Posted on 11/28/2023 8:07:39 PM PST by ConservativeMind
Using an image-guided minimally invasive procedure, researchers may be able to restore the sense of smell in patients who have suffered with long-COVID, according to research.
Parosmia, a condition where the sense of smell no longer works correctly, is a known symptom of COVID-19.
The research team used a stellate ganglion block, which includes injecting anesthetic directly into the stellate ganglion on one side of the neck to stimulate the regional autonomic nervous system. The minimally invasive procedure takes less than 10 minutes, and no sedation or intravenous analgesia is necessary. Stellate ganglion block has been used with varying degrees of success to treat a number of conditions.
For the study, 54 patients were referred from an ear, nose and throat specialist after at least six months of post-COVID parosmia.
"The initial patient had a tremendously positive outcome, with continued improvement to the point of symptom resolution at four weeks," Dr. Zoga said. "We have been surprised at some outcomes, including near 100% resolution of phantosmia in some patients, throughout the trial."
Follow-up was obtained for 37 patients (65%), with 22 (59%) of the 37 reporting improved symptoms at one week post-injection. Of these 22, 18 (82%) reported significant progressive improvement by one month post-procedure. At three months, there was a mean 49% improvement in symptoms (range 10% to 100%) among the 22 patients.
Twenty-six patients returned for a second injection given on the other side of their neck after at least a six-week interval. While the second injection was not effective in patients who did not respond to the first injection, 86% of patients who reported some improvement after the first injection reported additional improvement after the contralateral injection. No complications or adverse events were reported.
"Other treatments have failed to date," Dr. Zoga said. "This injection is working."
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
This year I was sick from early January to mid April with a bug my partner caught babysitting his sick little grandson and gave to me. I think it may have been RSV, I had a severe cough, and one episode of fever. Early March I decided to sniff some Tea Tree Oil, hoping to clear my sinuses a bid. To my surprise, absolutely no smell at all. If you don’t know this oil, it is strong like VIcks Vaporub. I had been taking 500 mg. of Quercetin a day and 50 mg. of Zinc to help prevent getting Covid. I realized that if I had a virus illness, my body was probably already using a lot of zinc to try to fight my illness. I immediately increased from 50 mg zinc to 150 mg. a day of zinc. In 5 days my sense of smell returned.
For Covid Dr. Zelenko was recommending 250 mg. a day of zinc along with some ionophore like HCQ or Quercetin to help the zinc get into infected cells to stop the Covid virus from reproducing. Later I did research on Cancer and found a study reporting that nine major cancers ALL were DEFICIENT in zinc in the cancerous tissue, even if the surrounding normal tissue was well supplied with zinc. One of the authors of this study courageously suggested that perhaps they should try giving an ionophore and zinc to people with cancer and see if it helped. So I think adequate zinc is well worth trying no matter what the cause of loss of smell has comefrom. Amounts of zinc up to 250 mg. a day for a week have been suggested along with an ionophore to treat Covid, so I think that should be safe for most people. Check with your doctor, however, especially if you have an underlying illness that could cause danger like heart disease.
I April 2020 I first heard about Dr. Zelenko’s idea of using an ionophore like HCQ to help more zinc get into virus infected cells. I had also heard about the loss of smell and taste experienced by Covid sufferers. In June 2020, I Googled “causes of loss of taste and smell” and one of the answers was zinc deficiency. Our idiotic lock-stepping doctors still don’t seem to know that zinc is an easy way to regain taste and smell. Don’t they learn to think in Medical School, or do they all do what Dr. Fauci tells them, that for instance Vitamins C and D are no help for preventing Covid. He said that in spring 2020, but had to admit his mistake in November of 2020.
“Did anyone ever get Short Covid ???”
We have no idea how many people had Covid and never showed any symptoms. Remember the word “asymptomatic” being thrown around? I guess that would be short covid.
They use SG injections to treat PTSD in vets.
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HA! I wish! I’ve had Long Covid since mid 2022, and it doesn’t show any inkling of leaving any time soon.
I wish more studies and research would be done to treat more of the CAUSES of Long Covid. I would love it if a cure for insomnia, chronic fatigue, nausea and dizziness/foggy brain would be found.
The best approach to reduce one’s long COVID risk is to get rid of all metabolic disorders, largely all based in bad blood glucose/insulin use. Fatty liver, weight gain, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. basically stem from eating more than we could adequately burn off in tine for our bodies to not become endemically dysfunctional. The root cause is “us.”
People who are fit had a much lower likelihood of getting long COVID.
Basically, their body’s systems worked through it, much better, according to studies I’ve seen.
Every day is different. We have good days, some not so good days, some bad days, and some really bad days, and we never know what kind of day it's gonna be until we wake up and start the day.
So anything, that is medical viable of course, that can be done to alleviate what Covid did our bodies would be welcomed. Long and short, the Chinese government took away my retirement, I would like to have it back.
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