Can you revive a burnt orange flavor after COVID-19? Doctors explain

Loss of smell and taste (medically known as anosmia and dysgeusia, respectively) was not one of the original COVID-19 symptoms referred to by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but it was eventually added to the agency’s official ‘ a list of growing research has found that many people who contracted the coronavirus experienced the unusual symptom.

Now, a January 2021 study conducted in the Journal of Internal Medicine found that nearly 86% of 2,581 COVID-19 patients studied experienced a loss of taste and odor of the new coronavirus. The researchers also found that 15% did not recover their taste and smell 60 days after infection, while almost 5% were in the same situation six months later.

Enter the burnt orange hood. Social media is filled with testimonials from people who swear eating a charred orange, mixed with brown sugar, helped them get their taste and smell after having COVID-19. In a video, A TikTok user calls it a “Jamaican drug” before eating the mixture and then saying, ‘I’ve been waiting for this for two weeks.’

Another TikTok user said she could taste Dijon mustard after eating a roasted orange. She did point out that it could have been accidental.

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Meanwhile, another TikTok user said it did not work for her and even earlier Bachelorette star Kaitlyn Bristowe mentioned that it was tried on her Instagram Stories. She also did not have good results.

So, what’s the matter? Can this kind of food challenge really help bring back a lost sense of smell and taste? We asked doctors for their opinion.

First, why do some people lose their senses of taste and smell after COVID-19?

It is a common side effect of viruses that recur in your nose and throat, says Richard Watkins, MD, chief infectious disease physician and professor of medicine at Northeast Ohio Medical University. Viruses can cause inflammation and swelling in your nose levels, which can cause congestion, which can slow down your senses in the process.

But why this symptom stays with some people is not entirely clear. “The receptors for the virus are found in the special lining of the nasal cavity that contains the olfactory – olfactory nerves that detect the first odors in the air,” explains anosmia researcher Eric Holbrook, MD, director of rhinology in Massachusetts. Eye and Ear and Associate Professor of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at Harvard Medical School. “Although these receptors were not found on the nerves themselves, the damage surrounding the infection is likely to cause the loss of odor.”

Your sense of smell is closely related to your taste buds, he adds, hence the loss of smell and taste. (Important to note: COVID-19 does not physically lose your taste buds!)

The good news: The epithelium, which feeds your nasal cavity, contains cells that can divide and regenerate the damaged nerves, says Dr. Holbrook. ‘But they have to travel back to the brain and make proper connections. It can take time, ”he says.

What is the burnt orange cap, and can it really help bring back your taste or smell?

The recipe is pretty simple. You char an orange over an open flame (most people do this on their gas hob) and then peel or cut off the skin. You grind the fruit, mix it with a little brown sugar and eat the concoction. People who swear it works seem to be able to taste the mixture immediately, while others say it does nothing – or perhaps help their taste buds respond within a few hours.

But doctors are not entirely convinced. At the moment, the evidence is ‘naturally anecdotal’, says Dr Watkins. The trick has not been studied and positive results have not been repeated by researchers, so “from a scientific point of view I doubt it works,” he adds.

It’s hard to even theorize why this particular hack would work, says Iahn Gonsenhauser, MD, chief quality and patient experience officer at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “There is nothing we are aware of that would explain why it would be a successful and viable solution,” he says, as your loss of taste is usually associated with the loss of your sense of smell with COVID-19. As a result, eating strong flavors is unlikely to start your taste buds alone if your sense of smell is not there yet.

Dr Holbrook agrees. Although eating this food mixture is not necessarily harmful (as long as your open flames are careful), there is no evidence that it works and it is another lesson for the plethora of false allegations made by social media about ‘therapies’ ‘penetrate. for all different types of health disorders, including COVID-19. ”

There is also this to consider, according to Stanley H. Weiss, MD, a professor of medicine at both Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and the Rutgers School of Public Health: People who believe the hack worked for them have possibly already their sense of smell.

Ok, so what else can you do to revive your taste and smell after COVID-19?

This is not a popular answer, but in general you just have to wait until the senses come back. Some experiments have been done with a higher dose of steroid therapy, in an attempt to reduce inflammation and swelling in the nasal passages in the hope of reproducing a person’s sense of smell, but there is still nothing meaningful about it, says dr. Gonsenhauser.

However, Dr Holbrook says you can try something called ‘fragrance training’, which involves finding a strong odor and inhaling it while focusing on how the scent should be. Some research has shown that people have an improvement in the ability to smell compared to a control group after undergoing odor training. “Not everyone responds the same,” says Dr. Holbrook, but “it is something non-invasive and easy to perform, and it is recommended.”

Here’s how you can try it: Collect some strong fragrances in your home (think of: cinnamon, mint and citrus) and inhale for 10 to 20 seconds while thinking about what the fragrance will look like. Essential oils are also helpful. Dr. Holbrook recommends using powerful fragrances such as rose, eucalyptus, lemon and clove. Keep doing this daily.

If you are struggling with the loss of smell and taste, you should also consult your GP. “There is so much research being done in the field that something new may be coming,” says Dr. Weiss. Your doctor may refer you to a new treatment, or at least refer you to a specialist who can evaluate you further.

And hey, if you just want to eat an orange, go ahead. The fruit is rich in vitamin C and other good-for-you nutrients. Just do not hope for a quick fix.

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