 10 days or so? I have similar problem as you, with wheezing that starts every morning apart from anosmia and allergy against dairy products.
Hello Jaideep. Yes, I recall I did take it every morning for some months. I also tried a Himalayan salt pipe for chestiness and found that very effective as well.
So is your sense of smell back now completely.. And do you still have to take some medication for it?
Thanks
Jaideep
Hi Jaideep, yes it’s pretty much normal now. Too much alcohol will kill it for a few days, but it always comes back. I do still take Lipoic Acid, but not all the time. Just now and the when I remember.
Regards
Michael
Thanks Michael
I will take Echinacea drops for now and wait to see if it helps at all..
Regards
Jaideep